Beach House. Travel Doctor. Cruise Ship.

Last weekend I stayed at our beach house at Omokoroa Beach with family - enjoyed just relaxing, eating, drinking, running, and sleeping. On my big run we went to Mount Maunganui and my little sister Mikaela (16), little brothers Jack (12) & Graham (11), and their friends joined me. I was very impressed that both Jack & Graham ran for 1:40, while I did 2 hours to run 18km around the beach. Graham even had a proper face plant fall during the run but just got up and started running again like nothing had happened - I did wait to check he was okay before I cracked up laughing hehe. Mum was waiting for us along the beach with my wee niece Ava, and when I finished the run I didn't bother getting out of my running gear - I went straight into the ocean. It was gorgeous, and we spent ages boogie boarding and body surfing... bliss!

Today I visited the travel doctor I was referred to, and she had actually done Everest Base Camp last year. On her trek a member of her group was bitten by a wild dog so she definitely agreed I needed the rabies shot. She went through everything with me from dealing with leeches, to how not to entice monkeys over to me! In total I will need ten shots, and two blood tests. I need a lot more than the standard trip to Nepal because not only will I spend a long time there in a rural area during monsoon season (hours away from a hospital), but also because I will be working with children.
I have also been prescribed Diomax to help combat altitude sickness. It is a drug that provides more oxygen to the blood. It is used a lot in altitude, and is very well known for its most significant side effect of making your fingers, toes, and lips go tingly and numb - very worth it if it stops altitude sickness having me evacuated from the mountain!
I spent an hour and a half at the doctors and despite all the warnings and vaccinations (which I start getting in the next few weeks) I became ridiculously excited about the trip - not the reaction I had expected. Must add here too, that I would 110% recommend Dr Bailey at Welcome Bay Clinic if you need a travel doctor - she knows her stuff.

Cruise ship at Mount Maunganui over the long weekend -
the same ship that we saw on our run today.

After the doctors, Tayla and I went for a long run around the beach at Mount Maunganui. After around an hour, we were struggling around the Mount but came around a corner to see the huge cruise ship driving by as it was leaving with everyone on the deck waving out! It was a total motivation booster, and we got a massive fright when it tooted its big horn. Very funny, and another random occurrence on one of our runs.... the more we run the more funny little things that happen. Although I have to learn to take note of where I park the car. This time we walked an extra 3km not realising we had walked straight past the car. Duhhhhh... hehe