I slept well, getting up once during the night.I was awakened briefly when Laura knocked on
the door for Teresa.I finally got up
after Teresa when some man arrived and the dogs went crazy.I understood something about a man to fix the
pipes.
Still no wi-fi.
At 8:30 Don Carlos showed up with a plastic tank on his
back.Teresa gave him 20mil which I
understood was to buy some Roundup for killing plants.
We left the finca at 12:20 and got past the killer dogs
undetected.We waited 15 minutes for a
bus to El Poblado.The taxi got us to
the spa 15 minutes early, just enough time for Teresa and I to have a glass of fresh
juice.This time I had pineapple with
coconut cream for 11,300.They had wifi
at the mall so I was able to read my old emails with my iPad.
Teresa had her 4th massage from 1:50 to
3:45.When she got back she was hungry
so we shared a Frischuleta from Frisby for 26,700.We added 10mil to Laura’s cell phone.We walked over to Zona Dos and Teresa
exchanged her blouse for another at Flora.
We stopped at a pharmacy where I bought Tamsulosin
for another 30 days for 46,850.
We took a taxi to El Poblado station and after a 20 minute
wait we were on a direct bus.
As we were crossing the street in the dark I was trying to
turn on my cell phone and I dropped it.There was a sliver of moonlight that allowed me to find the phone, the
battery, and the cover.A car coming
around the corner gave me enough light that I could put it back together and thankfully
it still worked.
When we got back to the finca we found that Une not only
fixed the wifi but they gave us a new router.Luckily Laura was home to let them in.
Teresa “reminded me” that she has a blood draw early
tomorrow morning so we have to leave with Laura.Yikes!I don’t remember her mentioning that and that means we’ll be leaving
about 5:15 in the morning.
I took my sleeping pills at 10:30 and went to bed.
A father
put his three year old daughter to bed, told her a story and listened to her
prayers which she ended by saying: "God bless Mommy, God bless Daddy, God
bless Grandma and good-bye Grandpa."
The father asked, "Why did you say
good-bye Grandpa?"
The little girl said, "I don't know,
Daddy, it just seemed like the thing to do."
The next day Grandpa died.
The father thought it was a strange coincidence. A few months
later the father put the girl to bed and listened to her prayers which went
like this: "God bless Mommy, God Bless Daddy and good-bye Grandma."
The next day the grandmother died.
"Oh my gosh," thought the father, "this kid is in
contact with the other side."
Several weeks later when the girl was going to bed the dad heard
her say: "God bless Mommy and good-bye Daddy."
He practically went into shock. He couldn't
sleep all night and got up at the crack of dawn to go to his office. He was
nervous as a cat all day, had lunch sent in and watched the clock. He figured
if he could get by until midnight he would be okay. He felt safe in his office,
so instead of going home at the end of the day he stayed there, drinking
coffee, looking at his watch and jumping at every sound. Finally midnight arrived;
he breathed a sigh of relief and went home.
When he got home his wife said, "I've never seen you work so
late, what's the matter?"
He said, "I don't want to talk about it.
I've just had the worst day of my life."
She said, "You think you had a bad day,
you'll never believe what happened to me.This morning my tennis pro dropped dead in the middle of my
lesson!"
I slept well, getting up once during the night and again at
6am, finally getting up at 8am.
Still no wi-fi.
I made waffles for Teresa and I and I’ll make more when
Laura gets up.Laura finally got up at
11am and we all finished the waffles.I
put a scoop of macadama ice cream with nuts on top of each slice and it was
very good; probably a million calories but very good.
I thought we were going to Nueva eps tomorrow morning but
Teresa tells me we have to wait until June.
I took a nap from 12:30 to 2:15.When I got up I found Laura was gone; Teresa
told me she went to her Uncle James house in Caldas because she needs to use
his wi-fi.
