Very sick in Castrojeriz

[DebraS.]

Must cancel my pilgrimage. any suggestions for best way travel home from here?

 

[naplesdon]

Take a taxi to either Burgos or Fromista. You are a short distance from Fromista which has train and bus service to Madrid and just about as close to Burgos which has bus service to Bilbao. Both of these airports have flights to Munich.

 

[whariwharangi]

Estacion de Autobuses Burgos.
http://www.aytoburgos.es/turismo-en-burgos/como-llegar/estacion-de-autobuses-de-burgos

Autobuses Amaya operates a bus from Castrojerez to Burgos AM weekdays. The bus goes from Burgos to Fromista via Castrojerez in the evening.
http://autobusesamaya.com/las-rutas/castrojeriz/

Renfe operates trains from Burgos to Madrid. Trains also go from Fromista to Palencia and onward to Madrid.
http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/

ALSA operates buses from Burgos to Madrid.
https://www.alsa.es/en/

Fromista transport options.
http://www.fromista.com/?v=turismo&c=transporte

Linecar
http://www.linecar.es/Linecar/Informaci%F3n/Nuestra%20Empresa

 

[waveprof]

Very sorry to hear your Camino is coming to a sudden halt for health reasons!

 

[Anniesantiago]

I'm so sorry.
Can you not rent a private room for a few days until you recover enough to carry on?

 

[Jacobus]

Must cancel my pilgrimage. any suggestions for best way travel home from here?

If you are in need of immediate assistance the staff at Hotel Jacobus are most helpful and I am sure will assist you with travel arrangements, medical appointment, pharmacy locations etc. It is also a very clean and quiet place for recovery. I am not associated with this hotel but spent to days there on my Camino in 2014.
I hope that you are able to continue your original planned route but if not then I pray for a safe journey home and a quick recovery.

 

[naplesdon]

The wife of the owner of the Hotel Iacobus is Balba and she speaks English. They are very good friends of the Camino. Get well soon.

 

[DebraS.]

Thank you for the information. I think that hotel is closed but I am not certain. I've been too sick to get out the last two days but think I should be a little better tomorrow and will look to see.

The manager here at Le Mesón pretty much laughed at me when I asked for a taxi. Maybe I can walk to Fromista tomorrow if improved enough.

 

[waveprof]

The manager here at Le Mesón pretty much laughed at me when I asked for a taxi.

Try asking someone else if you can. We had to call a taxi twice in very rural areas (to send my mom and the baby ahead in super bad weather) and never had any trouble. They charged a lot to come out so rural, but they came.

 

[GettingThere]

The manager here at Le Mesón pretty much laughed at me when I asked for a taxi.

This is really unfortunate and surprising to hear. I needed to use a taxi a few times on Camino recently and all accommodation owners were very helpful and sympathetic. If you find you need a taxi tomorrow I would suggest walking to the nearest bar and asking them to call for you (maybe after ordering a coffee!). I am sure they will be happy to do so, especially if you say you are sick.

Good luck, and hope you feel better soon.

 

[DebraS.]

Thank you all for support and information. I feel like I'm not trying very hard to figure this out on my own but concentration is really difficult when feeling this poorly.

I see where the bus is here in castrojeriz. I see it on the map but haven't mustered the energy to walk there just yet. Do you buy tickets on the bus? Is it like the typical European city buses?

 

[mspath]

Sorry that you are ill. Yes you buy a bus ticket on the bus leaving Castrojeriz. Do ask the hospitalero wherever you are staying for MORE info re the correct bus stop. It may be simply at the junction of a road and highway with nary a sign. If you are in an albergue you can usually stay an extra day if you wish when unwell.

Good luck!

 

[nathanael]

I'm so sorry.
Can you not rent a private room for a few days until you recover enough to carry on?

I agree with annie try staying at a quite place for a day or two. The place near entrance to city is nice by the church have stayed there a few times..the best.

 

[DebraS.]

I've been staying a few days at Le Mesón and have a single room which is very nice. Tonight I feel somewhat better and lord knows I should since I'm on my second box of immodium! I went for a walk to see how I felt. Really weak but maybe in the morning I will be much better and can start again. I just don't want to keep over half way to Fromista like on the way here the other day.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Glad you're feeling better.
Try eating some yogurt mixed with applesauce.
My kids call it "diarrhea medicine."
Works great.

