Nov
17
2009

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Sick in Tunisia

by Tara

Two nights ago, Tyler came down with the flu (swine maybe, who knows). After one of at least twenty trips to the bathroom he weakly told me he felt like he'd been hit by a truck. Poor guy! We thought it might be the tap water, so I hauled out our filter at 2AM and pumped enough to keep him hydrated. Early this morning we checked with Carla who informed us the water is definitely okay so we're left wondering where he picked up the bug.

Tyler spent the whole the day in one of two positions: sitting on the toilet or lying in the fetal position in bed. When I wasn't making sure he was drinking enough water or changing the cooling bandanna on his fevered head I spent my time taking care of little things like mending a hole in my pants, catching up on my inbox and organizing the handlebar bag.

When night fell, Tyler's symptoms (which had actually been relatively mild throughout the day) all returned with a vengeance. He asked me with the sickest, cutest puppy dog eyes if I would find him some pears. And so I embarked on a nighttime mission to buy the requested pears, other refreshing foods, and a thermometer to add to our first aid kit.

I was surprised by how many people were out at night, men sat at cafes socializing in groups over puffs of chicha, while women and their children carried home bags of groceries and stopped at little bakeries for a snack. I didn't feel uncomfortable in the slightest as a woman alone at night in Tunisia.

Tyler had just started to worry when I finally returned home with all the goodies. His temperature was 101°F; yikes! After he chugged two orange juice boxes and downed three pears in record time we went promptly back to bed. Hopefully he feels better in the morning :(

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4 comments

Hope Tyler gets better soon (from 1 of the many people following your adventures).
Posted by Eric on November 19th, 2009 at 3:13 PM
I'm feeling much better now, thanks Eric :D

We're finally hitting the road again tomorrow and we can hardly wait!

Tyler
Posted by Tyler on November 19th, 2009 at 3:32 PM
Great to hear this. Thanks for the update. Continue the fun, but stay safe. You two are amazing.
Posted by Eric on November 19th, 2009 at 3:39 PM
Hi Tyler, I had the same " adventure " too 10 days a go in Hong Kong, two terrible night and days on a bed, crunched with stomach pain, i'm finally back in Bellagio ( como lake ) to ride my bike on the Ghisallo's climb well remembering Tara typing on her laptop at the foot of the hill and yourself challenging the notoriuos up hill with your heavy bike.
envying every single moment of your trip ( well not all )i look forward to meet you back in como lake area.
filippo nettuno, Bellagio.
Posted by Anonymous on November 20th, 2009 at 5:40 AM