December 15, 2005 - Bowel Motility...Blessing or Curse

After 3 ½ weeks, my digestive system finally gave out. Yesterday started just fine, exploring the Jakar Dzong as well as monasteries from the eighth and ninth century. The buildings were testaments to the Bhutanese people’s religious devotion. At one point, a fire erupted on the hillside. The cause was unknown but from our distant hotel restaurant window, we could see dozens of monks from the monastery as well as countless individuals from town run towards the fire to help. At one point, I feared that the fire would rage out of control, endangering the monastery at the top of the hill, but the townspeople and monks, using buckets to carry water, were able to contain it.

Then, everything went downhill. After a pleasant stroll through town, we returned to the hotel. That’s when the stomach started to scream and my lunch attempted to make a round trip. At one point, I gave up and let it go on its way. I spent the balance of the evening “doing the Technicolor yawn” as we used to say in college (referring to other people, of course). I skipped dinner and it was Niquil to the rescue once again, allowing me to sleep through the nausea. I questioned the wisdom of sedating myself in a room where carbon monoxide poisoning is such a realistic possibility but my stomach muscles were starting to cramp from all the heaving. I was determined to recover since the Chojam Rabney Festival was the next day.







It’s the morning of the festival now and the stomach is still unsettled. I have Imodium in case the body tries something tricky on the hike to the festival.