 

[whariwharangi]

I'm not a doctor.

But from a first aid perspective ( and from half way around the planet) I'm wondering if you are suffering from heat exhaustion.

Here is information about heat exhaustion. Note the bit about resting for a week.
http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/heat-exhaustion

 

[good_old_shoes]

I'm sorry to hear you're sick. I can relate to how you must feel, I also got sick on the way, also in Castrojeriz!


I was staying in the municipal albergue and the hospitalero told me where the bus stop to Fromista was (there is no sign, you basically just stand at the side of the road and wave for the bus to stop. There is only one bus to Fromista in the afternoon (5.30 or 6.30pm, I don't remember), and a bus to Burgos in the morning (not sure what time).

In Fromista is a health care centre (centro de salud). That might be helpful with the decision whether you have to stop completely or not. If you have European health card, it should be completely free to see the doctor.


If you decide not to go home but to proceed your Camino, I can only give you the advice to rest long enough! I didn't, and as a result basically walked the rest of the way in various degrees of being sick, had to see the doctor another two times, rest again etc.. I was very happy to walk at all, though, and in the end made it to Santiago.


Take care, listen to yourself. And, really, really take the time you need to rest!

If you have a kitchen where you are, there is an old recipe called moro soup that is traditionally used for stomach bugs... It's basically only carrots, cooked for 1,5-2 hours (important to cook them long), then purreed and a bit salt added.


I wish you all the best, sending some positive energy, get well soon!!!

 

[HuffyCane]

I'm not a doctor.

But from a first aid perspective ( and from half way around the planet) I'm wondering if you are suffering from heat exhaustion.

Here is information about heat exhaustion. Note the bit about resting for a week.
http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/heat-exhaustion

Agree with this. If you've been sick that long with those symptoms, it's probably mild heat exhaustion. Even if it isn't and it's something like food poisoning, you will still be dehydrated from the symptoms. So treatment for both is the same. Go to the farmacia and get hydration salts. Avoid coffee, tea, and other drinks that dehydrate you. Drinking more water and/or fruit juice won't solve this problem alone. Rest 24 hours. If no improvement, I'd see a doctor before going home. I'm thinking you'll be back on the trail in 2 days for short walks in the mornings.

 

[smj6]

@DebraS. I'm hoping that whatever you've had, you're beginning to feel better. Maybe even the support you are receiving through this forum will help you realize that you're not alone - often when one is in a strange place/country and unwell, feeling isolated makes everything seem so much worse. You're not alone, and I pray that things work out and that you can gradually build up your strength and stamina again and continue your Camino.
Whatever you decide, take care, and remember .... the Camino is not going away, you can always come back to it.
Suzanne

 

[Scott Sweeney]

Sorry to hear this has happened to you on your Camino, any idea what the cause might be? The smart thing is get to a doctor, if you have had this issue ( that requires immodium ) you are most likely severly dehydrated and in need of nutrition. Get to a doctor.

Not to stray from from the subject or cause controversy but this sounds like it migt be related to heat or drinking water from public fountains contamination of fountains isn't necessarily from the water.

 

[Gailsie]

As previous posters have said, I hope that by now you are feeling better and maybe even table continue with a few rest days and then short days. I had to cut my Portuguese camino short last year due to an ankle problem. It was difficult but in the end, the best thing for me. You will have to do whatever is best for you. Thinking of you and wishing you well.

 

[DebraS.]

This will be a short update until Rest up a bit but I really wanted to let you all know where I am and that I SO MUCH appreciate your thoughts and assistance. I got up this morning and for the first time in a long time actually peed normally so I thought I was strong enough to make it to Fromista. It was a VERY rough day and I did not make it all the way. I had to stop in Boadilla del camino which is an awesome place to recover. Enel Albergue is great and the single rooms are almost brand new. I feel like even after a shower I will get the sheets dirty.

But I have also hurt my foot pretty bad. I think because I was really struggling to walk, that I caused more problem. I have now literally peeled the flesh back on the bottom of my heel. It just rolled back.

On the bright side, no diarrhea today. No major bathroom breaks along the way....and even better, no embarrassing change of shorts on a populated trail!

So I will stay here a few days or call a taxi.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Eduardo can summon a taxi for Fromista, if you need it. He is the best hospitalero on the Camino!

