Sunday, July 28th, 2013

I went to bed at 10:30 last night, woke up at 4:30 to use the toilet, and got up at 6:45.  I feel great!  Breakfast was the usual buffet at the Golden Palermo Hotel.  I always have a bowl of granola-like cereal, 2 cups of coffee, omelet or scrambled eggs, fresh fruit and a glass of fresh orange juice.  They also have toast, arepas, cheese, yogurt along with some other hot item I don't usually care for.

I spent a couple hours at Laureles Mall copying some new Spanish words into my booklet and studying the English, Botvinnik Attack - my usual chess opening when I’m playing the white pieces.

Back at the apartment I heard Martha upstairs so I brought her down to my apartment so she could listen to the “bonging” sound.  This was her (translated) reply:

“I call the doctor and ask light under the phone I have her in the house today is Sunday porq bother me sad she's good neighbor and talk to marg to tell you has you spending.”  

Doesn’t make much sense, does it?  What I saw her write in Spanish was “Doctora Luz Amparo”.  “Doctora” is a female doctor.  Luz Amparo is a woman’s name so that checks out although I don’t remember hearing that name before.  “Luz” is light in English so that’s why it translated that way.  I assume “porq” (which didn’t get translated) is porque and “marg” is supposed to be Margarita. 

When I made those changes it translated to: 

“I call Dr. Luz Amparo and asked it I have the phone in the house today is Sunday I am sorry to bother because she is a good neighbor and talk to Margarita has to tell you that it happens.”

So, my best guess is she is going to get the phone number of the lady next door (Dr. Luz Amparo?) and ask her what the noise is.

Beatriz arrived about 1:15.  We went to Viva Mall and I took some money out of my checking account and we had lunch at Alfredo’s.  I had the lasagna and a coke for 10,900 and she had the ravioli, which was the special of the day, for only 6,900.  We then bought 21,580 ($11.36) worth of cleaning supplies at Exito and I gave Beatriz the points.  

Back at the apartment she told me my broom (5 months old now?) was no good.  I gave her 20mil and she went somewhere and very quickly, like 5 minutes, returned with a new broom for about 7mil ($3.68).  I guess my apartment was pretty dirty as this is what she swept up from only the living room and dining room area:

An hour later the mop broke.  Well, it was 5 months old.  I gave her 10mil and she returned with a much nicer (she tells me) mop for 6mil.  She’s doing a real thorough job of cleaning this apartment.  An hour later and she’s cleaning the guest bedroom and she shows me a dead lizard about 2” long.  I wonder how long it’s been there?  Lol.  

Wow!  The apartment is spotless.  I think she spent something like 5 hours on it.  I rewarded her by taking her for ice cream.  Unfortunately the ice cream store in Laureles Mall had just closed so we went over to Viva and next to Exito there is a small pastry & ice cream shop called Restcafe S.A.S where I had a single dip strawberry waffle cone and she had a double dip strawberry and vanilla waffle cone for a total of 7,900 ($4.16).