On one side, the walkway is just past flush with the water so there is some spillage onto the other side, which is maybe 4 feet down and nasty oily stagnant soapy water (from said laundry and bus). Then you walk downstream to find a breathtaking swimming spot. Did I say downstream? So that means swimming in the nasty/soapy/oil from cleaning a bus water? Indeed.
Boké is soul-crushingly hot. I understand why life grinds to a halt under trees at mid-day, because the heat makes you want to do nothing. Not even get to the tree. You just want to stop moving and wait for nightfall.
So the next day, I woke up with an incredibly itchy rash. You know, little bumps of I-am-going-to-tear-the-flesh-from-my-bones rash. Which after almost a week, I still have (on my forearms, thighs, belly button, armpit, back of my knees, a bit on my hands and feet). Which begs the question, is this a heat rash, or did who knows what in the river give me an allergic reaction? Is this some kind of special African parasite? Am I incubating something?
The rash seems to respond to temperature change, the hotter the worse, the cooler the better, so I think it’s a heat rash. Another theory would be that a warmer environment is a better incubating temperature for the gremlins that I am about to hatch. Wish me luck.
On a related health note, also starting around the same time, I contracted a potent cold, complete with sore throat, body aches, cough and fever. I feel like American colds don’t really come with fevers like Guinean colds, what is that about?