Saturday, February 16, 2019

Last night I slept very well only waking up once at 5:30 finally waking/getting up at 7:30.

Laura told us that she had a date with a gringo last night – dinner and dancing.  She said she met him in a restaurant the weekend before.  She sent a photo and he looks cute. I understand she has another date with him tonight.

We all had breakfast in the apt.

They had a private driver named Carlos Andres Arboleda 315 766 1212 take their large suitcases and the 4 of us to the Dann Carlton Bilfort.  He waited downstairs while they moved their suitcases into their rooms.  I noticed the pool was empty and Jim found out that it’s closed until Monday.

Back downstairs we piled into Carlos nice comfortable car.  At the toll booth on the way to El Retiro we found that the roads are closed because of the 7^th and final stage of the bicycle race that will be from El Retiro to Medellin tomorrow.  I understood even the roads to the airport are closed.  What?  Carlos said that there will not be a Ciclovia tomorrow because of it.

We discussed some alternate activities and finally settled on a personal tour of Comuna 13 (which used to be the most dangerous Medellin neighborhood during the time of Pablo Escobar).

He dropped us off outside a café and then went to park the car.  The others had a tinto (American coffee) and I had a café con leche (coffee with milk).  About 10 minutes later we took a couple of the outdoor escalators up to another café where we gathered around a table and drank cool drinks.  I noticed a photo of Bill Clinton that was taken in the same location.  I saw that they sell custom made t-shirts for 40mil so I ordered one in large.  Fifteen minutes later it was ready for pickup.

I asked Carlos why my cellphone doesn’t work even though it says I have a balance of 19,000 pesos.  He said I need to put more money into my account.  Maybe it expires if not used in a certain period of time?

We took a few more escalators, 5 in total, up to the summit where we had a beautiful view of Medellin.

We returned to the car and Carlos took us back to their hotel.

Carlos dropped me off at the apt about 2:30 and as I was walking into the garage I felt a raindrop.

I tried on the new t-shirt and it was too small.  It must be Colombian large not American large.  Aargh!

About 2:45pm we had a heavy rainfall with strong winds that lasted about 45 minutes.

Teresa informed me that Airin left behind 3 dresses and a hat in her closet.

MT called and informed us that she is coming over.

Among new movies opening in the US, I would like to see Instant Family (7.6) and Alita: Battle Angel (7.6) might be interesting to see in Imax or Dynamix.  Alita: Battle Angel (7.6), Second Act (6.0), and The Mule (7.2) are playing locally.

MT came over about 5pm and she had a letter from SS with her.  She said she received it only a couple weeks ago but the date on the letter was October 4^th.  I asked her the few questions on the survey, she signed and dated it and I’ll stop at Envios Market to send it back to the US.  I just had a flash of inspiration – I’ll give it to my brother and he can put a stamp on it and mail it when he gets back home.  That will save her like $10 that it would cost to Fed-Ex it from here.

I understand Wilson is asking MT for my recipe so she can make oatmeal cookies for him.

About 5:30 Teresa and MT left to go shopping at El Tesoro mall.

Teresa returned at 9:15.  I understand she didn’t find anything she liked but they stopped in a restaurant and shared a sandwich.

Joke of the day

There was a shipwreck and only Scarlett Johansson and some random guy survived on a desert island. 
They didn't know each other before the shipwreck, but he did know who she was.

At the beginning it was hard, but as time passed, this guy learned how to provide food and shelter, he started taking care of her, and eventually she started caring about him... after all, there wasn't anybody else on the island.

He eventually built a cabin, had a functioning automatic potable water supply, and all sorts of little clever commodities, all done to make her life easier... it was the most effort any man had ever done for her, and all the hard work made him fit, she noticed this.

One night after some wildlife attacked and he defended her successfully, getting a few cuts in the process, she threw herself at him and they made love. After that, they were for all intents and purposes "romantically dating".

But for some reason he started drifting away, something was bothering him. And she noticed.

"Whats wrong?" Scarlett asked. "Nothing..." he would always reply.

