I felt a bit better today but i could still only trust my stomach as much as you trust a baby not to throw up when you're holding it above your head. So I stayed in bed for the first half of the day.
I figured it was good for me anyway, it gave me a chance to press reset on my body and mind. Being alone in such extreme conditions can get the better of you if you let it. My little sick room was ideal for hiding away and for that half day I could've been anywhere I wanted. The loud African chants coming from the church next door gave it away that I wasn't back home in England but I could put my music on and close my eyes and transport myself to somewhere tranquil just to try and regain some energy and put into perspective my time in Addis and the things I've experienced.
I went to the Internet cafe after lunch to check in with the rents which is always nice to do once in a while. Then i decided to rebel against the stomach rumbles and what my brain was telling me and destroy a "family" sized pizza. I had had enough of nil by mouth and was more than willing to accept the consequences. The pizza wasn't exactly hand spun dough from the streets of Naples but it was food and it was going down whether it liked it or not.
I got half way through and I knew I had sparked something off but I powered through to see out the storm nevertheless. The damage wasn't too bad in the end and I'm on another road to recovery thankfully. I think illness is a given for a foreigner in Ethiopia. The main challenge is how you deal with it. There are so many different ways to get a bug or a fever of some sort out here, I would be very surprised if anyone avoids illness completely if they are staying for the same amount of time and in similar areas. Sewage water running though the streets, toilets in restaurants situated out the back door next to the fresh food and the toilets themselves being in a state of shear disbelief for the infrequent traveller to developing countries. The water here is known for being unsafe to the untrained stomach of the west and so its hard to avoid any contact with it when the locals use it to wash everything. The fact that you can even get ill from the money as its passed from hand to hand gives you an idea that there's no point fighting it with a life supply of alcohol gel strapped to your waist or a bar of soap stuck to the roof of your mouth. You just have to embrace the runs like Usain Bolt and somehow make light of the situation and possibly give the varying toilets you visit, your own mark out of 10.
Years ago I was introduced to the game of poo soccer. One goal scored for a plop, one goal conceded for a wipe. You can make your own league if you're bored and different circumstances can arise that affect the match. I won't go into vast detail but I'm just going to put waterlogged pitch and floodlight failure out there and let your imagination do the rest!!
I happily snuggled back into my sick bed to call close on another day. I pick up my Kenyan visa tomorrow hopefully and with that in hand its happy border crossing from then on. All the other visas I can get at the border and I don't have to stop in capital cities if I don't want to.
This could save time and money in the long run so fingers crossed I get it!
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