I've been adding to my Health and Safety category and find myself relating to many of these diseases, viruses, immunizations and parasites on a firsthand basis. There are many tall tales travelers to Africa can share with each other: getting charged at by elephants, riding a camel around the great pyramids, bungee jumping at the Victoria Falls. But soon enough the topic of conversation turns to health hazards and challenging bathroom facilities.

My personal experiences include the inch long maggots that were taken out of my back as a teen, courtesy of the Putzi fly; a few bouts of malaria; a strange bilharzia test that required the longest needles I have ever seen; my doctor signing a form to say I had the cholera shot, without actually giving me a shot; and last but not least, getting bitten by tsetse flies without getting sleeping sickness. After all that, I look foward to visiting Africa again and again. Luckily for most of us, if we do get sick while traveling in Africa, we have the means to get ourselves to a doctor or clinic to buy medicine and make a full recovery. But the health related horror stories make great conversation when you're back home.