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So, before I continue on with my day-to-day adventures, I'm going to talk about illness on holidays. Once you get onto a plane, all bets for your health are off. I use hand sanitizer, as well as the antibacterial wipes, I clean my silverware (or plasticware, as the case may be) I clean my table tray and the little TV screen and I try to keep my hands away from my face and I perform all the other rituals that are required on a germ laden plane full of germ laden passengers, the "line-the-toilet seat with paper, but hover over the lined seat as well, just to be on the safe side" and then the "using the paper towel to push the flush button as well as using it to open the door, which then requires the contortion to throw the paper back into the garbage container while not actually touching the garbage lid and/or not letting the teensy bathroom door touch you as you try to slip away"...then "the bouncing down the aisle, trying to not touch the icky seat backs that everyone else who just used the bathroom before you has just touched, with their non-sanitized hands". Then the re-wipe as you sit back down. It's quite a chore. It's amazing that I don't drink while on a plane, at least my innards would be sanitized. However, I try to have orange juice to keep my immune system as full of healthy vitamins as possible. Here are some airplane snacks that seemed somewhat healthy....banana chips, no preservatives, just salt.
But, it's generally all to no avail....you either pick up a virus, or you don't.
I'm not sure if our little group had a virus, food poisoning, altitude sickness or, more likely, a combination of all three, but I do know that there were a few days when we seemed to be dropping like flies. First, a couple had been ill....possibly they were our Ground Zero for the 'flu. Then a solo traveller got ill, but..only for a day or two....seemed 'flu-ish. She still travelled with is and more or less enjoyed the sights. But then another solo traveller got ill, right as we were walking down a street...she was bedridden for two full days, and during that same time frame another solo traveller got really sick, she actually ended up in the hospital for two weeks and saw all manner of specialists. At this point everyone is getting nervous....then yet another solo traveler got ill too, she was bedridden for a few days, but was still able to travel with us, but didn't enjoy the sights.
This doesn't even count the upset tummies, diarrhea, and other odd ailments that seemed to hit every one every now and then. I think everyone had at least one day when their tummy was just not quite right.
It also doesn't count the day my glasses fell apart...Jaysus...luckily I had spare ones, but really, what are the chances that the leg will fall right off when you're away from home? But luckily, as I mentioned before, there are optometrist offices every time you turn around. It wasn't just a screw that fell out either, the whole leg somehow broke...without glasses I couldn't really see the problem, and my spare pair weren't that good. Sort of ironic. Anyhow, Sweet Eddie ran them to the eyeglass place, the eyeglass repairman didn't want to just replace one leg, since it wasn't asthetically pleasing, he wanted to replace both...for the grand total of 20 soles, which is about $9 CDN...and they fit better than they ever have.
And it doesn't count the day that one of our guys is walking down the cobblestone street and a Peruvian police car turns the corner and a rock gets stuck in his tire and when he zooms off the rock flies out of the tire tread and shoots across the road like a bullet and hits our fellow in the back of the head...bad enough that a hospital visit is warranted and stitches are a result? Really....what are the chances? Luckily, Sweet Eddy was already back and forth to the hospital to tend to our very sick lady, so this was a simple add-on. Bizarre, but simple.
I had an odd tickle-in-the-throat cough that gave me unexpected paroxysms of coughing at unexpected and inappropriate moments....you know, in churches and in food line-ups. I tried to let people know that it wasn't a "cold/flu" cough, but just a weird tickle cough. However, I think I may have been shunned now and then.
But, the good thing about Peru is the plethora of pharmacies...there are three or four on every block. Some are tiny little paces that look like they might sell snake oil and worse, but most of them are beautiful and clean, and sell everything you could possibly need. And, you get treated like an adult...if a person knows that they need an antibiotic, and this person also knows that they aren't allergic to it and can safely injest it and get better...well, why see a Doctor? Thank you Peru, for using common sense, and for letting me use my common sense as well. They also all claim to have an English speaking doctor, but he/she was never there when I was. Trying to mime the symptoms of a 75 year old woman with diarrhea and a phlegmy cough might be funny on a game of charades, but, well, actually I guess it was kinda funny here too. That, plus my miniscule amount of Spanish seemed to work. No one died from my purchases.
Nothing more soothing the a little phlegm toss and some unusual antibiotics from a bustling little farmacia. Add a nice hot cup of coca tea and all is well with the world.
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