Monday, November 13, 2023

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, slept through the night, finally waking at 6am and getting up at 6:30.

Today is another holiday, Indepencia de Cartagena aka Cartagena Independence Day.

I finally caught Teresa before she put a new fitted sheet on the mattress and we flipped it side to side.

I finally did it. I beat Troyclough and my rating (1581) is now 100 points higher than his (1473). I probably won’t enjoy it for very long because I’m losing a game to Howex (1639).

I had an hour-long nap after breakfast on the recliner.

We left the apt at 11am and walked to the Ayurá metro station. It was only a 5-minute wait for the next train. We didn’t get a seat until we arrived at the San Antonio station where a lot of people get off (it’s a transfer station). We got off at the Caribe station and were surprised to find the Metro Cable section closed from November 7^th to 15^th. Teresa talked to someone then we went outside and across the river where we caught a bus to take us to the San Domingo station. The road was very narrow and steep and I don’t think the bus ever got out of 1^st gear. At some points buses coming from the other direction slowed to almost stopping passing 2-3 inches from each other. At one point there was a tight turn (acute angle) and the bus had to make a 3-point turn with passengers in the back telling the driver when he was too close to backing up into a building. We arrived at the San Diego station and took a metro cable car (with another couple) from there to Parque Arvi. 

While Teresa went in search of empanadas I made trip to the restroom which cost 1,500 pesos to enter.

I lost to Howex dropping my rating to 1575.

Teresa didn’t find her empanadas

but did find 2 obleas that I helped her eat. We walked down the hill to the café where we each had a latte and relaxed outside for a few minutes. We walked to the street where we got on a bus. I thought he might wait awhile but after 5 minutes the driver left with only 6 of us inside.

We got off at the Hotel Piedras Blancas and went to their outdoor patio.

Teresa ordered their salmon (no surprise there) and I a burger with fries. I was told the burger wasn’t available so I ordered the pepper steak medium-well that I’ve had there before. When my order arrived, the steak was bloody inside so I sent it back. When it returned it was still red inside so I sent it back again. Finally, it arrived with only slight pink inside. It was very tasty. I offered Teresa a bite and as soon as it hit her mouth she spit it out – too spicy for Colombian taste.

We weren’t in a big hurry to leave but eventually the sun was so low we no longer had protection from our table umbrella.

While Teresa went to the restroom, I paid the check of 110,500 pesos ($27.50) and slipped the waiter a 10mil tip for all the running he had to do and asked him not to share it with the kitchen. He slipped it into his pocket. Outside we only had a 5-minute wait for the bus to return us to the park entrance. We stopped at the café again and had another latte. We took the metro cable to the Santa Domingo station and walked down the hill a block where we caught a bus back to the metro. Again, lots of braking, passing within inches to other buses and tight turns.

We took the metro to the Ayurá station and returned to the apt by taxi at exactly 6pm.

I finished the TV mini-series All the Light We Cannot See (7.7) on Netflix.

 

CHOOSING A CHILDFREE LIFE