Comments on: What’s The Worst Thing That’s Attacked You? http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/06/25/whats-the-worst-thing-thats-attacked-you/ Online travel magazine dedicated to exploring travel in the 21st century. Offering travel news, compelling interviews, online travel tools, and more. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:53:32 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Christine Garvin http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/06/25/whats-the-worst-thing-thats-attacked-you/comment-page-1/#comment-94983 Christine Garvin Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:46:02 +0000 http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/06/25/whats-the-worst-thing-thats-attacked-you/#comment-94983 Mine wasn't painful until the malaria kicked in. Bastard mosquito(s). What followed was a wonderful experience in the local Victoria Falls hospital, where the nurse had to jab me no less than 10 times with about 6 different needles (fearful of HIV, anyone?) because she couldn't get enough blood to "know for sure" if I really had malaria (I did). Plus some other sort of unknown infection (fantastic). All in all, it could have been worse. The most painful part was over in about three days, partly because I had already been on anti-malarials, including mefloquine and some chinese herbs that were crazy good. They just put me on another anti-malarial so that I would take all three and bamboozle the malaria. A scorpion spared me when I was about 9 and living in El Paso, TX. We had them in the house rather frequently, and I was walking to the bathroom and didn't turn on the light in the hallway leading there. The bottom of my foot gently brushed over something, so I turned on the light, and there he was, looking up at me. Guess he knew I was a Scorpio rising, and gave me props for that. Mine wasn’t painful until the malaria kicked in. Bastard mosquito(s). What followed was a wonderful experience in the local Victoria Falls hospital, where the nurse had to jab me no less than 10 times with about 6 different needles (fearful of HIV, anyone?) because she couldn’t get enough blood to “know for sure” if I really had malaria (I did). Plus some other sort of unknown infection (fantastic).

All in all, it could have been worse. The most painful part was over in about three days, partly because I had already been on anti-malarials, including mefloquine and some chinese herbs that were crazy good. They just put me on another anti-malarial so that I would take all three and bamboozle the malaria.

A scorpion spared me when I was about 9 and living in El Paso, TX. We had them in the house rather frequently, and I was walking to the bathroom and didn’t turn on the light in the hallway leading there. The bottom of my foot gently brushed over something, so I turned on the light, and there he was, looking up at me. Guess he knew I was a Scorpio rising, and gave me props for that.

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]]> By: Sarah http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/06/25/whats-the-worst-thing-thats-attacked-you/comment-page-1/#comment-91387 Sarah Fri, 15 May 2009 23:07:45 +0000 http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/06/25/whats-the-worst-thing-thats-attacked-you/#comment-91387 When I still had braces I got stung by a bee while drinking a soda. Felt something in my mouth and thought it was one of my braces rubber bands so I reached in and pulled it out, then looked in my hand and saw a honeybee... and then I felt the soreness... right in the middle of the roof of my mouth. Not fun. Also had one summer in Minnesota where I counted over 200 mosquito bites all over my body... they are possibly my least favorite insect on the face of this earth. They never touch my parents or grandparents, but they LOVE my young blood. When I still had braces I got stung by a bee while drinking a soda. Felt something in my mouth and thought it was one of my braces rubber bands so I reached in and pulled it out, then looked in my hand and saw a honeybee… and then I felt the soreness… right in the middle of the roof of my mouth. Not fun.

Also had one summer in Minnesota where I counted over 200 mosquito bites all over my body… they are possibly my least favorite insect on the face of this earth. They never touch my parents or grandparents, but they LOVE my young blood.

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]]> By: Ian MacKenzie http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/06/25/whats-the-worst-thing-thats-attacked-you/comment-page-1/#comment-91385 Ian MacKenzie Fri, 15 May 2009 22:39:30 +0000 http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/06/25/whats-the-worst-thing-thats-attacked-you/#comment-91385 Ha, wow, thanks for sharing! I suppose my encounter wasn't nearly so dangerous. Ha, wow, thanks for sharing! I suppose my encounter wasn’t nearly so dangerous.