She pestered him for a while eventually saying she would do ANYTHING he needed or wanted to make him feel good again, just because she really cared for him a lot, and even if he wasn't asking, she felt it was the least she owed it to him.

"Really? You'll do anything I'd like?"

"Yes," she said. "Anything!"

"Okay, first i want you to take off your toga and get into this pair of work jeans that somehow washed up on the shore."

"Okay..."

"Now put this shirt on please, but first, "tape" your boobs so they are flat."

"Wha... Okay, I said I'd do anything," she said lovingly.

"Okay, now take this hat and wear it, but tuck your hair under it."

She was confused, but none the less, she wanted to make him happy. So she tucked her hair under the hat.

"Now I'd like for you to grab this piece of soot and paint yourself a beard and a mustache."

"Okay, if this is what you want," she muttered.

"Now, please, put on these sunglasses, and start walking down the beach. I'll catch up to you in a bit!" he said a bit excited.

She started walking, wondering, doubting herself, just confused about what had just happened. Maybe it wasn't her, maybe it was h- and suddenly the guy grabs her by her shoulder turns her around and says:

"DUDE!!!  You won't believe who I've been sleeping with for the past 6 months!"

Friday, February 15, 2019

I walked down to the corner of Calle 30 Sur and Avenida Las Vegas where I found a young lady selling newspapers.  I bought a Q’Hubo for Chuck.

We left the apt at 9am and took the metro bus to ayura station.  As the train arrived it was pretty full.  I noticed the next car wasn’t as busy so I got on there and Airin followed me.  I looked at the next car and I saw Joan standing outside and Jim clawing at the closed door trying to open it.  As the train left Jim told Joan to meet us at the next station.

At aguacatala station we got off and a couple minutes later the next train arrived, we saw Joan in her bright pink blouse and we got on the same car.  Apparently her car was nearly full and she had trouble getting on before the doors closed.  She had a bruise on her arm and her leg.  We took the train to terminal norte where we found Window 13 selling tickets to Santafe de Antioquia for 15mil.  Each bus leaves when it has filled.

I gave Joan an Excedrin for her aches & pains but she still wasn’t feeling well so we cancelled our trip (2^nd time) to Santafe.

Since we hadn’t had breakfast I had a postre de pollo with a café con leche and the others had something to eat or drink.

Back at the apt we went to Eduardo Madrid bakery for coffee.

Jim then went on to Bartolos to explore by himself and the rest of us returned to the apt.

The ladies went swimming and I worked on my blog.

In the evening we walked up to La Buena Mesa to restaurant La Doctora where we had a delicious dinner.  Again, one of the best meals I’ve had in Medellin.  I had a limonada de coco, baby beef with a baked potato and butter and Teresa had fish with a glass of water.  The bill, including a generous tip, came to 60 mil ($20).

Joke of the day

A husband and wife who are avid golfers have been happily married for 30 years, and on the day of their 30th anniversary they enjoy a wonderful day together. They have a delicious breakfast in bed then proceed to one of their favorite golf courses. They play through to the 9th hole, both having an amazing game. The husband watches his beautiful wife tee off and feels a rush of emotion and guilt.

"Honey, I have to tell you something. At the very beginning of our marriage, I was with another woman. It only happened once and I've been faithful ever since. It was a mistake and I hope you can forgive me."

The wife looks fondly at him. "I forgive you. We've had a very happy life together. I love you."

The husband is so relieved, feeling light as a feather. They play a few more holes in bliss when suddenly the wife turns to her husband.

"Honey, I too have something to confess."

The husband smiles and says, "Anything dear - you were so gracious to me, and we can make it through anything."

"Before we met, I had an operation. I used to be a man."

The husband throws his club down and starts swearing and kicking up turf.

The wife is in shock. "But I forgave you for your secret!"

The husband, red faced, turns to her and says, "All these years! All these years you've been teeing off from the ladies tee, you cheater!!"

Thursday, February 14, 2019

Happy Valentines Day!

We packed up our swimsuits and from 9 to 9:30 took a taxi to Mall Laureles.

