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Over the last 10 years, I’ve traveled to over a dozen countries, racking up stories, mishaps, and lessons as much as I’ve racked up airline miles.
But through it all, I’ve managed to travel pretty unscathed.
I’ve never gotten food poisoning, never missed a flight (at least at no fault of my own), and have never ended up seriously sick or injured along the way.
That is, until I did a 3-week solo trip to Guatemala.
A seamless start to my Guatemala trip
The first half of my Guatemala trip went smoothly. I spent 10 days exploring the colorful Colonial town of Antigua. I hiked Volcano Acatenango. I made new friends from my hostel. I had a truly amazing time. I couldn’t wait for the second half of my trip in Lake Atitlan.
After a bumpy 3-hour shuttle ride from Antigua and an even bumpier boat ride across Lake Atitlan, I arrived at my hotel, La Casa del Mundo (read my full review here). The hotel, as photographed and described online, was picturesque.
A normal arrival in Lake Atitlan
I spent the first day settling in, catching up on work, and getting some rest. On my second day, I made a plan to go paddle boarding and then swimming with a new friend (who coincidentally, was also from North Carolina – my home state. Travel is such a funny thing).
The hotel’s swimming areas consisted of a few different coves and jump-off points. A popular spot was a balcony perched over the water, perfect for jumping in.
An adventurous attitude gone wrong
My whole attitude during this 3-week trip was “Go big, or go home.” Especially after hiking Volcano Acatenango because, let’s be honest, summiting a 13,000-foot volcano will do that to a person. So, obviously, jumping into Lake Atitlan from a semi-daunting height was the way to go.
The first jump? Thrilling.
There was bright blue lake water lapping below, two volcanoes in sight, and a fun, confident, and carefree energy in the air. I thought, “Well I’ve got to do that again.” This is where I wish I could go back and turn the clock.
I climbed back up to the balcony and prepared myself for a second jump. I plugged my nose shut just as I had done before and leaped back into the lake.
As soon as I hit the waves, my hand was pushed up from the impact and I ended up gargling some water. I can’t lie, I was a little bit disoriented as I came up for air. The jump hit a little harder than the previous one and actually kind of hurt. I didn’t give it too much thought, though.
After I popped up out of the water and back onto dry land, I hopped from leg to leg to get the water out of my ears and regained my composure.
I carried on with my day and met another friend in the nearby town of San Marcos. Throughout the afternoon, I noticed my ear bothering me a little bit. But again, I didn’t give it much thought.
I woke up the next morning and felt seemingly fine. But by the time dinner rolled around, though, I started to feel like something might be wrong.
I won’t sugarcoat it — I spent the rest of the evening throwing up and clutching my stomach, dramatically and semi-jokingly thinking to myself “Is this how it ends?”
Realizing I probably (definitely) needed medical care
By morning, I convinced myself I needed to go to the doctor. Thankfully, my hotel’s concierge was really helpful and recommended a private local clinic in the nearby town of Panajachel.
With some unknown strength, I managed to haul my nauseous, solo-traveler self onto a boat, across the lake, and up a hill to the clinic. Once there, I spoke some pretty broken Spanish to explain my situation. Luckily, the doctor spoke some English and also had a pretty good idea of what happened, considering this is a semi-common occurrence with tourists.
Tests were ordered, results were printed, and a string of medications were prescribed.
My diagnosis? Cryptosporidium.
Don’t Google it.
A few hours later, I made my way back to my hotel with antibiotics, an anti-parasitic, and an anti-inflammatory medication. To top it off, I also had an ear infection, so I was given more antibiotics and ear drops for that. I was practically a walking pharmacy.
I spent the next 24 hours seriously resting up. Thank god my hotel had an on-site restaurant. I religiously ordered smoothies and soup. Plus, the meds eventually kicked in and I started to feel better.
Although weakened, I was determined not to let this parasite situation keep me from exploring Lake Atitlan to the fullest. For the remainder of my trip, I mustered up the strength to visit a handful of lakeside towns and ticked a bunch of things off my itinerary.
What I learned about travel and myself as a traveler
Through this entire saga, I learned a few valuable lessons about travel, but also myself as a traveler:
Trust your gut (in this case, literally)
I’d like to think that when it comes to traveling, I strike a pretty good balance between being cautious and smart and going with the flow.
Feeling “off” and having a little bit of an upset stomach is one thing. But after I spent an entire night in misery and stomach-clenching pain, I realized this was one of those situations that wouldn’t fix itself. I trusted my gut that I needed to see a doctor and unfortunately, I turned out to be right.
You’re more capable than you think
Travel, but especially solo travel, teaches you a lot about yourself and what you’re capable of. I can say without question that my confidence as a person and as a traveler has been seriously impacted by my solo trips. This trip to Guatemala was especially impactful.
After all was said and done, I came home knowing I survived a volcano trek and a parasite. There’s nothing I can’t do or handle on my own.
People are more kind and helpful than you expect
I’ve said it in other articles I’ve written about Guatemala, but the kindness of locals (and other travelers) was palpable.
The staff at my hotel were really kind to me during my bout of sickness. In particular, there were a couple of servers at the hotel restaurant who always checked in with me and asked how I was doing.
Travel friends I had just met provided support I didn’t know I needed. One friend met me at the clinic so I wouldn’t be alone and another friend helped me put eardrops in while we were in the middle of a coffee shop. On the same note, the doctors at the Panajachel clinic were kind and patient.
Laughter really is medicine
I’ve known for a long time that a.) humor is one of my coping mechanisms and b.) humor is something I really value. Well, my humor was seriously put to the test during this run-in with a parasite.
Truth be told, there were many moments where I was rolling from side to side in misery where I just thought to myself, “Assuming I’m fine, this is going to be so funny later on.” I was right, though, because looking back more than a year later, I do think it’s kind of funny.
Adventure is important, but so is your wellbeing
Despite all that I’ve said about treating this situation with a healthy dose of humor, I can’t gloss over the fact that I was pretty upset about the whole thing when it was happening.
Not just because I didn’t feel great, but because I felt like my trip was passing me by and I was worried I wouldn’t be able to do everything I wanted in Lake Atitlan.
Although my time in Lake Atitlan was cut a little short, I had to reason with myself about prioritizing my well-being. After a few days of not feeling the best, I tried to make the most of the rest of my trip without overexerting myself.
I didn’t get to do the summit hike and nature walk I wanted, but I did get to see almost every town and even did a day trip. You win some, you lose some. But at the end of the day, my health, safety, and well-being were most important.
Travel is inherently imperfect
This isn’t necessarily something new that I learned in Guatemala. I’ve known this for a while and I’ve gained a lot of patience from the inconveniences that naturally come along with travel. However, my ability to embrace and accept this was really put to the test during this trip.
The fact was that I did end up sick in Lake Atitlan. I did end up losing a few days. I didn’t get to tick off everything on my itinerary. But that’s life and that’s travel. And ultimately, I still ended up having a fun and memorable trip.
Despite it all, Guatemala remains one of my absolute favorite places I’ve ever visited
At the end of the day, Guatemala is still one of my favorite places I’ve ever traveled to.
Saying this trip was memorable would be an understatement. But thanks to my present-day good health and self-deprecating sense of humor, I can now make good fun of the fact that I got a parasite from swimming in Guatemala. I even plan on visiting again someday (but maybe I’ll stick to dry land).
In some ways, it feels like this mishap earned me a travel badge of honor.
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Have you ever gotten sick while traveling? Let me know how you coped in the comments!