Friday, February 28th, 2014

Last night I went to bed at 10:30, got up at midnight and again at 4am, finally waking and getting up at 7am.

I had breakfast at El Comedor de Chava for 8,300, gave Lucas a hard time for a while and then Harry arrived for a little chat.  He wanted 200mil from me because today is his birthday.  Later he told me a story about his girlfriend asking him for 200mil that she needed right away.  He refused and told her he’ll look for a new girlfriend that isn’t interested in him just for his money.  “So”, I told him, “you just want 200mil from me so you can give it to your girlfriend.  I’ll just skip the middle man and give it to her directly.  Maybe she’ll be so appreciative I’ll get something for it.”

I stopped in BanColombia to pay my medical insurance bill.  Lines were a lot shorter than usual this morning.  I’ll bet they’ll be a lot longer tomorrow on the 1^st of the month.  While standing in line a guard came over and asked me to turn off my Nook because electronic devices are not allowed in the bank.  In Exito and bought a package of air freshener for 18mil.

I’ve decided to stop mentioning all the things I buy and how much they cost unless there is something out of the ordinary as I’ve repeated it so many times everyone should have a good idea on prices here.

I stopped at the Tinto store and had a cup of coffee.  Gonzalo was going on and on about how beautiful the whitest sister looks today.  I told him she’s going to be a very special lady for some lucky young man but it won’t be me and it won’t be him, so just enjoy the view!

I checked the new US movie releases and Non-Stop (7.9) starring Liam Neeson and The Bag Man (6.9) starring John Cusack and Robert DeNiro look good.

In Medellin, I would like to see Saving Mr. Banks (7.8), Nebraska (7.9), The Monuments Men (6.4), and Non Stop (7.9).

I left the apartment at 11:30 for the 12:20 showing of Non Stop at SantaFe CC.  By the time I got to the theater it was exactly 12:20 and I still needed to buy my ticket (5mil), small popcorn (they are huge by the way for 7mil) and medium soda (4,700).  It turned out I was the only one in the theater and it began just as I got settled in my seat.  The movie was good but I had one problem; all text messages sent in the movie were shown in Spanish so I didn’t know exactly what was being said.

After the movie I walked about 2 miles down Avenida Pablado to MBE where I paid my bill for March but I didn’t have any mail.  Across the street alongside Parque Peblado I noticed a Turibus stop with people getting on.  There is a sign nearby that notes the times of departure – 9am and then every 70 minutes thereafter: 10:10, 11:20, etc.

On the bus ride on the way back a pretty lady of about 30 got on the bus and sat next to me even though there were other seats.  She got out a book that looked like a diary and started writing under the December 8^th heading.  We didn’t exchange words but after the bus stopped at Viva Laureles I said “everybody off” and she looked down at me and smiled.  She got off and got on the bus in front as I crossed the street and headed over to the corner store.  I had a Sprite (I thought it was water; they have the same size green bottle.) and while waiting I saw Bluto across the street playing soccer with a 2-year old boy so maybe he has a son.  I had to wait about 45 minutes for Beatriz to come down with my clean laundry.  I told her I would have more laundry for her next Tuesday morning.

For dinner I had a slice of ham & cheese pizza with coffee from Fresco Pan and a pastry with arequipe inside.

 

Tomorrow is my lunch date with Brenda; wish me luck!

Thursday, February 27th, 2014

Last night I exchanged emails with Lucia (Angel Azul aka blue angel) who lives in Bethlehem but I don’t know where that barrio is as of yet.  Since the first or second email she’s already signing her emails with “kisses”.  Is this a Colombian thing or just the fact that we appear to match on so many categories?  In her pictures it looks like she’s got a big butt and big thighs which I don’t normally care for.  And some of her hobbies & interests are turnoffs for me, like astrology, meditation, poetry, and sushi & vegetarian/organic food.

Now that I’ve upgraded my membership from free to a 1 month Gold Membership ($29.98 for 1 month) I’m getting emails from other areas of Colombia and even other countries like Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, and Peru.  Some are attractive women; most not so much at least for me.  I probably need to change my profile to “Not willing to relocate”.  

Some thoughts on my upcoming lunch date with Brenda.  She isn’t drop dead gorgeous but she is VERY cute.  She seems to have a nice chest but these days with push up bras, don’t they all!  And her butt and thighs are a little bigger than I usually am attracted too.  Why don’t I care?  Because she’s so cute that I don’t mind or am I slowly becoming Colombian?  The restaurant she took me to for our first lunch was in a hotel and when I showed her the flyer from the restaurant I want to take her to she asked if it was near my apartment.  Is she trying to tell me something?  Lol.  Anyway, that lunch should determine if there is any chance of our having a serious relationship.

