Our first flight was Sunday 12/26 around 4pm to Houston. Our next flight wasn't until the next morning so we got a room at the airport hotel there. We had to get up pretty early the next morning to get through the lines and such. Our plane left at about 9 that morning. We flew to Panama from there where we had a lay over for about 4 hours. It wouldn't have been that bad if the airport wasn't so ghetto, but it was alright. We at least had the internet. From there we left at about 7:00pm and didn't arrive til the next morning at about 5am. Although we thought we would sleep on the plane, we didn't. So by then it was Tuesday morning and we were exhausted. We didn't reserve a hotel for the previous night because we thought we would want to go walk around and see things. So from the airport we took a cab to our hotel in hopes that we could get a room that morning.
We got into the cab and there wasn't very many people on the roads that early in the morning, but the guy's driving was giving me an anxiety attack. At this point it was still dark as we drove up to the hotel. My first thought was that we are staying in the ghetto..eek! I think Kyle read my expression on my face because later he said that it would be ok as long as we didn't go out when it was dark. Yikes!! Once we got in the hotel they told us they didn't have any rooms and the rooms wouldn't be ready until later in the afternoon. We just camped out on their couch. I actually fell asleep a few times. I thought I was going to die, but eventually we got up and got some lunch. If you know me, I don't do so well with no sleep.
In the lobby, particularly in the bathroom, was where I had my first Uruguay or foreign experience. As the day went on and I used it a couple of times it got considerably stinkier and stinkier. I told Kyle and he said that they throw away their tissues after using them in the garbage, not in the toilet. I was a little appauled, and couldn't bring myself to do it myself.
Once we got into our room, which was around 12 pm, we just slept until the next day around 11am. We only got up to get some dinner and then went back to sleep. Our hotel room wasn't the greatest. The bed was so hard and the airconditioner wasn't working, but they did get that working for us at least. Wednesday, the next day, we decided to go down to the beach, which was just a couple of blocks away from our hotel. The beach that we went to was a little rundown so we decided to walk over to the next beach. I hadn't worn flip flops for a while, with it being winter here, so I got some blisters on my feet. But once we got there it was awesome! The buildings were so beautiful. As we got closer you can tell that the buildings weren't kept up that great, but from far away it was awesome! Kyle explained that during the depression it was just hard for everyone to keep them nice and hasn't been easy ever since. Here is a picture of the building close to the beach.
We stayed at the beach for a while and then decided to wander up to the mall. By then I was dying and Kyle had no pity on me. He just said, now you know how it feels to be on a mission.
The mall was just like any other! I think I loved it more than ours that we have here. When I shop here everyone has the same style of purses and shoes etc. In Uruguay there is a big variety of CUTE purses and sandals! Nothing was really the same in that way. We didn't buy anything there, but we did at the artisan market where everything was hand made. Everytime we go somewhere we try to do this to support the local people there. Anyway, after we were done there we took a cab back to our hotel. We stayed in for the rest of the night.
Thursday we planned to go on the Colonia city tour. It took about 2 hours to get there by bus. On the way there it gave me and idea of how the people live there. There were homes that were big and nice to homes that were literally shacks or huts. There were so many more of the huts though. I can't believe there are so many people that live like that. It was so sad to me. Because there is so much land that isn't being used that they would be able to use it to grow food so at least they had that. Colonia was beautiful! All of the buildings there were old and some of the roads were cobble stone. The town is right by the ocean as well. From there you could see Buenos Aires just barely from the shore. Here are some pictures that were close by or there in Colonia.
They built this bull fighting arena and shortly after it was outlawed.
We were exhausted by the end of the trip that day so we decided to stay in town by our hotel the next day, which was New Years Eve!
We slept in til about lunch time and we decided to wander around and get some lunch in Montevideo. Everyone was drinking and dancing around. It was really fun to see. From the buildings up on top people were throwing water down on the people below. Some people were just soked! People started to throw beer and water at each other so we just got lunch and got out of there. As we were eating lunch there was a little drum band playing and dancing around us! It was really cool to see!! We also went to this square that is there to honor one of their past leaders that helped them achieve independence. There was this big statue of this guy on a horse and then down below underground there was a big huge Urn with his ashes in it. There was 2 soldiers there guarding his remains. So cool! Here are some pictures of that.
That night for New Years we were going to go down to the beach where they had fireworks. We were watching the news and how crowded and crazy it was there so we decided to stay at the hotel and see if we could see the fireworks from there. In the stairwells there were windows and we could see the fireworks. They were everywhere! It was so awesome! I think this was my favorite part of the whole trip! People were lighting them everywhere even in trees! It was pretty humid there so nothing caught on fire. :) The next morning, we knew everything might open late, but nothing was open accept a few restaurants. So we decided to go walk around some more and see if we could find some stores that were open. Every time we went out the smells just get to you. The sidewalks smell like urine and around the garbage cans the garbage is everywhere because there are so many people going through them. I remember one morning I was just in tears. We saw a couple of guys probably in their 20s or 30s going through the garbage for food. Keep in mind that people throw their waste in there too, so there has to be a lot of disease from it. I realized that there was no kind of homeless shelters anywhere. I really didn't realize how people live there. I think I thought that most people lived like us in the US.
