Monday, January 30, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:30, got up 3 or 4 times during the night, finally waking/getting up at 6:45am.

I see K.C. beat Cincinnati 23-20 last night, so it’ll be the Philadelphia Eagles vs the Kansas City Chiefs in the Superbowl in Arizona on February 12^th.

Jim texted me he was on the metro approaching the Envigado station so I walked to Las Chachas in Parque Envigado where I found him waiting for me. A block away Jim found a stand where they make fresh orange juice. While waiting for him I observed a golden lab sniffing around the area. His owner soon arrived and we were shocked to see her feeding it fruit. Besides the pineapple, papaya they were sharing she said it also eats avocado.

We continued on to Todo Drogas where I bought my medications for the month for 185,605 ($40) and Jim bought a couple things that are much less expensive here than in the stats.

We walked to La Buena Mesa where we had coffee at one of their outside tables.

We agreed to meet for dinner tonight at 7pm at Hatoviejo (Calle 16 #28-60). It’s a Polynesian looking building we see every time we come down Las Palmas from the airport and we say we must have dinner there sometime.

Teresa agreed but she insisted on meeting at 7:30 because traffic is too heavy earlier.

At 6pm she asked me to get dressed. I reminded her we’re not leaving until 7pm so I have plenty of time. She reminded me again at 6:30 so I dressed and started ordering a Didi for 12mil. After 10 minutes of searching gave up and switched to InDrive. I couldn’t get it to allow me to enter my destination until I added it as a midway point. I offered 20mil for the ride and it was immediately accepted. We left just before 7pm and arrived at Hatoviejo at 7:15. Jim arrived at 7:30.

Teresa had her usual salmon which she said was delicious and I ordered the solomito (steak) with backed potato and mine was delicious also.

We had a churro with ice cream for dessert which was great also.

The total bill for Teresa and I was 165mil ($35).

We easily ordered a Didi to return us to the apt.

I went to bed at 10pm.

I had just laid down when Teresa came in the bedroom and informed me she didn’t have her cellphone and we needed to call the Didi driver. I started going through the usual process of restarting my phone and calling her number just to make sure it wasn’t in the house when she came back and informed me she found it. Sigh!

 

Today I got in 5,131 steps.

 

Fun pix

Sunday, January 29, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, got up once at 1:15, again at 6am, finally waking/getting up at 7am.

At 8:30 I started the process of requesting a ride. I arrived by Didi at D’Andre restaurant and it was just a couple blocks walk to Pergamino Café. Jim soon arrived and then Glenn with Bianca. We chatted while having breakfast with coffee. Glenn wants to see The Fabelmans in Cine Colombia. Jim gave me a “pizza hat” to gift to Gloria at Antica Pizza. He was on his way to Pueblito Paisa on Cerro Nutibara and Glenn and I shared a taxi back to Envigado.

I stopped in Mercado Madrid where I bought a carton of 18 eggs for 18,500 before returning to the apt.

I had a small bowl of lentil soup to tide me over until the 3pm game.

Jim leaves February 2^nd and Laura arrives February 8^th.

Jim texted me he was in Viva Envigado and Sport Wings was going to be showing the game. I took a Didi and met him there by 2:45. Jim and I shared a plate of nachos

 and later he had 6 chicken wings.

The game wasn’t very good with the final 31-7 Philadelphia Eagles over SF 49ers. I took a taxi back to the apt and Jim went across the street to catch a Didi. My driver spoke good English and I learned he has a daughter in the US Marines and a nephew in the US Army. Jim and I are going to meet up again tomorrow morning where we’re going to Todo Drogas to buy medications and the we’ll have coffee in La Buena Mesa.

I logged into Charles Schwab and a message said, “We have updated your account with the Travel Notice you provided. 1/27/23 – 7/4/23”. So, all looks good. We’ll soon see if my CS debit card works with an ATM here; and if it still is good 2 weeks from now.

Teresa was watching something on TV so I watched the game on my laptop. It was the 3^rd quarter and the K.C. Chiefs had just gone up 20-13 when I got tired and started my sleep procedure. I went to bed at 9:30.

