Rick's Cafe

When I was staying at the Hedonism in Jamaica back in 1985,  and if you want to check out the place you can click on the resort by clicking on the name to redirect you to it,  there was a place down the road called Rick's Café. The location of Rick's Café is known for it's spectacular sunset. One evening I had to check it out.

I do not remember the cliff diving though so I included a video of someone with a lifeguard shirt who has obviously done this before. I did a bungee jump in my last post but I couldn't do this. It has a cool Bob Marley song while you watch him climb high for the jump. The dive to the water is really fast which makes me think this was edited and no one actually does this jump but let's pretend everyone does just for now.

Jamaica is quite a place to visit. It is pretty chill there as you can imagine. Had a nice day trip and scaled up Dunn River Falls which was pretty cool as well. Other than than it was nude sunbathing. eating, drinking, and toga parties at the resort. Below is the video and some photos I snatched from the web site. Like I said I was never big into photos. I wish they had smartphones back then.                      
                                                     Diver Jumping at Rick's Cafe

        

Bungee Jumping in Phuket Thailand

One day on the ship we had a day to do something while we were in Phuket Thailand. Mickey the bartender who was from the Netherlands says to me and a few others how about doing some bungee jumping.

I looked at him and said no way! He says back it will be fun. There is one here in town not far away.  Really if you are going to do something like this you have to be impulsive and not think too long about it or your mind starts thinking what about if you are one in a 100,000 that jump and the bungee snaps. So after a quick lunch on the ship we head out to the bungee jump location. Mickey knows what he is doing because he had moved to the Philippines and was familiar with this part of the world. Although why I thought that had anything to do with bungee jumping I totally do not know. I have to admit it was comforting though.

There were about nine or ten of us which was great because you had the group force support behind every jumper.

Well when you watch the video below it was exactly how it was except for a couple of things. One was when the guy counted to three the first time I chickened out. It took me till the second count to jump. Second of all the guy said to look far ahead and spread your arms. When I was there the guy who probably after all these years is not the same one of course told me to look down. That was not a good thing to instruct when one is standing on the ledge and seeing the others sitting around having a beer looking up and laughing.

I was the second to jump because I was waiting to see if the first one would survive. I had to have proof that this thing worked. It was a big crane that made that grinding noise as it went up leaving you with a sense that perhaps I shouldn't be worried so much about the bungee cord snapping. Especially when the higher you got the more the crane started to rock a bit.

I jumped and felt nothing for a few seconds then the bungee whipped me back up and for the next two minutes while I was going up and down all I could say was the F word over and over again.

Would I do it again? Probably not now of course but I was glad I did when I did. We had a blast that day and after my jump felt like I had earned my right to sit and have a few beers and laugh at the others who had not yet jumped. We all did which was fabulous. I think it cost $50 US dollars at the time. Well worth it and a memory I will always cherish.

By the way no alligators were harmed during the jump.

                                              Bungee Jump in Phuket Thailand 1995

Hemoglobin Blues

So it is July 2018 and after having my spleen out on March 1st then having a two week vacation out West here I was now in limbo again. A disturbing report had arrived at my oncologist to inform her that what I was taking, being the methotrexate, was a waste of time. So I was told just to stop taking them and to continue with the folic acid which was beneficial anyway.

Meanwhile she was sending this report off to the hospital in Hamilton for a second opinion. Intermittently, I was still getting blood transfusions. Also beginning at this time I was on this this sort of pump to inject sporadically doses of this liquid into a fatty tissue part of my abdomen so I get rid of some very high levels of iron I had accumulated because of all the transfusions.

Initially everything seemed to be working then all of a sudden my hemoglobin began dropping to dangerously low levels.

The first time I was actually sitting at home. My wife was working so at the time it was just my younger son and I at home. Every effort I made was difficult. My heart rate was racing and I found myself really just unable to function. In fact I was sitting on the couch and I needed to go to the bathroom and I couldn't get there fast enough. To my amazement I just pooped my shorts. I hobbled to the bathroom finally and called out to my son to get a plastic bag. I took off my shorts and underwear and just put them in the bag and said to him just take this out to the garbage. The wife came home and off to the hospital I went to emergency. My hemoglobin was in the 30's. After about 6 pints of blood over a few days it was back up to 90. I came home and reattached myself to this contraption that was supposed to be taking the iron out. Well after getting six pints of blood the iron it did get out probably was replaced by the new iron my body just ingested.

