Saturday, November 19, 2011

Dangerous thoughts?

I have recently been captivated by the idea that it is possible to drive - by land mostly - from Cape Point to Cape Horn. This is not an unusual idea, since someone else HAS attempted the journey - in a Landrover Defender.

I would think twice about such a trip, since I am:-
Disabled - by the MVA accident that ran me down in 1992 and left me with severe disabilities.
Deathly allergic to bee stings - IF I get stung by even one bee, the anti venoms created by my body after "several thousand" bee stings will swing into action just as if another swarm has stung me!
After I was stung, I was diagnosed as diabetic, but I have closely monitored my blood sugar since and "normal" is 6.9 and I am consistently under 5.5. When I was stung, the reading was in the region of 16 or 17, for days without any sugar!
Being LDS (Mormon) I do not drink alcohol, and several programs indicate that tribes in Siberia insist that you share a drink with them!

This is kind of means that the heart is willing, but the body is weak! I guarantee that I would be in the outer reaches of Siberia - far from anyone who can speak or even read English - and I would be stung. My Medic Alert bracelet that tells of my medical problems, will not do what it was intended. One sting and I am likely to either die or spend another 4 days in Intensive Care in hospital.

After I suffered brain damage, I have a problem where my muscles either dont communicate with my brain, or instructions are misdirected. I wish I could, but I CANNOT catch a tennis ball thrown at me! They bounce off of my palm before I get to close my fingers!

I cannot breathe smoothly (enough to cope with normal life!) and definitely walk wierdly. I am convinced that even a wierd walk is better than not being able to walk!

I found a site on the Internet that taught me several things:-

A bridge between Russia and Alaska, over the Bering Straits is approved, but the road infrastructure in Russia and to a lesser extent in Alaska is not at all good.

There have been recorded successful attempts at surface crossings of the Straits, one with Inflateable outriggers and several over the ice floes!

The Russian Government is VERY sticky about permits to go between continents, although this looks as if it will improve after the planned bridge is constructed (2030)

I am aware that the BBC show "Top Gear" had one of their special editions where the 3 presenters drove to the North Pole. If out of condition presenters can do this (and they did!) then it is very possible for many others to likewise do so.

Africa Killer Bees terrify me. Even driving home from Church yesterday, the screen was at one stage, peppered with the fluid from bee bodies from a swarm that expired on the windscreen. Sure as nuts, I would run into a swarm in the middle of Kenya or somewhere equally as far from medical assistance! The ones in the swarm that stung me were not your average cute black and yellow bodied insects, but were far darker in hue!

One thing that does encourage me (a bit) is that the bees realise that to sting something means death for them. Are they willing to commit suicide just to give someone discomfort - or in my case - death or a stay in ICU! Do they even have ICU in Ethiopia?

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