After a bit of a struggle I was able to remove the batteries from the Apt 201 hot water heater and moved them up to 301 but wasn’t able to get any hot water.  :(

I watched the 2011 movie Age of Heroes on Netflix (5.6) “Inspired by real events, this thriller follows members of Britain's newly formed No. 30 Commando unit as they infiltrate Nazi-occupied Norway, intent on stealing German radar technology that could prove crucial to the Allied war effort.”

I went to bed at 10:45, fell asleep rather quickly, woke up at 4:40, put in some eyedrops, took 2 Excedrin, went back to bed, and got up at 5:30am.

I took the batteries out of the hot water heater in 301 and moved them down to 201 where I also had my towel drying and took my shower down there.

I walked up to Carrera 84 and on my way to Calle 35 I saw an attractive woman dressed very nicely in high heels get on a Simon Bolivar bus.  I had a coffee and croissant at Los Mejores and then coffee with Gonzalo at the Tinto store.  He’s still having a heart attack over the pretty sisters now working there.  I tried to calm him down by telling him that they are too young; just enjoy the “eye candy”.  Just after 8am I left and had a glass of orange juice at Redd’s.  The owner of the bar was there and he had 2 or 3 plastic tables out for people to sit at.  Just as I was finishing I observed the same woman I saw Tuesday morning walk by dressed up very nicely in her high heels and walking slowly (so she doesn’t overheat?) towards the Tinto store.  Gonzalo told me she cleans houses.  The days that Olga cleans my apartment I see a black girl that comes and cleans the house across the street and she is always dressed so sexily you would never think she cleans houses.  I wonder if they change clothes before and after work?

It took about 1 1/2 hours but I finally got the small bed moved into the large bedroom and the large bed moved into the small bedroom.  I think I’m going to use the small bedroom for myself mostly because there is more air flow in there and also the bed is larger.  So I also had to switch clothes that I had already put in both bedrooms.

My iPad up in 301 lost the connection to my GringoUS1 network down on 201 but it then picked up Marcela’s next door so I should be good to go.

By noon I had everything moved upstairs except the kitchen table, my laptop and a chair.  

I stopped at Paisa Pan and had a churro and a Pepsi for 2,100.  I wanted to get a slab of pineapple but the vendor was closed.  I took out a little cash for Saturday from the ATM in the lower level and as I was coming up the escelator a young lady going down looked familiar.  I kind of stared at her and finally she broke out laughing and that’s when I recognized that she was the cute one from Dogger that reacted so much when I was trying to order in Spanish. I bought a couple Energizer heavy duty D batteries for the hot water heater.

I had a couple of small bottles of water at the corner store and at one point August stopped by and I had to tell him how busy I was.

Back at the apartment I happened to look out the window on the 3^rd floor just as the taxi driver’s wife and children were walking up the street in front of my building.  I made eye contact with the wife and son and we waved to each other and smiled.  It’s nice to feel recognized by the neighbors.  

 
I put the new batteries into the hot water heater and it started giving hot water.  Maybe it also had something to do with the fact that I remembered to flip the switch to turn on the electricity for it.  Lol.

It started raining shortly before I left the apartment at 4pm.  By the time I got to Viva the lightning was something terrible.  Dinner was a BBQ hamburger and small Pepsi for 6,500 (with coupon).  This time I went back for my free refill.

I had to wait about 20 minutes to catch a Laureles 191 bus. I had actually given up and tried, unsuccessfully, to flag down 2 taxis when finally I caught a bus. I shouldn’t have had the extra Pepsi because I was beginning to think I wasn’t going to make it to the league office in time.  There were no seats available and within about 5 minutes there was no standing room available.  Traffic was heavy as we approached the vacinity of the stadium; the only good news was that since there was no room for anyone to get on the bus it didn’t have to make as many stops.

I said hello to Brenda and confirmed our lunch date for Saturday and from what I could see on her computer screen, her title is chess league secretary. At least I know that she’s intelligent enough and experienced enough to work with a computer.  I thought she was dressed a little nicer tonight. 