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]]> By: Adam http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/06/25/whats-the-worst-thing-thats-attacked-you/comment-page-1/#comment-91384 Adam Fri, 15 May 2009 22:30:37 +0000 http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/06/25/whats-the-worst-thing-thats-attacked-you/#comment-91384 When I was in the Serengeti, a hyena decided that it would be a great idea to break into our tent's bathroom and have a go at eating my toiletries while I was trying to sleep a few yards away (on the other side of a zipped-up tent flap, fortunately). That same trip, our guide had to take our car off the park road and cut straight through the underbrush to escape from a very angry, very large bull elephant. Less life-threateningly, I was doing a training dive in a quarry in Illinois when my instructor stopped and motioned for me to look behind me. I turned around and found myself facing a group of about 50-70 fish, bluegill, sunfish, bass, catfish and a couple of enormous pike, all directly behind me and all staring at me in the oddest way; none of them seemed to have the slightest interest in my instructor. When I looked at them, they all started to disperse and went their own ways. About five minutes later, something flashed across the very edge of my vision. When I turned to see what it was, I found the fish mob behind me again, just like before. My instructor grinned and made a series of hand motions that roughly translated to "See those fish? They're probably going to eat you." We couldn't figure out why the fish kept following ME, and not my buddy, until after we finished the dive. We were packing up when my instructor pointed out that our sets were identical except for one thing: the tanks. Where he had a plain, gunmetal gray tank, mine was painted bright red. As far as we could figure, the fish just found something about that captivating. When I was in the Serengeti, a hyena decided that it would be a great idea to break into our tent’s bathroom and have a go at eating my toiletries while I was trying to sleep a few yards away (on the other side of a zipped-up tent flap, fortunately). That same trip, our guide had to take our car off the park road and cut straight through the underbrush to escape from a very angry, very large bull elephant.

Less life-threateningly, I was doing a training dive in a quarry in Illinois when my instructor stopped and motioned for me to look behind me. I turned around and found myself facing a group of about 50-70 fish, bluegill, sunfish, bass, catfish and a couple of enormous pike, all directly behind me and all staring at me in the oddest way; none of them seemed to have the slightest interest in my instructor. When I looked at them, they all started to disperse and went their own ways.

About five minutes later, something flashed across the very edge of my vision. When I turned to see what it was, I found the fish mob behind me again, just like before. My instructor grinned and made a series of hand motions that roughly translated to “See those fish? They’re probably going to eat you.”

We couldn’t figure out why the fish kept following ME, and not my buddy, until after we finished the dive. We were packing up when my instructor pointed out that our sets were identical except for one thing: the tanks. Where he had a plain, gunmetal gray tank, mine was painted bright red. As far as we could figure, the fish just found something about that captivating.

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]]> By: Sean http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/06/25/whats-the-worst-thing-thats-attacked-you/comment-page-1/#comment-58244 Sean Mon, 24 Mar 2008 05:44:01 +0000 http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/06/25/whats-the-worst-thing-thats-attacked-you/#comment-58244 I got stung by a scorpin while I was in Costa Rica the past X-mas. The scorpin was under the covers in my bed, it got me three times in the leg before I could get out of bed. I remember my leg swelling up and yes there was alot of pain mostly when I walked. Kind of suck to walk around the beach with kankles. O well still had a great time and would go back again. Cheers, Sean I got stung by a scorpin while I was in Costa Rica the past X-mas. The scorpin was under the covers in my bed, it got me three times in the leg before I could get out of bed. I remember my leg swelling up and yes there was alot of pain mostly when I walked. Kind of suck to walk around the beach with kankles. O well still had a great time and would go back again.

Cheers,
Sean

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]]> By: Okinawa http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/06/25/whats-the-worst-thing-thats-attacked-you/comment-page-1/#comment-35403 Okinawa Sun, 02 Dec 2007 00:03:53 +0000 http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/06/25/whats-the-worst-thing-thats-attacked-you/#comment-35403 And people ask me why I don't learn to SCUBA dive! And people ask me why I don’t learn to SCUBA dive!

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]]> By: Ian MacKenzie http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/06/25/whats-the-worst-thing-thats-attacked-you/comment-page-1/#comment-14549 Ian MacKenzie Tue, 11 Sep 2007 21:44:22 +0000 http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/06/25/whats-the-worst-thing-thats-attacked-you/#comment-14549 that's a great story! (but a painful experience). thanks for sharing Tannis. that’s a great story! (but a painful experience). thanks for sharing Tannis.

