Considering I spent the good part of an hour staring at a computer screen just trying to think of a title for this blog (about a week ago), getting something actually written down is a bit daunting. I have no aspirations of making the first entry ¨good¨; rather, I want it to exist. I also plan to unabashedly use semicolons with such gusto that is appears as though I know how to use them. This blog, I suppose, will be mostly comprised of the soaring highlights and unfortunate lowlights of travel, with the occasional beard-related quip. And to get things off in the right direction:
Topic 1:
Bowel Movements.
Wow. As soon as I wrote the words, more rumblings began. Yes! I´ve been stricken with what´s known as ¨traveler´s diarrhea¨. Any traveler worth his salt knows that sampling exotic microbes is an integral part of any excursion into the third world. What starts a minor annoyance quickly morphs into a bizarre competition to see how many times one can actually go #2 in one day. I´d rather not specify my current record--let´s just say I won. Being in a constant state of dehydration is no way to go through life, and is especially disheartening while trying to relish the discomfort of solo traveling. Last year in Cusco, Peru, I had the wonderful luxury of a companion-cum-caretaker, which made all the difference while I was combatting the sphincter-loosening malady. This time around, the only vague semblance of sympathy comes from the pharmacist, who gives the ¨squint/nod¨ in understanding when I request drugs. Luckily, with a few days´dose of antibiotics, and abstinence from booze, things are cleared up fairly quickly. And here comes the quintessence of appreciating life´s simple triumphs: cheering aloud (complete with fist-pump) after the first normal bathroom venture in a week. Huzzah!
But where´s the excitement in normalcy? I´m off to the nearest hole-in-the-wall restaurant to sample some delicious new microbes...
Coming soon:
High elevation ultimate frisbee! Delightfully tacky religious emblems! Slightly messy attempts at salsa dancing! Absurd amounts of semicolons!
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I have found that African Nations usually produce the Drizzle variety of Diarrhea, whereas South America has a little more of an explosive type.
ReplyDeleteHave you contacted the Travel Channel about a possible show? You'd be perfect.
ReplyDeletenext time try a tea of cilantro instead of the antibiotics - antibiotics just kill everything - the good and the bad microbes. The cilantro tea worked super great for my boat-trip acquired diarrhea in Iquitos (was the recommandation of a local women there). ;-)
ReplyDeletesorry, correction!
ReplyDeleteI felt a bit weird about the cilantro tea and read up in my travel diary (now I finally know what I am writing it for!): it's tea of OREGANO!!
cheers!