Another question answered!

One of the questions I fielded as I was preparing to move here was 'Isn't it dangerous?!?'. Today, I thought I might answer that question.

The answer isn't so easy as a yes or no. Yes, it's dangerous, but no, there's no more and no less danger here than anywhere else in the world.

To that end, let me show you what I mean.

Courtesy of wikimedia commons. Yeah, like I'd let one bite me just to get you guys a photo... ;)

The primary source of health issues here lies with the much-loved mosquito. Yes, that thing that nibbles on you in your backyard during barbques is the cause of many deaths and lots of sickness here. The one pictures tends to carry Dengue fever, which is a nasty bit of a virus that will likely land you in a clinic or hospital. There's 4 types of this virus, and being exposed to one give immunity to that one. However, getting a second type can make you sicker than the first.

Solution: Bug repellent, stay indoors at dawn and dusk, and don't drink from impure water sources (mosquito eggs).

Another hazard one can run into is, like I mentioned, impure water. You can get a nasty bug from the water here, so buy bottled, get it from a trusty source, and it's not a bad idea to clean off the bottle first in many cases.

Moo.

Being trampled by cows - ok, this really isn't a danger, but I like cows. Still, be careful of herds moving down the street as motos go anywhere they can to get around them.

This gentleman hangs out near the king's palace. It's sad to see all the people like this.

Landmines can also be a concern. Wandering around, you are likely to meet many who have lost limbs to one of these reminders of the Khmer Rouge. They're here. They're real, and you shouldn't step on one.

Solution: Stay on the path, use a local guide if you have to go off the path, and really, just don't go off the path.

Ok, so it's super dangerous, yeah? Right. So what don't we have?

Meth house explosions, children shooting up schools (my heart still hurts for Columbine), crazy postal workers, mad cow, hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, volcanoes, earthquakes, mean lunch ladies, and tampered-with Halloween candy. We also don't have zombies (*cough* Miami *cough*), bigfoot (bigfeet?), hail, and lots more. We also don't have a lot of illnesses related to genetically modified or tampered food... unless you count the rumors about one of the neighboring countries.

In summation - stay on the path, drink clean water, and use bug repellent. Oh, and don't stand in front of a moving cow.

Which place is more dangerous again? ;)

There is one interesting thing to note. If you come here, be cautious about soap. Yes, I said soap.

Healthy fairness = skin whitening.

Just read the labels. Avoid anything with 'fairness', 'imperial', or 'whitening'. People here want to look like the prosperous foreigners (it's sad. God doesn't make mistakes, and you're beautiful the way you are.), so companies cater to this by promising to 'lighten' their skin tone.

Yeah, not that there was a famous pop-star who had something like that happen to them. You guys remember how his skin looked? What's worse is that the formulas here are imperfect, so you wind up with blotchy, permanently damaged skin. :( Not cool.

Clinic. You'd be surprised how many there are.

What do you do if you get hurt? Well, there's antiseptic, and bandages available anywhere, pink liquid for the ah... traveler's upset stomach, and aspirin. For serious stuff, you go to a clinic where a doctor can stitch you up or set a bone. However, I have no recommendations for a good doctor yet, so it's a coin toss. Also, they may not - ok, usually don't - have numbing agents (!!!!), so bring something to bite down on.

We do have hospitals, but they are more of a drive. If it's serious, use the travel insurance you should have bought before coming here to go to Bangkok, which has a hospital so nice it looks a bit like a hotel in the rooms.

Pharmacy #1 of 27 on this street. Ok, maybe it was more like 5.

Curiously, doctors here do not diagnose you. You need meds? Go straight to a pharmacy and tell them what you need. The techs are trained to diagnose your condition and dispense medication. They'll also just hand you what you ask for. Yes, it's a little scary, but the lack of the whole prescription system makes medicine much, much cheaper.

Cure all!

Lastly, for just about everything else - aches, pains, bug bites - there's Tiger Balm!

Yeah, I know. Surprisingly though, it really does work well. It's like the duct-tape of the medicine world!

Well, that's a nice glimpse of life here. Less dangerous than America, and an easy to work with pharmaceutical system. We'll have to see what adventures come next!