You Can’t Escape the Sick Bug

By Martyna

As many of you are aware we just recently returned from a 10 day trip around North West India. We all agree that it was a remarkable trip as we saw things that we never imagined until retirement; being broke students and all. The unfortunate aspect of our trip was that we all got quite ill. Before I left on this India adventure, my best friend Piper recommended that I bring Pepto-Bismol. Best idea ever!!! Christine was the first victim to experience digestive problems in Varanasi. We have not yet figured out what meal contributed to this discomfort. In Agra I got mild diarrhea after eat at the Taj guesthouse. I was actually quite upset considering that I played it safe and ate rice that day. I really never thought that anyone could screw up rice, but I guess it happens. The worst bug got contracted in Jaipur.  After shopping for a few hours, which entails a lot of haggling, yelling, sometimes throwing, and then eventually a compromise, we decided to seek refuge in a quite bistro outdoor restaurant. Let’s just say that it was second nicest place where we ate. All of us got really excited about the chicken burgers. We don’t usually eat meat, but we were craving western food and the place seemed legitimately sanitary. We were wrong. Lindsay started feeling ill almost right away but did not have any digestive problems quite yet.

Getting onto the platform of the train station after an hour plus rickshaw ride through unpaved roads Lindsay is on her knees ready to vomit in the garbage, rat invested tracks while our train is pulling up to the station. We quickly took her to our compartment. The unfortunate aspect of this train ride was that this was the only time that we were in 3A tier, rather than our regular 2A. This meant that we were all together but we had two potential strangers which where joining us and had reserved the bottom bunks. Oh ya, the train ride from Jaipur to Amritsar is 14 hours. We managed to communicate with the guy to switch bunks with us. Poor Lindsay was up most of the night with vomiting and diarrhea.  Around 4 am the bug finally hit me as well. To our surprise Silvia never got ill although she at the burger as well. I am attributing this to her stomach of steal and her Colombian genes.

I think after a while the people on the train figured out what was going on as Lindsay and I raced to the bathroom every 15 minutes. We both agreed that this was the worst case of digestive problems we ever had; the state of the washrooms (one western toilet, the other squatting where the waste is deposited on the tracks) did not help.  Finally arriving at our hotel room in Amritsar we passed out until 3PM. We decided that if we were feeling better than we would go see the border ceremony at the Pakistan- India border. It was a really interesting experience therefore we were happy we went. Half way through the ceremony Lindsay started feeling nauseous. On our way back to the car, in the middle of the parking lot surrounded by hundreds of people Lindsay vomits on the pavement, which is when we decided that she baptized India. She felt better afterwards, but the other family in the car did not seem keen on driving back with us.  

On our way back from the border ceremony Lindsay developed a fever, so we decided that it was time she be put on antibiotics. It helped and we all were able to enjoy the golden temple the next day. Back in Kolkata Lindsay went to the doctor. The doctor has his practice around the corner of our house; it is on our running route. Recognizing the only white people that live in the neighborhood he commented on how he uses us as an example to all his patients about getting more exercise. We tend to be a spectacle when we exercise. People come out of their houses to watch us run and some people even yell at us to figure out what we are doing.  

Overall we are all doing a-lot better now, thanks to modern medicine and the Sunday that we had to recuperate and watch a season of ER!