It started raining at 2:40 and five minutes later it was
coming down hard.I checked my Medellin weather chart
and May is the 2nd rainiest month (after October) with 7.8 inches of
rain.Teresa unplugged the
television.Once again the roof leaks in
a few places, mostly in the kitchen.It
stopped raining hard by 2:54. 10 minutes
later it started raining again.Then it
rained harder finally stopping about 3:35.At 4:30 it started raining again.It stopped at 5:30 although you could still hear occasional thunder in
the distance.
About 5:45 Teresa informed me what I interpreted to be “I’m
going to go wash the highway”.Of course
that can’t be what she meant but I said “OK” and I didn’t see her again for
some length of time.
Still no wi-fi.
I took my sleeping pills at 10:30 and went to bed at 10:45.
Excerpts
from a Dog's Diary...... 8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite
thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!
Excerpts from a
Cat's Diary......
Day 983 of my captivity.My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little
dangling objects.
They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or
some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly
clear, I must eat something in order to keepup
my strength.
The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt todisgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.
Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. Ihad hoped this would strike fear into their hearts,
since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescendingcomments about what a “good little hunter” I am.
There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placedin solitary confinement for the duration of the
event. However, I couldhear the noises and
smell the food. I overheard that my confinement wasdue
to the power of 'allergies.' I must learn what this means and how touse it to my advantage.
Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors
by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try thisagain tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.
I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches.The dog receives special privileges. He is
regularly released – and seemsto be more than
willing to return. He is obviously retarded.
The bird has got to be an informant. I observed him communicating with theguards regularly. I am certain that he reports my
every move. My captorshave arranged protective
custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now................
I slept well only getting up once during the night, finally
waking/getting up at 8:30.
On the weekends there’s often nothing decent on TV, not even
a news channel.
Teresa told me to get a hammer and she led me out back to
the shed.It had a large Yale lock on it
and she started beating it with the hammer.I told her she’s never going to be able to open it that way.I asked her where the key is and I understood
Laura lost it on the street.She asked
me how we can open it and I motioned that we’re going to need some large
“scissors” (I forgot the word) to open it.A minute later she turned around and saw the key sitting near the back
of the finca and she opened the lock.
I started watching Where
is Flight MH370? on Netflix.
Starting at 4pm there were episodes of Mayday: Air Catastrophies on National Geographic channel for the
rest of the day.
About 5:30 it started pouring again and we had to disconnect
the TV and computer.The lightning was
so hard we even disconnected the router.It seemed to pass by 6:20.When I
plugged everything back in we no longer had internet access.
Laura came back at 7pm.
Laura called Une at 8:30 but it wasn’t fixed that night.
I took my sleeping pills at 11:15 and went to bed.
T-shirt of the day: Chicago, Alton, & St. Louis
Railway.
The city’s situation — set in the Aburrá
Valley, surrounded by green mountains — is ideal, its weather springlike
year-round, and its people outgoing and proud of their city.
By Fritzie Andrade, Max Cantor, Chris Carmichael, Will
Lloyd and Sarah Brady Voll on
Publish Date May 13, 2015.
Photo by Chris Carmichael for The New York Times.
Colombia’s second city
is fast shedding its controversial reputation. With infrastructure
projects that are bringing architecturally exciting libraries and parks
to impoverished neighborhoods, and creative methods of transportation,
Medellín is one of the most progressive cities in Latin America. Its
situation — set in the Aburrá Valley, surrounded by green mountains — is
ideal, its weather springlike year-round, and its people outgoing and
proud of their city. A wave of construction is going on in most
neighborhoods, which are bedecked with posters proclaiming the
government’s dedication to innovation and education. After years as the
center of Pablo Escobar’s drug operation and decades of related
violence, the “city of eternal spring” is looking to the future.
