Let's Move! Fitness Campaign...

First Lady Michelle Obama and Beyonce teamed up to create the first in what looks to potentially become a number of remixes.

First Lady Obama lauched her "Let's Move!" Fitness Campaign, and the first of the songs are surfacing. Listen to how Beyonce remixed "Get Me Bodied" (a personal favorite of mine) for the new fitness program.

Side note: I'm loving this and it's targeting the population that needs it, through their own popular means. If you can't get them to you, bring it to them. This is dope. I love how campaigns like this, and Wii are making working out fun! I'm with it!

a call for perspective...

Last night, I was woken up out of sleep by one of the few people who can get away with that and still make me smile...my best friend Bethany.

Not only did I welcome the words and wisdom of a doctor, but it was nice to hear from home. We spoke about the recent turn in healthful events and different ways to help knock it out, until I get checked up on Friday.

Yet, at a point the conversation changed slightly and taped right into the core of something I've had lingering underneath it all for awhile now.

As my Dad sent to me via text "Umm. You may want to consider bringing your ass home."

He was the second person to bring it up. Bethany was now the third.

It was less a directly health related reason, but moreso a call for perspective.

What am I doing here? What am I getting out of it that I haven't already?

I'm not getting paid for this trip in anyway, as you all know in my plea for donations and photography purchases. I am now in a place where every two weeks I have to leave the country for a visa run ($30 a pop), just to be able to come back and stay here, for the sake of this project's timeline. Not mine.

Wait, what?

I'm not sure where the reciprocation is anymore. I'm not sure where the allure of having adventure and promotion be the only payoffs went, especially now that I am legitimately sick.

What's it worth? The debt. The sickness. The main payoff I see right now, is the ability to have met some amazing men. Some of which I can see long term friendships with.

I can understand the purpose for someone who hasn't traveled on their own before...but I have, and still prefer too. And truthfully, if I was on my own schedule, I would have left Thailand  by now and probably would have been in Vietnam somewhere.

After going to Cambodia, in my mind, I was set. That was my TADA! I'm good.

The idea of two more months of being here, just to be here, flooding all my resources just doesn't sound appealing to me.

In regards to Jet Set Zero, I have completed the task they search for in the crew. Find a home and a job within 90 days. That was accomplished around Day 15.

So here I am. Trying to get healthy, and gain some perspective on the next move.

Time for an honest discourse with self.

doctor's diagnosis is Dengue...

Apparently, I have Dengue Fever. Why wouldn't I? I can now check this off the list of unneccesary shit to go through during life. Another badge of honor. Something else that legitimizes the fact that. "Oh yea, you are a traveler." Bullshit.

I wish I could say that this was rare, but that'd be a lie. I've heard more about Dengue Fever here than I have traveling anywhere else. Apparently, there's been an influx, and Chiang Mai is not out of the line of fire, nor is Cambodia...so we don't know where I caught it. Yes, I probably ate something shitty in Cambodia, but that doesn't necessarily equate to Dengue.

All of my inital symptoms have subsided with due diligence and vitamins, but today the dizziness was at a height. Walking to try to get food, while being on a liquid diet for damn near two days, in Thailand heat, left me helpless when I was faced with a trek back home. We're talking, a five minute walk, that I felt I would have passed out during, if I was to complete it. I hailed a tuk tuk. I'd officially had it. Time for a second opinion.

My male landlord, also known as Thai Dad, is a retired doctor who studied in New York. Luckily, he was home. Excuse me, he was pulling out of his driveway when I came over yelling his name. He took me for food. When he saw the trouble, and painstaking amount of time it was taking for me to get it down, he took me to another hospital.

Enter Rajavej Chiang Mai Hospital.

I'm still not sure what my doctor's name was. He just told me to call him Will. I dug it. He said what I was feeling was very consistent with what normal foreigners go through when they travel, but that he wanted to check my blood to see if there is any infection. I dug him more, considering the first hospital did no such thing.

Lab. Needle in Arm.

Thirty minutes later, I was called back in with results. Everything was ok, except my white blood cells are about half of what they're supposed to be.

"I think you get bit my mosquito. Your platelets are normal though so no malaria. I say you have a mild case of dengue fever. It's almost over, maybe done on Friday. It takes usually one week," said Will.

"Ok, so there's no medicine?"

"No, viral. Get more electrolyte packets. You can buy at any store. Make sure you start to eat more. Drink a lot of water and stay away from alcohol. We will schedule another blood test on Friday morning so you can see the difference."

Thai Dad, Dr. Cosi, took care of me today. We stocked  up on electrolyte packets, cough syrup, food, and fluids. He laughed at me. "You can tell crazy story now. I was so sick, and home alone." As all the guys were gone until the next day. Or so I thought...

I was surprised by two of my favorites about an hour ago. While I was mixing my concoction, they walked through the door. When I asked why they'd returned so early, Jean-Pierre offered over a "just making sure you're alright". I love these dudes...

Ps. For more info on Dengue Fever click here. Inform yourself.

Pps. Fuck mosquitos.

Ppps. Even if I did get this in Cambodia, I'd still go back because it was bomb! :)

doctor's orders...

Getting better...but damn.

So I got back into Thailand, from Cambodia, yesterday. Most of my documentation of the trip is going to be going there and while there, coming back was crazy. I caught a virus on my last morning there. Or at least that's what the Thai doctor said here, at the hospital.

All I know is that I didn't think I was going to make it back over the border. I felt like they were going to see me, quarentine me, and try to keep me in Cambodia.  Which would have been no bueno, as it's said by rule of thumb that if you need medical assistance in Cambodia, the best thing to do is get to Thailand asap. I had to pull out my biggest acting to date.

I still don't know what it was. It could have been the fish curry that I had the night before leaving. It was in a liquid sauce and may not have been cooked to boil. It also could have been the juice/fruit from the hostel's breakfast on my last morning. Say they washed the fruit in tap water. Who knows? All I know is that true to form, my body reacts quickly when there is something in it that needs to come out.

It hit like the tundra. I got dizzy and my stomach started bubbling at the rest stop literally two minutes from the border. Thursday morning, I left half of my insides on one said of the border, and the other half on the Thailand side of the border. It was not pretty. Thankfullly, one of the women riding with me was armed with instant Imodium. It got me through the three and a half hour trek from the border to Bangkok.

After the ten hour trek on the train, to Chiang Mai, I got home and eventually made it to the hospital yesterday afternoon. No fever. Good blood pressure. No more loose bowels. Ya know, all the good stuff. I was left with a sore throat, that which has since subsided. Now I just have a bit of fatigue, sneezing, and an apparent sinus headache which makes my eyes hurt a bit. I feel like I have allergies.

I looked the doctor in the eye,"So, no malaria?"

He laughed. "No malaria, just virus. Drink a lot of water, rest, and I will prescribe dehydration packets for you."

330 bhat later= $11 I had paid to see the doctor and got my prescription.

Thank you so everyone sending me well wishes. You guys rock for real. Love you all and I will keep you updated on the progress.