I recently spent about three months in the Amazonian rainforest as part of my work as a biologist. I absolutely adore my job. There are so many great things involved, like getting to research rare species and working with people from many fields, including photographers and tour guides and survival experts.

There is nothing better than being able to sit and observe the plants I am studying for my thesis. However, there is one bad thing about sitting in damp jungle plants for so long, and that’s how it affected my feet. When I arrived back in Melbourne, I wasn’t going straight to the lab, or showing my friends my pictures. I was instead going to the internet to figure out how to cure fungal nails fast.

Yes, that’s right, since my shoes were so damp for so long I must have somehow acquired a toenail infection. It’s pretty common for people in my line of work, so I’m not embarrassed about it or anything, it’s just that it’s now summer here in Australia and I want it gone as soon as possible so I can wear my summer shoes out and about in public. The internet advised me to visit a podiatrist, so that is where I went.

After I looked up the nearest podiatrist, I started getting all these ads about what was supposedly the best orthotics Cheltenham had to offer. I never had orthotics when I was younger, but when I get my fungal nails fixed by the podiatrist I might also look into my other foot problems. Since I am so active, I have developed a few muscular issues over the years while hiking through rainforests on my trips, or climbing mountains to get a sample of a rare plant. It’s the kind of exercise that comes with my field, and it’s great, but it would be nice to get shoes that fit me properly and walk without it hurting. I can’t wait until my next trip back to the jungle!