Sunday, March 16, 2025

Last night I went to bed at 10pm, got up twice during the night, finally waking/getting up at 7:15.

With Teresa holding a flashlight I tried to use a paper clip to repair the toilet but it didn’t work. We’ll be flushing it by hand until I can get to Home Center, probably tomorrow afternoon.

We’re going to go to Terminal Sur to catch a bus to La Ceja and while we’re there Teresa will ask about San Pedro. (They confirmed that we have to go to Terminal Norte.)

I finished my lesson on ChessMood.com.

Okay, I finally have permission to share the news. I’m going to be a grandfather for the first time. My daughter Jeannie is pregnant and her due date is September 12^th. So, when we see them in Chicago this June/July she’ll be 6-7 months pregnant. We’re already planning on returning in September to see the baby. She didn’t want me to tell anyone in the States until they shared the news with Jacob’s family which was this weekend.

We left the apt at 11:25 and took a Didi to Terminal Sur. We purchased two round-trip tickets for 12,500 pesos per person and the bus left right at noon. We were sitting in back right over the axle and every time the bus hit a bump I went flying. I quickly moved to a seat in the middle of the bus. The bus went from nearly empty at Terminal Sur to nearly full at the Exposiciones station. Traffic was slow coming out of Medellin on Las Palmas. About 2/3 the way there the road splits, to the right to El Retiro and to the left for La Ceja. I noticed we passed San Peregrino on the way. We arrived in the La Ceja bus station by 1:45. On the way to the park Teresa stopping in a small store and bought what looked exactly like a catsup container in the States although it wasn’t red. It’s a 5-block walk to the park. We were hungry so we headed straight for Pimentos restaurant but there was a note on the door that they are closed for the month of March. We walked back across the street where Teresa found Mi Tierra Latina on the 2^nd floor. We had the menu of the day which was delicious although the size of the chicken breast was much smaller than usual. It had a pineapple sauce on top and everything was delicious. I was surprised when the check was only 40mil, supposedly including tip.

We stopped on the other side of the park in a café/restaurant called 553 Café Trattoria where we had lattes and shared a slice of carrot cake.

Even though it was the last slice, I think it was the best carrot cake I’ve had in a while. We had another latte later. Teresa worked on her current purse project while I read my Kindle. She told me she wanted to take her purse project on our plane to Chicago. I told her she wouldn’t be able to bring a lighter on board. She said she would smuggle her needle on board and I told her that soon as she brought it out someone would probably complain to a stewardess. We left at 5pm, walked down to the bus station and got in line for the bus. The bus that was there soon filled and it was another half our until the next bus arrived. It was 2 hours in heavy traffic returning to Exposiciones Station.

We walked across the street and got in the first taxi in line. I got in the back with Teresa and that’s when I realized, last time with “pasito pues”, I was sitting in the front like it was a Didi. 😊

We returned to the apt for 22mil and we both used the bathroom and changed clothes. Suddenly it hit me that I was hungry and Teresa suggested we go to McDonald’s. We should have gotten out there on our way. It was now raining lightly and I didn’t want to change clothes again so I had Teresa heat me up an English muffin.

I started my pre-sleep routine and was in bed by 10pm.

EL ARROYO