I have a polymorphism in interleukin-8

…or as I found out, while recovering from an awful case of food poisoning. We were assured by a tour guide that a tamale from a street vendor would be delicious and safe, but the latter proved gravely untrue. I was puzzled by our variant reactions to the tamale (Heidi had some “tummy bubbles,” I had bloody diarrhea and spiking fevers that were incapacitating), so while recovering I had my enfermera read to me from the Journal of Infectious Disease and to my surprise learned that genetic predisposition may play a role. Indeed, dear Emmy has several times gone prone with awful food poisoning. And of course, our brave cousin Luke, in a wildly reckless foray into the Nepalese water supply, was sadly infirmed in a far eastern hospital for nearly 2 weeks. Which brings to mind Ben, he of quixotian ambition in South America. This pedigree suggests it may be a mere coin flip whether his future travels include chasing windmills or bathrooms.

Unfortunately the illness gripped me just as I entered the sacred grounds of Macchu Piccu (the S. American version of Montezuma's revenge?). I dropped off the tour so most of the photos are of Heidi alone. The other photos are in Cuzco, the city we stayed which is about 3 hours from Macchu Piccu. The elevation in Cuzco is about 11,500 feet. It is a beautiful place.