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The beckoning beach: part deux
In my last post extolling the exciting attractions awaiting you on the islands of the South Pacific, I realise I forgot to mention my favourite. Despite a surprisingly high number of Pacific travellers suffering from it, it's not generally well-known, and since after my last post multitudes are obviously throwing bikinis into suitcases as we speak I think it's only fair that I point it out.
It's called ciguatera. It's caused by eating reef fish which have toxins which have no taste or smell and aren't destroyed by cooking, and the symptoms are a doozy. As well as the usual vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach pain, you can also get memory loss and/or the feeling that your teeth are loose (!). Best of all, you can experience hot drinks and food as cold and vice versa. Mostly you're over it in about a month, but it can last for decades, and severe cases can be fatal. Oh, and there's no treatment. Enjoy your Pacific idyll!
It's called ciguatera. It's caused by eating reef fish which have toxins which have no taste or smell and aren't destroyed by cooking, and the symptoms are a doozy. As well as the usual vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach pain, you can also get memory loss and/or the feeling that your teeth are loose (!). Best of all, you can experience hot drinks and food as cold and vice versa. Mostly you're over it in about a month, but it can last for decades, and severe cases can be fatal. Oh, and there's no treatment. Enjoy your Pacific idyll!