 

Today I got in 2,644 steps.

 

Fun pix

 

Saturday, January 28, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, got up once at 1:15, again at 6am, finally waking/getting up at 8am.

I left the apt at 10am and walked to Smartfit where I had a 10-minute wait for a bus. In the meantime, my brother texted me to meet him at Mija, a café across the street from Hija Mia. We both spent some time trying to find a ride using Didi, Uber, and InDrive to El Retiro with no luck. We ended up taking a Didi to San Diego mall where we had a 15-minute wait for an El Retiro bus. We each got one of the few remaining seats. Traffic was crawling for the first few minutes getting out of Medellin. We arrived at El Retiro about an hour after we started. The bus dropped us off a couple blocks from the park. The park has been remodeled quite a bit with tiled walkways. We first stopped another block away for coffee.

We returned to the park and settled on this nice 2^nd floor restaurant named Central.

It had an interesting interior with some collectibles on the walls.

I had this delicious burger and fries for lunch.

Jim was looking for the potato chip vendor and we finally found them inside one of the nearby buildings.

I thought these “lending libraries” near the park were interesting.

We walked down the hill to the bus stop where we found a bus just leaving for Medellin. The return trip was about 45-50 minutes. We went across the street where I made a trip to the restroom. Back outside we were quickly in a taxi that first dropped Jim off at his hotel then my apt in Envigado.

Teresa informed me she wanted to go for pizza. I ordered a Didi and we left at 7:30 for Antica Pizza. While sitting at the counter facing the kitchen a muchacho 4 feet away caught Teresa’s attention and made a gesture which I understood meant that she had a pretty face. Gloria told him to be careful because her husband is a gringo. 😊

We bought pastries for the porteros before returning to the apt by taxi.

 

Today I got in 5,344 steps.

 

Fun pix

Friday, January 27, 2023

Last night I went to bed at midnight, got up once at 6:30, finally waking/getting up at 8:30.

I walked to the mall where I found (finally) a Gente newspaper. I bought a blueberry muffin at Starbucks and took it to Urbania where I ate it with a latte. Teresa called and asked me to pick up apples, cilantro, and garlic at Exito. I returned to the apt by taxi.

Charles Schwab emailed me that I have a message. I logged on and it merely confirmed my 1/27/23 – 7/4/23 Travel Notice. Not sure if that means it’s been accepted.

Teresa had a massage appointment for 4:30 so I left at 4:15 and walked to the mall.

I bought 1 ticket to The Fabelmans which starts at 5:35 in theater #5. I sat in their open area until 5:15, made a final trip to the restroom, bought a hotdog, smallest popcorn and small soda which all came with a small chocolate bar. There are two theatres identified as #5, one downstairs in the Platinum area and another upstairs. Carrying my tray of food I asked an usher at the entrance to the Platinum area which theater and as I suspected it was the one upstairs. Upstairs theater #4 had the sign for The Fabelmans and #5 was for Avatar. I went back downstairs and explained that to the same usher. She assured me #5 was correct. I went back up and the signs (electric) were now just ads. I went in and up the stairs to my seat and it was all the way in the corner, not next to the aisle as I assumed. Note to self: for future matinees, which are usually close to empty anyway, choose a middle seat. I checked my Runpee app and the most logical pee time was at the 1:22.45 mark when there is a closeup of the car license plate: 360-QXT. The hot dog was the driest one I’ve ever had; In the future I’ll smuggle in a BBQ roastbeef sandwich. I really liked the movie even though it was 2 ½ hours long and I managed to get through it without a trip to the restroom.

I returned to the apt by taxi and gifted the chocolate bar to the first portero I saw.

Teresa informed me her masseuse never showed up.

 

Today I got in 6,201 steps.

 

Fun pix

Thursday, January 26, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:30, got up once at 2:15, finally waking/getting up at 6:30.

Teresa has to pick up her medication this morning so I’ll be on my own for breakfast.

