Spa therapy takes on new meaning
Trip Start
Sep 07, 2008
1
7
32
Trip End
Ongoing
Dax, Aquitaine, France
Saturday, September 13, 2008
So i got out of the little, pardon my french, shitsville of Biscarrosse, as fast as i could. Was it the rain? Was it the small town fever of being stuck and craving something with a major train station at hand? Or, maybe it was the fact i hadnt showered in three days, i was going to the local cyber cafe to do all my hygenic needs, and had just spent the night on a very questionable mattress in a moldy tent in a strangers front yard/ parking lot next to what used to be a barn now turned poor excuse for a living accomodation with no running toilet water or hot waterand stunk of a combination of dirty laundry, cigarettes, hash, and the oddest of african spices. My vote is the later... Also, apparently peeing in the front yard is excusable and thats when i saw the plant of crystal green beauty. It was time to go.
Ive had many thoughts about a good title for this entry...
Sx5F = snotty sally sings songs of san francisco
Bio meets Africa
Old and organic meets africa
something itchy and scratchy this way comes
or perhaps
The princ-of-exess meets the peasants
Not sure...
So back to dax..... I came here because i heard it was a spa town. Found a cheap hotel and then found out the spas are like hospitals, old people come here for weeks at a time for daily treatments. A one time treatment is not an option. My hotel was even a geriatric hotel yet the oldies would be made to climb the stairs in order to reach their rooms. On the flip side... I had a queen bed with the cleanest of white sheets ever... and..
the hottest shower EVER!!!!! I was the king of my castle, queen of my domain, I was the freakin
whole royal court rolled up in one.
I took two showers and it never felt so good. the grime from under my nails faded and so has the rashes on my arms, feet, qnd legs, and the odd scratchy sensation coming from behind is gone.
It took me one week from after leaving home to crave and insist upon my own persoal sanitation and hygeine... is that too much too ask? am i THAT spoiled? shoot, if this woman in france can tolerate living like a poor poverty stricken liberian shouldnt i be able to as well? or perhaps it is my duty to know the poverty stricken liberian and to correct the injustices caused by humanity. that sounds better...
one last thing.... The liberian, did we name him? How about Muyambi. I didnt trust him completely. I found his feelings justified but his means somewhat coercive and manipulative... I kinda felt bad for Annette. She is a kind and gentle soul. interesting thing: he brought her dried snake of some sort. It looked and smelled nasty. Apparently you boil it and make a tea and with that the rural folk can cure themselves of chronic malaria, yellow eyes. He dumped it out on a baking sheet and all these little woms went with it. they were eating the meat. so gross.
they did send me off with the freshest of african peanuts an some weird peanut butter/rice food that is delicous. it sure cured the runs.