Because of all the rain the “bowl” where the chess games are usually held was under 2-3 inches of water.  There was a little dripping into the area but that didn’t seem like enough to create that large amount of water.  They set up tables on the “wings” of the area with the chess boards so we could still play.  I had the black pieces and my opponent had a rating of 1690 to compare with my 1700.  I was able to play my usual opening that I play when I have the white pieces so I was pretty comfortable with how to proceed.  Deep into the game he picked up a pawn so I created a small diversion on the queen side to give him something to think about and then went for an all out attack against his king on the king side.  I ended up with a pretty strong attack and he had to give up a pawn and his queen for my rook and knight.  Then when I thought he would find the move that would give him the victory, he missed it and we ended up with a draw.

I caught a taxi back to the apartment for 6mil.

Wednesday, February 26th, 2014

Last night I was checking my emails and Margarita told me that Marta and Jamie will be here from 8:30 to 9 today to help me with the move.  

I also got 2 emails from Latin American Cupid - both from an Angel Azul – the first one indicating she is interested in me and the second a personal message with the title “We are a perfect match” but I have to upgrade my account to read the message.

Comparing profiles I see we are a match on almost every criteria.  She says she speaks good English (and good Spanish).  She’s 49 and has a pretty face but indicated her measurements are (after translating from cm to inches) 26-22-34.  Very interesting!  From her pictures I think each of those numbers should be a little bigger.

I went to bed at 11:15, fell asleep rather quickly, got up once during the night with a slight headache, went downstairs and took 2 Excedrin, went back to sleep quickly and finally woke/got up at 6:50.  

My right wrist is hurting from all the screwing I’ve been doing over the last couple of days.  Screwing with a screwdriver!  So I decided to skip my usual morning workout.

I got an email from Margarita that Jamie and Marta would be here between 8:30 and 9 to show the apartment and they would bring their son Camilo to help me with the move.

At 8am I walked outside and saw a middle aged couple getting out of their Toyota Corolla.  They are probably here to see the apartment but I understood I don’t need to be here until 8:30 so I thought I had time to get a quick bite at Fresco Pan.  About a block away I realized I didn’t have my fanny pack with me and thus no money.  Approaching the building who did I see but Jamie and Marta; so much for the chance for an early breakfast.  I let them all into the building and I understood the man wanted to see if his car would fit in the garage.  I went upstairs and got the step stool, in order to plug the garage door opener back in, and the garage door opener.  The car just barely fit.  I think he’ll need one of those things they sell in America that stops a car’s wheels at a precise location.  I brought them upstairs to see the 3 bedroom apartment.  

Marta told me Carmilo wasn’t coming today but would be here Saturday and I told her I was busy all day Saturday until about 4pm so we agreed on Sunday at 8am.

They all left to look at the roof so I locked up and walked over to Fresco Pan where I was surprised to see they had churros.  I had a churro and cup of coffee for less than 2mil.  Alfred said he makes them every day but either I haven’t looked for it often enough or they run out quickly.

I took a bus to Los Molinos where I got a trim (scissors only except for #4 attachment on my beard) from Juan and then went across the mall to Homecenter where I found an 8 pack of 13 Watt bulbs and an door mat for 33,900.  The price on the display rack for the bulbs was just under 70mil so with limited cash on me I had to choose between one or the other.  At the register the bulbs rang up as only 34,900 so after I paid I asked the cashier to hold my purchase and went back and got the door mat for 33,900.

Lunch was a BBQ hamburger and large soda at BK for 6,500.  This time there was another lady there with a smart phone who translated what they wanted to tell me which was that I get free refills on the soda.  I remember reading that on their soda machine some time ago but have never taken advantage of it.  I’m thinking that my ordering a large soda is unusual as most people probably order a medium and then go back for a refill.

I stopped at Jhon’s office on the way back for help with switching my Une account from apartment 201 to 301.  It turns out that Dylan’s name is on the account so Jhon called Reina to ask her to have Dylan switch it.  I also talked to Jhon about starting Spanish lessons and we settled on Monday thru Friday from 2pm-4pm for 100mil a week.  That eats up the savings from moving from 201 to 301 but I think it’s necessary.

Jhon recommended that I switch beds; putting the small one in the large bedroom and vice versa.  I told him that I wanted to try removing the legs of the large bed because I really wanted it in the large bedroom.

Back at the apartment I removed the front legs from the platform bed but it still wouldn’t fit.  It became obvious that even if I removed all the legs it still wouldn’t angle through the doorway.  So tomorrow morning, when it’s cooler, I’ll disassemble and reassemble the smaller fancy bed.  

