HAPPY NEW YEAR. Most people would say that for the day before, but here we are. I wasn’t feeling great in the morning again. I turned off the fan and then got up to drink coffee and try to warm up. I paced outside for about 45 minutes before Danelle woke up and came to check on me. That was my sign it was time to get a warm shower. I used a lot of hot water trying to bring my temperature up. I for sure had a fever, but just wanted to feel warm. I dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, then I put my jacket on and zipped it up. Of course, the temperature in San Juan hadn’t been below 70 degrees the whole time we were here, but I felt cold!
We spent a few minutes at Coty’s house getting photos, then the 4 Haakes took off to the gas station. You can’t fill you own tank, which is strange, but the rule. After taking in about 40L of gas (about what I expected for the week), we followed the Ripolls to the airport. On the way home from one of our caravan trips, we showed Coty’s family how to make a car “fly” – rolling down all windows and flapping hands together. On the way to the airport, their family made their car fly which made all of us smile.
When we got to the airport, there was nobody at the rental car counter, so Coty called the number and figured out the correct procedure. We made video of the car and turned it in, then waited for the flight. We passed through the security area, leaving the Ripoll family behind. This was bittersweet as they have been phenomenal hosts and friends this last week. They welcomed us into their home and their family. Without them, it would have been a significantly different trip.
My fever had come on strong now. I was wearing jeans and a t-shirt plus a jacket zipped up and was still cold. I watched a small amount of the takeoff from my window seat and then went to sleep. Danelle woke me up for drinks and I downed a coffee to warm myself up. Then just before landing, she woke me up to see the city of Buenos Aires from the air. From the landing to our VRBO in the Recoleta district, I don’t remember much. Actually, when we got of the airport, I remember being incredibly thankful for the humidity in the air! Taxis have a limit of 4 and we were 5 people. Corvin and Coty opted to walk and we took all of their luggage.
In our place, I promptly fell asleep on the sofa while Danelle and Sonora explored the place we would call home for the next few days. After a while, Danelle got me to go to bed. I didn’t fight it because I would be able to warm up, even though my skin was hot enough that you could probably cook an egg on it. She got one of the hand towels damp with cold water and proceeded to torture me with cool water (and love) to get my fever under control. When she and the kids left to find dinner, I promptly fell asleep. Eventually, I started feeling a bit better and drank a ton of water. As much as I was sick, I also was dehydrated from my week in San Juan. There is no humidity there and I for sure didn’t drink enough water. I will do my best in the coming days to fix this.
They went out to get empanadas for dinner and brought back 17. Even sick, I don’t understand that number. I would have expected 15 or 20 for equality. Either way, I had enough for dinner. I started feeling better and even went for a short walk with Danelle so we both still managed 10,000 steps for the day.