I slept in (again) and then had my typical breakfast of cereal, egg, banana, and toast. After that we just did schoolwork and deleted pictures and napped until about 1:15, when Dad decided it was time to go on the hike up Cerro Piltriquitron.<\/p>\n
It was a long and dusty hike up 350 meters, where we met an older couple from Colorado who had just gone to Antarctica by boat. They said it was beautiful, but the boat ride was very rough. In all the questions they asked about our trip, they never asked the Number One Question: What are you doing for school? They even asked a whopping total of seven questions before it turned into a normal conversation.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re the first Americans we\u2019ve seen in a week,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry to spoil the run for you,\u201d my dad replied.<\/p>\n
We continued on up, passing the garden of carved trees that we skipped. At the top we admired the view before Mom and Ethan each got Fantas, Dad and I chose water, and I ordered a pizza. Ethan was sent away from our bench, but when I was on my last piece of pizza, Mom and Dad tried to convince me to give Ethan a piece. \u201cI\u2019m not moving from this bench or advertising,\u201d I said, thinking that if he wanted it, he would come get it.<\/p>\n
But I had pity on him.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, who wants a piece of pizza?\u201d I asked loudly. \u201cI do, I do!\u201d Ethan cried. He came and stood in front of me. \u201cI do too,\u201d Dad added.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, Ethan,\u201d I announced clearly. \u201cDo not touch this piece of pizza that is sitting, unguarded, on my lap. I am now admiring the view.\u201d I turned my face towards the rocks, but apparently he had ignored me so I repeated myself. As I watched his reflection on Mom\u2019s sunglasses, I saw him grab a piece. Once we were done eating, we befriended the bearded yellow cat that hid among the lupine. It was a sweet cat, and I got a picture of it yawning.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got a picture of it yawning!\u201d I exclaimed. \u201cIt\u2019s almost as good as a lion in Kruger!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLion of the Andes,\u201d Dad said. \u201cThat\u2019ll be the title of my post tonight,\u201d I decided.<\/p>\n
We started down the hill. Dad, Ethan, and I went on ahead, talking about science subjects. We were starting in on pH levels when we heard a cry: \u201cHelp! Help!\u201d We looked back up and saw Mom sitting in the dirt. Ethan and I raced back up the hill.<\/p>\n
\u201cI fell, and I think my wrist is broken. It\u2019s swelling fast,\u201d she choked out. Dad helped her up. Some people tried to help us, but they didn\u2019t speak English and we didn\u2019t speak Spanish.<\/p>\n
The walk down seemed to take a lot less time than it did going up. Mom held her wrist to her chest, and Ethan and I followed a ways behind. \u201cFinally!\u201d Ethan crowed. We were to the parking lot. Mom and Ethan went to the car while Dad and I went to the view. I took out my camera and\u2014it wasn\u2019t there. \u201cOh, no,\u201d I whispered. Then, louder, \u201cI lost my camera!\u201d<\/p>\n
The ride down to the pavement was excruciatingly long. Ethan and Dad tried to keep the mood light (failing for the most part). Finally we got to the pavement. After a wrong turn, we got to the hospital. We shuffled into the waiting room, Ethan and I leaning against a wall, Mom taking a chair, and Dad knocking on the doors and asking, \u201cIngles?\u201d<\/p>\n
Someone came and called them away. Dad kept us up-to-date by texting us on Mom\u2019s phone. She needed a specialist since the ends of the bone, her radius, overlapped, so she was taken in ambulance there (so they wouldn\u2019t have to remove the IV) while the three of us followed in a car. By then, the doctors had given her drugs, so she was fine. Dad, Ethan, and I had pizza and a salad at Pizza Uno before we returned. At that point, Dad found out that she would be out of surgery in 30-40 minutes as it was about to start, so he drove Ethan and me home, where we are now.<\/p>\n
Mom and Dad eventually came home around midnight, Mom\u2019s arm encased in plaster, after Ethan and I had spent two hours down with Paz, Juan, and the three little boys.<\/p>\n
Ciao!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I slept in (again) and then had my typical breakfast of cereal, egg, banana, and toast. After that we just did schoolwork and deleted pictures and napped until about 1:15, when Dad decided it was time to go on the … Continue reading