Food is an essential part of traveling. The flavors give you a taste of the region, the cooking styles and dishes give you a taste of a culture’s past, and the experience gives you a taste of local life. From enjoying a croissant and latte at a café in Paris to digging into an entire squab with scissors in Vietnam (with the cook sitting 5 inches away correcting my squab eating technique), some of my favorite travel memories have been around a table.
Because of this, there’s rarely a food I won’t try. Scorpions? Sure! Starfish? Why not! Partly fertilized duck egg? A little won’t hurt… (Check out the 4 strangest things I’ve ever eaten HERE!)
There’s also rarely a food locale I’ll refuse to dine at, so as long as there are locals noshing away. Even if it’d give a US health inspector a full-fledged panic attack. If the locals can eat it, so can I!
I’ve run the gauntlet time and time again, and I (usually) come out victorious.
Alas, I’ve finally met my match: Mexico.
Jeremy and I have been traveling around Mexico for the past 7 weeks, and my tummy has been quite tumultuous. 24 hours of cramps and not so pleasant bathroom trips here, 36 hours of sticking to bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast there. Pepto Bismal tabs have permanent homes in each of my bags. I pop the occasional Imodium if there’s a bus ride or tour ahead. After a week of being heavy handed with the 20mxn tacos, we dialed down the street food and amped up cooking at our AirBnBs. We even accepted that paying more for sit down restaurants would be wise. Yet, the tummy drama persevered.
The great and mighty “Iron-stomach Katie” has fallen.
And it all culminated during my best friend’s wedding…
February 18th, I checked into Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya, a swanky all-inclusive 5-star resort. Everything was superb—gourmet food, top quality service, seemingly bottomless glasses. Funny how $500/night accommodations are nicer than the $20/night options we have been staying in.
10pm hit. Something was seriously wrong. A wave of light headedness washed over me as I got back to the room. BAM! A case of full body chills hit me so hard that I was practically convulsing. “Have I been drugged?” crossed my mind. I spent the night alternating between the fetal position and the bathroom. Quite a way to acquainted with my roommate, a mutual friend of the bride.
8am hit. Full body aches, stomach cramps, a pounding headache. One minute I felt like I was in the Arctic tundra, the next I was in the Sahara Dessert. Lifting my head was a laborious chore. Getting up to go to the bathroom felt like running a marathon. Meanwhile, Jeremy was experiencing similar symptoms with the added sprinkle of vomiting back at his AirBnB in Tulum.
What was happening to us?!
Here’s what my prior 24 hours looked like:
- Oatmeal and eggs for breakfast at the AirBnB.
- Pretzels on the way to and from cenotes for swimming.
- Al pastor tacos.
- Salmon, guac, salad, pizza, pasta, and 2 margaritas at the resort.
Would I be able to fulfill my Maid of Honor duties?! I fell asleep at 8pm exhausted after a whole day of sleeping, willing myself to feel better.
6am February, 20th . I successfully lifted my head up. Then I successfully assumed the vertical. Whoa! I even successfully walked to Coco Café for coffee, which I successfully drank! I felt like a human again, and had a great day at the beach, pool, and welcome party.
6am , February 21st. Uh oh. I had digressed. But it was the big day, I had to pull through. And I did. It was the most beautiful wedding I’d ever been to. Perfect weather, a seamless timeline, and zero drama. Everyone headed to the after party, I crawled into bed. Jeremy messaged me the test results from the doctor: a parasite and bacterial infection. Great.
6am, February 22nd. I woke up, packed up, checked out, and headed to the doctor in downtown Tulum. He spoke great English, like most people in Tulum, and took down my info via pen and paper. No computer system here. He took a blood sample, a fecal sample (which wasn’t thrilling to retrieve), prescribed me a couple meds in the meantime, and charged me 1900mxn ($93usd.)
Fun Fact: You don’t need a prescription to get drugs in Mexico. In fact, as I was getting what the doctor recommended, the woman whipped out an RX list advertising the other pills I could add on: Xanax, Ritalin, muscle relaxers… just to name a few. I kindly declined, and she handed me a business card saying they deliver.
6pm February 22nd, the results were in along with 2 new meds: Salmonella and a parasite.
My Theory:
Putting on my detective gear, perhaps I contracted the parasite weeks ago. Maybe from water. Maybe from food. It explains the persisting stomach problems, and why my “food poisoning” symptoms were more akin to IBS. Meanwhile, Jeremy picked up a bacterial infection while I contracted salmonella in Tulum, leading to symptoms needing medical attention. And voila! It all makes sense!
If you have another theory, don’t hesitate to leave a comment 🙂 We have rented another AirBnB in Tulum for a week to rest, relax, and recuperate.
I like to refer to experiences like this as “character building.”
The war between my stomach vs Mexico has been gruesome. I’ve been battered, bruised, and left with a shrinking frame. But I’m bringing guns to a knife fight: modern medicine.
So it seems appropriate to finish up with some tips:
- NEVER drink tap water in Mexico. But also be wary of any fresh water you may encounter, specifically swimming in cenotes. (Note: Jeremy and I have been ultra careful about sticking to bottled water every step of the way.) (Note #2: not even locals can drink tap water. Bad water is just bad water, meaning you’ll never be served ice or water from the tap.)
- Stay away from uncooked vegetables and fruits without skins, as they might be washed with contaminated water.
- Be selective when choosing street food stalls. Is there a long line? Is the food being made to order? Do they have hand sanitizer available? Is there a separate person handling money from the cook? Is there a separate person tending to the tortillas vs meats?
- If you have persisting stomach problems, don’t be a hero… go to the doctor.
Having the ability to afford medical care is a privilege I’m lucky to have. There are so many people across the world who don’t even have access to medical care and antibiotics, yet alone the money to pay for them. Traveling never fails to teach me something, and my appreciation for being born in a country with clean running water has been amplified.
3 thoughts on “My Stomach vs Mexico: The Ultimate Showdown”
Yikes! Glad you made it through the wedding. Hope you enjoy the rest of your time in Mexico
crikey! I’ve had a LOT of food issues when travelling, once in hospital in Delhi where i think i was deliberately food poisoned. The biggest killer for me (outside India never eat this in India) is SALAD. washed with tap water. Ice avoid at all costs too unless in a 4-5 star place and then check its made with filtered water. All in all it usually goes back to the water, not that you drink it but yes it’s used to wash everything. sorry you went through this at such a vital point in your travels Katie. rest up. get better, hope you both are well over it now! Also careful on fish too that its fresh! remember power outages may be more common in Mexico and if things get warm and then cold again… especially fish and meat
Yes I remember reading about some of your travel health problems! It’s never fun, but you certainly learn a thing or two along the way. Thanks for sharing your tips, and hopefully we’ll make it to the end of the trip without any more health isues!