Friday
1. 3 P.M.| Memories
Get
a sense of how far Medellín has come with a visit to the two-year-old
Museo Casa de la Memoria (free). A sleek oblong, it is just one of the
new, visually compelling buildings that are popping up all over the city
— and often appearing somewhat incongruous in neighborhoods that have
looked the same for decades. While many of the exhibits dedicated to
Colombia’s years of civil war between the government (and its
paramilitary groups) and leftist guerrillas are artistic rather than
explanatory, there’s a timeline that’s useful for putting events in
perspective. Riveting videos from victims and relatives of the
desaparecidos (victims of the armed conflict who were “disappeared” over
the years) offer powerful, firsthand accounts of what it was like to
live in the middle of Colombia’s internal war.
2.4:30 P.M. | Vendors and Boteros
From
the museum, walk down Calle 52, a chaotic street packed with trinket
vendors, food carts and hole-in-the-wall empanada shops, to Hatoviejo, a
long-established restaurant serving typical paisa cuisine (paisas are
people from the Antioquia region, of which Medellín is a part). Order
the hearty mondongo, a traditional tripe soup that comes with rice,
avocado and a plantain (25,900 pesos, or $11.30 at 2,290 pesos to the
dollar). Then stroll over to Plaza Botero, a beautiful square filled
with the distinctively pudgy bronze statues of dogs, people and horses
created by Colombia’s best-known artist, Fernando Botero (more of his
work can be found in the Museo de Antioquia on the plaza). The
eye-catching black-and-white Gothic building in the center of the plaza
houses the Palacio de la Cultura Rafael Uribe Uribe (free and worth a
peek for its art gallery and historical artifacts).
3.7 P.M. | Craft Cerveza
Craft
beers are gaining traction in Colombia and you can sample them at
Cervecería Libre, a cheerfully unpretentious operation that sits behind
sliding garage doors in the up-and-coming Ciudad del Rio neighborhood.
The owners brew their own stout, IPA and more in the back, but at the
bar they also serve craft beers from three other Colombian
microbreweries: Apóstol, Bogotá Beer Company and 3 Cordilleras (beers,
5,000 to 6,500 pesos). Pull up a stool for a chat with the bartenders,
who will order you a taxi when you’re ready to go.
Saturday
4.10 A.M. | Cable Cars and Libraries
One
of the most compelling signs of Medellín’s renaissance is the
Metrocable — a public transportation system of airborne gondolas that
cruise up the hillside like ski lifts. Hop on at Acevedo station (2,000
pesos; you can transfer from the aboveground Metro, Colombia’s only
subway system) and sail up the mountain over brick houses with
corrugated metal roofs. Transfer at Santo Domingo and get on the second
leg (4,600 pesos each way), a 15-minute ride during which the city
recedes, ending in Parque Arví, 4,350 acres that feel surprisingly
rural, down to the men on horseback or leading their cows. There are
extensive walking trails among the pine and eucalyptus trees; after
exploring, hop back on the Metrocable to Santo Domingo Savio, a colorful
shantytown that’s now home to the Biblioteca España — three giant black
slate monoliths designed by the Bogotá architect Giancarlo Mazzanti.
The library (one of a growing number) is free and open to all and has
become a center for a community that once lived in the middle of a war
zone.
5. 1 P.M. | The Glory of Gloria
Head
to Envigado, a municipality adjacent to Medellín’s El Poblado district,
for a lunchtime stop at La Gloria de Gloria, a casual corner restaurant
that serves up some of the best chicharrón in, quite possibly, the
world. These crispy strips of pork rind are deep fried and served with
hearty helpings of rice, beans, chorizo, plantain and more, in a bandeja
paisa — the Colombian dish that keeps field workers full all day
(32,000 pesos per plate, which is enough for two). The eponymous Doña
Gloria often comes around with a bottle of aguardiente, Colombia’s
throat-burning anise-flavored national liquor, pouring shots for
everyone — including herself — but order a pitcher of the lemonade as
well to help wash it down.