Marcos texted me that he has a cold so we won’t be meeting for coffee today.

I had breakfast in Los Porteños, bought a package of 4 sesame seed bagels in Eduardo Madrid, and bought a bag of milk in the small store before returning to the apt.

New Cine Colombia movies opening today in Viva Envigado:

The Fabelmans (7.7) is playing at 2pm and 5:35pm.

Also, Babylon (7.4; 3 hours) is now playing at 5:20pm.

I think I’d like to see both of these.

I called Teresa at 1:15 and learned I’ll be on my own for lunch. I walked to Gasto y Cansor where I ordered Milanesa de Pollo

Not exactly what I was expecting but that’s all right.

Nobraska texted me that I have some documents to pick up. I told her I’d be there in a few minutes. My documents ended up being a New in Chess magazine and 2 envelopes. The latter turned out to be duplicate 1099’s for one of my pensions.

I returned to La Buena Mesa and arrived at Antonio’s Gelato at the wrong time, just after 3pm. #1, school had just let out and high schoolers were mingling around the store, #2, the sun was low enough that it was just starting to creep across the outdoor tables. I had a medium cup of strawberry and Oreo cookie.

I returned to the apt and finished watching Narvik on Netflix.

Carlos picked arrived at 5:45 and we picked up Jim in his hotel just after 6pm. We arrived at the stadium area by 7:30. We waited downstairs while Carlos parked his car on the 7^th level of the Obelisco parking garage. We stopped in the packed mall where Carlos and Jim had a beer.

We walked across the street where there were several single file entrances to the stadium area. Carlos was frisked but for some reason Jim and I not. (Maybe Carlos has a reputation. 😊) We stopped at an inner kiosk where we sat for a few minutes and Carlos and Jim had another beer.

Inside we had pretty good seats close to the southern end of the stadium. (I remember once being told not to sit in the south end if I every went to a soccer game in the stadium.) The fans there were jumping, chanting, singing and it continued throughout the 90-minute match.

Before the match started, I noticed a vendor selling potato chips and drinks. I asked if he had Margarita original chips but he only had lemon flavored. He confirmed that I wanted them, left his tray with a few snacks next to me and disappeared. He returned 5-10 minutes later and sold me the chips for 12mil. (The next day in line at Exito I priced them at 4mil.) I shared them with Jim and Carlos. At halftime, still 0-0, Carlos and made a trip to the restroom and got in one of the longest lines I’ve ever seen but at least it moved rather quickly.

Atletico Nacional scored in the 2^nd half. (I would have been pissed if the match ended 0-0.)

I ordered an ice cream in the second half and again the guy disappeared for a while and returned with a Mora (blackberry) flavored popsicle for 7mil.

The match ended with an Atletico Nacional 1-0 win. Carlos returned Jim to his hotel and me to my apt. We each kicked in 10mil and 20mil respectively towards gas.

Today I got in 5,722 steps.

 

Fun pix

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 3:15, finally waking/getting up at 6:30.

We left at 11am and took a private car to the airport for 35mil.

Our Viva Air flight was scheduled to take off at 1:14pm. After we went through TSA we found takeoff had been delayed to 2:04pm. They missed my portable scissors again. 😊

They really didn’t have any restaurants at this small airport so Teresa and I each had a blueberry yogurt muffin and a latte in Juan Valdez which also gave me a wifi connection.

The three of us sat in the first row of the Viva Air jet and there was a pug-type dog lying down in front of the owner’s feet in the 2^nd row. The dog was so tranquil you wouldn’t know it was there if you hadn’t seen it. We landed about 45 minutes later than our original schedule.

Carlos picked us up and dropped us all off at our apt. He had bought tickets to the soccer match for the 3 of us and we reimbursed him the 360mil ($75) it cost.

Back at the apt I turned our water back on and I found my metal toothpick holder; I had forgotten to take it with me.

Jim took a Didi to his hotel, Dann Carlton Bilfort, and Teresa and I walked to Otra Parte where we had a 5pm supper.

