Saturday, June 2, 2018

I got up once during the night, waking at 5:45 and getting up at 6:45.

Wow, it’s a clear sunny morning with nary (there’s a word you don’t see much these days) a cloud in sight.

I had a bowl of Cheerios for breakfast.  Funny thing is that when I bought my first box the ladies laughed at me as they said this was cereal for niños (children).  Then Laura started eating it then Teresa started eating it.  I rest my case.

I left the apt about 9:30, took a bus to Envios Market but the document was just more unnecessary pension information.  I stopped at the Servibanca ATM and again it gave me 2 10s and all the rest in 20s.  Outside I found 2 2,000 peso bills lying on the sidewalk – my lucky day.

I walked up to Starbucks where I tried something different – an iced tea - a green tea latte.  They made it with whole milk – next time I’ll ask them to make it with water.  I checked the news on my phone and read some from my Reader’s Digest.  I then walked across the street and up a block to Oviedo where I caught a bus back to the apt.

Laura and I left the apt about 1:15 for Deli Hoy.  Today they had lasagna mixta which is with meat and chicken.  Back at the apt I changed into my shorts – I should have done that before lunch.  Today is very warm with an expected high of 83 degrees.

Laura went on to the gym and I walked over to the bookstore to exchange my paperback.  I found a book by Robert Ludlum but when I went to exchange it the girl working there was new and she said she needed permission from the owner.  She called but he didn’t answer.  While waiting I noticed a book sitting on the desk titled Pricipia Mathematica.  It was in English but the content was so far over my head I doubt anyone here will ever buy it.  (My degree was in mathematics.  Back at the apt a google search revealed that this is probably an English translation of Isaac Newton’s classic mathematical work first published in 1687.)  She said something about 20 minutes but I said I didn’t want to wait so I took back my 2mil and my old paperback and I left.

I walked by Bartolos but all the outside tables were taken.

I walked over to Todo Drogas to buy my medicine for the month.  The older man helping me charged it to my debit card but then couldn’t find the receipt that I have to sign.  There was a fan blowing but the direction it was heading there was no paper.  I asked if the machine could be out of paper.  I asked if he could print another one.  Finally he figured out that since my debit card was from the US he needed to use a special reader for my card.  After that it all worked out except he set it to dollars instead of pesos which I understand gives me a worse exchange rate.

I walked past Bartolos again but all the outside tables were still taken so I returned to the apt.

John sent me the following message using Messenger.

We have decided to rent the finca on the following conditions:

·       The contract will be for 1 year to start.

·       The contract will begin from July 1^st

·       The rent will be 800,000 paid on the first of every month.

·       Deposit will be 800,000 (will be paid at the time of signing of contract.

·       The deposit will cover excessive damage to the property that is our fault.

·       A walk around video will be made at time of possession for reference, and comparison for when the relation ends.

·       2,000,000 will be paid at signing of contract, to be used to build a security gate, to be completed by July 1, at the entrance to the property.

·       This 2,000,000 will be paid back, by deducting 500,000 from each of the first months rent.

·       That is to say, July, August, September and October’s rent will only be 300,000.

·       The maintenance of the garden is the owner’s responsibility, and you are welcome to come to the property when you wish, anyone else, by appointment only.  (Nothing official, just a Whatsapp message is ok, just so I have an opportunity to be there.)

·       If all is ok, then you can draft up a contract with everything, or, if you prefer, we can have a lawyer do it, he costs 200,000 (we split the cost).

I talked to Teresa and we decided, for security purposes, it would be a good idea if John made all the deposits to Laura’s Bancolombia account.

Then we sat with Laura to talk about her future.  If she pursues the au pair route she will net about $8,000 in a year after paying me back and allowing about $600 for her expenses.  That’s about 2,240,000 pesos.  After renting the finca for a year that should net another 8 million pesos or so.  The problem is that we don’t know if the finca will be rented consistently after that.  The problem is that CES is too expensive and the finca income too undependable.  Teresa talked about if Laura went to a school called Sena they would teach her to cook and it wouldn’t cost anything.  Laura found a less expensive university called Luis Amigo near the Stadium that only charges 2,595,872 per semester and she could continue studying psychology.  In a pinch I should be able to pay for that out of my own savings.  She’s going to see when classes begin for the next semester – probably July or August.  And she says she wants to try out her shoe business, whatever that entails.

The Colombian Peso closed at 2,865 to the US dollar.

At 10pm it started raining again.

T-shirt of the day: Out until the sun comes up.