Peru

"Don't drink the water" Everyone had told me . And I didn't.

I used a little of the water to brush my teeth but I did not swallow it. We used bottled water for everything, accept maybe cooking. But at Anna's we did not eat anything cooked in water. We had gone to several local restaurants. I usually followed the local's lead and got chicken, delicious. They served larger meals than I was used to in the United States. It felt so good to eat a proper meal.

One night when we went out I decided to try something different. The restaurant was busy. The workers at the restaurant kept erasing the available dishes off the chalkboard. The menu was getting shorter and shorter My first choice, the fish dish, had sold out. I eagerly ordered the Green Pasta. I was hoping the dish would be like pesto. Well I have no idea how it was made- although I am now assuming it was made with unbottled water. I devoured my plate in minutes. I actually wanted more because it was so good. No, I did not embarrass myself and order another plate. I sat there in contentment, after eating my favorite plate of pasta. No sign of damage from the water cooked noodles. It had been the perfect meal to celebrate Manuel's birthday. Accept for the fact that he treated us, on his birthday. Usually it is the birthday boy who eats free. I felt a little awkward but not embarrassed. After all I was not the one making the decisions. I also felt a little relieved because my Spanish was not good enough to discern the cost of the meal. I would have fumbled a little and would have blushed in embarrassment.

The evenings I spent on that trip have sort of blended in my memory. That evening we might have returned to Anna' s or gone back to the church . One night we stayed up late drinking a Peruvian liquor. Another night we had a concert for the neighborhood, since some of our group were musicians. I had been surprised that the Anna's neighbors knew the English words to the Beatles song, Brad and Sam sang and played. And some nights we posted on face book.

We usually had a late meal and then went to bed near midnight. That night I slept soundly. The water had not upset my stomach. But the next morning, disaster struck.

When I awoke, something wet was running down my legs. No stains on the sheets, I checked. I ran as fast as I could to the upstairs bathroom. 6:30 in the morning and someone was taking a shower. The situation was getting worse, I couldn't wait. I headed for the bathroom downstairs. I was running down the steps , when plop. I had discharged on the steps. I continued to the bathroom , and sat down on the unoccupied toilet. I relieved myself enough to be able to clean up the feces on the stairs. Leaving a print of my derriere on the toilet seat. Once the stairs were cleaned I sprinted to the kitchen and found a trash bag. I then washed everything: myself , the toilet seat and ,the floor. During all of this I just kept praying that no one else woke up at 6:30 am. I know usually you would just flush the soiled toilet paper down the toilet. In Peru, you can not put toilet paper in the toilet. It usually goes in the trash can. But there was no way I was throwing the feces coated toilet paper in the trash can. I don't remember it perfectly but there was something in the kitchen that was ready to be thrown out. I put the soiled paper in it. I had diarrhea. I wanted to hide in embarrassment. I double checked the bathroom and the stairs. I also took a shower . I had also put my underwear in the trash bag. There was no evidence of my disaster. I kept waiting for someone to say something , but the day went on, and nobody said anything. I can't prove that it was the water from the Green Pasta, but I kept discreetly making trips to the bathroom for that whole day. The day we went to the airport , to return to the USA I was fine. No more surprise plops , on me or the floor, or the plane, thank god.