Nha Trang: I got a weird eye infection
And it sucks. No joke. Basically, both my eyes are bloodshot, and hurt a lot.
But you meet people on the travellin’ circuit all over here who have this form of pink eye — this infection that causes pain and irritation of the eye for a few days. Well, I got it. I’ve met enough people who’ve had it to not to be too concerned about it. And it makes sense that this little bitch gets passed around, as everyone is often in close quarters — on buses, or sharing the same pillows in guesthouses, night after night.
But I repeat: it sucks. I also made it worse. How? By being a drunken idiot, of course.
I woke up two days ago with an irritation in my right eye. Clearly something was wrong with it — I could barely open it, and it itched like a bitch. But I had scheduled a boat trip for the day, to the islands off the coast here — to do some snorkelling and swimming and beach-going. One of the notorious Nha Trang booze cruises. Well, it was awesome. First went to one island, where we snorkelled — the next island was lunchtime, with live karaoke jams by the extremely funny guides then “happy hour” in the floating bar in the ocean (i.e., free pineapple/vodka shots while floating on an innertube in the sea). The next stop was an hour of relaxation on the beach — could’ve done parasailing, but I took a pass. Then last was a neato aquarium, where you could identify some of the fish you’d seen from the earlier snorkel-action.
(Fun fact about snorkelling: It was invented by Germany. No shit! It was an advanced form of the U-Boat during WWII, called the Schnorkel — it could expel steam from the submarine to propel it faster, and quieter, underwater. Fun fact!)
Anyway, the boat trip was good fun. And afterwards, I felt great. Not really drunk or anything, just happy after a full day of fun activity. But that night, I met up with some friends for some dinner and drinks. And the drinks kept coming. And my eye kept itching. And then my other eye started itching. And then I was really smashed, and it was too late.
Hence, I’m a drunken idiot.
Because I wake up yesterday (a) hungover and (b) partially blind. Yep, infection in both eyes, with a killer headache. Good muthajabbin’ times. So yesterday was non-existent for me. I laid in bed, listened to tv (as I couldn’t very well watch it), and trudged out to eat some food, then took a sleeping pill and went to bed again.
My friend Tania — bless her heart — came looking for me today around noon. She was concerned because I hadn’t shown up for drinks last night, as we’d all said we would. And after getting some good lunch and returning to the out-of-doors, today I am doing much better… though still feeling itchy and pain-y in me eyeballs. I know, I know. Wah wah wah.
So hey, thanks for reading me blather on about how shitty it is to have infected eyes. I’m not fishing for sympathy or anything. Just letting you know that there are two things I will always remember about Nha Trang: (1) cracking a beer at 10:00 a.m. — and not feeling weird about it — because I was on a boat trip that was full of sun, smiles and swimming; and (2) doing my damnedest to keep my eyes completely closed, for as long as I possibly could, on the very next day.
And now, off to Hoi An, on the overnight bus. Hopefully I’ll be able to see it when I get there!
Tags: Nha Trang, snorkel, Vietnam
ismateo
Does the eye infection close your eyes shut with goop? I have had this eye infection… Doc told me it wasn’t pink eye… had it for 3 years for 3 months each year… it usually hit around april and was gone by august… it sucks… it use to get soooo bad.. hope you get better soon and i hope your travels are doing well.
I know I’ve seen you crack open a beer at 8am while wearing nothing but a towel and walking across the entire city of San Francisco, so the 10am beer drinking really shouldn’t have felt too strange…
I’ve had that, and it’s awful… You need to get some of that antibiotic ointment stuff to rub all up in there. I don’t know what the pharmaceutical scene is like where you are, though… (I know a pharmacist in Thailand, near Bangkok, if that helps… though I don’t know what your travel plans are… Let me know if I can make a call).
I know, I know, the Booze Cruise is hard to resist. Even if it may mean losing your site. Seriously, though, do something about your eye. xoxo d
Don’t worry about it dude. Eyesight is overated.
Forget the eye… how’s that rash comin along?