Trip Summary
Here's a basic summary of the trip; just a barebones structure really. I don't remember a whole lot of what happened in the middle of the trip, because I was so sick.
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Day 1 (Friday) was, of course, a travel day. The kids did pretty well on the planes. Many hours, two airplanes and a Mexican taxi later, we collapsed into bed at our hotel. Baby E, setting the trend for the trip, refused to sleep in the pack-n-play, so DH, Baby E and I shared one of the two queen beds while AJ and MM fought over who was touching whom, who had more covers, and "she's looking at me!" But once they got to sleep the two older kids slept well and woke up happy.
Day 2, Saturday, we settled in to our hotel and checked out the town of Oaxaca. We set up times for the group to check in at the Zócalo, or town square, and then broke up into smaller groups. We shopped in the market, took photos, toured a cathedral, tried the local ice cream bars (paletas) made with fruit and milk or water (your choice), and then gathered at a restaurant for dinner. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day.
Day 3, Sunday, we all went to the local church started by my dad's best friend (Mr. N.) in Oaxaca. A van picked us up. Mrs. N was the Sunday-School teacher for the girls' age level, so she taught a bilingual class for their benefit, which they loved. The people at the church were very warm and welcoming. Everyone wanted to hold the little gordita (fat white baby), and people were even getting up in the middle of the service to come take her out of my arms. Everyone said she looked like a Gerber baby. She was starting to get sick at that point, and was a bit fussy and clingy, with a deep raspy voice.
In the afternoon Dad's friends took us to their favorite buffet restaurant, and we went to see the famous Tule tree--the largest-diameter tree in the world. We visited the famous Mitla ruins and saw the ancient ball field where human sacrifices took place. Then we drove out to see a piece of property Dad's church had helped purchase for a church in Mitla to build on, and went by the area where Dad's parents had built some houses when they lived in Mexico.
In the evening, we went to the church in Mitla. They met in a three-sided building with a tarp to help keep out some of the wind and rain. We all crammed in together in the cold and listened to the Scripture passage read in Spanish and Mixtec, sang together in Spanish, and listened to a Spanish sermon. Then the church kids did the cutest skit dramatizing the life of Moses, complete with a "burning bush" made of a potted plant, Christmas lights and cellophane.
After the service the people from the church treated us to chocolate (a foamy rich drink made with chocolate, water and cinnamon) and pan dulce (sweet bread), showed us the plans for the new church building, and presented a thank-you gift to my parents. Then we went back to the hotel and ate tamales before bed.
Day 4, Monday, was a rest day. We slept in and then had a relaxing day at the Zócalo and the market. Baby E was cutting teeth during the whole trip, complete with bleeding gums. At that point, we thought she was mostly just fussy because of teething, but she had congestion and a bit of a fever, too. She would not let anyone other than me hold her much.
On Day 5 of the trip, Tuesday, Baby E was definitely sick. We spent the day touring sights and ruins in the Oaxaca area. Baby E was very fussy and whiny, and we kept giving her Tylenol to get her through the day. I ended up sitting in whatever bits of shade I could find waiting with Cousin M for the rest of the group so the others could hear the tour gide over her fussing.
The evening of day 5 I got very sick. I was getting a full-blown fibromyalgia flare-up from the lack of sleep (Baby E didn't sleep much on the trip), heat and exertion. Then I got sick from eating too many tamales and also started coming down with Baby E's respiratory illness--fever, body aches, cough.
Day 6, Wednesday, we got up at 4 a.m. to travel to the coast. I'd been up since 3 a.m. anyway, after going to bed around midnight. We were so glad that we chose the 1-hour 15-passenger plane ride intead of the 6-10-hour bus ride with hairpin curves at 80 mph all the way.
As soon as we arrived at the hotel I collapsed in agony with full-blown illness. Baby E and I rested in the hotel while DH took the kids swimming and they played on the tropical beach. In the evening I dragged myself out of bed long enough to go with the family to eat. Then AJ got sick, complete with fever, cough and delirium.
Day 7, Thursday: I hauled my sick self and Baby E out of bed to go with my dad to find us some breakfast while DH took care of the sick AJ (who was crying because her eyes hurt) and tried to keep MM from bouncing off the walls. Several hours and lots of walking in the heat later, I staggered back with food and collapsed into bed.
