Meth: a Ticking Timebomb Gone Viral

Third World vs First World in a Fight to Death

Each morning I swim for 30 to 40 minutes, followed by three sets of 15, pool edge dips (I took a break from writing this post, went and did my laps then completed five sets of 20 dips...a new record). I've been swimming my entire life. The benefits (such as the ability to save your own life if you are ever thrown in the deep end) of being able to swim competently, cannot be overstated.

Swimming as an exercise is easy on the joints, provides great cardiovascular benefits and in my case, allows me to let go of life for a while. Focusing on breathing, improving my stroke and varying the intensity of effort for each lap (depending on how I am feeling that day), and so far in my two weeks here in Hua Hin, I haven't missed a day of swimming in the pool (which is five steps from my back door). A few days ago, I swam in the morning and again in the afternoon. That night, after my walk, I slept very well indeed.

Walking has become another form of meditation/exercise. It gives back so much more than the pain I feel with each step I take. I tore the ACL in my right knee a very long time ago. As most people who have suffered moderate to severe injuries in their legs and arms know, arthritis usually sets in around the affected joints at some point after fifty and is only one of the many joys of growing old.

In Australia, I took Creatine for muscle growth, a high-quality protein powder and a multivitamin daily to help support the moderate to heavy resistance exercise regime I followed. But since moving to Thailand, my entire outlook has changed. First and foremost, I decided to stop slowly killing myself with methamphetamine. I am living a much healthier lifestyle now. Drinking a lot more water has become essential (because of the heat...below my elbows on the tiled floor, are two puddles of sweat). Along with the change in diet, exercise and attitude, the supplements I take have also changed.

I still need the protein powder to support muscle growth, along with all the other benefits of ingesting a good semi-digested whey protein powder. No more creatine, although if/when I join a gym, I will begin taking it again as it has many benefits and few sides. The biggest change in supplements has come in the form of glucosamine and fish oil...omega 3 to help manage the arthritis.

Thailand is a third-world country. Drinking water straight from the tap is not advisable, but there are simple and effective ways of purifying water. One method consists of filling a large porcelain jar (with a spout at the bottom) with layers of gravel, sand and charcoal and running unpurified water through it. Bottled water is so cheap that unless you live in the provinces, bottled water is the go...after seeing where my tap water has come from I say, why risk it?

My water ran out while I was showering last week (covered in soap suds I went and jumped in the pool...forced skinny dipping that felt a little erotic and a lot scary in case I was caught out and accused of being some kind of sick pervert...my secret exposed in the first week). The next day when the maintenance man came to see what was going on, he lifted the manhole lid outside in my carport (there are 2500 litres of water stored in a tank just in case the mains water ever stops flowing. A great idea, but one look inside that hole and the smell wafting out of it and I am now extra careful not to allow any of that water to get into my stomach.

Easier said than done. There's no hot water running to the sink in the kitchen. They (those who don't care if I get sick and die of some waterborne contaminants) tell me that washing dishes in tap water is fine and that I will get used to any adverse effects eventually. I guess the same applies to swimming (the chlorination should be enough to keep me alive). Despite a few bouts of runny bum, I haven't yet felt physically sick...not one day since arriving a month ago. In time, my gut will adjust to the changes and a new normal bacteria level will emerge from the old...probably stronger than before.

Anyone who thinks there aren't the same quality foods available on store shelves here in Thailand, as there are in first-world countries would be greatly mistaken. The variety and quality of food, particularly fresh fruits and vegetables, is amazing. Yes, they do import some produce when it is out of season here, but most fruits and vegetables are grown right here.

Please don't quote me on this, but according to my American friend and guardian angel, Dan, they use few pesticides and herbicides because there is an abundance of people who need jobs. Spraying for bugs and weeds in first-world fields makes economic sense (but absolutely no sense for any other reason), but in third-world fields, where labour costs are low, PULLING weeds makes for a much healthier and cost-efficient way of dealing with this issue.

Round five will decide this winner-takes-all fight to the death, but as an objective judge who cannot be bribed or corrupted in any way, it is a foregone conclusion on who will exit the cage battered, but not beaten.