back from the hike

Hello,
Just a quickie as I´m kinda fussy.My big hike didnt really go so well. I was packed up with 10 days of food and took combi´s for 3 hours toget to the small village where the trail started. Iwas fighting a cold before I started but figured I just needed to get my body moving after stagnating inTrujillo. So the first day was nice, an afternoon wandering through Quechwa villages and countryside,then eventually climbing up to another village and come ruins. It being the rainy season here, started downpouring just as I was going to stop and set up my tent on the edge of the village.

So the next day it had cleared a bit but still high clouds. I didnt feel too hot, like I could have slept all day easily but I wanted to get away from the eyes of enquiring minds,So I decided to just gain some elevation and call it a short day. So I hiked 2.5 hrs and made camp on the only flat ground for miles at just below 13,000. I felt wasted, altitude wise I was fine, but I was definetely not good. Three peruvian guys my age had come through just doing a similar hike to what I planned in reverse.. so as soon as we stopped chatting and they left I crashed in my sleeping bag. Took my temperature at it was 102, shit! along with the usual chills, loss of appitite, pounding headache and other funs with a fever and head cold. (I cant remember when I last had a fever..? any takers?) So next day was the same all day between 100 and 102. I thought of descending, but it would have run me down more and I had all the comforts of a dry camp and good water.. so I waited rained all day.

Day 4- Woke up feeling better, fever gone but spent. I was happy that I could read my book so I spent the whole day reading and nappping rained all day again.. went to bed last night happy to be on the up swing. THis morning I got up to the usual mist and sprinkles, and was done with lying in the same spot for 72 hours. So Packed up and decision time, try to go up to the next camp at a lake finally up there.. or head back. I gave it a good 10minutes of up before my legs made it clear that this wasnt happening. 4500´down and four hours later of feeling wasted I got in a mountain taxi (the toyota tercel wagon) headed to Caraz then on to Huaraz. Feel pretty out of it. I started zithromax just in case two days ago, not sure if its a bacterial thing or what but I gave it a shot to see if it would knock the fever down and it might have..? on the other side,just coming off of Flagyl and starting another antiboitic gives me a vague hint of a clue of the strange things our bowels do in these situations.anyway off to bed, I´ll be here for a while.
love Eric