AJ, Baby E, and I rested for the rest of the day while DH took care of us and my parents took MM out to play. That evening MM came down with the cough and fever.
Day 8, Friday: DH woke up with Tourista (A.K.A. Montezuma's Revenge). Everyone was sick. During the course of the day we all started having diarrhea along with the respiratory illness. I had a frighteningly long episode of difficulty breathing, and Dad went to buy me some decongestant.
We spent most of the day in the room and Baby E and I finally napped in a chair by the pool in the afternoon. By evening the older kids were feeling somewhat better and DH took MM on a twilight cruise to see the local bird life while AJ, the baby and I napped.
Baby E by that point would sleep nowhere but on me (this is still the case as I write). My milk supply was almost nonexistent by this time, and poor Baby E was miserable and hungry on top of being sick.
Day 9, Saturday: Baby E and I were still pretty sick and mostly stayed in the room. But we all went out in the early evening on a boat to see a sea turtle. One of the boats caught one and three different boats hauled it aboard so we could see it and take photos with it before letting it go again.
Day 10, Sunday, was the last day of our trip. I was finally feeling well enough to do a little shopping, and, for the first time during the trip, play in the ocean. I rented a body board and got to surf on it a bit. Baby E sat in the sand and played. She dug holes and ran sand through her fingers, and had a marvelous time while the other two kids splashed and played nearby. We all enjoyed a dip in the pool and then gathered with the family to eat sailfish caught that morning by Cousin K.
Day 11, Monday, we traveled for about 15 hours to get home. 1 hour of curvy, high-speed bus ride on hairpin mountain roads was more than enough taste of that type of transportation, but it was neat to see the little mountain communities along the way. The kids slept a lot on the planes, so that was good.
We all still have coughs and respiratory illesses. DH is the only one who hasn't gotten it so far, which is a good thing since he had to go back to work the day we got home. AJ has had severe diarrhea for a few days now and seems to have some kind of UTI also, and Baby E apparently has an ear infection along with her cough and cold. The kids are whiny and fussy, and we're all exhausted and sick.
But we're all home in one piece!
##########################
Day 1 (Friday) was, of course, a travel day. The kids did pretty well on the planes. Many hours, two airplanes and a Mexican taxi later, we collapsed into bed at our hotel. Baby E, setting the trend for the trip, refused to sleep in the pack-n-play, so DH, Baby E and I shared one of the two queen beds while AJ and MM fought over who was touching whom, who had more covers, and "she's looking at me!" But once they got to sleep the two older kids slept well and woke up happy.
Day 2, Saturday, we settled in to our hotel and checked out the town of Oaxaca. We set up times for the group to check in at the Zócalo, or town square, and then broke up into smaller groups. We shopped in the market, took photos, toured a cathedral, tried the local ice cream bars (paletas) made with fruit and milk or water (your choice), and then gathered at a restaurant for dinner. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day.
Day 3, Sunday, we all went to the local church started by my dad's best friend (Mr. N.) in Oaxaca. A van picked us up. Mrs. N was the Sunday-School teacher for the girls' age level, so she taught a bilingual class for their benefit, which they loved. The people at the church were very warm and welcoming. Everyone wanted to hold the little gordita (fat white baby), and people were even getting up in the middle of the service to come take her out of my arms. Everyone said she looked like a Gerber baby. She was starting to get sick at that point, and was a bit fussy and clingy, with a deep raspy voice.
In the afternoon Dad's friends took us to their favorite buffet restaurant, and we went to see the famous Tule tree--the largest-diameter tree in the world. We visited the famous Mitla ruins and saw the ancient ball field where human sacrifices took place. Then we drove out to see a piece of property Dad's church had helped purchase for a church in Mitla to build on, and went by the area where Dad's parents had built some houses when they lived in Mexico.
In the evening, we went to the church in Mitla. They met in a three-sided building with a tarp to help keep out some of the wind and rain. We all crammed in together in the cold and listened to the Scripture passage read in Spanish and Mixtec, sang together in Spanish, and listened to a Spanish sermon. Then the church kids did the cutest skit dramatizing the life of Moses, complete with a "burning bush" made of a potted plant, Christmas lights and cellophane.
