Dalama Adventures Tale of two corporate types ditching their jobs and traveling the world for 14 months... check out all photos, blogs & interesting tid bits at http://www.dalama.net

Not sure if the water for coffee wasn't boiled long enough, or if I'm relapsing from the sickness I had in Xela from the bad meal, but whatever it was hit me like a train.  Up all night and in bed all day.  Marta found me a local doctor and I muster up just enough energy to script out how I'm feeling in Spanish.  It's a good exercise, getting to use both past and present tenses, oh, my teacher would be so proud to hear me rattle off my symptoms so fluently to the Doc.  Good thing Marta Julia is with me, and after completing the physical exam, I can understand much of what the Doc is saying, but having Marta there is a lifeline for me to check for understanding.  We thank the Doc for seeing me on such short notice, and I pay him my 100 Quetzals (about $10 USD).  Marta guides me to several pharmacies where she proceeds to negotiate discounts.  Pharmaceuticals in Guatemala are not cheap and she manages to get my pills for under $40 USD.  I wonder how locals afford medications.  Actually, my teacher shared with me that very few locals here can afford the medications and very often must go without.  Thanks to Didier and my friends on the Janssen-Cilag Drug Discovery team in Beerse, Belgium for their great discoveries and GI products on the market, I am able to continue to eat local foods and to travel without little critters staying too long.