You could text Jul, if you could get your phone charged. I’m sure it’s not the batteries. The wires in the charger may have come unstuck. You could test for continuity if you had a continuity tester! He’s in Thames at the moment, mulling over his options, I believe.

I’ve checked Doxy online. I checked it when you were in hospital, but obviously didn’t go deep enough. The more I look, the more it sounds like you’re allergic to it. The problem is, as it says here:

“To prevent malaria, the antibiotic doxycycline is taken 1 to 2 days prior to travel to an area where malaria is present, daily while in the area, and daily for 4 weeks after departure from the area.”

Well, you’ve more or less left the area now, but you’re supposed to keep taking it for four weeks! Not much good if what follows is what you had (have):

“Doxycycline Side Effects and Warnings
Do not take doxycycline if you are going to be exposed to strong sunlight, such as on the beach. Doxycycline increases the sensitivity of the skin to the sun’s rays. If you must take doxycycline, because no other treatment is available, be sure to protect yourself from the sun.The following travelers should NOT take doxycycline; persons allergic to doxycycline or other tetracyclines.

Doxycycline increases sensitivity to sunlight. Notify your doctor if you develop breathing difficulties, skin rash, hives or sore throat while taking this medication.

If you experience any of the following serious side effects, stop taking doxycycline and seek emergency medical attention:
∑ an allergic reaction (swelling of your lips, face, or tongue, difficulty breathing);
a life-threatening allergic reaction (symptoms are trouble breathing; closing of the throat; swelling of the lips, tongue, or face; hives)

In the unlikely event you have an allergic reaction to this drug, seek immediate medical attention. Symptoms of an allergic reaction include rash, itching, swelling, dizziness or trouble breathing.”

More of the same, ad nauseum.

So, what to do, assuming that you are allergic to Doxy, but that you were bitten by some malarial pest up North, and should keep taking something for four weeks? Or, maybe, you can say with some certainty that you were not bitten during the last four weeks?

I’ll pop into the pharmacy and ask the bloke.

Hail all, just to let you know we went to kanchantaburi to the death railway. Most depressing, but nice to see that the thais have kept all the graves well, with flowers and everything.WE went on the train over the bridge and along the track till the end. Amazing what was actually achieved. I sent granny a p-card. If anyone wants to write then write to post restente in auckland and i will pick it up when i get there. It would be most pleasent to get mail from good old blighty!! Well, seeing as jul hasn’t been around, i will just reinfroce g’s message that we are heading into malasia around the 22-25th ish, and then moving quickly down to singapore to get the flight to bali. Anyone know what his plans are????? Good oh!

Oh liv, much as i enjoy slightl;y’s mails, it pains me to have to read then THREE times!!!! A deletion should be don i think.

Love to all,
Tanya

PS A few spot keep coming back on my legs and as soon as one goes another comes. We re-read the doxi blurb, abd lo and lo and behold, it said that one of the side effects if rashes and swelling!!!!! Why didn’t i see this before??????? I must have read this a thousend times to check!!! And what was that doc doing, not telling me it could have been the pill. I even took them in to show him!!!! I will try not taking them for a couple of day, and if they go it will have been them ,and Mama would have been right!!!!! I have taken enough to protect me from vietnam, cambodia and abit of thailand. These werte the most worrying places anyway. And if the doc is to be eblieved, then they are useless anyway!!! COR BLIMEY!!!!!!!!!!

t

In case you haven’t noticed my messages are so interesting, well written, hilarious and gererally great that I blog them three times.
The blog thing wasn’t working yesterday and earlier today it said error every time I tried – except it still sent it.
I may attempt to blog from Malta….

When in Malta, check out the ‘sledge’ tracks in the rocky hills. Most mystifying …

Granny rang to say thanks for the t shirt which fits a treat and the silk scarf from Laos. She is full of admiration for your postcard writing prowess and would like to write to you but has no address.

Greetings Minions!

I think it is high time I went off on holiday somewhere nice with a babe so… Sasha and I are going to Malta for a week. On Saturday.

We got breakfast and dinner in a hotel with transfers and flights for £170. Not bad really.

Adios!