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]]> By: Tannis http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/06/25/whats-the-worst-thing-thats-attacked-you/comment-page-1/#comment-14548 Tannis Tue, 11 Sep 2007 21:33:57 +0000 http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/06/25/whats-the-worst-thing-thats-attacked-you/#comment-14548 Another Costa Rica attack to report. I stood up after swimming a short distance in the Caribbean ocean shallows and thwack! A 6 inch long UFO arced from under the surface, slapped me hard under my nose and vanished back into the sea. I was bleeding like crazy, salt water stinging the wound. My husband along with an oral surgeon friend traveling with us and locals from the eco-lodge where we were staying dashed me to the nearest clinic, and the local Doctor pumped me full of antibiotics. Next day I had an impressive shiner and a great story to tell about a mysterious flying fish, which was probably a terrified, rather than terrifying baby stingray. Another Costa Rica attack to report. I stood up after swimming a short distance in the Caribbean ocean shallows and thwack! A 6 inch long UFO arced from under the surface, slapped me hard under my nose and vanished back into the sea. I was bleeding like crazy, salt water stinging the wound. My husband along with an oral surgeon friend traveling with us and locals from the eco-lodge where we were staying dashed me to the nearest clinic, and the local Doctor pumped me full of antibiotics. Next day I had an impressive shiner and a great story to tell about a mysterious flying fish, which was probably a terrified, rather than terrifying baby stingray.

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]]> By: Pia http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/06/25/whats-the-worst-thing-thats-attacked-you/comment-page-1/#comment-6197 Pia Tue, 03 Jul 2007 10:15:13 +0000 http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/06/25/whats-the-worst-thing-thats-attacked-you/#comment-6197 Ouch, that emu sounds freaky. As for me, I was minding my own business on a hot sandy beach on the Garden Route in South Africa when a giant hornet raced up to my unsuspecting, unthreatening thigh, jammed its venomous sting into the exposed skin and then went on its poisonous way. I leapt up, mouthing words my mother will hopefully never know I know, and raced into the icy sea in the hopes of cooling it off (or numbing it, preferably). The bite became unbelievably swollen and intolerably itchy, and I was forced to resort to binge-drinking to cope with the stress of it all (ah, hooray for the memory-blurring medicinal properties of alcohol). Not something I would like to repeat. Ouch, that emu sounds freaky. As for me, I was minding my own business on a hot sandy beach on the Garden Route in South Africa when a giant hornet raced up to my unsuspecting, unthreatening thigh, jammed its venomous sting into the exposed skin and then went on its poisonous way.

I leapt up, mouthing words my mother will hopefully never know I know, and raced into the icy sea in the hopes of cooling it off (or numbing it, preferably).

The bite became unbelievably swollen and intolerably itchy, and I was forced to resort to binge-drinking to cope with the stress of it all (ah, hooray for the memory-blurring medicinal properties of alcohol). Not something I would like to repeat.

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]]> By: dougdo http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/06/25/whats-the-worst-thing-thats-attacked-you/comment-page-1/#comment-6063 dougdo Sun, 01 Jul 2007 01:36:46 +0000 http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2007/06/25/whats-the-worst-thing-thats-attacked-you/#comment-6063 Hmm, I've been <a href="http://www.dougdo.com/2007/05/15/working-the-streets-of-manuel-antonio/" rel="nofollow">attacked by a dog<a> in Costa Rica, been slammed by waves into the rocks in Hawaii (that doesn't really count does it?) and I put on my shoes while camping in Washington State once to squish my toes into a big slug which was hiding in there. But that's not really much of a litany of attacks? Hmmm, maybe I'm not careless enough--my boyfriend would definitely disagree. Hmm, I’ve been attacked by a dog in Costa Rica, been slammed by waves into the rocks in Hawaii (that doesn’t really count does it?) and I put on my shoes while camping in Washington State once to squish my toes into a big slug which was hiding in there.

But that’s not really much of a litany of attacks? Hmmm, maybe I’m not careless enough–my boyfriend would definitely disagree.

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