I tried on the XL t-shirt and it must be a small. 😊 Teresa suggested I gift it to Alejandro.

I requested a CS Travel Notice from 1/27/23 until 7/4/23. We’ll see if that works.

Today I got in 3,548 steps.

 

Fun pix

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 3:15, finally waking/getting up at 7am.

Laura wants to come here with Teresa so I sent her some photos and an estimate of $800 for 2 people, airfare, hotel and food for 3 nights.

I got a little burned yesterday so today I mainly hung around the hotel with Teresa working seriously on her tan. (I don’t like SPF cream or other greasy things on me so I usually just avoid the sun by walking in the shade. I guess I wasn’t careful enough yesterday.)

I saw a lot of coconuts in the palm trees and Jim explained someone comes every year to take them down so they don’t fall and injure guests.

I saw this huge iguana cross the lawn and I barely got these photos of him as he was a little shy. You’ll have to zoom in to see him.

Today I got in 849 steps.

 

Fun pix

Monday, January 23, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 3:15, finally waking/getting up at 7am.

We all met for breakfast, included free with the hotel, at 8am.

Jim and I returned to Parque de los Novios and it had changed greatly from last night. Almost everything was dead. We walked to another park, Parque Bolivar?, and I purchased an XL t-shirt for only 15mil. We walked to the boardwalk but it was almost completely exposed to the sun.

We caught a taxi to Restaurante Burukuka in Rodadero but the car broke down a mile from our destination. Many times he restarted it but it would die as soon as he put it in gear. Finally he got it started and dropped us off at the restaurant. It had a beautiful view and we had a drink on their patio and enjoyed the view.

Jim had an appetizer but I waited until we returned to the hotel where I had lunch.

In the evening we paid 18mil to take us all to another Donde Chucho, this one in Rodadero. This location was smaller and all inside. After, we walked a couple blocks away to the sea where there was some action on the boardwalk. We returned to the hotel by taxi.

Today I got in 3,770 steps.

 

Fun pix

Sunday, January 22, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up once at 3:15, finally waking/getting up at 7am.

Jim decided to come to my apt early so I texted Carlos to come straight to my apt to pick us all up at 9:30. While the others were waiting for the elevator I turned off the water to our apt.

We had told Carlos we wanted to see a soccer match and he informed us that Atletico Nacional opens their new season against Manizales next Thursday. We asked him to buy tickets for the 3 of us and we would treat him.

At the airport TSA confiscated Teresa’s manicure scissors. My metal toothpick holder is missing but at least they missed my portable scissors.

Our Viva Air flight was scheduled to take off at 11:56 and was only a few minutes late.

The flight was only a little over an hour and we landed on time by 1:15.

We had arranged to be picked up and taken to our hotel, Casa Verano Hotel Boutique by private driver for 35mil. The driver informed us that it hadn’t rained there since November.

We dropped off all our things and had lunch by their pool.

For 20mil we took a taxi to Parque de los Novios in Santa Marta and explored the area a bit. 

We finally settled on the outdoor restaurant Donde Chucho.

There was a line and we had to wait about 30 minutes to get in. I had their lasagna pomodoro. There were 4 cats hanging around the area including this one with the cat bird seat.

On the way back to the hotel I counted 12 chiva buses. I learned they charge 20mil for 90min and there are 4 bar stops.

 

Today I got in 2,931 steps.

 

Fun pix

Saturday, January 21, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 10:45, got up once during the night, finally waking/getting up at 7:30.

My brother called and we made plans to meet for lunch at Porci Carnes in Sabaneta at 1pm.

At 12:40 I ordered a Didi which arrived 5 minutes later. The driver’s Waze app proceeded to guide him around the block instead of doing a u-turn. 😊 Traffic was heavy due to a couple of fender benders until we got over the bridge past Viva Envigado. Jim was waiting for me when I arrived just after 1pm. We each had their ribs which included a little salad, 2 patacones and an arepa. The last 2 being inedible by gringos. My ribs plus a Coke was 24mil ($5.25).

