Feel the Second Degree Burn

While on my dream vacation in Costa Rica in August 2010, I got it into my head to try as many activities as I could possibly squeeze in. The tour company that I worked with (Adventure Life -- highly recommend them) had planned many excursions, but why not add just add a couple more, right? So after a morning of canyoning (aka rappelling through waterfalls) I asked the front desk asked if they could book me on one of the ATV tours I had seen just down the role. As it was my first real experience with a great concierge desk who would bend over backwards to do anything to make their guests happy, they were delighted and took care of all the details.

I happily took off in a little van to the ATV place, and signed one of those "we're not responsible if you die" waivers that are par for the course for these things. Happily hopped on my very first ATV and realized that maybe I was slightly in over my head. I've never driven anything like that, and am the kind of person who runs into trouble at the kiddie race track, but I paid attention to details and gamely followed after a lovely family from the UK and a handful of other vacationers. We went through a cow farm to see some stunning views of the Arenal volcano. And even though I never quote got the speed of some of the teenagers who recklessly sped through the giants and ditches, I enjoyed myself even when I was getting stuck in knee deep mud. So I felt somewhat confident as we took off down a deserted dirt road towards the Arenal river. I reassured the guide that even though I had some turning troubles, I could handle a very rugged "road". No problemo!


Well, that was until they encouraged everyone to take a whirl through a "puddle". Everyone ahead of me managed to remember the warning about what to do in water, but I was so preoccupied on trying to keep up with the group that I went right through that puddle... leaving my leg next to the engine. Once I went through this two foot puddle and water hit the engine, it turned to steam, which hit my leg and sent billows of smoke up into my helmets mask. At first the smoke overwhelmed me and caused me to panic, before I realized that I had a searing burn on the majority of my left calf. My right leg had a small steam burn, but was apparently quicker to react, so it really didn't suffer much at all.

Once the nice guide fished my ATV out of the water, he assessed that it wasn't a hospital worthy emergency, and told me kindly that the best cure they had for the burn was a nice cool soak in the Arenal river up ahead a mile or so. Given that we were too far from anything resembling a safe place to leave the ATV unattended, and he couldn't leave the whole group with only one guide, there weren't a lot of options. So I put my helmet back on, started up my ATV and cried (a lot) as I drove over a very uneven road that looked like it had been partially washed out.



Trying to put on a brave face so as not to put a damper on the trip for everyone else who had paid to do this trip, so as we pulled up to the river, I wiped away my tears and walked over to the river to soak my legs. It actually did provide a lot of relief, and then the kind guide found his medical kid with some magical burn cream in it, which made was a miracle. The biggest problem I had for the rest of the ride was that the engine was giving off so much heat.

Still, it was tolerable and I managed to get back to the base, play with their parrot, enjoy a lovely dinner (Costa Ricans love to feed you), and enjoyed myself until I got back to my hotel and stepped off the van. Then I broke down crying at the front desk. They so wonderfully helped me to get to my room to get cash, and called a cab to take me to La Farmacia. My cab driver spoke very little English, and I speak mediocre Spanish (at best) and had my handy dandy phrase book. We managed to have actual conversation and I even laughed a few times as he was very funny.



Once at the pharamacy, I had to do a lot of gesturing (showing the pharmacist my blistered and burned leg), but he got the gist of it. While there, I also got some really kick ass sinus drugs... though i'm a little surprised that me pointing at my nose and sniffling didn't land me some coke. Instead, these old school capsules which just rocked. I wish I could get them regularly, because they were infinitely more effective than Aleve.

I rode the 20 minutes back to the hotel with the same nice driver, profusely thanked the front desk clerk, stopped by the hot tub bar for two Imperial beers (which were on the endless two for one happy hour special) and went to my room to take the sinus drugs, slather burn cream on my leg, drink my beers and pass out cold. Self-medicating at its best.

The next morning I was somewhat OK (the right leg was completely fine, mostly equal to a sunburn) and I completed my scheduled activities for the day -- a hanging bridge hike and nighttime ziplining. Sure the giant blisters were gross, but the pharmacist had recommended just leaving it uncovered to breathe, so I did. I might have done my self-medicating ritual that night as well... and then headed back to the airport the day afterwards. The customs officers in Miami were a little freaked out by my limping, (I'm sure they thought I was suffering some awful skin disease) and I told them my saga and they kindly offered me a wheelchair (I declined, I'm made of tougher stuff than that).

It took several weeks for the burn to heal (and let me tell you, Neosporin has nothing on whatever no-name cream I got in Costa Rica) and it left a pretty nasty hamburger sized burn on the back of my calf, which I still have (though right now the discoloring is starting to fade). But the whole thing actually taught me a lot about myself. While I was with a group of people (randomly assigned by the tour company), they were strangers who really didn't want to help out with a girl who had essentially done this to herself. Dealing with an injury on my own (with just the kindness of strangers at the hotel) was a new challenge and in some ways empowering. And not just cancelling everything and sitting in my room the day before we left also made me feel pretty strong. I would have missed out on seeing some really amazing things and pushing myself. It might have been reassuring to have a shoulder to cry on, but it also a friend might have talked me out of going on a several mile hike on an injured leg.

So while I still have the scar, and probably will at least have remnants of it for the rest of my life, that former blistering mess gave me a big boost of confidence, and that's what I see every time I look down at my leg.