Sunday they have a big market where people come out and set up their handmade items and just other items they find to sell. Alot of our pictures is in video. I didn't really want to post video, but this was one part that we caught on video. It went on for blocks and blocks! It was so much bigger than what our farmers markets are like. That morning it was raining, but we went out anyway. The rain there was like mist, it got a little heavier too. It was so weird. Later as the day go better we went back to the beach to get more sun and relax.
That night things changed for the worst. I got up to use the bathroom and I started to have pain on the left side of my torso. It started getting really bad and I couldn't take it anymore. We finally decided to go to the hospital, but the hotel manager said that someone would be sent to our room. So we went back up to our room and waited for the ambulance. In Uruguay the actual doctor comes with like their assistant or nurse. They gave me a shot for the pain and said that it was probably food poisoning because I was throwing up too. The pain went away, but I was still feeling quite nauseated. We planned to go on a city tour to Punta Del Este the next morning, but because we were up all night, that wasn't going to happen. We still had a few more days there so we weren't that sad about it, but they charged us anyway for not canceling it that night. We planned to go on Tuesday again. On Monday night the pain came back again, but after the ambulance came back the second time the pain didn't go away and so around 10am Tuesday we decided to go to the hospital. They gave me pain medication through an iv and liquids, but it wasn't working and I was just throwing everything back up and just trying to manage the pain. After a couple of tests they said that I have 2 kidney stones. And at about dinner time and not being able to eat anything all day, they finally gave me a room and something to eat and check me into the hospital. The room was free for the night! They gave me morphine for the pain. The first dose wasn't working so they had to give me another shot and then I started having allergies to the morphine. My veins were popping out and I was itching around the veins. Kyle tried to take a picture of them, but it didn't turn out so well.
At this point in the picture I have been stuck 4 times for a stupid IV. This was my first IV too. I think I was tramatized just from that, but then I have always been scared of having an IV. I hate needles! The first one the nurse did and I don't think she knew what she was doing and she had to poke me twice to get it. Then they had to take it out because of the reaction and put in another one.
Once I was stabalized and happy Kyle went back to the hotel and got somethings for the night. While he was gone the nurses came in to give me a strainer so that I could catch the stone if I was to pee it out. It was a huge glass bottle that had a net on it. I had no idea how I was suppose to pee in it. The nurses didn't speak english so they had to think of a word that I understood when I looked it up. Luckily Kyle left the dictionary with me. I feel so lucky Kyle was with me when all this happened. He was so great with it all even though we both were scared out of our minds. The next morning, which was Wednesday the pain stopped and they reluctantly let us go. The Urologist gave me some perscriptions to get me through the plane rides.I don't think either one of us slept that night. I thought Kyle might have an anxiety attack. He kept on asking me every other minute if I was ok, which kind of conforted me too. He even asked to take a St. Johns Wart, which is something I use sometimes for my anxiety to calm me down.
I was fine the rest of the night into Thursday morning, which was when we left. That morning I was feeling a little sick and I could feel the second one wanting to come down from my kidney, so I was quite uncomfortable. At this point the first one didn't pass yet. I was told to take the pain medication 2 hrs before our first flight. The first flight was the longest. It was about an 8 hour flight to Panama. Then we got to wait another 4 hours for our next flight to Texas. There I got to call my mom and tell her that she probably needs to take us to the hospital as soon as we get there. By that time my body was shaking, I actually thought it was the airports that were shaking from the airplanes coming in but I was wrong. I was feeling sick off and on from the medications. And everytime I took and nap and woke up it make it worse, so I tried not to sleep so that I wouldn't chuck on someone in the airplane. I had this aweful scenario running through my head that they would land the plane just for me because I was in so much pain. We had another 3-4 hr lay over in Texas and then another 4 hr flight home. I think I was so lucky and had heavenly help to get through all that traveling. As soon as we landed I had to go to the bathroom. I forgot to mention, that when you have kidney stones you feel like you have to pee a lot. So I used the bathroom after we arrived in Salt Lake and I think I must have passed the first stone there, because shortly after the other one started to come down and I was in massive pain. We got out bags and my mom rushed us to the hospital. Once we got there it was starting to go away and they didn't have to give me any pain meds, but they confirmed that it was kidney stones.
So they sent me on my way with a pain med & nausea perscription andto just wait for the last one to pass. It was so aweful! But looking back I am so glad I went. There was so much we didn't get to see, but I think I was humbled by going and I am so much more thankful for what I have and feel that I am lucky! But I don't think I will be going out of the country for a while. :)
Here are a few more pictures from our trip.
Our Hotel
I tried to get some rest while I had a place I could throw up :)
I had to mark my time in the Uruguay hospital. Aweful picture though :(
Weird signs at the airport. I have no idea what it meant.
Cool car we saw on the side of the road in Colonia
A little church in a neighborhood on the way to Colonia
Everything that we ate there was so good! 
New Year Eve everyone dancing in the streets!
Here is a video of the people that go around garbage can to garbage can to get out stuff they might be able to use or or sell. They were everywhere. Kind of crazy
I already have 1 order for this one. I love making these for the little ones! They are so cute on them! I hope to find more cute stuff to make!
