Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 4:15, took a while to fall back asleep, finally waking at 6am and got up at 7am with Teresa.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 4,454 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 5 hours and 52 minutes. Pretty good!

We left our room at 8:15 and checked out the restaurants in the park for breakfast. Only one seemed to be serving food and Teresa inquired about something and I guess she didn’t like the answer because we left. I led her across the street to Jimaye (sp?) but it wasn’t open. We returned to our hotel and had breakfast there.

I tried something different a Colombian costa (sp?)  coastal breakfast called Mix de Fritos Caribeños

It was okay, nothing I would order again and it confirmed I’m not a fan of yucca.

Innovation Corp contacted me about my package. It will be 107,000 pesos or $25 if I use Paypal.

Had a problem linking my USAA debit card to my Paypal account. Apparently, there’s something Microsoft Edge is auto filling that Paypal doesn’t like. I’ll deal with it later.

They fixed the toilet by the pool but when I flushed it, it kept running. They probably need a new flapper as this one doesn’t seal properly. I’ll tell the owner next time I see her.

We seem to be the only ones staying at the hotel this week so we have the pool to ourselves.

Every day, it seems, a ripe mango falls from the tree into the pool and I retrieve it for us to eat later.

For lunch we shared the same sandwich as yesterday.

Teresa and I both noticed my feet looked swollen. They even felt different, a little warm and swollen. They felt better when I got up and walked around a bit.

Well, another couple is now staying at the hotel. They have a room right off the patio next to the pool.

This week I’ve won 2 games against Chesswiz98 and one against Troyclough, increasing my rating to 1531.

I added another game and Chess.com paired me with a 400 rated player from Portugal named IsaqueG1. (I think the significance of that number is a player that is playing correspondence chess for the first time.) He turned out to be pretty strong (I had my chances) and beat me, increasing his rating by 62 points to 1021 and lowering mine by 14 to 1517. ☹

For supper we went to Jumaye where Teresa had trout and I my usual chicken breast for a total of 88,500 pesos ($25).

We walked down to Tienda D1 where Teresa bought some inexpensive body cream for 13,500 pesos.

She stepped into a tienda de artesenal where she got a business card from an employee as she may be able to sell some purses there.

I looked around for a Bancolombia consignacion ATM but only found a branch office that was closed.

We returned to our room and got ready for bed.

This is the first McDonald’s that opened in Des Plaines, IL. I walked past it twice every workday for a year or two in the early 70s.

 

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Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, took a long time to fall asleep, was awakened about 1:15 by bile coming up my throat, I sat up and coughed it down, took a Tums, made a trip to the toilet and went back to bed, again took a long time to fall asleep, finally waking at 6am and getting up at 7am.

Teresa got up at 7:15.

I found the control for the A/C so we won’t freeze again tonight.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 2,746 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 6 hours and 17 minutes. What? That was my worst night of sleeping in the past few days and it says I slept so long? ☹

We left the hotel and walked around a bit. We’re 2 ½ blocks form the main park. Only one restaurant was open and I guess Teresa wasn’t impressed. We walked down a block where Teresa pointed out a gym. A personal trainer informed us we could use the gym for 90,000 pesos a day but I wasn’t impressed with the equipment and it was very crowded.

We continued on to Hosteria de la Plaza Menor where we’ve visited many times before. 

Teresa talked to the “gate keeper” like we were new there and he gave us a quick tour of the main level. He had a basket of mangos that had recently fallen from their tree and he gifted Teresa a couple very ripe ones.

We returned to the hotel where we had breakfast

This time French toast for me but they didn’t serve maple syrup, only cream cheese.

I went to use the toilet in the restroom by the pool but it wouldn’t flush. I took off the top of the tank and the handle was no longer attached to the flapper. I lifted the flapper manually and the toilet flushed and I reported the problem to the owner.

This interesting flower (seed?) falls occasionally from the tree next to the pool:

Well, today we finally have a sunny day, at least partly sunny not overcast like yesterday.

My Fitbit is supposed to be waterproof down to xx meters and I had no problem with it in the pool.

For lunch we shared this Peruvian sandwich.

After supper we went a block away to a small restaurant where Teresa purchased a lighter for 2500 pesos.

I turned on the A/C and changed the temp from 17 Celsius to 20 Celsius.

Teresa was tired so she went to bed at 9pm and I followed closer to 9:45.

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Monday, April 13, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 4am, fell back asleep quickly, finally waking at 7am but waited an hour for Teresa to get up.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 2,755 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 4 hours and 33 minutes. I don’t think the Fitbit is very accurate when it comes to sleeping.

