To the Beach

The day after Christmas, we left for Chile. Our main purpose was to get Noah's resident visa, but we also decided to take our two remaining days of official vacation in 2007 and see some friends. After a taxi to the airport, plane to Tacna, Peru with a stopover in Arequipa, then a taxi across the border, we arrived at the Hotel Arica at 7:30, which is actually 9:30 Chile time. The time change was so strange that we decided to ignore it and remain on Peru time for the two days. Noah had lots to say about each part of the journey, and absolutely could not wait to get on the airplane.

We had no problem getting Noah's visa, allowing us a wonderful and relaxing time at the beach. We even got to try out the pool. Noah enjoyed walking around the baby pool with our help, but at one point slipped and dipped his head under the water, making him a bit nervous for the rest of the swim. This also may have been the beginning of his later troubles. We played in the sand and tip-toed into the waves, enjoying the breezes and utter peacefulness.

Just toward the end of our time in Arica, Noah started losing his appetite and suffering from a bad case of the runs. Nevertheless, we moved on to our next destination - back across the border to Ilo, Peru. Our Northern Irish friends from language school, the Murphys, are working in this coastal town, and it was great to see them again and spend a night. Noah, despite not eating much and lacking energy, had a blast playing with Sara (two and a half).

It was sad for all to have to leave, but at noon on Saturday the 29th, we returned to Tacna to catch our plane back home. Unfortunately, this was where it got worse. Towards the end of the 2-hour taxi-ride to Tacna, Noah threw up everything he had had in the last day or so. When we got to the airport, we cleaned it all up, but were very worried, having not seen him like that since last April. We just wanted to get home, but it would not be yet, as our flight was delayed about 3 hours. Surprisingly, Noah started to get a lot of energy back even as we waited at the gate. He slept through both legs of the flight and we finally made it back around 11pm.

We're glad to report that he has made a full recovery! He had diapers taken to the lab, but everything came back negative, and yesterday ate three plates of arroz con pollo. We're very thankful, and really, the fact that he hadn't been truly sick for almost 9 months is amazing. It was quite a trip, but it feels good to be back home.