travel in east africa and you’ll soon find out that gorilla tracking is the thing to do. while gorillas appealed to us, the price did not (350 bucks plus). instead we decided to head to kibale forest (southwest uganda) to track chimpanzees. i would love to say that after finding the chimps they let us join their community and we spent days living in the trees learning deep chimp secrets…but instead I have to say we spent 5 hours walking around in the rain not seeing one peep of any chimp (in other words, we were very disappointed).
BUT…i did pick up a little friend in the forest: a mango worm. he had dug his way into my hip and had been living there quite happily for a week before matt finally noticed him (his home was a large, red and PAINFUL swelling under my skin…). my new friend didn’t want to leave so, after much deliberation with matt and my family, i plugged his hole with some vaseline in order to suffocate him out (cruel…I know). The next day he poked his head out to get some air, but i was ready...i squeezed him out the rest of the way, where he died a painful death. it was all a very gross experience.
note: if anyone is still curious about the mango worm... his big, red, tumour of a home on my hip never left...so a few days ago i squeezed out another half of him (or his brother?)
the red bump is still there...but hopefully that was the last of him! (although i doubt it...)
BUT…i did pick up a little friend in the forest: a mango worm. he had dug his way into my hip and had been living there quite happily for a week before matt finally noticed him (his home was a large, red and PAINFUL swelling under my skin…). my new friend didn’t want to leave so, after much deliberation with matt and my family, i plugged his hole with some vaseline in order to suffocate him out (cruel…I know). The next day he poked his head out to get some air, but i was ready...i squeezed him out the rest of the way, where he died a painful death. it was all a very gross experience.
note: if anyone is still curious about the mango worm... his big, red, tumour of a home on my hip never left...so a few days ago i squeezed out another half of him (or his brother?)
the red bump is still there...but hopefully that was the last of him! (although i doubt it...)
13 comments:
oh lars. bugs burrowing in your body is never good. i can sympathize, i had a bug in my toe in bolivia and it laid an egg sack, and then ate it's babies and got infected. it too was painful and gross.
i like reading all your posts. sounds like you're having a grand time!
I think that story definitely rivals the dangling cornia incident. Extremely vivid details & I am cringeing but yet so intrigued. How big was this Mango Worm? And what exactly does it feed on in your body? Did you take pictures?
Lynette
I think I near puked off of reading this!
that's disgusting but i can't wait to see pics!!
I agree...disguisting but at the same time, intriguing.
Lars - I admit, that I haven't been keeping up with all your posts, so I'm looking forward to catching up when you return! Hearing about your adventures is awsome - except the worm part, that was just disgusting (as already mentioned by everyone else)!
Chris J.
I'm sure that your mothers loved this story of the mango worm.
Betty
Man, Lars you seem to be having great luck, eh...getting swiped by a car, the jelly fish, a mango worm...at least it'll be a memorable trip, eh.
hey where are you crazy cats? was kigoma as sweet as we said? how's the boat ride?
Well, the story is still gross, but I have to say that the picture of the worm is a bit disappointing...I thought it would be bigger. I guess that for your sake i'm glad that it was so tiny.
YES!!!! :D:D:D:D that was an AMAZING post to read!! :D:D:D hahahahaha....
~sarah & co.
Well like Bean said I thought it'd be bigger, but I'm still grossed out because I just knew it would be white and I can't imagine a grosser colour for a worm coming out of something to be than white...blech!!!
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