 

[CaptBuddy]

Not a diagnosis, but a suggestion from experience.
Get someone to get you a couple of bottles of Aquarius, and drink it to restore your hydration and electrolytes.
There is also a powdered product at the farmacia that work quickly. It is citrus flavored and mixes with a litre of water. Taste terrible, but it works great. Sorry I can't recall the name.

Glad you are out of Castrojerez. Buses and taxis should be easy to find. Get well, then decide whether to continue. Don't continue on your foot without proper care!!!!
Best wishes.

 

[Icacos]

This will be a short update until Rest up a bit but I really wanted to let you all know where I am and that I SO MUCH appreciate your thoughts and assistance. I got up this morning and for the first time in a long time actually peed normally so I thought I was strong enough to make it to Fromista. It was a VERY rough day and I did not make it all the way. I had to stop in Boadilla del camino which is an awesome place to recover. Enel Albergue is great and the single rooms are almost brand new. I feel like even after a shower I will get the sheets dirty.

But I have also hurt my foot pretty bad. I think because I was really struggling to walk, that I caused more problem. I have now literally peeled the flesh back on the bottom of my heel. It just rolled back.

On the bright side, no diarrhea today. No major bathroom breaks along the way....and even better, no embarrassing change of shorts on a populated trail!

So I will stay here a few days or call a taxi.

So sorry to hear of the tough time you've been having. Am sending positive thoughts your way.

 

[Tia Valeria]

The farmacia 'drink' is Casen SuerOral. Makes 1 lt of rehydration drink and the better it tastes the more you needed it
Hope you soon are better and that you can continue with your pilgrimage

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Years ago, Eduardo took me across the field behind the albergue to feed his horse tethered there. After tending to the horse, he took me on a tour of a ramshackle building next to it. He said it was a centuries old hospital for pilgrims that had fallen into disrepair a century earlier. He had just purchased it, and planned to renovate it for an albergue.

It looks like he has finished renovations, and it is a top class casa rural now! I love albergues, especially his albergue, but I won't be able to resist this hotel the next time I am in town!

http://www.boadilladelcamino.com/hotel/

 

[good_old_shoes]

Good you found a place where you can comfortably rest for a few more days. Very important to have a nice place with good atmosphere! I really hope you feel better soon!

 

[Oztrekker]

Sorry to hear of your illness. I am in sahagun. It had been superhot. I eat at supermarkets only. You take your chances with a bar tortia or a tapas in this weather. There counter presentation cabinets are not refrigerated and the current temps are the perfect storm for food spoilage.

I have been in the travellers diareha capital of the world nepal. I have had at least seven attacks of it in nepal. Both parasite and bacterial.

Immodium justs makes a tighter stool by slowing the intestines.

The magic bullet is azrythromycin.

Probably need a script in spain.

 

[waveprof]

1) Pharmicists in spain have the ability to sell you a whole host of medicines that you can not get over the counter a lot of places in the world, even elsewhere in europe. It is worth a try

2) while one should always be cautious about food safety, in all of my travels around Spain I have found it very, very rare to see or hear of anyone getting sick from tapas. I'm sure people can come on here and give examples (I'm sure it's happened everywhere in the world), but in Spain, with tapas, it is exceedingly rare.

 

[SabsP]

On all my travels in Spain and in all kind of temperatures and circumstances I never got sick from food. The counters at bars are always refrigerated.

Two times I did get sick here in Europe :
1. The local cheeseburger from one of the smaller Belgian/French hamburgerchain
2. The wellknown meatballs from a particular Scandinavian furniture brand.

Say no more....

 

[smj6]

.......I got up this morning and for the first time in a long time actually peed normally so I thought I was strong enough to make it to Fromista. ....So I will stay here a few days or call a taxi.

@DebraS., I am SO pleased that you felt stronger (if not yet on form), whilst I'm sorry that your foot is also giving problems. As others have said, only you can decide what's best for you, but I pray that a few more days rest (in a nice place) together with some of the other suggestions here, will have you back on the road again. TAke care, and let us all know how you're faring.
Buen Camino
Suzanne

 

[DebraS.]

Eduardo can summon a taxi for Fromista, if you need it. He is the best hospitalero on the Camino!

Falcon.... I cannot agree with you more. Of course I've only had a small taste of the Camino but I can see a difference already. Him and his family /staff actually want to be a part of our camino, not just use the Camino to support them. I see the look of hurt and disappointment when a pilgrim walks out without thanking them or comes in without saying good morning.

