Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
On Dehydration and Travel
Togo is a hot country. Yes, I know it is in Africa, close to the equator, and I should have been aware that it was hot. I was. I was prepared for heat, for sweating, for sunburn, for changing clothes throughout the day. But, I was unprepared for dehydration. I used to think that drinking water would prevent dehydration. Boy was I mistaken. I drank water. I drank water nearly all day. While traveling in Togo, I drank "purewater" from sacks (to ensure it was potable). When in village, I drank boiled and filtered water. I feel like I drank nonstop. My water bottle was always with me, and I refilled it constantly. Apparently, it was not enough. Less than a week into my trip, I began to feel the signs of dehydration. I had little to no energy - even the shortest walk made me overheat and want to pass out. I felt like such a wimp. I wondered if I were THAT out of shape that I couldn't even take a simple walk. Well, the answer is no. I was dehydrated. Another misconception I had about dehydration was that it simply made you thirsty and weak. Unfortunately, I felt other effects - the inability to sweat, a complete loss of appetite, and a feeling of losing bowel control (TMI, I know, but I feel like you should know the symptoms). The loss of appetite is a killer, since food is actually necessary for energy and provides the salts and sugars to rebalance electrolytes in your system. However, even the thought of food made me want to vomit. I forced down bread, but It turned into a sticky glue-like paste in my mouth. I tried plain rice, which sometimes worked. Any type of sauce, however, made my stomach churn and heave. Luckily, I never did vomit, as doing so in a latrine might just have been the worst experience in Togo. It took nearly 2 weeks for me to fully recover from the dehydration, which hindered my ability to sample and appreciate Togolese cuisine (the last meal I had before feeling so sick was fufu, a traditional Togolese dish of pounded yams and peanut sauce - the thought of which still turns my stomach to this day because of the after-effects my body went through). It also hindered my ability to truly enjoy and appreciate some of the travel I was able to do.
Ortencia and I went to the north of Togo, the savannah region, just a few days after I arrived. We traveled by bush taxi (see my post on transportation, if you haven't already), so you can imagine what an experience that was. I think we spent about 10 or 11 hours total traveling in one direction. Let me say right now that if Togo is hot, the north is like the fires of hell. Add dehydration on top of that, and you have one wacky experience. I loved the scenery and getting to see and experience other towns and cities in Togo. I actually liked the atmosphere of the north a lot, other than the heat - I don't' know that I would be able to last if I ever were posted to work there. In Dapaong, the northernmost city in Togo, we stayed with another Peace Corps volunteer. We spent the night on his roof, under the stars and a full moon - amazing! It cooled off TREMENDOUSLY, which was a gift from the universe. The plan had been to hike up a mountain (more like a big rocky hill) to some caves. We started the hike before 7am, but before we even got ¼ of the way up the hill, I had to bail. I was way to weak, dizzy, thirsty, and hot. There was no way that I could continue to safely climb, so I found myself a tree and sat underneath for Ortencia and Will to return. While I was incredibly disappointed in myself, I had to keep the constant reminder that it was the dehydration talking, not my fitness (which I know is not the greatest in the world, but I know it wouldn't have been THAT bad!).
So, in conclusion, dehydration sucks the life out of a person. While I wish I could have had a different experience, life is what it is - it throws you curve balls every once in a while, and you just have to go with the flow.
- comments