The Incan Revenge
Gina. Ica, Peru
So, I´m taking a little poetic license on my title here, since the phrase is usually Matazuma´s Revenge. But we´re in Peru, not Mexico, and this seemed like a more appropriate way to go.
But the point is, I got sick. I knew it would happen. I just hoped it wouldn´t happen so soon. I´m not sure what the culprit was: something I ate. On the upside, I´d rather get sick 2 weeks before Machu Picchu, so I have time to recover.
We left Huacachina Sunday afternoon. I started feeling sick Saturday night–mostly just exhausted and achy. But then I didn´t sleep well and felt progressively worse as the night went on. It took my a good long while on Sunday to work up the nerve to get into a taxi for the (roughly) five minute drive to Ica. It just made sense to get out of Huacachina. We needed to get food from a grocery store and figure out how to move on to Cusco. We found a pretty nice, clean hotel with our own bathroom and a tv. Our own bathroom was a must.
Steve did a great job of figuring everything out on his own. He compared hotel prices, went to the various bus stations to compare ticket prices and routes to Cusco, found a grocery store and bought us juice boxes, water, crackers, and bananas. He felt a little helpless when I was in pain (if the joys of bathroom time weren´t enough I had really horrific cramps), but he did a great job of taking care of me. I basically spent two days lying in bed, watching tv. Luckily there were a handful of English-speaking channels. They all played cop shows and hospital shows, so it was just like watching tv in the US. No talk shows, thankfully.
I ventured out briefly yesterday to go with Steve to the bus station to book our seats for our ride to Cusco tonight. We´re taking Cruz del Sur again. It´s funny how it was expensive (comparatively) from Lima to Ica, but from Ica to Cusco it´s the cheapest and the best. We also went to the grocery store again, so I could try to figure out snacks that would be good, filling, easy to transport, and don´t need to be refridgerated. We ended up with a loaf of bread, peanut butter, muesli, and cup of ramen! They have cup of ramen! They also had regularly bags of ramen, but then we would need a pot and a bowl, etc… They also had freeze dried wonton soup in the little Styrofoam cups. I didn´t get one because I wanted things I was sure of, but if I see it again in another grocery store, I´m going to have to try it.
That little excursion wiped me out for a while, so we rested in the hotel, reading our travel books and watching cop shows. Eventually I decided to find out if there would be anywhere to get hot water for my ramen. The front desk guy was very patient with my bad Spanish and the owner of the little cafe beside our hotel was so nice. Through lots of hand motions and the very few Spanish words I know or can understand, he figured out what I was asking for and filled up my ramen cup with boiling water! It was delicious. I was very proud of both my child-like communication skills and my yummy soup.
I´m feeling much better now. Steve got a little sick, but nothing like me, so he´s doing well too. Our spirits are pretty high now. We had a low point yesterday morning when we both felt bad. But after we got out and did our chores we felt much better. The bus doesn´t leave until 9:30 tonight, so we´ve just been hanging out in the little town square eating bananas (Other than the ramen, I´ve been pretty much living off bananas and crackers for the last two days). A friendly shoe shiner named Javier came and talked to us for a while. He has been taking English classes and wanted to practice. People here are really very friendly. Everyone seems happy to answer questions or just chat about Peru or America.
We´re both really excited about going into the Andes. We arrive in Cusco around 1 pm tomorrow afternoon. We´re not due at our hostel in Cusco until next week, so we plan to spend a few days in the surrounding countryside, visiting the little craft towns and ruins in the Sacred Valley. I´m excited about alpacas (even though I hear they´re very mean… they spit like camels), maybe learning to weave, buying a warm sweater, and going to an outdoor market. I think being in the mountains will feel more like being in Peru. And hopefully we´ll meet some English speakers! Or at the very least, a French Canadian traveling alone, so they´re forced to talk to us!
Tags: Ica, Peru, Peru, Travelers´diarrhea
montarsig
Sounds like you’re having a real adventure darlin.’ I’m enjoying your travelogue. Please keep it up. Take lots of pics.
I love that there’s a tag for Travelers’ diarrhea! I’m sorry you got sick, however. Hopefully such an experience early on will be helpful during the rest of the trip. Kudos to Steve for taking care of you.
I am making mental pictures in my head of your adventures and trying to imagine the kinds of conversations you have from day to day. It’s a fascinating trip, and I think the blog is great.
I wonder what the monkey’s name is…
I’ll bet it was the monkey that did you in – probably shook sweaty hands with it, then wiped your lips then licked your lips… or maybe a flea or louse?
I assume you’ve read this scary info: http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Disease/diseases_TropSAmer.html
Hope you’ve replenished your lost electrolytes (salts) and fluids… but besides salty meat-flavored soup-cups, also keep up your protein intake – maybe canned tuna or something? You’re away long enough that just a week’s backpacker’s energy-diet won’t do. Vitamines!
You must be laughing at this armchair advice. Enjoy…