They take time out of their busy work to ask how I am and if they can help. Different people come and go but they always remember names, origins and languages.

Some people "get" the Camino and others just want to "use" it. These guys get it.

 

[David]

So sorry to hear you are ill - on the plus side you are in Castrojeriz! As you came in to Castrojeriz you may have seen a sign to 'CampingCamino'. It is a campsite with a separate purpose built refugio building. The bathrooms are excellent, utterly clean - proper campsite bathrooms. Separate male and female and apparently unlimited hot water. There is a laundry, games room, and all the other things you would expect on a good campsite. I stay there when I am doing first aid in that area of the Camino.

It is family run and they have a small bar/restaurant. All the food is cooked fresh and made by the Mother. The real plus is that they are genuinely kind, friendly and helpful. It would be a perfect place for you to stay a few days and recover - so much better than trying to get home whilst you are ill.

Here is the link - http://www.campingcamino.com/

Good luck - don't go home just yet - give your body and spirit a break first.

Wishing you well, Buen Camino

 

[pilgrim b]

Just back a couple of weeks from the Camino both myself and perigrina b got gastroenteritis. We managed to finish our Camino's but ate almost nothing for four days but drunk lots of liquids just to keep us going. I had just about recovered when we reached Santiago, but perigrina b struggled through her last day. DebraS we heard in Santiago there was quite a few pilgrims on the Frances with the same problem. Give it four days and tomorrow you should be feeling much better if it is the same illness. Buen Camino

 

[Oztrekker]

It could be something from the sub continent.

Without proper hand washing stations this can easily spread from person to person.

Be careful of touching hands with people who are ill after visiting this area or others who have contracted it.

Dettol hand sanitizer is great stuff.

Kind regard

Oz

 

[fernandezr]

Glad you're feeling better.
Try eating some yogurt mixed with applesauce.
My kids call it "diarrhea medicine."
Works great.

Steamed rice also will help.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Steamed rice also will help.

Yes, for bulk.
The yogurt replaces the good bacteria in your gut and the pectin in the apples firms up the stool.
I usually add cinnamon to warm the gut also.
And yes, plain white rice is good for bulk and doesn't usually irritate an already inflamed gut.

 

[ricitosdeplata]

I have nothin new to add to the great suggestions so far, just want to say there are a lot of people who care about you and rooting for you. Sending my prayers, good vibes, best wishes to you. This too shall pass.

 

[DebraS.]

Well I have sadly decided to stop and save my trip for another time when I am well again. I just cannot get my strength back in this heat.

There has been so much great information and support! I really appreciate it.

 

[Icacos]

Well I have sadly decided to stop and save my trip for another time when I am well again. I just cannot get my strength back in this heat.

There has been so much great information and support! I really appreciate it.

So sorry you've had to make this difficult decision. The Camino will be there for you next time. Warm Camino hugs......

 

[J Willhaus]

Yes, for bulk.
The yogurt replaces the good bacteria in your gut and the pectin in the apples firms up the stool.
I usually add cinnamon to warm the gut also.
And yes, plain white rice is good for bulk and doesn't usually irritate an already inflamed gut.

Cinnamon also helps with loose stools. Used to pretend I was sick as a child so my mother would make cinnamon toast.

 

[journeycakes]

I was appreciating how hard it must have been to walk 18 km while you were still depleted and recovering. Sometimes a body becomes so ill that it takes more than a week to recover to the point where you are hardy enough to take a big hike every day for the next as many days as it takes; however, I will add to the wisdom that has already been posted as it might help somebody else who needs to rest during and after an illness before resuming their Camino. I was going to suggest that when you begin walking again, that the first few days you walk shorter distances such as 8-10 kilometers and stay at some of the places between the traditional stopping places that take prominence in the guide books. This way you can give yourself a gradual return to walking or even totally change your pace to suit the Camino that you need to walk and stay well. I wish you a good journey to your next destination and a Buen Camino until your eventual return to Spain to continue your pilgrimage.

 

[traveler]

I'm sorry to hear of your illness.

It's interesting that you became ill in Castrojeriz. I became violently ill on June 1 when we were in Castrojeriz walking the Camino. I was lucky, in part because my wife took charge and within an hour found a taxi and moved us to a pleasant hotel in Fromista next to a medical clinic and partly because we were carrying meds for illness in the developing world. It still took 4 days for me to recover and be able to eat.

