Thursday, July 16th, 2015

I slept well only getting up twice during the night.

We left the finca at 10:45, got past the killer dogs undetected and were right away got on a bus to Aguacatala.  We took a bus about a mile to the Ragged outlet store.  After about 30 minutes Teresa picked out a blouse and 3 pairs of shorts for 186,100 (about $76).

We took another bus to the Immigration office in Belen.  We walked past the entrance I used to go to in past years.  I suggested Teresa ask the guard if this is now the entrance but she declined.  We walked around to the other side and found the door closed and locked.  We walked back to the first side while I gave Teresa a hard time about not asking them in the first place.  The guard let us in but we didn’t go into the building I used to go to but we went in through a back entrance to the new office.

We spoke to a young lady receptionist there, Ana Milena Mosquera, who spoke a little English.  With her little English and my little Spanish I learned: I don’t need to renew my Cedula until December because the Colombian order doesn’t apply to my status as a pensioner; I don’t need a lawyer to renew my visa.  She even gave us her name and cell phone number just in case she isn’t there when we return in December.  Wow, was she nice!  Not only do I save myself 162 mil (about $64) but a lot of running around for photos and photocopies.  Not to mention I will save about 1 million pesos at the end of the year if she’s correct.

We took a taxi to Unicentro and had lunch in the Exito cafeteria for 18,950 (about $7) which also included an extra portion of meat for Teresa.

After lunch we went across the street and found the pottery shop Jardin closed with a sign that said they will return in 30 minutes.

We walked across the street where Teresa checked out a store where we had met one of her friends previously.  We also stopped in a store named La Reina where I saw they sell red yarn which I like to use to identify my luggage.

Forty minutes later I noticed the door was open so we went back to the pottery shop.  They only had one mirror left in stock but it was a plain one.  The lady working there said they will be closing the store in late August but she may have more decorative mirrors late this month and she will give us a call.  

We stopped at Colsechas where we each had a juice for 9,800 pesos.

We stopped in Exito where we picked up a few things.

We took a taxi to Aguacatala station and soon were on a direct bus back to the finca.  We got past the killer dogs undetected and just before dark.

Teresa told me she has to leave with Laura tomorrow at 5:30 in the morning for a school meeting; something to do with plans for Laura’s school trip to Cartagena.

I set the alarm on my cell phone for 5:30am and 8:30am.

I took my sleeping pills at 10:15pm and went to bed.

T-shirt of the day: Excuses suck.