Bruised bottom.

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However much fun it looks, riding along on the top of a bus, take it from me - IT IS NO FUN WHATSOEVER. We set out to the start of the trek with a half hour local bus ride. Would any of us like to ride on top? You bet! It looks excellent fun. We all piled on top of the bus. It was at this point, vague warning bells sounded it my mind, apart from the fact that I was not insured for this kind of activity, we were sitting on a metal roof rack. I.e. not comfy. Not comfy AT ALL. Quite PAINFUL in fact. Not helped by the stony bumpy road and that I had to brace myself with my arms to stop my bottom getting bruised with every bump we bounced over. I don't have that much padding on my bottom, my bottom does not like being bounced on a metal grate. My arms don't like holding on for dear life and bracing against the impact and after 5 minutes I was in more pain than I can remember ever having been in. At which point my hip locked up and I howled to stop the bus, climb shakily down the ladder and join the throng inside. I have never been so glad to get inside a bus before.

So a day's walking through gorges and forests, across rickety bridges and climbing up and up in the heat. We reached our lodge by mid afternoon desperate for a shower. The shower was in the toilet. It is a little offputting to stand under a tepid trickle of water with a fetid squat toilet a foot to your right, but hey, it's a shower....

Had forgotten how rank some of these squat toilets are. This blog is going to focus a lot on toilets and matters pertaining to the bowels so the more delicate among you be warned. In time honoured tradition, my body has revolted against the squat and I'm not quite sure if i'm ever going to be able to move my bowels again. Still, that's better than the other alternative I guess.....

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