We had our free breakfast by the pool. I ordered the Bagel Breakfast but I don’t see any bagel here:

😊

So far, it’s an overcast day so Teresa is working on a purse while I write up my blog and continue my online chess games.

Last night we were surprised our door only had a regular lock, no additional deadbolt or chain lock so Teresa put a chair up against the door. 😊

We had lunch on the patio next to the pool. Teresa had some Cuban sandwich and since I knew she would want me to help I just ordered a granola bowl with acai berries and yogurt for myself.

I finally took a dip in the pool in the afternoon.

It was around 4:30 when Teresa said, “Look, a ripe mango fell in the pool”. I retrieved it …

Here’s it’s already partly eaten (by us). It was sweet but I didn’t realize they were so messy and sticky to eat by hand. 😊

In the evening we heard what sounded like live jazz music nearby, like just the other side of the wall by the pool.

I had pasta al Fredo with garlic bread;

And Teresa had posta (flank steak) Cartagena style

I found a stack of old paperback books in our room; this one has a 1943 copyright. 😊

Probably the type of books my uncles would read; I think my dad would read something a little more substantial and he was a prolific reader. I recall Saturdays stopping in the library and he would check out 3-4 books to read for the week. I was reading Jim Kjelgaard’s books, mainly about dogs and the wilderness.

 

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Sunday, April 12, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, fell asleep quickly, got up once at 4:30, took at least an hour to fall back asleep, finally waking/getting up at 7am.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 7.124 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 4 hours and 53 minutes.

Annie James on Greek Orthodox Easter.

We’ve started packing the carryon with our clothes for a week. I’m also bringing my electronics in my backpack.

We left the apt at 1:30 and took a Didi to Terminal Norte for 22,900 pesos. We bought our tickets for 20,000 pesos each, made a last trip to the restroom for 2,000 pesos and took our assigned seats on the small bus. We left a couple minutes after the scheduled departure of 2pm. We had a little rain right after we left Medellin then again right after we exited the tunnel. We arrived in Santafe de Antioquia an hour and 30 minutes after we departed Medellin.

Chesswiz98 forced a draw by repetition, lowering my rating to 1506.

We took one of those little moto taxis to Boutique Hotel Al Alma for 6,000 pesos.

When we checked in they asked if I had already paid. 😊 I checked my USAA account and I hadn’t, so I paid the $685.46 with my debit card. They took us to our room – first floor near the entrance. The first level consisted of 2 twin beds, bathroom, and a small chest of drawers under a television under the stairs. Upstairs consisted of a queen size bed. No closet, so no place to hang our clothes, just the three drawers in the chest of drawers. ☹

We changed into our swimsuits and took comfortable chaise lounges by the pool. One other couple on the other side of the pool but they soon left. I had a mango juice while Teresa had a couple of cold beers.

We had supper at the hotel, salmon for Teresa and Saltado Peruano con pollo for me 

and we both had a glass of water.

Teresa freaked out a bit when she learned we were the only ones in the hotel. I told her I purposely reserved the entire hotel just for us. 😊

I won a game vs Troyclough increasing my rating to 1511.

I took my usual pre-sleep medications minus the magnesium powder because it would take up too much room.

I told Teresa I’ll take the twin bed closest to the bathroom and she can take the queen-sized bed upstairs but she insisted on taking the other twin bed next to mine.

 

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Saturday, April 11, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, took a while to fall asleep, got up once at midnight, quickly fell back asleep, finally waking at 5:15 with a cramp in my left calf, fell back asleep finally waking/getting up at 7:15.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 3,863 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 5 hours and 39 minutes.

In honor of The Masters:

I left the apt at 9:15 and walked to the mall. I stopped in the CaFam pharmacy outside Exito and purchased a large bottle of something for Teresa for 192,500 pesos ($53).

I went to Urbania and had a latte for an hour or so.

I stopped in Exito and purchased a few items before returning to the apt by taxi.

I restarted the router and managed to get all my devices reconnected to the internet.

I watched another episode of The Rest of Us while waiting for Teresa to go meet with a friend. We left at 4:30 and she showed me a short cut to the Casa de Cultura but it involved going down then up a steep hill. She went inside to meet her friend while I went across the street to Fika where I tried a cherry lemonade. It was awful, too sweet. Teresa returned about 6:30 and we retraced our steps to Quilimbo, the Argentinian steakhouse, where we had a 15-minute wait for a table. We each had their solomito with mashed potatoes and a small salad.

It was flavorful but still a little chewy. We also shared a couple small bottles of water for a total of 163,670 pesos ($45).

We returned to our complex and sat outside by the playground for a bit, then returned to the apt and it was time for me to start my pre-sleep routine.