Photo
Medellín is set in the Aburrá Valley.Credit
Chris Carmichael for The New York Times
6. 2:30 P.M. | Modern Art
Stop
by the beautiful Museo de Arte Moderno, a compact, industrial-chic
space that presents exhibitions, which change every quarter, by
contemporary artists like Álvaro Barrios. Occupying a former steel
factory, the museum (8,000 pesos) is getting a new addition, designed by
the Peruvian architects 51+1, that will house a permanent collection of
mostly Colombian artists, including Beatriz González.
The gift shop is a good place to pick up Medellín souvenirs, like small
notebooks with illustrations of the Metrocable by the Colombian artist
Marcela Restrepo (2,000 pesos).
7.4:30 P.M. | Colombian Coffee
It’s
surprisingly difficult to find good coffee in Colombia (most of the
best is exported), and locals usually drink tinto — a weak brew of
inferior beans. A few new cafes are trying to change this, though, and
the charge is being led by Pergamino. This chic cafe by Parque Lleras,
which uses single-origin beans from coffee plantations owned by the same
family, wouldn’t be out of place in San Francisco, with MacBook-toting
trendsetters filling the patio seats. After refueling, wander down Via
Primavera and nearby Via Provenza; both are lined with boutiques and
restaurants. Stop at Vida Augusta, which sells international and
Colombian-made housewares and gifts, like wooden eyeglass frames from
Lignum. The area around the park hovers between lively and tacky, but
stopping for a pre-dinner drink on the rooftop bar at the Charlee Hotel
is worth it, if only to enjoy views of both the pool and the pulsing
streets below.
8. 8 P.M. | Dinner at Carmen
Cross
Calle 10 to reach Carmen, a perennial favorite. The elegant three-part
restaurant (upstairs, downstairs and a gorgeous garden) lures the city’s
coolest crowds with its elaborate meals created by the husband-and-wife
team Carmen Angel and Rob Pevitts, who trained at Le Cordon Bleu in San
Francisco. Each dish, like shrimp poached in butter infused with lulo, a
local citrus fruit, is a mélange of careful detail (even the tonic is
house-made). Book well in advance. Dinner for two, about 350,000 pesos.
9.11:30 P.M. | Salsa Stop
Photo
An exhibition at Museo de Arte Moderno, in a former factory.Credit
Chris Carmichael for The New York Times
A
stop at one of the city’s numerous, high-energy salsa bars is an
essential component of any visit. Son Havana is a Cuban-themed salsa
joint in the trendy Laureles neighborhood, with a nine (or more) member
band playing on Thursday and Saturday nights (admission, 10,000).
Couples of all ages dance on the dance floor, by the bathrooms and in
the aisles. It’s a small place and not fancy, but the atmosphere is
electric, the music is sparkling and the dance skills are mesmerizing.
Settle in with an Aguila beer (4,000) and prepare to stare.
Sunday
10.10 A.M. | Escobar Effect
Though
evidence of Medellín’s bright future is everywhere, it’s still
fascinating to get up close to the drug czar Pablo Escobar. Camilo
Uribe, owner of Medellín City Tours (medellincitytours.com),
drives visitors to the three Escobar landmarks ($95 for one person;
rates drop for more). First is the upscale cemetery where Mr. Escobar is
buried and where people still leave flowers (he remains a folk hero to
some of the city’s poor). The cemetery has views of the city and
surrounding mountains. See also the rooftop on which Mr. Escobar was
shot by police snipers while trying to escape on Dec. 2, 1993. His
penthouse is fascinating: a crumbling building with an enormous,
antiquated satellite dish in the back. Some scenes from “Escobar: El
Patrón del Mal,” a popular 2012 Colombian telenovela, were shot outside.
Mr. Escobar’s personal elevator is no longer working, but if you walk
up to the huge apartment you can step into his private safe, the size of
a walk-in closet.
