Pardon my language and any kid under 18 should not read this post! Wr woke up at the warm showers host in Santa Tecla and I felt a little better. Maybe it was because I barely ate anything or had opened the flood gates in the toilet and had nothing left in me. We took the morning slow and packed our bags with intentions to meet a guide in Taminque to hike to the Cascades the head to El Tunco if time allowed. We took a photo with Gaucho (wish I had it not sure he sent it to me) with out bikes and he was riding his sons plastic tricycle. Once we excited the gated community Kevin asked if I wanted to take the bus, what compelled me to say no I have no idea, so I said no it’s ok I try to bike. Fuck I love biking and hiking and being outside and pushing myself, next time….I don’t play the hero and I take the bus. We rode till the first hill, I walked my bike upwards. We rode till we exited the city and again we walked our bikes up hill. I paused every 2 times if not less. (This post might be long hopefully worth it though with some funny stories). I never take breaks and if I do it is simply to pause and get water and wait for Kevin typically. After the uphills were some epic downhills but never enough to power me up the next uphill and I cursed this.
I started to complain like I have never complained before. Kevin begs to differ on this fact. I thought he would get the point that I was dead and did not want to carry on… his defense: I always exaggerate and say I’m about to pass out when I’m hungry and tired. Mind you I had a sleeping bag and sweatshirt on the day before in 90 degree heat and I layed on the ground and did nothing and was warm to touch. Then it came the urge. An urge like no other I yelled for Kevin to grab my bike I pulled.my pants down and say in the V on the side of the road where water can run down and I almost pooped my pants. I finished and laughed and asked Kevin to give me the wipes while he held my bike and his. We hear a car coming. I just sit there because at this point it’s too late. The truck passes Kevin gives me some wipes and then I stand up and he compliments me on how large of a dump I just took. I felt a little relief. It was wild and I couldn’t control it. I covered it with leaves and hope some flies enjoy the meal because it felt good to get it out and my bloated belly slightly decreased.
So I kept leading and stoping to take breaks to lay my bicycle down and lay on the side of the road and Kevin was paitent yet still did not believe there was a problem. I knew I was ill and something was not right. I couldn’t isolate the problem so I carried on like this…..
At one point I showed him how extended and bloated my belly looked, the lower part as he asked if I had a stomach ache. My stomach the upper part felt fine, my lower part where you cramp from your period and bloat during your menstrual time hurt to touch and felt hard. I felt fucked up and didn’t know what to do because once you start biking and hiking you can’t just decided to call it quits in the middle of nowhere with no food or water nearby.
I was so done I waved down every car that passed by and NONE stopped. I was devastated as previously we had such luck hitchhiking. Finally a truck stopped to pull us up the hill but I was too weak to hold. Yet another que on my body language which Kevin ignored. It was not till the photo above with the shirt covering my face that things changed. Kevin came over to me and asked how things were, my response: if a guy with a machete (normally a fear of mine while camping) came over I would tell him it’s fine you can just chop me up I can’t do anything anyways I am no longer afraid and if it’s my time I’m ok with it. He then decided ok he too would help flag down a car and he succeeded in flagging down the next car…..it was the police. They kindly gave us a ride to the top of all the hills with a guarantee it would be all downhill from there and it was. Which was brilliant until Kevin’s breaks were no longer existed. So we stopped did a road side change quick and easy I did one side he did the other and back downhill we went till the town of tht cascades.
Long story short I was feeling weak and exhausted they wanted us to pay for a guide we didn’t pay for the guide because some Americans we saw on the way down said it was easy and told us were the path was. The “guide” walking with us was pissed and talked shit about us in Spanish which we understood but said nothing and went to enjoy the water. Now my body temperature was hot and if you felt me I was burning up so you would think freezing cold water would have felt nice but as soon as I stepped into the water I had goose bumps and was shivering. Again clue. Again Kevin was clueless. I love water and swimming and I barely got in and was ok with leaving 30 minutes after we got there and he enjoyed while I tried to hide my side of I am ready to just roll over and let the birds eat me for breakfast lunch and dinner feeling.