The second time happened shortly thereafter when on that Sunday we had people over and as the day wore on my hemoglobin I could feel dropping. Just lifting a piece of apple crumble onto my plate was a gargantuan effort. I called 911 for the ambulance and once again my hemoglobin had dropped down into the 30's and once again had numerous pints of blood transfused in me. Now in both cases I was admitted into the local Guelph General Hospital while they kept my oncologist informed in Kitchener at Grand River Valley Hospital.

The stupid thing was she never called or asked me what was going on. It was like oh well as long as I was getting blood transfusions that was the main thing. Never mind it was all counterproductive to what I was doing which was getting the iron out. I believe I called and asked maybe a slower dose and give my body a break and give me the weekends off. Maybe doing this slower would help keep my hemoglobin at a safer level because almost being dead twice was not a trivial thing.

It is hard to explain when your hemoglobin gets that low. Your brain even begins to malfunction. One time I was being helped to the van to go to the hospital with my oldest son holding me up on one side and my wife the other. When we came to a short step in our entrance way she asked me to step forward to which I replied I was and then I looked down and I was not moving forward at all.

So the oncologist agreed with a lower dosage with weekends off and so I began again this iron chelation method. I had a bone marrow biopsy scheduled for early September. On this occasion my liver was now acting up. I had jaundice all over the place. I glowed when the sunlight shone on me. I would check my eyes in the mirror and they were yellow. My skin was yellow.

I didn't go to emergency this time as with this appointment in Kitchener coming up I wanted the oncologist to see me this time. She wasn't I thought going to brush me off and let Guelph handle it.
I went into the bone marrow biopsy yellow as a banana. My bilirubin was over 400. Bilirubin  is what they measure your liver among other things like enzymes.

She said we got to get you a room and run some tests. I said yes I think so then she is asking my wife in front of me if anything happens has she agreed to resuscitate me. I interjected immediately I am going nowhere let's fix the damn thing. Soley said on two other occasions she was asked the same. I said no more iron chelation.

I spent a week in the hospital doing CT scans, ultrasounds, and MRIs and they couldn't find anything. No blockages, nothing. I was discharged once my bilirubin got to a reasonable level. I was what you call an enigma to everyone.

Meanwhile the second opinion my oncologist was waiting for was not coming. They even sent my report to the States to Boston and they all said they thought it was what it originally was which was the Large Granular Leukemia. I was already taking the methotrexate for that but was taken off it.

I said to the oncologist can you not do something? I asked her about taking pills for the iron and she shot that down saying they are not really effective. I had another episode then she decided she had to do something so that next appointment in the office she told us I was going on the chemotherapy. A treatment every three weeks six times. This was starting the next day and finishing mid - winter.

As bad as it sounded she told us finally it was cancer and I had these T-cells from my white blood cells killing my good red blood cells as well as the bad ones. It was a rogue cell and hopefully the chemo would kill it. I thought finally something is being done after all these near death experiences.

Covid 19 and Sports Leagues - Shut Them Down!

On March 13th when Covid_19 made it's appearance in the NBA and Rudy Gobert tested positive a  torrent of players in every professional sports league followed suit and immediately all the leagues shut down. Well if I remember correctly it took a few days before major league baseball camps packed it in but they had to shut it down as well.

I must say the Toronto Maple Leafs were in a battle and had a game that night against Nashville and a couple of days later in Boston against those pesky Bruins. Without a doubt I was looking forward to it.

So I thought we got this and will contain the spread of this virus quickly then  we should all be back shortly watching hockey or any other sport we choose. After all we had other countries to learn from that already had the spread contained. Some simple rules to follow. Stay two meters distance away from everyone and self isolate as much as you can at home. Schools emptied so everyone was home.

This should end in a couple of weeks, right?

Now we are nearly into July and the same thing is happening again. The leagues are all saying now they are coming back because the fans demand it. They want to see sports again. I have not heard anyone I know mention sports since five days after all the leagues shut down. You'd think by the sport talk shows and reporters that everyone is dying to see a game on television.

Now if this shutdown lasted 2 weeks to a month maximum I think no problem we could have lived through this without facing too much hardship and we would be salivating to pick up where we left off. The truth is this has gone too long. They all should have just cancelled the season and playoffs right there and then and I know I am not the only one who feels this.

Proof in point is everyday since around April all the commissioners have talked about resuming play. They think as do the players, although I am not so sure about that because all they care about is their safety, is the public is waiting on their bended knees for them to resume play.