11. 1 P.M. | Onward and Upward
End
your trip with an experience that’s exhilarating and inspiring. One of
the city’s most forward-thinking infrastructure investments was the
creation of outdoor escalators that run up the steep hillside leading to
Comuna 13, a gang-plagued neighborhood formerly isolated by its
position atop stairs equivalent to a 28-story building. The impoverished
area has been revitalized by the 1,259 feet of escalators, which cut
commuting times and enabled elderly and disabled residents, some of whom
never left home, to go much farther afield. Take the escalators
(staffed by security guards, many from the neighborhood) to the top,
where you’ll have excellent views of the city, as well as the riot of
primary colors and murals that were added to the buildings when the
escalators opened.
Where to Stay
Facing boisterous Parque Lleras, theCharlee Hotel (Calle 9A, No. 37-16; thecharlee.com;
from $200 ) is the city’s top boutique hotel, with plush rooms and a
gym where you can spot Colombia’s top models posing for selfies between
workouts.
Near the Charlee but in a much more peaceful part of the neighborhood is the Diez Hotel (Calle 10A, No. 34-11; diezhotel.com;
from 259,000 pesos, or $114, with breakfast). Each floor’s décor
references a different region of Colombia; the spa looks out over the
city.
I got up once during the night, again at 6am finally getting
up at 8:30.
At one point in the morning Teresa called me into the 3rd
bedroom where she showed me a scorpion on the floor.Yikes!I wasn’t happy to see that.It
was about 4” long but sluggish giving me time to spray it twice with Raid.Teresa told me to squash it with my foot so I
did.Teresa told me they don’t usually
come out during the day.I’m glad I
always put my slippers on before I make my nighttime trips to the bathroom.Now I’ll start turning on the flashlight each
time to make sure one isn’t in my flip flops.
We left the finca at 10:25 and got past the killer dogs
undetected.We only had to wait 5
minutes for a bus to El Poblado.From
there we took a taxi to MBE where I picked up my May Chess Life magazine and
the hot body cream for Teresa.I quickly
paid the extra 10mil charge because the taxi was outside waiting for me.We were at the mall across from the “spa” 30
minutes early so we had another juice.I
stayed and read my Nook while Teresa went in for her noon massage.She came back at 2:05; she told me she got 2
massages in one.I thought they were all
going to be 2 hour massages.
We walked a block to Zona Dos where we had lunch at Pizzeria Olivia for 59,800.Teresa ordered a salmon salad which came before
my order. She took a bite and said the
sliced salmon pieces were hard and the lettuce was old so she sent it
back.They brought my lasagna bolognese
with some bread that reminded me of Indian nann.It was good and I shared a little with Teresa
until they brought her salmon entrée with a different naan type bread.We each had a large glass of mango juice.They have pizza on their menu and when I
inquired as to how many people it was intended for the waitress said 1-2
because they are pretty small.I might
try it for my entrée when we return on Tuesday.For the first time in Colombia
I saw a jar of hot peppers on the table for the pizza.
The taxi driver took us to the Aquacatala station and Teresa
started walking to the other side until I reminded her that this wasn’t El
Poblado.After a 10 minute wait we took
a bus to Caldas and got off by her brother James’ store.I think she wanted to visit with him for
awhile but I was glad to see that it was closed because I just wanted to get
back to the finca.Five minutes later we
were on another bus.
On the way up the hill Teresa stopped at Don Carlos’ house
and talked to his wife which gave me time to cool down some and take my time
getting to the top.She got a cutting of
a couple of different flowers from her.His golden lab and another smaller dog came out and I gave each of them
a small dog biscuit.
We got past the killer dogs undetected and were back at the
finca by 6:15, just before dark.I felt
warm but at least I wasn’t sweating like usual and I cooled down pretty
quickly.
It rained hard from 6:30 to 6:45.It rained on and off all evening and Laura
called and said it was raining hard in Envigado so she’s going to stay there
for the night.
I was very tired so I took my sleeping pills at 9:45 and we
went to bed.
