Forgive me if this post is a bit scattered. By itself, traveling, doing art and blogging about it is kind of a lot, but adding a medical emergency to the mix is …..more than a lot, and also weirdly amazing…..like a Spanish Soap Opera amazing. So I will spare you the drama and just tell you the ending:

Amie’s torn achilles surgery went well! And I managed to eek out this one watercolor amidst the medical funhouse ride we were caught up in. (Not to make light of it, but also, yes, making light of it seems to have been a good way of coping so far. )

(I will show the steps I took to make the watercolor further down in this post)

On arriving in La Paz from a 6 hour bus ride from Loreto, we were both a bit crabby, from the whole painful ordeal, but also at having to stay in La Paz for 4 nights instead of the scheduled 1 night. After seeing the orthopedic surgeon, it soon become clear that that would be the deal.

But the medical attention was top-notch, and the La Paz boardwalk wound up being a pretty amazing place, specially in the evening. So my attitude shifted quickly. While Amie was in recovery, I gave reports of the outside world and shuttled food to her like a Momma bird.

Everything Up in the Air

We had to cancel our flight to Oaxaca last minute. Could we get a refund? Would the surgery be successful? Would Amie fly back to Seattle of continue on to Oaxaca?

At some point you realize that a lot is out of your controi, other than deciding what the next step should be, which was,: Do the surgery in La Paz and find a new Air BnB to stay in while recovering…..

Amie decided that it should be near the beach. A beach always softens things.

Brave On the Doctor’s Table - (The intake doc wondered why I wasn’t drawing him)

Dr, Toba was our Orthopedic Surgeon. He was amazingly calm and clear, and present with you when he was with you. We never felt rushed.

Aaron was our cab driver, who shuttled us about wherever we needed to go. You form these alliances while traveling.

Amie posing with Cast, Crutches and my Favorite Sculpture on the BoardWalk. The first big walk post-surgery. She has been a super trooper!

Disasters Connect People

I like to go to different countries, not just because I want a vacation and a playground, but because I am interested in other cultures. When you are in emergency mode, you learn a lot more about the culture than you would otherwise. Nurses, Doctors, Orderlies, Cab drivers, Bus drivers, Flight Attendants, Taqueria Waitreses and Hotel Receptionists, all came to our rescue, whether they could speak English or not.

That’s when you realize how amazing humanity is, and that’s when you understand what a culture is really about.

Also, when you are traveling with someone, and something happens and plans change, well, there you are, in another country, just dealing day to day. It’s a very cementing experience. Everything is the journey.