We walked to Parque Sabaneta and checked out Viejo John, one of the best (low bar) restaurants in town. Around the corner we took a seat at an outside bar.  We decided we would go to Wilson’s bar tonight for supper as Jim hasn’t been there the last couple of visits. At 3pm I felt a raindrop, then another, then it started raining. I put up my small umbrella while Jim took shelter under trees in the park. It started coming down harder with a slight breeze and I had to move inside the restaurant with the others. In the meantime, Jim moved inside the church. The rain lessened considerably and Jim moved inside with me. We decided to call it a day and I walked a block away where I caught a taxi back to the apt.

Teresa didn’t want to eat at Wilson’s so we decided to meet at Black Pepper at 8pm.

At 6pm Teresa tells me she wants to go to the mall and buy a 2-piece swimsuit so she could get more of a tan. I asked, “why did you wait until the last minute to decide you wanted a 2-piece”? She told me she was going to buy one earlier when she was with her mother at the mall but she forgot. She called Esmeralda who I understand is going to help her choose one at a store on the border of La Buena Mesa and we’ll meet up at the restaurant at 8pm.

Teresa left at 6:30 and called me at 7:30 to meet them at Percimon across from Black Pepper. I dressed and left and walked to Percimon where the ladies were seated at an outside table. My brother soon arrived, we said goodbye to Esmeralda, and we took an outside table at Black Pepper. Teresa and I shared their Grill Mix, she had a rum with water, and I a limonada de coco for a total of 155,913 ($34), including tip. Jim had grilled chicken and a double rum and water.

Jim went to check out Antonio’s Gelato down the street and we returned to the apt.

Today I got in 3,506 steps.

 

Fun pix

Friday, January 20, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 11:15, got up once during the night, finally waking/getting up at 6:45.

It was exactly 10 years ago today I left the US and retired to Medellin, Colombia!

I ordered a Didi to take Teresa to the mall for a gym class. I left at 8:30 and walked to the mall. For breakfast in Al Alma I ordered their French toast with fruit. They first brought me a cup of fruit. The French toast with caramelized strawberries and bananas was huge but I did my best to finish it with the help of 2 lattes. The bill came to 36,200 ($8) including tip.

I looked in Exito for a Gente newspaper but didn’t find one. I made a large ATM withdrawal because I’m going to need to pay my brother back in Colombian pesos for the Santa Marta flight and hotel he’s already paid for. I had a latte in Urbania. Teresa called at 11:30 and asked me to pick up lettuce. In Exito (still no Gente newspapers) I bought a large pack of MPs, a bag of GUM Flossers, and a head of lettuce and returned to the apt by taxi.

Interestingly, I see the same ultraviolet lights on the 2^nd floor ceilings of Ikea so maybe that’s just temporary for workers.

I received the following message from USAA:

“We are pleased to inform you that the dispute has been resolved in your favor, and the credit previously applied to your account is now permanent along with any applicable interest in fees.

MERCHANT NAME         DATE            AMOUNT

Microsoft subscription       12/28/22        $99.99.

No further action is needed on your part.” 😊 😊 😊

 

The chica showed up at 2:40 for Teresa’s massage.

My brother texted me his flight from Panama has been delayed 30 minutes so Carlos is going to pick me up at 5pm. I heard thunder so I told him to pick me up earlier if it starts raining. He picked me up at 4:45 amid a few raindrops on the way to the car but they soon stopped.

We arrived at the airport at 6pm the same time he was landing. Carlos and I had a latte at Juan Valdez and took a seat at one of their counters right outside the arrival gate. He said he’s in a long line at immigration. When he was waiting for his suitcase, he said 2 planes had unloaded at the same time. Jim finally came out about 7pm.

We took his suitcase and backpack to the car and loaded it in and were on our way.

Carlos took a back way to downtown Envigado then headed south to Sabaneta and up into the hills to Hacienda de Extramadura. We were told we only had 15 minutes before the kitchen closed so I paid Carlos 350mil so he could leave, we put Jim’s bags in his room and hustled down the hill to the banquet hall. It’s a very large space but only a couple small tables were occupied. Jim ordered a vegetable soup and something else and I ordered the chicken shish kebab and a Coke.

