Travelers Sickness

While on this bike tour, I haven't always been 100% healthy. I have had several days thus far of being ill. The total count is listed here:

• 3 days in Bogota, Colombia, with mild fever. Went to the hospital for a flu shot.
• 24 hours in Pasto, Colombia, with an upset stomach.
• 48 hours in Zamora, Ecuador, with traveler's sickness symptoms.
• 48 hours in Vilcabamba, Ecuador, with traveler's sickness symptoms.
• 48 hours in Celendin, Peru, with traveler's sickness symptoms.
• 57.2 hours in Cajabamba, Peru, with traveler's sickness symptoms.
• 48 hours in Ambo, Peru with food poisoning/travelers sickness

My good friend Priel, currently in medical school, helped me diagnose the likely culprits in a few cases of traveler's sickness. Each time, I have tried to link the cause to either a fruit or some bad water, but I have yet to find a single kryptonite. I must admit that the worst part is the onset, usually during the mid-morning on a day's ride, when something just doesn't feel right. As I ride closer to the destination city in the afternoon, I know I need a cheap hostel with a bathroom muy cerca. I then just try to keep my fluids up and my food down. This usually requires a quick camino to a nearby tienda, but just the look or smell of food can be too much to bear. I had never felt that way with an appetite and it's not a good feeling.

When I was a kid, my parents had a large oval cooking pot in the garage (my sister, Kerry, knows the one). They would put it down on a newspaper next to my bed when I would feel sick. I can't tell you how much I wish I had something similar here!

I am not writing this post to gross you out. Trust me. I'm writing it to salute those who look after their sick child or a loved one, and to say how meaningful they are to that sick person. It's a wonderfully gracious act of love.

But getting sick has not been all that bad! I am able to get lots of reading done on my Kindle, rest my legs, code up a Euler Project problem, and explore a new city (once I feel healthy enough to walk around). In fact, I have felt a real connection with each of the places and cities I was sick in, primarily due to spending a few days rather than one night or merely a few minutes passing through on my bike. I am also able to make some new friends as they get to know the only gringo in town. As much as I love the biking most days, I don't mind the occasional sickness so long as I can spend some time in a new city with friendly people!

Matt

P.S.