Apartment 201 only had light sockets in the ceiling but 301 has nice light fixtures.  I began taking them down, washing the glass, putting in the 13W recommended bulbs.  When I got to the next to last one it fell from the ceiling only being held by the electric wires.  It looks like they tried to fasten it to the ceiling using a wood screw instead of a bolt.  I emailed Martha about the problem.

When I have my iPad upstairs it still picks up my apartment 201 Wi-Fi but doesn’t seem to find Marcela’s.  On my laptop down in 201 it does find Marcela’s network so maybe I can move it upstairs even before Une makes the switch.

Dinner was chile and a strawberry juice at El Comedo de Chava for 12,500.

I stopped in Exito to buy some floor cleaner and who did I see standing in the cleaning aisle but the cute young girl that used to work at Frisby in Mall de Laureles.  I asked her if she didn’t like chicken anymore and she motioned towards the Frisby in Viva mall so I guess she still eats it but in a different location.

Tuesday, February 25th, 2014

Yesterday I left the apartment at 4pm, had a Double Stack burger and large Pepsi at BK for 12,800 (with coupon) then took a Laureles 191 bus to the Stadium and was there by 6pm for the 6:30 match.  Brenda was there but she was busy so I just said a quick “how are you”, she thanked me and I left.  She wasn’t dressed up today as much as last Saturday but she still looked sexy.  I saw Juan and he emailed me this photo taken at the January tournament that they posted on Facebook.  

 As a result of the last tournament my rating went up slightly from 1693 to 1700.  Play didn’t start until about 6:45, I had a slight advantage throughout the game but I tied a player with a rating of 1563 which is interesting because I understood it was a class B tournament for those with a rating of 1600-1800.  I suppose he could have had a rating just above 1600 and it may have dipped down a little as the result of a recent tournament.

I waited for a bus from 9:30 to 9:45 and finally took a taxi for 6mil.

I went to bed at 11pm, had difficulty getting to sleep, got up at 5:30, took 2 Excedrin, and woke/got up at 7am.  

I had coffee and croissant at Los Mejores followed by coffee with Gonzalo at the Tinto store.  When Beatriz came out I went back to the apartment and got my laundry.  She should have it back on Friday.  A pretty lady with a nice figure walked by and Gonzalo believes she cleans houses in the area but isn’t married.  I might want to check that out if Brenda doesn’t pan out.  I stopped at Likkes and requested lunch to be delivered at noon then stopped next door long enough for a glass of orange juice.  

Olga showed up about 9 and we have been busy cleaning.  She helped me carry the guest mattress and headboard upstairs and I put them together.  Now I know I have a place to sleep while I try to figure out how to disassemble and reassemble the master bed.

Later Olga helped me carry up the small couch.  Jhon came by and helped me with the large mattress and platform bed.  One problem, we couldn’t fit it through the door with the legs on because of the turn that has to be made into the large bedroom.  There are 2 bedrooms, one a little bigger than the other so I put the small bed in the small bedroom.  The large bed would go through the door of the small room because it’s a straight run but I already have the small bed in there.  Tomorrow I’m going to try to remove some of the legs and see if I can get it through the bedroom door.  Most everything has been moved upstairs now.

I left the apartment about 4:15 and had the BBQ burger and a medium Pepsi at BK for 8800 (with coupon).  The cute young girl that I like to flirt with was working there tonight with a nice looking young man.  When I went to pick up the order they were trying to tell me something about the drink – “something mas” but I had no idea what the something was.  I looked at the drink and told them there is no room for “mas” but obviously that isn’t what they meant.  As I was leaving she was alone and I told her “you (informal) are cute” and she looked surprised and said thank you, and I continued “but the other man – I don’t know” and she laughed.

I stopped at the small watch repair store with my Seiko watch but I didn’t understand why he couldn’t fix it – it seemed like there were parts missing or something.

I waited about 15 minutes for a Laureles 191 bus and had to stand with many others.  I couldn’t believe the bus kept stopping for more people.  The last person on was standing in the doorway and they couldn’t even get the doors closed.  I was standing cheek to cheek (butt cheek) with a pretty young lady and staring down the cleavage of another one sitting in front of me.  Finally, by the time I got to the stadium enough people had left that I could squeeze my way to the back door.

Brenda was there looking pretty as usual even though she wasn’t dressed up.  Tonight I had the white pieces against a woman with a rating of 1643.  As I’m able to do about 90% of the time I was able to play my opening – tying up the center and getting a king side attack.  She made a move to exchange a couple pieces and I went one step further to sacrifice a rook for a knight.  From all the tactical exercises I had been doing on ChessMagnetSchool.com I felt there was a good chance of getting a mate.  She resigned about 3 moves later 1 move before I would mate her. 