We’re going to meet in Parque Sabaneta tomorrow at 1pm for lunch.

I ordered a Didi to return me to the apt for 11,255.

I showed Teresa all the goodies my brother brought us, including salted-in-the-shell peanuts and 3 bottles of root beer, before I could go to bed. 😊

Today I got in 6,074 steps.

 

Fun pix

Thursday, January 19, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up twice during the night, finally waking/getting up at 7:45.

Teresa showed me a nose trimmer she bought but I couldn’t figure out how to open it to get to the battery compartment.

New Cine Colombia movies opening today:

Impending Disaster aka The Rescue (8.4) 8:30 in VE

Babylon (7.4; 3 hours) 9:15 in VE; 4pm & 8:15 in Oviedo.

Agent Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (6.7)

Terrifier 2 The Sinister Clown (6.2)

Simone: The Woman of the Century (7.1) in French?

The Ring 4: The Awakening (4.7) in Japanese?

 

Plus:

M3GAN (6.6) 9pm in VE; Los Molinos 3:30.

Teresa left at 9:30 to have her eyelashes repaired and I left a few minutes later.

I had a café con leche in Parva. Teresa called me at 12:30 and told me she’s hungry so she’s having lunch now in La Bahia. I went to Clap Burger where I had their juicy burger and a Coke. I returned to the apt and at 2:30 Teresa called and asked me to meet her in Crepes & Waffles for coffee. I demurred but soon called her back and told her to give me 20 minutes. On my way I saw they are installing a Servibanca ATM at the gas station. At the mall I went up to the 3^rd floor and walked through Crepes & Waffles but didn’t see her. I called her and she told me she’s at the 1^st floor location (ice cream only). I guess she couldn’t see me come in the main entrance because there is an auto display in the way.

After I cooled off some, Teresa, MT and I went to Urbania where we each had a latte and the ladies shared a slice of apple pie. Teresa showed me how to open the nose trimmer and I put an AA battery inside. Again, I had a problem paying the bill of 33,100 pesos. I gave the girl a 50mil bill and 100 pesos and she gave me back 16,900. I had to ask for the other 100 pesos and explain to her that I’m a mathematician. 😊 I stopped in Cine Colombia to check on something and learned that their Desastre Inminente aka The Rescue wasn’t the cave rescue I thought it was but an oil platform fire rescue. The main difference was it would be in Chinese with Spanish subtitles. So glad I checked. I paid for something for Teresa in Linea Estetica then we left by taxi. On our way to drop off MT I noticed the 1^st floor of the new Ikea store is parking so the store will be on the 2^nd and 3^rd floors.

I think we’re going to see M3GAN tonight at 9pm if it isn’t raining and we’re not too tired.

I paid 10mil for an InDrive ride to the mall at 7:30. I bought 2 preferred seats to M3GAN for 9pm. We went upstairs and she had a bowl of something at Vinagreta and I had a Subway sandwich and we shared a bottle of water. Back downstairs I bought their smallest popcorn and soda which comes with a Jet chocolate bar.

The movie was very good, I would give it 8 stars out of 10. Walking to the Home Center exit we found a taxi to take us back to the apt.

I was in bed by 11:15.

 

Today I got in 7,892 steps.

 

Fun pix

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up at 1:15, and couldn’t fall back asleep because I was thinking about making a speech at my daughter’s wedding. At 4am I gave up and did some work on the computer before returning to bed at 4:45. I woke up at 6am, set an alarm for 7:15 and went back to sleep. When I woke up, I took my shower, dressed and walked to Los Porteños. I ordered for Teresa and she joined me just before the food arrived.

She went on to Mayorca mall for a gym class and I returned to the apt.