Let me make this perfectly care, NO ONE CARES!! That is right no one cares. In case these leagues do not know their main fan base is crippled by this pandemic. Jobs lost, income gone, mortgage in arrears, credit card debt piling up, school next year in doubt as to how it will all work out. Relatives and people getting sick or dying. Let me repeat what I said, NO ONE CARES!

What really sickened me was watching Gary Bettman the NHL commissioner come on television to make this grand announcement about phase 1,2 and 3 on how they plan on finishing the playoffs in two hub cities. Not saying it was for money, television rights, or just plain greed but because the fans demanded it. What a crock of you know what! Since this shutdown I have not met or talked to anyone who misses sports. Nobody!

Why you ask is because we are all wondering what next week is going to look like never mind watching some millionaires play in front of empty arenas and stadiums. Hockey in July forget about it.

Now all the hub cities for hockey can stay in the States for all I care. Choose Las Vegas and whoever else probably a Republican senator state where the cases are out of control. The NBA choosing Disney World in Florida. Well good luck with that although they have an idiot for a governor. Disneyland today delayed their opening in California. There will be cases with the NBA players for sure in Florida. The baseball and their plan for restarting is a disaster and they have so many cases already they should just say it and shut down. The NFL just cancelled their Hall of Fame game scheduled August 6th.

Today all I have heard from American doctors is, We are the greatest country in the world and I cannot believe we have screwed this up. Here is a heads up, if you were the greatest country in the world you would not have screwed up!

I have had enough. Keep the border closed and do not let  any of these leagues play one game here.

Better yet shut it down and plan to start training camps maybe in September. Give it a rest and do not think you are resuming play for the fans. It is totally non-sensical.

My prediction is if any of these leagues start up there will be infections and teams will probably win unfairly. If any one of these athletes get sick or worse dies it will not be Covid that killed them it will just be the greed and ego of the owners and leadership.

Free us from your babble and stay safe and shut it down. It is ridiculous!

The Old Nickel Hotel

When I was 18 years old I left school and got a job at Humpty Dumpty Potato Chip Factory as a shipper receiver. The reason why I did not continue with my schooling was my stepfather worked for Air Canada and because he did I had these air passes I wanted to use soon before they would expire when I was 21 years of age.

My friend Robert across the street also wanted to go to Europe so we decided that in June of that year which was 1977 off we would go to Europe. It turned out to be a pretty wild trip for 45 days. We rented a car in Paris and starting from there we toured France, Belgium, the Netherlands, West Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy before flying back from Paris.

Whenever we arrived to a city that we were planning to stop a while we always wanted to make sure that we located the Hauptbanhof commonly referred to as the train station. There we would pick up maps and learn of local events going on and places to see.

On this one occasion we left from Belgium and headed for the Netherlands. We drove to Amsterdam and found the train station where we parked the Renault 5 we had. Obtaining some maps and finding our way around was our goal.

When we got back outside and looked  around we thought maybe if we just parked the car and walked in this direction there would be some cheap places to stay for a night or two. So off we went not really knowing where we were heading. Seeing a street that looked like it had some places to stay in the near distance we saw a sign saying the Old Nickel Hotel.

Okay we thought let's check it out. We entered and it was pretty clean. Greeted warmly and told of the price we grabbed the room. Pretty simple with a breakfast included. Returning back with the luggage we struggled up the stairs, as it had no elevator, and put our backpacks in the room and hurried back downstairs.

Now if anyone has heard of Amsterdam they have heard of the Red Light District. So the first question we had to ask is, "Where is the Red Light District?'

The receptionist looked at us in surprise then she answered, 'You're in it!' Then as soon as she said that we looked across the lane and there was a hooker waving at us through her window in broad daylight!

Now of course coming from Canada going to Amsterdam is a huge culture shock because everything is so liberal there. In Amsterdam everyone likes to have a good time and they all keep in shape by riding their bicycles in huge bike lanes to handle the volume. Taking in an art museum and seeing Anne Frank's house was unbelievable too.

I had the opportunity to see Amsterdam and stay with a friend in 1988. I flew in through Schiphol and stayed the night before heading to my job in Switzerland a couple of times and saw it again when I worked on the ships.

Yes I think that would be a great city to live and grow up in. The country is one of my favourites as well out of all that I have seen so far.

Below is a couple of pictures of the hotel we stayed at which by the way is still there and I will underneath that include a video of the Amsterdam nightlife where anything goes.

