(PICTURE: This cup of HOT coffee was the only water I drank that I wasn't 100% sure about.)
To quote Lonely Planet's medical section:
Traveller's Diarrhoea: This is by far the most common problem affecting travellers in India -- between 30% and 70% of people will suffer from it within two weeks of starting their trip.
First let me say this, is that really a statistic? Between 30% and 70%? I mean, that's the largest percentage range I've ever seen quoted. That said, the numbers were dead on since 50% of our travelling party had horrific diarrhoea on day three. I don't want to embarrass anyone by pointing fingers but lets just say the person with the runs wasn't my wife. Okay, dammit, you figured it out -- I had terrible diarrhoea.
Here's a quick riddle for you: What's worse than having travelling diarrhoea?
Keep thinking...
Keep thinking...
Keep thinking...
ANSWER: Having traveling diarrhoea on a day you that you need to travel.
The morning when I woke up with the squirts (that's putting it lightly since I'd say it was more like a fire house out of my butt) was the day we were going to take a fourteen hour train ride to Varanasi. Yes, I was going to be on an Indian train with the runs. The fearful thought had me ingest Smecta (my Vietnamese stomach savior) and Immodium AD (my lifelong stomach savior) as well as a loaf of white bread. Somehow it worked.