I met Marcos and his cousin Marshall at Maca at 10am. A muchacho came out and explained he can’t put the tables and chairs out until the chica arrives in 20 minutes so we walked down the street and had coffee at Bunuelos. Marshall is from southern Ohio and I mentioned some of my ancestors were dirt farmers during the depression in Rutland, Ohio. He knew exactly where that is. Marcos informed me he bought bagels in Habia Una Vez and they were the best he’s had in Medellin. He again pushed for us to visit Playa Rodadero when we are in Santa Marta. While there I noticed I had an email containing my Tigo/Une bill. Wow, it went down from about 102mil to 66,335.

I went to $efecty where I paid the Tigo/Une bill. Last month the Direct TV bill was 152,100 pesos so I was surprised when the woman said it was now 304,200 pesos. That’s double. I checked and I had the receipt for December so I know I paid it. It was too much of a coincidence that it had doubled so I only paid 152,100 pesos. If there’s a problem, I’ll let Teresa deal with it.

I bought a couple bags of milk in Mercado Madrid before returning to the apt.

Teresa wanted me to go to Arkadia mall with her to have her eyelashes fixed. I refused. She called and talked to the lady working there and it sounds like she’s not going after all.

The massage girl arrived at 4:25 and left at 5:05 when a downpour started. It soon turned into a strong lightning storm but ended 30 minutes later.

I finished constructing my Jobava London System repertoire on ChessBase 16.

Esmeralda arrived at 6:30. The ladies chatted until about 7:30 then we left for pizza. I thought we were walking to Esmeralda’s car but they turned and entered the porteria. Teresa said something about ordering a car but then hailed a taxi across the street. We had our usual pizza at Gloria’s and I learned her husband’s name is Ramon. We walked down the hill and picked up a couple pastries for our porteros. We had about a 5-minute wait to catch a taxi back to the apt. I gave Teresa 20mil for the taxi to continue on and take Esmeralda to the Ayura station.

 

Today I got in 3,30 steps.

 

Fun pix

Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:15, got up once at 12:15, again at 4am with a fit of hiccups that ended as soon as I made my trip to the bathroom, waking/getting up at 6:30.

At 7am a loud generator started up next door but it only lasted 15 minutes. Fifteen minutes later it started again but this time only lasted 5 minutes.

I walked to the mall and Jose was waiting for me. I had the usual breakfast at Habia Una Vez that used to cost me 16,500 pesos but today for some reason was 20,900. I remember the chica asked if I wanted a large orange juice. I’ve never been asked that before. I said, “large”, so maybe that was the difference in price? A woman came in wearing a facemask and started talking to Jose. When she left I asked who that was and he said, “Maritza”. I said, “she changed her hair”, and he agreed.

We went upstairs and played 2 games and I won both. 😊 He complimented my endgame play in the 2^nd game and said I usually mess it up. Later the computer said I played both games, “very precise”. The earliest we will play again is in 3 weeks.

I went to Only Roastbeef and ordered a large BBQ sandwich to go for 23,700 ($5). Downstairs all the seats were taken at Urbania so I went to Todo Fresa where I ate my sandwich with a latte.

What is it with guys who don’t use the urinal but won’t raise the seat in the stalls? Now I try to choose stalls where the seat is raised as it usually means it recently has been cleaned. (I think women clean the restrooms every 2 hours.)

I walked back to the apt reaching my 4,000-step goal for the day.

Teresa mentioned she wanted to go to Gloria’s for pizza tonight but a downpour started at 5:15.

I chatted with a CS rep from Dallas, TX to find out how to see my debit card transactions: I need to select Account then Transactions.

I checked The Weather Channel and we’re supposed to have moderate storms through 9pm. The downpour lessened by 7:45 but by then I decided it was too late to go for pizza. The rain stopped about 30 minutes later.

 

Today I got in 4,076 steps.

 

Fun pix

Monday, January 16, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, got up once at 3:30, finally waking/getting up at 6:30.

Teresa asked me to pick up tomatoes, broccoli and something else at Ara. I asked her to write it down but she said to just call her when I get there and she’ll talk to a worker there.

I left at 9am and walked to Los Porteños where I had a small latte. The place got busy by 10am (Colombians breakfast late?) and I left about 10:30.

