17-01-17
When we’re lucky we find such a bathroom on our journey
A nice public toilet
Traveling leads to all sorts of intestinal distresses, and traveling together means we talk about them regularly. Constipation, diarrhea, upset stomach, how many times we each pooped during the mountain climb, all are interesting and relevant topics of discussion, even during meals. Also of interest are the remedies. I’ve mentioned before the popping of Imodium pills at one point in the trip (now much reduced), but our Bolivian guide Sonia has lots of other remedies, including coca-cola and corn starch (for diarrhea), lemon juice and baking soda (for upset stomach), charcoal tablets (for diarrhea), and a form of Saccharomyces fungus in capsule form that also seems to help with loose stools. We’ve tried them all and survived, and generally are more prone to constipation now (prunes) than diarrhea. And using the nature toilet (or as one Torotoro guide called it, the baño de los Inca/s) is common and welcome on long bus rides. We are expanding our abilities and sensibilities on this trip!