I waited at the bus stop from 8:45 to 9pm and finally took a taxi home for 6mil.  I killed 2 cockroaches in the downstairs hallway.

Monday, February 24th, 2014

I went to bed at 10:45, it took a while to get to sleep, got up once during the night and finally woke/got up at 7am.

I had breakfast at Panaderia y Restaurante Laureles (Circular 74A #39B-117) the same restaurant my brother and I ate at a week ago.

Then it was just a 5 block walk down to UPB (Universidad Pontifica Bolivariana).  I showed my Cedula, they took my picture and directed me to go straight ahead, turn right and go to the red building - #9.  I was then directed to the 2^nd floor where there was a sign that identified it as the office of languages.  They sat me down at a table with 2 young ladies for a few minutes until the English speaking language coordinator would arrive to talk to me.  In the meantime in talking to the 2 college students I learned they were there to take the Level 10 test in English which they had to pass in order to graduate in April.  The petite cutest whitest one is majoring in Psychology and the taller more average looking one with darker skin is majoring in Economics; unfortunately I don’t remember their names.  We chatted for about 10 minutes until the coordinator arrived.  I wished the ladies good luck on their test and Gustavo gave me a flyer with information about their curriculum.  My class meets Monday thru Friday from 10am to noon and there are also extra free services including academic tutoring; conversation, grammar and culture clubs; and auditing of regular classes.  Their group class with 3-10 students costs 440,000 COP per month or $220.

They allowed me to sit in on the last hour of class consisting of 3 men and 3 women.  All but 2 ladies spoke English.  One tallish attractive lady was from Australia, one was from Brazil so her mother language was Portuguese.  One of the men, Dr. John, was from Chicago (Lincoln Park).  His specialty was orthopedic medicine and he took a year off to live here and learn the culture and Spanish.  

After class as I was leaving the building I ran into the 2 young ladies and they informed me they passed their test.  (I wonder if they waited for me to get out of my class to tell me that.)  The cuter one was crying because she was so happy and/or relieved.

The place definitely looks like a college campus with kids walking all over.  Their “quad” was tree covered with tables in the center and food booths on the outside edges.  I had my camera with me but forgot to take pictures.  Aargh!

I think I’ll talk to Jhon about private lessons – I think he charges 15mil an hour and it’s certainly much closer to home.

I caught a Simon Bolivar bus back to the apartment.

I moved some more things upstairs.

I have a chess tournament tonight at 6 or 6:30 so I’ll be leaving the apartment about 4pm, having dinner at Viva then taking a bus to the Stadium.

Sunday, February 23rd, 2014

I went to bed at 10:20pm, had difficulty getting to sleep and woke/got up at 8am.

I had breakfast at the hotel and the old man and the cute middle aged lady (minus the black woman) left soon after.

I was at Mall de Laureles copying my chess games into the new record books my brother brought for me.  I also read the 1^st 2 of 3 sections of a Chicago Tribune newspaper he brought for me.

For lunch I had the burrito wrap at Yummy’s and a small Pepsi for 13mil.  I wasn’t really sure how to eat it but it seemed pretty messy so I used a knife and fork.  It also came with a spiral potato chip on a stick.

I stopped at El Botón and the man fixed my fanny pack for 8mil; Paula wasn’t there.  I took some cash out of the ATM.  I saw Gloria and she asked me if I thought her daughter was cute – yes, of course.  Again she is asking me where my novia is and I keep telling her I don’t have a novia. 

I bought an 8” adjustable wrench (14,500), a set of work gloves (12,650) and a set of all cotton sheets for the (double) guest bed (149,900) at Exito.

For dinner I had another Napolitana pizza (the small size) and a Colombiana soda for 12mil.  They were out of Pepsi but this soda tasted great.  It’s like a strawberry soda.  The pizza was cut into 4 slices and I gave one to the same waitress that Jim and I treated to a slice last week.  A young couple came in, him followed by her, and it was obvious she was pissed at him about something.  It got a little uncomfortable sitting there as they made up so I left a few minutes early.  J 

I was able to dismantle the guest bed and carry the footboard and rails upstairs but I’m going to need help with the mattress and headboard.  I’ve also emptied the other things that were in the other 2 bedrooms and carried them upstairs.