I stopped in Ara and called Teresa but she didn’t answer. I picked up broccoli and tomatoes and called her again. Still no answer. I returned my call when I was in the middle of paying for my purchase. I didn’t answer. I returned to the apt and told her she has to answer when I call her.

I received a text from Nobrasjka that I have a package to pick up for 48mil. I told her I’d be over this afternoon. I left at 2:30 and my package was the book I was expecting. I have no other packages in the works, just maybe some 1099s if I can’t print them out online. I stopped across the street at Otra Parte and felt too warm to have coffee so I had an ice cream dish.

A wind picked up, the temperature dropped a little and we had a short shower. I stopped in Ara and found what I thought Teresa was asking for (fabric softener), called to make sure, and returned to the apt.

Teresa had a massage from about 5:15 to 6:15.

I finished Shooter (7.5) on Netflix. Good series, but the music sucked.

Today I got in 3,320 steps.

 

Fun pix

Sunday, January 15, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 9:45, got up once at 3:30, finally waking/getting up at 6:30.

What an interesting morning…

I left the apt at 8:45 and because of construction took the long way around to Smartfit. After waiting 10 minutes for a bus I was considering taking a taxi. A young lady was also waiting there so I asked her if she was waiting for a bus. “No”, she said. A minute later she asked in English where I’m going and I replied, “Parque Poblado”. I was about to offer to share a taxi with her if she was going in my direction when Charles Turner showed up. He asked me where I’m going and I replied, “Parque Poblado”. He told me he’s walking there and I should join him. I told him I’m too old to walk that far and I need to meet a friend there in 10 minutes in Sweet Georgia. Just then the bus arrived and I jumped on.

I arrived at 9:15, right on time, and they were open but Glenn wasn’t there. And they didn’t have the usual outside table set up. Just then Glenn showed up and a waitress explained that the heavy rain from last night damaged their roof and guys had just arrived to repair it. I figured we would be in the way so I suggested we go 5 blocks away to Hija Mia Nomada.

Just as we arrived a table came free so I grabbed it. Charles Turner called from Sweet Georgia asking what happened to us. I explained and gave him directions to our location. Carmen from Philly Steaks came by with a friend and we chatted for a while. We had only had a coffee at that point. I bought a medium size bag of strawberries for 20mil. Charles arrived and joined us at our table. Another gringo came by from NJ/Pittsburgh and we chatted with him. Charles gave me some advice regarding Santa Marta. He said Parque Tayrona has 60 miles of beach and we should be able to take a tour boat there. He also recommended we go from Rodadero to a town called Minca where they have lots of birds and a coffee tour. He also recommended a bus trip to La Quajita but that would be an overnight trip. Charles also mentioned he went on a Sunday about 2pm to California Buffet and it was great.

At that point we had been there 2 hours so we paid our bill and left. Charles went to take some photos of murals in Poblado but Glenn and I shared a taxi back to Envigado. He got out at Jumbo and I got out at a nearby bus stop. I stopped in Mercado Madrid where I bought a bag of Fab liquid detergent before returning to the apt.

Teresa called and informed me she’s in El Tesoro with her mother but all the dresses she’s seen are ugly.

I logged into NFL Game Pass to watch the Buffalo Bills vs Miami Dolphins game but it was in Spanish and I couldn’t figure out how to change it. On MTV I quickly found the game, in English.

Teresa called at 6:30 and told me she wanted to go to Olivia’s (her new favorite restaurant) for salmon. She called me back at 7pm, told me they near Euro and asked me to meet them at the porteria. She soon arrived and left some bags with the porteros and we (with MT) continued on by taxi to Olivia’s. They each had the salmon with ravioli and extra broccoli and avocado on the side while I had their long pasta with meatballs. The total check with tip came to 164,654 ($35) and put it on my charge card that I haven’t used in a while.

I called a Didi to pick us up, drop MT at her apt and then take us to ours for 18mil ($4).

Today I got in 3,165 steps.

 

Fun pix