After the service the people from the church treated us to chocolate (a foamy rich drink made with chocolate, water and cinnamon) and pan dulce (sweet bread), showed us the plans for the new church building, and presented a thank-you gift to my parents. Then we went back to the hotel and ate tamales before bed.
Day 4, Monday, was a rest day. We slept in and then had a relaxing day at the Zócalo and the market. Baby E was cutting teeth during the whole trip, complete with bleeding gums. At that point, we thought she was mostly just fussy because of teething, but she had congestion and a bit of a fever, too. She would not let anyone other than me hold her much.
On Day 5 of the trip, Tuesday, Baby E was definitely sick. We spent the day touring sights and ruins in the Oaxaca area. Baby E was very fussy and whiny, and we kept giving her Tylenol to get her through the day. I ended up sitting in whatever bits of shade I could find waiting with Cousin M for the rest of the group so the others could hear the tour gide over her fussing.
The evening of day 5 I got very sick. I was getting a full-blown fibromyalgia flare-up from the lack of sleep (Baby E didn't sleep much on the trip), heat and exertion. Then I got sick from eating too many tamales and also started coming down with Baby E's respiratory illness--fever, body aches, cough.
Day 6, Wednesday, we got up at 4 a.m. to travel to the coast. I'd been up since 3 a.m. anyway, after going to bed around midnight. We were so glad that we chose the 1-hour 15-passenger plane ride intead of the 6-10-hour bus ride with hairpin curves at 80 mph all the way.
As soon as we arrived at the hotel I collapsed in agony with full-blown illness. Baby E and I rested in the hotel while DH took the kids swimming and they played on the tropical beach. In the evening I dragged myself out of bed long enough to go with the family to eat. Then AJ got sick, complete with fever, cough and delirium.
Day 7, Thursday: I hauled my sick self and Baby E out of bed to go with my dad to find us some breakfast while DH took care of the sick AJ (who was crying because her eyes hurt) and tried to keep MM from bouncing off the walls. Several hours and lots of walking in the heat later, I staggered back with food and collapsed into bed.
AJ, Baby E, and I rested for the rest of the day while DH took care of us and my parents took MM out to play. That evening MM came down with the cough and fever.
Day 8, Friday: DH woke up with Tourista (A.K.A. Montezuma's Revenge). Everyone was sick. During the course of the day we all started having diarrhea along with the respiratory illness. I had a frighteningly long episode of difficulty breathing, and Dad went to buy me some decongestant.
We spent most of the day in the room and Baby E and I finally napped in a chair by the pool in the afternoon. By evening the older kids were feeling somewhat better and DH took MM on a twilight cruise to see the local bird life while AJ, the baby and I napped.
Baby E by that point would sleep nowhere but on me (this is still the case as I write). My milk supply was almost nonexistent by this time, and poor Baby E was miserable and hungry on top of being sick.
Day 9, Saturday: Baby E and I were still pretty sick and mostly stayed in the room. But we all went out in the early evening on a boat to see a sea turtle. One of the boats caught one and three different boats hauled it aboard so we could see it and take photos with it before letting it go again.
Day 10, Sunday, was the last day of our trip. I was finally feeling well enough to do a little shopping, and, for the first time during the trip, play in the ocean. I rented a body board and got to surf on it a bit. Baby E sat in the sand and played. She dug holes and ran sand through her fingers, and had a marvelous time while the other two kids splashed and played nearby. We all enjoyed a dip in the pool and then gathered with the family to eat sailfish caught that morning by Cousin K.
Day 11, Monday, we traveled for about 15 hours to get home. 1 hour of curvy, high-speed bus ride on hairpin mountain roads was more than enough taste of that type of transportation, but it was neat to see the little mountain communities along the way. The kids slept a lot on the planes, so that was good.
We all still have coughs and respiratory illesses. DH is the only one who hasn't gotten it so far, which is a good thing since he had to go back to work the day we got home. AJ has had severe diarrhea for a few days now and seems to have some kind of UTI also, and Baby E apparently has an ear infection along with her cough and cold. The kids are whiny and fussy, and we're all exhausted and sick.
But we're all home in one piece!
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Posted by purple_kangaroo at 11:06 AM[Permanent link]
1 Comments:
Gosh, I don't know what to say! I'm sorry you guys got so sick... I especially feel sorry for baby E! She probably was quite frightened by the whole experience. Thanks for calling, Colleen
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