Saturday, July 16th, 2016

Teresa got up about 6 something and I was surprised I fell back asleep and didn’t get up until 9:30.  Only made possible by the fact the guys aren’t working outside on the sidewalk.

It’s another overcast morning.

I received the following email from the US embassy in Bogota: The U.S Embassy informs U.S. citizens that a trucker’s union strike that began in June has the potential to continue.  There have been violence as well as transportation and shipping disruptions associated with this strike.  The trucker’s union announced that they intend to block all of Bogota’s vehicular entry and exit points.  While that has not yet happened, some roads outside of Bogota are impassable because of the strike.  The Colombian government has indicated it will increase security patrols on highways and roads.  U.S. citizens in Colombia should monitor local media for updates on the strike and road conditions.

Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence.  Avoid areas where demonstrations are taking place and exercise caution when in the vicinity of any large gatherings, protests, or demonstrations.

The Colombian Peso closed for the week at 2,923 to the Dollar.

Things I forgot to mention: a few days ago when I was out the lady who got us the curtains stopped by and Teresa paid her the remaining 220,000 pesos; after each person played their game against the International Master they were allowed to keep the chess set.  It came in a nice cylindrical container that holds the plastic board and all the pieces.  I plan to take it to my next game with Dario to keep in his office so in the future all I’ll have to bring is the chess clock.

We left the apt at 11:30 to go to Santafe mall so Teresa could continue her search for a suitable bathing suit.  For the record I asked Teresa if I should bring an umbrella and she said no.  I asked Teresa if she had the blouse with her that she wanted to exchange and I understood from her reaction that she forgot it.  On the way 5 gringas (American women) and 1 gringo (American man) got on about a mile from Santafe CC.  They got off with Teresa at the mall and I continued on to MBE.

I noticed a sign on a building that said it was 21 degrees Celsius which is 82 degrees fahrenheit.  

At a red light near the MBE office, a man ran into the street, quickly hooked up a line and balanced himself on it with a ball balanced on his head while he juggled 3 other balls.  Then he got off, unhooked everything and went to each car and bus collecting change.  He did all that in the 1 minute or so that the light was red.

Just as I walked into the MBE office some rain drops started.  The usual ladies weren’t there but a young man looked through some paperwork and told me there isn’t anything for me.  I told him I received an email that I have a package to pick up.  He looked through the packages themselves and finally found it.  I was expecting a box a little wider.

I walked outside and it was raining but I found some shelter under a small tree for the 2 minutes it took for my bus to arrive.  When I got off across the street from Santafe it was pouring but I found shelter with a few other ladies under the canopy of a tienda while we waited for the walk sign to come on so we could cross the street.  There were rivulets in the road as we crossed.  By the time I got in the mall, running as fast as I could uphill, I was a little wet.

I found Teresa in Zara and gave her my sunglasses to put away in the case in her purse.  I didn’t think I would be needing them again for awhile.

Teresa found her bathing suit at St. Even for 95,900 (about $33). 

We had lunch at J & C Delicias for 63,100 (about $22) – large lasagna and strawberry juice for me and the usual surf & turf arepa with strawberry juice for her.  I took out my Chess book and threw away the box.

By the time we left the restaurant it was really pouring hard and in spots it was feeling a little cool.  We went down to the 1^st floor where we saw a long line for the taxis.  We stopped at a little shop called Casa de Azucar (House of Sugar) where I had a café con leche and a slice of strudel.  Teresa tried it but she doesn’t like raisins.  She noticed they sell tiramisu so she ordered a slice and I helped her with it.  The total check came to 12,800 (about $4.50).

The rain had stopped so we got in a short taxi line back to the apt.

We started watching The Negotiator (7.3) on Netflix.

T-shirt of the day: Bye Johnie football.