I’m counting down time to the Great Central American Adventure. Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador, etc. Ten weeks, give or take (the return date is still up in the air), starting with Panama City and heading north until the money runs out.
I’m writing this from my girlfriend’s childhood home in Tiverton, Rhode Island. The wind is howling outside the window tonight. The current temperature is 30 degrees, and the wind is gusting over 25 mph. It’s a good night to be indoors, and an equally good night to reflect on the fact that, in five days, we’ll be landing in Panama City. Current temperature—77 degrees.
So for the next few days, I’ll be sending out a regular update on preparations for the trip. Today’s update is on everyone’s favorite subject: inoculations.
From this photo, you can’t tell I cried like a baby when they gave me the MMR shot.
Corrinne and I helped ourselves to a heaping pile of antibodies, courtesy of our Tdap (Tetanus, Diptheria, Pertussis) and MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) boosters, and a preventative shot for Hepatitis A. After that, it’s just about wearing sunscreen, caking on mosquito repellent, and being smart about the water and the food.
There are volumes written on the precautions to be taken regarding disease, food, insects and so on. If your read enough of them, you’re liable to move to the Arctic Circle and never leave your bed except to use the bathroom before taking a shower in boiling water and slathering your entire body in iodine.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. But at a certain point, you know the risks, remind yourself this is supposed to be an adventure, and dive in.
That said, I’ll skip the Rubella if you don’t mind. Thanks.