When we got back up from the hike Kevin ate and forced me to try some even though the thought of eating made me sick. We drank coke which we never do and that honestly tasted good but made me feel more sick. I layed in a hammock and wanted to sleep yet the last bus left in 1 hour 15 and the map said we still had 45 minutes to walk to the stop and it was uphill and we would have to push our bikes too. I told Kevin I couldn’t do it. My bike weighed too much… again another cue as I typically like to battle the hard and heavy stuff and ask for more weight. He offered to put my bag on his back and he did. It was sweet but also the only way I made it up the hill. On the hike up a local told us it would only take 30minutes to get to El Tunco because it was all downhill so logically we rode downhill and didn’t buy bus tickets. Give and take right? It was a stunning ride and mostly down which was easy on the legs but that didn’t help all the other things happening inside of me. We made it and put up our tent and paid for two nights a total of only 12 $ what a deal. I was tired and wanted to skip dinner but still I hadn’t eaten and knew I should try. We went out to get clean food and Kevin grabbed a beer. Oddly enough our fake Italian friends from the camper and volcano in Guatemala passed by as did an Irish couple we saw in Santa Ana. They all joined us for beers with Kevin and I suffered. That meant more time and 2 rounds not just one. I tried to stay nice and friendly but eventually ended up with my head against the pole trying to just survive. Finally we started to walk back and what does Kevin complain about but rather we went the opposite direction of the ice cream he previously laid eyes on. At this point it’s all bullshit. He went into a small shop to buy ice cream then stopped to get a frozen banana covered in chocolate and finally we made it to the tent where I couldn’t find my toothbrush and was already fuming I just got in the tent and went to bed. Body on fire Kevin asked for a thermometer and if I wanted to go to the hospital. No I didn’t “want” to go…. probably should have. I suffered all night. Kevin slept. I hit him to go get me ice. I moved and slept outside in the ocean breeze. I went to the toilet 10+ times not sure what was coming out. I sat in the tent and then I rolled left and right and with the sleeping bag then without. Finally morning came. I told Kevin it was time. My fever hadn’t broke and it was 102 F and I was exhausted, hot, had goose bumps and still hadn’t ate.
The guy from our hostal gave us a ride and before you say that was nice, he later charged us $6 the money we wanted back because we decided not to camp once I got out of the hospital because I still couldn’t get my temp down. In reality the bus to the hospital cost $0.25 per person. What an emergency help and hospitality that was after the lecture the previous day on arrival about how everyone there is family.
I got strange looks from the locals when I walked in. Kevin translated and eventually I got to a room where the did an IV after we bought the container for my stool sample at a whopping $0.35. I gave blood and then sat in a room with a pregnant lady and got my IV and slept on and off for six hours while Kevin took the bus back to El Tunco. All throughout this I had only called my sister since my dad didn’t answer at first to tell someone I was going to the hospital and my dad called me while I was at the hospital. Unfortunately Kevin called my mom and she freaked lol I always wait till after or have my dad break the news as she is slightly more sensitive.
They got the results back and Kevin hadn’t returned yet so I listened in Spanish understand that I had a parasite and need to take medicine just not sure how much how often. I told the Dr. He would return in an hour and went back to sleep. He finally arrived and ran around the hospital trying to figure out what had happened and what I didn’t understand etc. And then it was time to go. We asked where to pay and how much and the doctor just said gratis. We looked at each other said ok and left with the medicine and hopped on the bus back to our camp.
Here is where we get spoiled. Because my mom freaked out and was worried about her baby my dad felt bad we were camping and got us an air conditioned room for two nights. Luckily he did because it wasn’t till that night that my fever broke after we had to turn the air colder. I still had to sit on the toilet way too often but I finally felt like eating and was able to eat some. I didn’t get to enjoy El Tunco as much as I would have liked. I wanted to surf and rent a motorbike to explore but my health came first. I sat in the room and only went out to eat. Kevin is a trooper for the hospital day as he did everything and barely got to have a meal since they were making me go from one place to the next till the IV. He also moved all our bags from our campsite to our hotel
Parasite CJ got skinny, the kind where you feel weak and ill and don’t want to eat and hate sitting on the toilet. I even woke up the first night in the hotel bed pooping liquid. I pooped my pants and it went through to the bed. I wanted to cry but Kevin was sleeping and I felt bad. I got in the shower cleaned off put a towel down and went back to bed, there is definitely a first time for everything. I hope to one day go back to El Tunco and enjoy it a little more. It’s touristy but fun during the week. The weekends may differ. In general I loved El Salvador and still do and will push people to go there. Their motto is Don’t Skip El Salvador. They know they have had a bad rep and are trying to change it and are doing a great job at it. I loved their hospitality and kindness and if they gave me a parasite some how. Also, really don’t drink the water and stuff it’s no joke.
BrokeonBike 