I'm wondering if there is a connection, someone else we recently spoke to became ill in Castrojeriz.

 

[good_old_shoes]

Sorry to hear you have to go home. Safe travels, and get well soon!

 

[David]

So sorry. Don't at all feel in any way that you have failed. All of us get ill or injured, it isn't just you. And you are the one on the spot, you know which decision to make - get home safe and return when you are ready.

Been Camino

 

[naplesdon]

I'm sorry to hear of your illness.

It's interesting that you became ill in Castrojeriz. I became violently ill on June 1 when we were in Castrojeriz walking the Camino. I was lucky, in part because my wife took charge and within an hour found a taxi and moved us to a pleasant hotel in Fromista next to a medical clinic and partly because we were carrying meds for illness in the developing world. It still took 4 days for me to recover and be able to eat.

I'm wondering if there is a connection, someone else we recently spoke to became ill in Castrojeriz.

First, I think it is wrong to vilify one town. She did not become ill in Castrojeriz, she stopped there because she was ill. IMO, I suspect, like several other current threads, she overdid it and became dehydrated and was suffering heat exhaustion. Current temperatures in the Meseta are pushing the limits of extremely hot. Walking in that sort of heat is risky business.
Second, Spain is not a third world country, so I don't understand the reference to "meds for illness in the developing world."

 

[Oztrekker]

Biarritzdon, the meds are meds, they work against disease. The disease spreads from person to person.

If you leave disease mucus, fluid bacteria virus on an albergue pillow, the next person has a risk of catching it.

It is very easy for travellers to bring a plethora of exotic diseases from all over the world into the popular camino.

My friend who did not get sick on my everest trek, the only one i met, said her yoga instructing job, core strength is great in preventing disease. Plus she drank juice.

Hygeine is number 1 in preventing gastro etc.

The health department is militant in its inspections in australia. Not sure how spain compares?

 

[SabsP]

Biarritzdon, the meds are meds, they work against disease. The disease spreads from person to person.

If you leave disease mucus, fluid bacteria virus on an albergue pillow, the next person has a risk of catching it.

It is very easy for travellers to bring a plethora of exotic diseases from all over the world into the popular camino.

My friend who did not get sick on my everest trek, the only one i met, said her yoga instructing job, core strength is great in preventing disease. Plus she drank juice.

Hygeine is number 1 in preventing gastro etc.

The health department is militant in its inspections in australia. Not sure how spain compares?

Spain compares very well too! Like Biarritzdon already stated : Spain is not a third world country, on the contrary. The health care system works very well, doctors, nurses and pharmacists are very well trained!

And Castrojeriz is not Mogadishu....

 

[Stephen Nicholls]

Just a quickie, Debra.
Sometimes it just makes sense to return home, so please don't feel that you've let yourself - or anyone else - down.
My second camino was the same - hospital treatment for severe blisters, plus rain every day, and I had to cut it short. I've done three more since then ... and so will you!
Be happy. Get better. And return to the camino later - it will wait for you
Prayers and blessings from Suffolk [UK]

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Biarritzdon, the meds are meds, they work against disease. The disease spreads from person to person.

If you leave disease mucus, fluid bacteria virus on an albergue pillow, the next person has a risk of catching it.

It is very easy for travellers to bring a plethora of exotic diseases from all over the world into the popular camino.

My friend who did not get sick on my everest trek, the only one i met, said her yoga instructing job, core strength is great in preventing disease. Plus she drank juice.

Hygeine is number 1 in preventing gastro etc.

The health department is militant in its inspections in australia. Not sure how spain compares?

As already stated Spain is not a 3th.world country. The health care in Spain is more than o.k.

 

[naplesdon]

Spain compares very well too! Like Biarritzdon already stated : Spain is not a third world country, on the contrary. The health care system works very well, doctors, nurses and pharmacists are very well trained!

And Castrojeriz is not Mogadishu....

As much I would like to respond to a "certain pOZter," I think it's quite obvious where I am coming from to say that he is out of step with the Camino we all enjoy year after year.

 

[waveprof]

Spain is not a third world country. I don't really like the term third world, find it quite disparaging, but even if I accepted it Spain is far from it. I'd rather be sick in spain than just about anywhere else in the world save France (maybe Scandenavia, their health care is tops, but the food......).