Saturday, February 22nd, 2014

I went to bed at 10:15, fell asleep quickly but woke up about 4am, had trouble getting back to sleep then my brother woke me with a knock on the door at 5:40.

BTW, I added some pictures to yesterday’s posting, so guys, you WILL want to go back and look at it again.

The neighbor across the street, the taxi driver, was outside our building at 6:15 informing us that a friend would be there by 6:30.  He waited until his friend came, right on time, and we arrived at the airport by 7:15.  After checking in Jim’s luggage we had a leisurely breakfast at Kokoriko of scrambled eggs, 5 different types of bread/rolls, coffee, and orange juice.  

We walked around the airport until about 9am when Jim had to leave for his 9:28 scheduled flight.  He won’t be back for another year.  :-(

I took an airport bus back to the city and noticed the San Diego mall is approximately at Calle 38 & Carrera 46 about 2 blocks east of the metro – probably metro station Exposiciones.  About that same time I got a call from Marta but I let it go to voice mail because I wouldn’t understand her anyway.

I got off with all but 1 passenger 2 blocks north of Parque Berrio, got on a Simon Bolivar bus and was back at the apartment by 11am.  I exchanged a few things at the apartment and then caught a Laureles 191 bus by Los Mejores and was at the Chess League office by 11:30 where I invited Brenda to join me for lunch today.  (On the way I noticed a pizza restaurant named All Incontro Pizzeria that is on my list of pizza places to try.)  

Today Brenda’s boobs looked a little smaller than I remember but so did her butt and thighs.  She has a very dark tan, which I don’t mind, and she looked even cuter than I remembered.  She looked like she was poured into her jeans and I was eager to see them burst at the seams by the end of lunch because I can’t imagine there being any extra room in them.  Lol.  I think she said she could go to lunch at 12:30 so I hung around the area.  I saw Oscar again and he told me about a tournament that starts tomorrow for players rated 1600-1800 so I signed up for 20mil.  I also saw the lady that helped me talk to Brenda back in January.  Her name is Sondra and she was there with her 11 year old son and her friend Lilliana who also spoke some English.  Through them I learned the league has chess lessons, in Spanish, every Saturday from 9am to Noon for 45mil a month.  I talked to an instructor who spoke very little English and we decided I would just try to see if it would work for me without my being able to understand Spanish.  I need to be there Saturday at 8:30am.  At 12:30 Brenda told me she couldn’t go to lunch today because of the tournament but she would be able to go next Saturday, March 1^st.  I had my camera with me and I could have taken a few pictures while she was on the outside pay phone but I thought I would be getting pictures of her at the restaurant.

I caught the next Laureles 191 bus back, got off 1 block west of the bakery, walked ½ block north and stopped at a small watch repair store.  I showed him the band that came apart on my wristwatch and I understood he wanted me to go across the street to a shoe repair shop.  

At LM as I talked to Lucas I noticed the lady in her 40s that I’m attracted to was there with what I surmise to be her 2 20 year (appr.) sons. Unfortunately I didn’t ask Lucas about her until after I had my Chicken Combo #2 at Frisby and by then she was gone and he didn’t remember her.  I guess she didn’t make an impression on him.

I stopped at Heel Quik in Viva mall and they quickly reglued my watch band.  While it was drying the one lady there motioned that the other lady and I might want to get together but I’m not really interested.  They didn’t want to charge me anything but I gave them a 1mil tip anyway.  As I walked past El Botón I noticed another lady there instead of Paula.  

In Exito I bought a medium sized notebook for 1,740 to use for my personal Spanish notes.  I had a sales girl stand right next to me as I tried putting one after another into my Techbag to make sure I could find one that would fit.  As I was walking to the register she chased me down with my (Exito) umbrella that I had left behind.  Whew!  

I stopped at Jhon’s office for help with my voicemail messages but it was closed and he was nowhere in sight.  

Back at the apartment about 3:45 I heard voices downstairs.  There was a man on a motorcycle who I surmmised to be a realtor, an older couple and 2 ladies in their 30s.  I let them in and was surprised to find one of the ladies was Christina from next door, who speaks English, and her cousin Anna (Mile) who speaks even better English.  I showed them the apartment and after a while the realtor left and then the older couple.  It turns out that Christina and Anna weren’t with the realtor at all but just wanted to get an idea what apartments in the area cost because they want to get an apartment together.  Anna is a cute 33 years old special education teacher with shoulder length curly black hair.  When she heard that I’ve been here a year already and haven’t learned Spanish, she put her hands on her hips and started to, kiddingly I think, lecture me.  I said to her “Is my brother in there?  That’s all I heard from him this past week” but I promised to redouble my efforts to learn Spanish.  We all had some laughs, especially after I told them some of my jokes.

