You'd be amazed what you learn when you travel....

Pretty true, that old adage...."travel broadens the mind." Never fail to learn something interesting on a trip. Got taught a pretty useful Maldivian remedy yesterday.

Garth caught 2 good size wahoo of about 15kg's trawling off the back of the boat. A wahoo's like a barracuda on steroids with the meanest, nastiest, sharpest set of teeth you can imagine. They often bite right through steel traces. Anyhow, got the things on board and the obligatory photo session followed - a double hook up warrants a few shots.

However, things went from hero to zero in the blink of an eye. Holding 2 big-ass fish up for a pic is kinda tricky cos (a) they're bloody heavy, and (b) they're pretty slippery, and (c) you're squished in to the narrow passageway on the side of the boat. So when your arms give out cos your wife is spending too much time stuffing about with camera settings, and you let em go - and as (bad) luck would have it the one ends up sliding mouth first straight back onto your foot - then things get messy!

Two nice puncture holes straight through the toe and bleeding like a pig! Hmm, off to the medical kit to see what we had. In the meantime the chef disappeared back to the kitchen and came back with some coffee granules. Packed em  all around the toe - and guess what, stopped the bleeding quick as! Can't say it'd be the first thing I would have thought of, but worked a treat! You leave it on for about an hour, then gently wash it off. A nice coffee flavoured cut. Luckily didn't need stitches, as was none to keen to practice my sewing skills.

Packed it full of bactroban - good stuff that, kills pretty much anything - and fish teeth are right up there with dog bites for being full of bugaloo's. So there we have it kids - stuff some coffee granules into a bleeding wound and you're all sorted! Who needs first world medicine!

Nother good thing to know is that toothpaste works a treat for getting rid of an itch - like when you get attacked by squadrons of mosquito's - as often happens in the tropics. Just dab a blob of toothpaste on, and there goes the itch. If you even land up in Indo, you'll be glad you know this trick - cos darn, the mossies there are like flipping budgies...

Til laterz...off to some meetings with government officials now. Have to work sometimes, not all fun in the sun n surf.