And a lot can be learned from places that we like to label "third world." I quite love my third world city of New Orleans. The world can be too clean, too sanitized. I want my streets to not smell like Disneyland and I want my cheeses to have some culture in it cause, you know, they are cheeses.

 

[naplesdon]

I loved the debate within Doctors Without Borders after Hurricane Katrina as to whether they should provide assist or not to New Orleans. The basic question being would providing assistance to a developed country affect their fundraising efforts in said developed country.
I was there with the Red Cross after Hurricane Issac and can say first hand that New Orleans, Baton Rouge and all of the Delta parishes are a national treasure and it would be a shame to sanitize them.

 

[DebraS.]

I think you are all spot on with your advice and suggestions. After returning and going to my regular doctor, he said much the same as everyone here. Exhaustion and dehydration made worse by some kind of bug in the beginning. I've been home a week and I still feel tired so I know I certainly made the right decision. Hopefully others will read this thread and pull the good suggestions for use on their camino. I sure will!

 

[Gailsie]

It is probably a good idea in the planning stage to consider what you would do if you cannot complete your camino. When I did the Camino Frances I was not sure if I would be able to manage the pilgrimage but I did. I had a backup plan for what I would do if unable to finish, checking out transportation options from various locations. Last year I was unable to finish the Camino Portuguese and ended up convalescing in Southern Portugal, thanks to being able to book online with Booking.com and some preliminary planning. I understand that it adds a bit of negativity to the planning process but it may be helpful if things go wrong on your camino

 

[DebraS.]

It is probably a good idea in the planning stage to consider what you would do if you cannot complete your camino. When I did the Camino Frances I was not sure if I would be able to manage the pilgrimage but I did. I had a backup plan for what I would do if unable to finish, checking out transportation options from various locations. Last year I was unable to finish the Camino Portuguese and ended up convalescing in Southern Portugal, thanks to being able to book online with Booking.com and some preliminary planning. I understand that it adds a bit of negativity to the planning process but it may be helpful if things go wrong on your camino

I totally agree. When you are sick or not well, planning alternate transportation or medical care becomes far more stressful. I wish I had at least understood the sizes of the cities on the route better and the transportation options there were.

 

[annakappa]

and partly because we were carrying meds for illness in the developing world.
.

Which developing world??.??
I sincerely hope that you did not put Spain into this category....but, unfortunately, I feel you did!

 

[David]

With the main Caminos going through three countries (France, Spain & Portugal) I thought it might be an idea to get some balance here re health services.

The World Health Organisation ranks national health services. The world ranking for France is number 1 in the world, Spain at number 7 and Portugal at number 12 ... the United States of America is placed at number 37 ... 37th!!! - worse than supposedly "third world" countries such as Colombia, Morocco and Costa Rica!!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Health_Organization_ranking_of_health_systems_in_2000

 

[mspath]

David,

That ranking is one of the many reasons that I have lived and worked in France for more than 30 years! Another reason, of course, is champagne.

MM

 

[annakappa]

Thanks David.....and i live in Costa Rica!!

 

[David]

Costa Rica is higher than the USA and New Zealand!

 

[annakappa]

We actually have a fantastic medical system! So much for the third world!

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Spain is not a third world country. I don't really like the term third world, find it quite disparaging, but even if I accepted it Spain is far from it. .

Actually the term third world refers to non-alignes countries during the cold war: 1st world was the "west" and its buddies. The 2md were the communist countries, the Third: the rest, the non-aligned.

 

[CaptBuddy]

David,
Another reason, of course, is champagne.

That is one of the best reasons I can think of for living in France. And the health care is a bonus.

 

[newfydog]

I've lived a fair bit of my life in the third world. I have spent more of my life than I care to talk about on the toilet.

I have learned that the single large dose of Cipro can put you back on the trail faster than any other remedy. Extensive research was done by the Indian Army, and if they aren't the experts , who is?

I've also found that the episodes are not confined to classic third world situations. First world places like Spain , France and my neighborhood ethnic restaurants all can send your system into a whirl. I used to only bring the Cipro on our exotic trips, but I have found it is a life saver from time to time in the "civilized" world. One 750mg pill can really improve your life fast, regardless of your perception of the country.

 

[waveprof]

Actually the term third world refers to non-alignes countries during the cold war: 1st world was the "west" and its buddies. The 2md were the communist countries, the Third: the rest, the non-aligned.

That's its historical root but its meaning has changed over time