The last couple of days I’ve had a touch of the Bali Belly (no photos with this article), where you eat something and a short time afterwards you get the urgent feeling the bottom of your pants are going to drop out at any moment. This latest episode brings back travel memories loud and clear. I’ll run through one of those for your reading pleasure.
Hiking the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal and sharing a loft with some local porters in the village of Laksmibazzar, my bowels were on DefCon 5. Realizing a fast trip to the outhouse, or whatever was waiting for me outback, was on the cards, I made sure I had a candle ready, together with a bottle of water. Sure enough battlestations were called on after all the lights had gone out, so proceeeding down the wooden ladder inside the loft I made it to the ground floor, pants still intact and candle burning. In order for me to get to the rear of the building, it was necessasry to skirt the rectangular structure which was built on solid clay base a meter in height, sloping away at a 45 degree angle. I could do this by hanging onto the side of the building and moving slowly. Unfortunately the storm that had drifted over starting dumping, which put the candle out, so in pitch blackness I moved along the slippery rim of the building, holding on with one hand. Halfway along a rumble from within gave me no choice but to drop my shorts and do the business. just as I was about to take care of the clean up with the bottle of water, I became aware of another presence behind me. Turning around and staring into the darkness I was able to make the shape of a yak peering over the end of his barn about 3ft away from me trying to lick my ass. With my shorts down at my ankles in the rain, the doused candle in one hand and hanging onto the building with the other, all I could do was laugh out loud at my predicament.
Anyway, here in Bali things are a bit more developed and you won’t have to go searching for the bathroom with a candle. If you do get diarrhea my suggestions are:
Avoid spicy, greasy, fatty foods. Avoid green vegetables and stick to plain food such as potatoes, plain rice, bread. Overlands trips in Nepal and Sumatra have taught me that diarrhea can last for as long as you want it to, I had it for 3 weeks one time and Imodium won’t touch it.
For a Bali Belly, where you have some kind of nasty bactieria messing things up, try drinking a Bali Belly Buster, made from spring water and colloidal silver, available at Bali Deli and other places. Balinese people drink the water from a coconut believing it to have healing powers. Salak is supposed to be able to stop diarrhea and don’t forget to stay hydrated by drinking Pocari Sweat and plenty of water.
A dose of sickness can put a dent in your holiday time, but by sticking to plain food and staying hydrted you’ll be on the mend soon. If things get worse seek medical attention at SOS International or BIMC both in Kuta.
