Toothaches and Hiking.

So I had to take a little trip to the city to visit the dentist. I have been experiencing some problems with my tooth. Oh, you know, a little toothache. Well, the poor dentist here in South Africa had to deal with me fainting in his chair to get out some decay under an old cavity (I don’t particularly like the dentist and this combined with my fear of needles tends to lead to some problems when I visit the dentist). After this horrible visit I left hoping I would be toothache free. Well, I was not. So, I decided to go on a hike to see if putting a little time and space between me and the dentist would help.


So, off I went on an amazing hike in the Drakensburg mountains – it is a truly spectacular area in Kwazulu-Natal Province that I have not had the pleasure of visiting since my time here. Along with three other volunteers we braved hiking without a guide and “didn’t die” which was my one request before we set off. We did get slightly lost but it was worth it as we stumbled upon an amazing camping spot and cooked our rice and beans as the sun went down. We swam in some beautiful water pools and enjoyed the wide open space (we didn’t see one other person during our hike). It was a wonderful little vacation and I didn’t even think about my tooth…too much.

But, alas, I returned for another dreaded dentist appointment upon my return and was told that I probably have to get a root canal. Hopefully they can heavily sedate me. But, at least I got to go on a hike (and I have pictures...of my hike, not my tooth!)