On June 15th I set out on a long motorcycle adventure across Mexico. Starting in Merida, Yucatan. The idea is to reach La Paz in Baja California Sur in a few months. I've been on the road for about 4 weeks by now.

2 weeks ago I got what I assumed was a simple stomach flu. This happens all the time. Crappy food, or too much fat in it. Typical me. So whatever, no big deal right?

Except this time regular medication doesn't work and the diarrhea only seems to get worse, to the point where it literally is yellow water shooting out. Yes, I think that's a gross detail too. Sorry (not really).

By deduction I think to know that I probably have Cryptosporidiosis. A parasitic infection affecting the gut. And it'll last several weeks to months. With lasting symptoms for a year or more. Some stomach flu!

Yeah, what the hell...

I came to this unsettling conclusion since no traditional medication works and I lack all the normal symptoms of indigestion, e-coli, stomach flu or any similar diseases but I do have that damned diarrhea, mild nausea and weight loss, loss of appetite and just feeling lethargic all over. It must be Crypto as all of the above applies to it.

This theory is also supported by the appalling state of the little town Catemaco, which I visited 2 weeks ago. I headed there to see the lake right next to it. Maybe take a boat tour and watch some wildlife. Supposedly there is a little island with monkeys on it, and just nice scenery in general.

When I arrived there, the town was covered in fog. The boat guys didn't care and wanted to do tours anyway. But I wanted to see stuff, so that didn't happen. Instead I spent my 4 days in town. That doesn't sound too bad, until I realized that the whole town was overrun with some kind of white bird and their droppings.

Every tree along the lake was filled with dozens of nests, the street and sidewalks were covered in poop. There were dead birds in the bushes, chicks that fell out of nests and promptly abandoned by the bigger birds, then driven over by the locals.

As you can imagine huge filthy mess.

And that's probably where I got sick. Crypto is apparently very common in Veracruz in birds, sometimes other animals. Combine that with a neglected dirty town full of birds that poop everywhere. A recipe for disaster. Maybe I touched something contaminated, or I inhaled some particles, maybe it just was the smell. Getting infected that way seems easy and likely.

Of-course this is not a real diagnosis, just deduction. I could still have a severe form of E-coli or Giardiasis or whatever, but that doesn't seem true at all if you look at the symptoms. Logic dictates that the simplest answer is usually the right one, so I'm going with Cryptosporidiosis. Or Mexican bird-flu as I jokingly call it.

It's not bird flu, not even close. But I don't want to say Cryptosporidiosis, it just sounds stupid. I also don't want to think that I'm sick of crypto, which sounds like I inhaled too much Bitcoin or something.

So, how do we manage this shitty situation. Well, my food intake consists of water and bread. And to mix things up, some instant mashed potato every now and then. Also pure, bitter, chocolate seems to help. The acids in it kill the parasite or something. Apparently the minty flavor of Mentos calms upset stomachs, and it just tastes nice after throwing up. So I carry Mentos around as well.

And I've been going full tilt on probiotic supplements. 10 billion colonies a day, every day.

The bouts of being sick are not really that bad, it's just the unpredictable toilet runs and occasional throwing up that ruin my fun. So I guess I'll be stuck in Puebla, Mexico for a while until things get more manageable.

Luckily the hotel I'm in isn't all that expensive and the front-desk women are quite happy to take my money every few days when I show up to extend my stay.