Wednesday/Thursday: Montezuma's Revenge Strikes Again

I noticed on Wednesday night during my return from Arusha to Dar Es Salaam that my stomach felt slightly queasy. It subsided but it was enough to send a red flag, then I thought, 'Naww, this is just all in my head.'

After a very late night of travel and filing stories about Keith and Erv's fate with traveler's diarrhea, I prepared for bed at 3 a.m. I got back to my hotel room and knew immediately that I had been hit. Curses! Then I reached immediately for the Cipro.

I sensed the impending squirming in my stomach that would have a very bad end result and braced for the worst: the toilet marathon. Though having traveler's diarrhea is a nightmare, it was the timing of it that bothered me most. In three hours I was set to board a plane for the infamous island of Zanzibar. I had anticipated this part of my visit most. I feared this would sideline me as flashbacks of London and my bout there filled my head.

I was hopeful since Keith nor Erv experienced vomiting so I thought if I could control the diarrhea and nip the bacteria in the bud with Cipro, I could manage. NOTE: Africa, or at least Tanzania, is no place to have this problem on the road. The 'toilets' especially outside of Dar Es Salaam consist of a hole in the ground, a bucket of water with a cup, and a hose. I'm still trying to figure out exactly how this works but for either gender it means squatting over the hole -- which can vary in size. There normally isn't any toilet paper, so it's a good idea to tote your own.

At 4 a.m. I text paged a doctor friend of mine in the states who reminded me about the Imodium AD. I had totally forgotten. I miraculously found the strength to get up with an hour of sleep (in between potty breaks) to get on the plane. I was sick but felt better than when I was when in London, probably because of the Cipro. I actually made it through the day without incident despite the intense nausea. I attempted to use a restroom but there was always an issue at each stop -- the flush wasn't operational or the hole in the ground issue. Even at the president's mansion on the main floor, there was a real toilet but no running water to flush. Thank goodness for Imodium AD.

Related Topics: Travelers' Health Kit, Food and Water Precautions