Tooth and Claw

Island medicine is something city-trained doctors feel that they need to prepare for. Choosing the right gear to buy for your trip might require you to reenact scenarios in your mind to decide which stuff to buy. But of course, nothing beats experience and there are times you’d wish you could get something up front from the Fates. So I’ve decided to come up with a list of equipment to help fill out your shopping list.

1. Havaianas Trekking Sandals

I used to believe that the Havaianas phenomenon was a fashion fluke which I decided never to take any part in. Just like the similar Starbucks phenomenon, it came with the question that popped in most people’s minds when it first came out: “Who would pay 800 pesos for the same footwear worn by your neighborhood pedicab driver?” Although at the very least I was thankful that it was Havaianas that at last allowed rubber thong slippers into public places where they were previously banned or regarded in poor taste where they weren’t.

That was until my birthday came and Tina wanted to buy me something I wouldn’t buy myself. The choice was obvious given the nature of my assignment and so I received my first (and only) pair of Havaianas. I insisted that she get me the ones with the straps on the heel so that they wouldn’t get sucked off when I go wading through muddy beaches. And of course the straps ensured that at least they looked a bit different from the ones owned by Mak-mak and Ma-oy.

In no time, the slippers eventually earned the title of “The Only Footwear You’ll Ever Need” in my wardrobe. Being all rubber, it dries quickly and it doesn’t leave you with the discomfort of wet nylon straps clinging to your skin while you consult the throng of patients queuing at your island health station. It also serves as bathroom slippers at the same time, saving you about a quart of backpack space.

The rubber is tougher than some athletic shoes I’ve owned and even more comfortable. Amazingly the thong strap doesn’t chafe even after hours of hiking. Although the comfort granted by the open design is the same reason for the main and probably only setback in wearing this podiatric phenomenon. Stepping on excrement from all types of island inhabitants is extra unpleasant. But just like with any other form and type of footwear, it is always prudent to watch where you walk.

All in all it’s worth more than how much Tina would’ve gotten it for. Local islanders would sometimes ask me for my slippers, testifying to the fact that those who lived in islands their whole lives recognize utility of the design. But I just tell them that I just couldn’t give them something my girlfriend gave me for my birthday. Thank God I didn’t buy my own Havaianas.

2. One-Gallon Belt Bag

No brand in particular, but you could get them where North Face or Habagat products are being sold. What is important is that the compartment volume should hold at least 1 gallon. This will allow you to carry your aneroid sphygmanometer, stethoscope, flashlight, diagnostic kit, MIMS, Medicine Bluebook, and various Pea Brain and Babyprint notes with the added flexibility of free hands. Outdoorsmen would attest to the fact that hands-free equipment are lifesaving. The only thing between that outcropping ledge and the fatal plummet to the jagged rocks below could be that free hand.

Of course backpacks serve the same purpose, but they come with bigger compartment volumes making it harder to look for your stuff inside. Backpacks also tend to build up sweat on your back on long hikes, especially on hot tropical summers. Although there are packs equipped with technology to address this problem, they are costly and these features are mostly available for larger packs.

The problem with belt bags is that the straps may tend to loosen up as the hike moves on, so you could try tying them up to prevent this. You might also need to have at least a decent amount of glutes to keep the bag from falling to your knees while walking. The only thing between that harmless hands-free hike and the stumble to that fatally positioned sharp object conveniently lying on the ground could be your J-Lo.

3. Rayovac Swivel-Lite

Basically it’s a flashlight whose head could be positioned perpendicular to the battery barrel, like the ones they have in the army that they strap to their utility belts. Well, you could get the usual flashlight, but it does not conform to the previously discussed free-hand principle like the Rayovac Swivel-Lite. Obviously better than this is the head-mounted flashlight, but this could be the next best thing.

There are times when I wished I had the head mounted light, especially for extracting fishbones and other foreign bodies from various orifices. But you can’t carry around a headlight as conveniently as a flashlight. The batteries are practically impossible to find in island stores, and the straps hanging loose make it a clumsy tool when not worn on the head.

The usefulness of my Swivel-Lite was established when I once woke up in the middle of the night in an island without electricity with the need to relieve my bladder. With my Swivel-Lite tucked in my boxers and its belt clip latched on the garter, I nimbly manipulated my urinary stream to fall seamlessly into the toilet-seat-less toilet bowl, saving me the embarrassment from my host the morning after.

Upon deeper reflection, Swivel-Lite may have been a bit too pricey for a flashlight. But there are times things money can buy indirectly translate to things money can’t buy. It was one of those times that I was glad I had my Swivel-Lite.

4. Southwest Monsoon Tri-fold Lightweight Umbrella

Umbrellas are a must when traveling in tropical islands. Raincoats may keep you drier outside, but sometimes it gets so humid while it’s raining that they end up making you wetter inside. They take longer to dry and take up more of that precious compartment space in your travel bag.

Umbrellas not only protect you from rain, but also from splashing seawater when coasting through choppy waters on motorized outrigger boats. It is for this very reason that I specified that one should choose lightweight umbrellas. Lightweight umbrellas are made of aluminum, which makes it rustproof, assuring a longer service life despite prolonged exposure to seawater.

At the same time, almost all lightweight umbrellas are tri-fold. This gives you an umbrella small enough to pocket in your cargo pants, allowing you to carry it wherever you go without forgetting it every time. This ensures that you have your umbrella whenever and wherever you need it.

Some would question the use of a tri-fold umbrella for heavy duty use. Some would even postulate that the durability of an umbrella is directly proportional to its size and inversely proportional to its number of folds. This is why I stressed the importance of brand choice when buying your umbrella. My Southwest Monsoon lightweight umbrella survived 18 months through rain, storm, and seawater and it’s still one-hundred percent serviceable up to now.

 Of course there’s nothing like the convoluted mass of nerve tissue between your ears to get you through a fix. The most formidable shoulder-mounted plasma cannon is useless in the hands of a squirrel, a great master once said. Recycled sack bags make excellent island luggage and just about any footwear, flashlight, or umbrella will have done just as well at the end of the day. But like I always say, if you’re going to plant a tree, you might as well do it with feelings.