 

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Friday, April 10, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, took a while to fall asleep, got up once at 3am, quickly fell back asleep, finally waking at 6am and getting up at 6:15. I feel good, hopefully I won’t need a nap today.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 9,184 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 4 hours and 20 minutes.

I left the apt at 8:45 and now let me set the scene: Around the corner is a tree with a squirrel feeder but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a squirrel in the area so I haven’t put a peanut there in years. Today I walked around the corner and a squirrel was staring me in the face with what looked like a purple nut in its mouth. It moved a little higher in the tree and was working on eating or opening the nut. Maybe it was some type of fruit.

I took out the peanut I usually put in the tree in La Buena Mesa and held it out. It looked at me, or maybe it was the peanut, and came down and took it from my hand. This poor video, you’ll have to zoom in, is the squirrel eating the peanut.

In the future I guess I’ll have to carry 2 peanuts with me. 😊

I continued on to Smartfit which was as busy as usual. Because I walked so many steps yesterday, I just completed 21 minutes on the treadmill at 5 ½ kph.

I had a latte in Ganso y Castor for a little over an hour before returning to the apt.

We left the apt at 2pm, Teresa to get a pedicure and I went to Los Porteños where I ate a small bag of peanuts with a Coke, but the peanuts are no longer fresh. ☹

I left at 4:15 and returned to the apt and Teresa returned by 5:30.

I watched another episode of The End of Us, the Artemis II splashdown, then started my pre-sleep routine.

I finished reading John Grisham’s The runaway Jury. I tried downloading the next book but for some reason my Kindle lost its internet connection. Will try again later.

I was happy I didn’t need to take a nap today.

 

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FUNNY

 

Thursday, April 9, 2026

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, the rain woke up at 1:30, quickly fell back asleep, finally waking at 4:30 and getting up at 5:15.

According to my Fitbit, I got in 7,046 steps yesterday and last night I slept for 4 hours and 7 minutes.

Teresa got up soon after me and left at 6am for her gym class.

I watched Anna Cramling win a game against an 1800-rated kid. She now has a record of 2 ½ in 5 games and her next game is 10am our time tomorrow.

I captured this screenshot of Annie James from a Facebook post.

Teresa returned just before 7:30 and made breakfast.

I had a 30-minute nap after breakfast then walked to Tostao where Marcos soon joined me. His toes are still painful and they leave April 22^nd for Madrid so hopefully they’re better by then. I won’t see him again until mid-May.

Following google maps I walked 8-minutes away to the address Teresa had given me. It’s a daycare center. At the corner though was an Ophthalmology clinic but they have never heard of this doctor.

I was back at the Las Vegas strip mall by 10:30 so I had a latte in Peccato for 8,900 pesos. Teresa called at 10:45 and added a couple things to my shopping list. I left at 11:15 and stopped in Mercado Madrid and purchased a few groceries before returning to the apt.

When I told Teresa the clinic didn’t know this doctor she told me I’m supposed to google him not go to the address she gave me. ☹

I see Operation Hail Mary (8.4) is playing in Viva Envigado at 2:20pm, so I should be out about 5:30. Teresa is busy finishing a purse and she doesn’t like long movies (2 hours 36 minutes) so she won’t be joining me.

I read about a Super El Nino that may be coming and ChatGPT says that should mean hotter, drier weather for Medellin.

I left the apt at 1:15 and walked to Viva Envigado. (I had only gone a block when I realized I left my cellphone recharging on my desk. ☹)  I recycled 2 batteries and 2 pill containers then went up to Cine Colombia. I thought they might take my Platinum card away because I didn’t see 30 movies last year, but they didn’t. I added 100,000 pesos thinking I only had a few left but then found I had a 180,950 pesos balance. I purchased a preferred seat to the 2:20 showing of Operation Hail Mary for 10,000 pesos. I went into Claro and paid my cellphone bill of about 81,000 pesos but Teresa’s balance is still zero.

I made an ATM withdrawal (all 100’s) then took a seat in Cine Colombia’s lobby for a few minutes until closer to the start of the movie. At 2pm I made my last trip to the restroom, bought a small popcorn and large soda for 24,900 pesos and took my seat in the theater. Coming attractions showed a trailer of a Michael Jackson movie coming out in July that might be good.

The movie wasn’t as great as I thought it would be but it was interesting. I was happy I didn’t have any trouble hearing the dialogue and I made it through the 2-hour 3-minute movie without having to make a trip to the restroom.

It was just after 5pm when I exited the theater and since I didn’t have anything to carry, I walked back to the apt.

I watched another episode of The End of Us on Stremio, a little news then it was time to start my pre-sleep routine.

 

RELEASE ALL THE EPSTEIN FILES NOW!

 

FUNNY