My brother had a 6 hour layover in Panama City so he took a little tour and sent me these pictures.

ships waiting to enter the canal

 

 For dinner I had a slice of ham & cheese pizza from Fresco Pan.

Friday, February 21st, 2014

Last night I went to bed at 10:30, had difficulty getting to sleep (too much soda late in the day), got up 3 times during the night, and woke/got up at 7am.

Jim went down to the Tinto store for coffee while I did my workout, showered, shaved, and dressed.

I met him there about 9:20 and Gonzalo insisted on showing me a new apartment.  It was about 2 blocks south and 3 blocks west in the Bronx building.  They have 2 bedroom apartments on the 3^rd and 4^th floor, but the bedrooms are smaller than what they have in my building on the 3^rd floor, they cost 1,000,000 pesos a month and they want me to pay 6 months in advance.  We told Gonzalo I already signed a contract for my building and I also gave my word I would stay for 6 months.  I confirmed with Margarita later in the day that I don’t need to sign a contract after I gave my word I would stay from March through the end of August.

We caught a bus to Los Molinos where Jim confirmed his flight tomorrow with COPA Airlines but they couldn’t print out his boarding pass because the printer was down.  We caught a bus back to Exito, stopped at the Golden Palermo Hotel and they gave him a business card for a taxi he can take to the airport for 60mil.  We stopped at LM and saw the 2 guys from New Jersey we met there previously.  The one guy introduced us to his brother from Spain. We said hello to the lady working at Gordog’s and then headed back to the apartment.

At the apartment we saw the taxi driver that lives across the street (with his cute wife) and he said he or a friend would give us a ride to the airport tomorrow morning at 6:30 for about 60mil.  His name is John Jairo and his cell phone number is 300 873 2751.

I want to cancel my telephone service (I don’t even own a home phone) but don’t know if my magicJack would work without it.  After reading all the instructions that came with it we plugged the phone jack into the outlet on the side of the laptop instead of the wall outlet and it worked fine.

We took a little nap for about an hour and about 1pm we walked east and south looking for an Italian restaurant Jim saw yesterday near Boongo but we couldn’t find it.  We ended up at a restaurant named Al Gusto on Avenida Nutibara (aka Transversal 39B) and Circular 71-86 across from UPB (University).   

They hadn’t been open very long but we had one of the best meals we’ve had in Medellin.  The owner’s name was George, he lived in Miami, and the place was partially under construction while we were there.  They are going to have rooms modeled after New York, Miami, and Las Vegas.  I had the medium sized order of ribs and 2 Cokes and Jim had the menu of the day and 2 beers for a total of 27,990 ($14).

We stopped next door at KOE (Knowledge of English) but the receptionist didn’t speak English and wasn’t much help but Jim left my name and number in case they might want to contact me.

We stopped at Sport Wings where Jim had a beer and I had a Coke and we watched some Winter Olympics competition.  Christian was there and seemed to be surprised and happy to see me.

We stopped at El Botón and the cute young lady was there and she wanted to know why I hadn’t been back in so long.  (She didn’t see me because I take a short cut through the garage behind their store.)  I think she’s interested in me but with a 7 year old son she’s probably only 25 years old - but damn she’s cute.

We stopped next door at the shoe repair shop and the lady there said I need to leave my fanny pack for 8 days and it would cost 8,500.

I checked the new US movie releases and Pompeii (6.3) and 3 Days to Kill (5.8) starring Kevin Costner look interesting.  In Medellin The Monuments Men starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman and Kate Blanchett (6.4) is playing.  Instructions Not Included (7.8) would probably be best for a date but I don’t see it playing anywhere with Spanish subtitles.

Jim’s taking a nap while I write up these notes and for his last night here he wants to go back to the Cuban restaurant La Bodeguita Havanera and hopefully hear some more live music while we have a little dinner.

We stopped at El Botón where we found out the cute young lady’s name is Paula and she’s 23 years old.  With a 7 year old son that means she got pregnant at 15!  She’d probably love to have a gringo father to support her and her son.

Beautiful flower on the way to dinner.

