Day 6: A Good Day!

Today we ventured out of our apartment complex to see Mount Monserrate. We have visited it twice before. The last time we were there, Rose was just a baby. Patricia picked us up at our apartment and off we went in the Bogota traffic. The traffic was thick and it took longer than we expected to get to our destination. We were on a timeline because we wanted to be back to drop off the kids and Nana Bev by 2:00 pm so we could go visit Kate in the hospital.

Driving to Mount Monserrate with no car seats (EEK!)

We arrived, got our tickets, and headed for the transportation up the mountain. There are two different types of transportation - a tram and a cable car. When we saw that the tram was closed, Owen was a bit worried - he's not a fan of heights. But he quickly came around since taking the cable car was a much better option than a two-hour hike up the side of the mountain!  We loaded up on the cable car and headed up Mount Monserrate.

The views from the top of the mountain are spectacular! You can see Bogota for miles and miles.

Patricia gave us a tour of the beautiful church that was built in the 1600's.

Then we went in search of the path to the outdoor Stations of the Cross.

On the way, we stumbled upon the Pozo de los Deseos (or Wishing Pond). We knew exactly what we'd wish for - for Kate to get better!  In order for the wish to come true, you have to throw the coin through the small round circle at the top - and Shane made it! We sure hope our wish comes true!!

Then we walked a few of the Stations of the Cross before heading back to the cable car to bring us back down the mountain.

This time we had prime window spots on the cable car. Everyone loved the amazing views as we hung high over the ground.

At the end of our visit, Owen even said, "This was better than Roblox!" So you know it was a pretty fantastic trip!
 

We headed back to our apartment complex to drop off Nana Bev and the kids. On the way we saw a street performer dangling from long pieces of fabric attached to a bridge. Oh my! This is the stuff you see in the cirque du soleil - not in traffic! Of course we had to give him a tip for his amazing talent as I prayed that he didn't come crashing down right in front of us.

After dropping our crew off, Shane and I continued on with Patricia. We stopped for a traditional Colombian meal at a little hole-in-the-wall and then it was off to the hospital. This time around, the security guard remembered me and quickly let Shane and I enter the hospital while Patricia went to park the car. I'm so very thankful for my rudimentary Spanish skills to communicate to the next guard that "mi hija esta aqui" ("my daughter is here") so he too let us in. When we walked in, the nurse was holding Kate - she was no longer in the oxygen hood! This was a great sign! The nurse gave Kate her inhaler and then it was my turn to hold her!!

Unfortunately the English speaking doctor was not working today and without Patricia, we couldn't get an update on Kate's status. So Shane texted Jorge who then must have called Patricia because before we knew it, she was there, asking the doctor all sorts of questions. The doctor said Kate is slowly improving. She is moving in the right direction but it will take her some time to fully recoup. She is still dependent on oxygen and her breathing still seems quite labored.  BUT she seemed so much happier today! She played with her toys, kicked her legs and held quite the conversation. She was very alert and happy for the majority of our stay, only dozing off to sleep for short periods. She kept looking back and forth between Shane and I, searching for our faces and looking into our eyes.

We are so thankful that Kate's health is moving in the right direction! Thank you for all your prayers! Please keep sending them our way. We can not wait to finally be able to have her with us. Only being able to see her for a couple hours a day is so very difficult but we are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel and pray that tomorrow will be an even better day!