Health

Whew... we've just emerged from a day of incapacitating sickness. We made the ONE mistake everyone warns against while traveling in this region... we drank tap water. Not on purpose, though! Two days ago, we ate a fixed price lunch that included a glass of what I assumed was grape juice (they called it "chicha" -- turns out it's fermented corn milk). After a few sips, it occurred to us that the drink might contain tap water, so we ordered bottled sodas (I chose Inka Cola, and Sam went with the less imaginative Coca Cola). We went about the rest of the day as we normally would, going out that night with a few people who work at the hostel. At around 4 AM, though, I awoke from a very restful sleep to major gastrointestinal discomfort. The rest of the day progressed as you'd imagine. For both of us. We barely had enough energy to move around the hostel, and it wouldn't have been a good idea to stray too far from the bathroom. We basically collapsed in the TV room (we recognize how lucky we were to have gotten sick in such a nice & comfortable hostel) for the entire day. We went to sleep at around 9, after learning that the Nazca plans had been cancelled, which, considering our health, was probably for the best. But the good news: we're feeling great today! Thanks to antibiotics & lots of water... BOTTLED water. We're now in the process of figuring out exactly how to get to Cusco today, as our first choice bus company has no space left until tomorrow. Stay tuned for more...!

Love,
Ally