                                      Okay before you watch this pretend you are 18 again

Needles and Side Effects

As a bit of a break before continuing on with my 3 year trilogy of how eventually I was informed of what I had let me explain the stuff I was going through.

First of all the needles that have been poked in me countless times. You all remember my first bloodwork with the oncologist and the 16 vials of blood they took out of me. Well at least after that there has been always a minimum of two. Multiply that by 150 and there you have 300 vials of blood extracted for bloodwork. While staying overnight for up to 4 days at the hospital every morning at 6am the nurse would wake you up to take blood. Then if I needed transfusions while in the hospital there was more bloodwork to check the hemoglobin.

Now my temperature use to fluctuate wildly so while getting a transfusion they always check your blood pressure before starting, ten minutes into the transfusion, then at the end. It was the same ritual for every pint. The same time they would check my temperature. I would sometimes go up and down. When it went high they would I call panic on the side of caution and take a blood culture to check for anything amiss. This was blood taken out of each arm to fill two more vials. The three bone marrow biopsies I had is when they stick a big needle right in the hip bone area to extract bone marrow. That hurts like hell! The two liver biopsies I had they  insert this huge needle in the liver area a couple of times to freeze it before extracting what they need for study. When I was staying in the hospital the needle I hated most they would just stick in my abdomen. That unlike any other lingered for at least 5 minutes afterwards. They gave me that to prevent blood clots. Man I hated that one. Then for I think it was a abdominal CT scan a needle was used to inject fluid in my veins while they took pictures. I thought my veins were going to burst. Same for my Liver MRI. Needles, needles, needles. Of course to remove the iron which I will continue Friday I had a needle like pincer inserted in fatty part of my abdomen for 2-3 days continuously until contraption I was wearing was replaced by another.

My temperature use to drop sometimes quite a lot. There were 2-3 occasions when not even a hot shower would even warm me up so I would climb into bed with my teeth chattering and my wife would throw like 5 bedspreads on top and give me a hot flannel to rest on my forehead. Curled up under the covers finally my body temperature would rise and a crisis was averted.

On the other hand I use to get the sweats pretty bad. On most nights I was ready for bed at 9pm so I would just say good night to everyone. Off to bed I went where as soon as my head hit the pillow off to sleep I was gone. Then I would wake up. My pillow was soaked, hair wet, pyjamas drenched, my whole body was prespiring, the duvet was damp, sheets were all wet like they only got half dry after being in a wash. Everything was totally not dry. I’d look around and all the lights were on as they were, checked the time and it was only 9:30! Unbelievable!

Grabbing a towel to dry myself off I went downstairs to tell the wife what just happened. We just shook our heads because that was the way things were while we were waiting on a proper diagnosis and treatment.

Right now I am much better than those days but my chemo as you will learn about after has left my toes with no feeling. Just feel cold all the time. My feet swell a lot too.

I am 50% through my journey of experiences. I will finish retelling them in a couple of weeks.

Thanks for reading.

Aiguille du Midi

When I worked in Switzerland 1988-89 I used to work a lot of hours and days in a row but normally when I had days off it was usually a few days in a row which enabled me to go further afield and tour.

One of the places that I wanted to see was Chamonix France. Home of the first Winter Olympics in 1924 it is also the home of the Aiguille du Midi. This is part of one of the highest mountain ranges in the Alps including Mont Blanc. The cable car that takes you to the top of this 12,605 foot (3842 metres ) is in two sections. I remember the ground temperature was in the low 20's but when I got to the top it had dropped to the low single digit.

The cable car taking you up to the top was introduced in 1955. When they started filling that cable car I couldn't believe all the people it could carry. I mean we were 40 people crammed in that big telepherique and when it started it was a jolt. You had to hold on to the hand supports to keep you from falling over.

Then it was crazy steep the ascent. It still is the steepest vertical ascent in the world. When we arrived at the first stage some people chose that to disembark and check the view  but I took the second one to head straight to the top.

When we arrived at the summit the view was amazing! In the summer there is even a cable car that takes you to Italy from France traveling from peak to peak. It actually saves time by skipping the drive through the Mont Blanc tunnel.

I wanted to see more of Chamonix so I declined the ride to Italy. I went on a one day off so time was not my friend.

I loved Chamonix and the cable car ride. It was amazing! Below is a picture of Chamonix and a webcam of the view from the summit. Check it out!
                                                           

                                                                   

Chamonix France

                                                             Summit view