We had the same dinner in the same place as last Friday night – arepas rellenas at Maiz Trillao.  Jim had the Mexicana and I had the Ranchera.  We learned that the 20 something daughter is the owner of the restaurant and the mother just works there.  (Jim snuck a picture of the daughter (left in background) and mother.

Mother & daughter

The daughter looked much more impressive last week in dress and heels with her hair down!

We also learned that early next week they are moving the restaurant to a larger space near Ay Caramba!  

After dinner the band was taking a break at La Bodeguita Havanera so we just headed back to the apartment.  We need to be up at 5:30 to catch a taxi at 6:30 to be at the airport at 7:30 for Jim’s 9:30 flight.  I’m going with him to help kill some time during his 2 hour wait and then I’ll take the airport bus from there to downtown.

Thursday, February 20th, 2014

Last night I finally managed to add some pictures and video to the Sunday, February 16th (Santafe) and Tuesday February 18^th (Guatape) postings so you might want to go back and check them out.

I went to bed at 10:30, got up twice during the night, the buses woke me up at 4:50 and I finally got up at 6am.

As we were leaving the apartment Jim asked one of the guys down the street dressed in a Une uniform where their office is and he said Calle 30 and Carrera 65 and the phone number is 444-4141.

We had breakfast at Likkes: we each had beans with rice, scrambled eggs with tomato and pepper, buttered arepa, coffee, and orange juice for 10mil each.

We were back at the apartment by 9:15 and Marta and Jamie were here working on the upstairs apartment.  We met the owner of the other upstairs apartment – a young woman of about 30 named Marcela.  I understand she is an executive administrator for some high government official.  She said I could use her Wi-Fi until I get mine set up.  I saw a chessboard in her apartment but she says she doesn’t know how to play so I told her I would teach her.  Today we learned from Marta that: I don’t need to change the utilities at EPM – I just pay the February bill for the 2^nd floor apartment in March and after that I pay the 3^rd floor bills.  They will move the stove from the 2^nd floor up to the 3^rd floor.  I will move out next week with the help of Margarita’s neighborhood friend who supposedly understands a little English.  I don’t need to remove the plastic hooks or the curtain rod holders – just take the curtains and the rods.

I told them I would have the 2^nd floor apartment cleaned after I move out.

We took a Laureles 191 bus to the stadium and we thought we would invite Brenda to join us for lunch but we got there at 12:05 and the sign says the office is closed from noon to 2 and she wasn’t there.  We walked around the area and I bought an Atletico Nacional jersey for 35mil.   

soccer field

 No, this isn't the field where A/N plays.  Neither is it the building you see in the background.  It contains the basketball courts.  The Stadium is a larger building behind us.

About 1:15 we caught another bus and got off near the hotel we had a drink at yesterday.

We had lunch at a restaurant named Boongo about 2 blocks east of the hotel on Calle 35.  I had soup, cole slaw, chicken, rice, and 2 Cokes and Jim had sea bass with coconut rice and 2 beers for 14mil each.  There was a very attractive woman of about 30 sitting a couple of tables away – with her husband.  :-(

On our way to Mall de Laureles we stopped briefly at the Casa Hotel Sol de Laureles where we found they have small but tidy rooms for 92-110mil a night for 1 person which includes breakfast.

At Mall de Laureles we chatted with Lucas for a while.  We recently found out the other man that works there is his brother Andres but he doesn’t speak English.  We both had a single scoop ice cream cone – coconut – and Jim bought what looked like a smoothie for the woman that works at Gordog’s.  We think her name is Magali.

We walked over to the Tinto store where Jim is teaching Jessica a little English.  We have been unsuccessful thus far in getting a picture of her – she’s camera shy – but not from a lack of trying.

We were back at the apartment by 4:30 so the realtor could show the apartment to an older couple.  The prospective buyer worked in Nebraska for 9 years so he spoke English.  

For dinner we had the Napolitana pizza at Pizza Americana.  It was a thin crust pizza with sliced tomato, double cheese and oregano.  The large size was on sale with a 1.5 liter bottle of soda for 22mil.  Jim and I stuffed ourselves with 3 slices each after we gave one to the waitress.  Since I don’t have a refrigerator we gave her what was left of the soda.

Yes, they deliver.

So far this is the best pizza I've had in Medellin!

Jim had a rum and Coke at LM where we once again ran into the woman from Branson, Missouri.  Tonight we met her son Danny (Martinez) who speaks perfect English and Spanish too.

I’ve noticed the cashier at Gordog’s (Magali) has shown an interest in me – either that or she’s just overly friendly.  Tonight she even winked at me.