Attack of the 5 Deadly Venoms / Tioman Islands, Maylasia

Normally I would have nothing to do with these things, but was hoping to avoid anything more so I wrangled up an army of cough drops, aspirin, decongestants, aloe vera and lip ointment. For a day it succeeded thwarting the initial problems. I was happy with that and I hadn't paid much attention to the fact my gums we're feeling a little tender so I packed up my gear, said goodbye to KL and headed for a beach. I was to be in Singapore in a few days and thought some time by the sea and some cautious sun tanning might be the answer. I arrived at night in Tekek, Tioman...it was very quiet and secluded, a nice change from the sleepless city. I checked myself into a little bungalow, found, dinner and crashed.

Honestly I was feeling alright, but during the course of the evening something went very wrong...when I awoke everything had got disturbingly worse. My skin had formed these peculiar layer of pore sized blisters, the cold sore that had all but disappeared had grown 5 times the size, my throat was raw, my head was throbbing and when I flashed a menacing grin what I saw in the mirror made my eyes pop out of my head. It seems I had been visited by what I now refer to as The 5 Deadly Venoms: Sunstroke, Strep Throat, a Cold Sore, General Fatigue and one white bloody, ugly, exceedingly painful gum infection topped with an inflamed wisdom tooth no doubt sprouted by the Evil Oral God of Pain n' Suffering himself.

By noon I couldn't move my face without wincing, tears filled my eyes at the sight of a toothbrush and drinking water was altogether not an option. I thought the hell with the beach, I'm going to the doctor/dentist/old wise man on in the jungle.