We had a nice weekend.  Friday evening as I was leaving the hospital, we heard a friend was up on top of a local overlook called Rumi Capitan.  She had gone up with a friend and her two small kids, and the kids were too tired to come down.  They were hoping for a ride down, so David and I went up to get them.  We were glad to go because it was a very clear day, and the views from the top our incredible.  Unfortunately I put the first dent in our car on the way down as we tried to squeeze through a tight spot where a recent small avalanche had occurred.  I was pretty bummed about that, but it was bound to happen as the roads here are pretty rough, especially in the rainy season.  I was on call on Saturday, and although it was busy, it was a Saturday well spent.  The first patient of the morning came in with mastitis with fever and severe breast pain.  There was no abcess on ultrasound, so I treated her with some IV antibiotics and then sent her home to return on Monday to be sure all was still OK.  The next patient was a very sick woman (who surprisingly did not look that bad).  She had HELLP syndrome which is a very dangerous complication of pregnancy.  It is a severe form of pre-eclampsia.  She spontaneously started to bleed from her nose, so we took her back for a ceasarean section.  She has responded well and has had no problems since her surgery.  Her baby is doing great as well.  A little later in the afternoon a man came in with a huge scrotum.  It was probably just swelling from a recent operation for a hernia, but I could not be sure.  I admitted him for antibiotics, pain medication, and for a review by the surgeon.  Then later another woman presented to the hospital in active labor and proceeded to have a normal delivery and a healthy baby.  Poor David spend a few hours riding his bike around the hospital while I saw the first two patients.  We had come down together to wash the car.  When I was called in for the first emergency, I had him finish washing the car on his own thinking I would finish quickly.  However as the obstetric emergency came in, David was left to find something else to do as he waited for me to finish.  When all the morning patients were taken care of, David and I rode into town to pay the internet bill at the local bank (we have to go to the bank to pay our bills since there is no way to pay online, and there is no local mail system) and to buy some much needed butter.  Then we headed home.  Sunday morning, I came home from spending the night in the hospital and we went to our little church.  After church, like always, we went to the big Sunday market to load up for the week with fruits and vegetables.  Then in the afternoon we were pleased to receive a call from the Hassfeld family to meet them at the local spring fed pool to pass a little time in the afternoon.  This little pool is ice cold, but refreshing and tolerable as all your limbs get numb from the chilly water.  There is a nice little grassy area around the pool, but today some young guys were practicing their motocross skills by racing around the pool which made us parents a little anxious.  In the evening, Allison and Peter made us some chocolate soufflés.  What a surprise to have some french desserts here in Curahuasi!  They turned out great, which I think was an unexpected treat for all of us.  Thanks for keeping up with us and enjoy some pictures from what is a pretty typical weekend in the Caire household.

The view from Rumi Capitan.

David and I posing at the top of Rumi Capitan.

On our way down the mountain we met this great Quechua gentleman and his pet Pudú. That is the world’s smallest deer.

Peter and Inca enjoying a crisp and clear Saturday morning.

I think a burro would be very helpful for carrying our groceries up the hill.

Wishing I had that burro, but enjoying going up on a bike instead of walking. However my neck was killing me after this ride.

Allison and Peter capped the weekend on Sunday night by making us all chocolate soufflés.