As we entered we saw the owner of Dia De Sol sitting at a table.  Teresa talked to him and we learned that he no longer can provide transportation to and from his resort; something about a change in government regulations.

I saw Lucas working there and I also saw Dario in a business meeting with 3 young Colombians.

We took a taxi back to the apt so we could all change clothes.

Then we took the metro bus to the metro to Parque Berrio.  We had coffee in their little outdoor café then walked down Carabobo to the little shops downtown.  I stopped at a pharmacy and asked if they had pycnogenol.  I was sent down a side street to a health food store.  They didn’t have it either but a guy there recommended something called Turbo by Healthy America – 60 tablets for 40,900.

We went inside San Antonio station where we took the metro to Acevedo and transferred to the cable car line.  Just before arriving at Parque Arvi I noticed via my app that we topped out at 8,339 feet.  At the park we took an effectivo car to Hotel Piedras Blancas for 15mil.

While having a delicious lunch we heard some metal banging and felt the floor move.  We found out later that at 4:09pm we had experienced a 4.5 earthquake.  We took an effectivo car back to the park entrance.  As the cable car headed back to the metro it suddenly stopped.  But it started again after about a minute.  One of the Colombians in our car was Carlos who spoke English.  He goes to Boston every summer and operates an ice cream truck then spends December through March back in Medellin.

We took the metro to Ayura station where we took a taxi back to the apt.

I had my first swim in the complex pool with Joan and Airin.  We all had to wear swimming caps.  The water was warm but hopefully it will be cooler in the morning.

We took a taxi to Antica Pizza then afterwards walked the 7 blocks to Mercado de Tranvia.  Jim and the other ladies had wine while Teresa and I had a cup of cheesecake yogurt.

Joke of the day

Have you ever been guilty of looking at others your own age and thinking, surely I can't look that old.

My name is Mary, and I was sitting in the waiting room for my first appointment with a new dentist. I noticed his diploma on the wall, which bore his full name. Suddenly, I remembered a tall, handsome, dark-haired boy with the same name had been in my high school class some 30-odd years ago. Could he be the same guy that I had a secret crush on way back then?

Upon seeing him, however, I quickly discarded any such thought. This balding, gray-haired man with the deeply lined face was way too old to have been my classmate. After he examined my teeth, I asked him if he had attended Morgan Park High School .

"Yes. Yes, I did. I'm a mustang," he gleamed with pride.

"When did you graduate?" I asked.

"In 1975. Why do you ask?"

"You were in my class!" I exclaimed.

He looked at me closely. Then, that ugly, old, balding, wrinkled faced, fat-assed, gray-haired, decrepit son-of-a-bitch asked:

"What did you teach?"

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

We left the apt at 8:30 and stopped at Eduardo Madrid bakery for coffee.

We went to the local restaurant in Chucksmart for breakfast.

We ducked quickly into the church.

We stopped at Pagos Internationales to confirm that they are open until 5pm.

We took a bus back to the apt.

Airin sent herself money via Money Remit.

We stopped at La Casita Parilla for a drink.

In Pagos Internationales they refused to give Airin her cash because they had her name in their system as Airin Airin instead of Airin and her middle name.

We took a bus to Sabaneta and stopped at a bar for a drink.

While sitting there one young man walked up to another and slugged him in the chin.  The one that did the slugging walked away.  Our best guess is that he might have insulted his girlfriend.  A few minutes later a couple policemen talked to the slugged one and he became quite agitated.  Other policemen showed up and the guy got belligerent with the police.  One of the policement finally took him to the ground and handcuffed him.  A couple minutes later a paddywagon arrived and they took him away.

From there we took a taxi up in the hills of Sabaneta.  I’m not sure what it’s called but I remember Balcon de Los Lamitas.

We took a metro bus down to La Estrella station and took the metro to Envigado.

We found Herman and chatted with him.

In the mall I stopped at Suritodo and bought a swim suit and cap for 35mil ($12).  (We found that our pool requires everyone to wear a swim cap.)

Airin bought a box of fancy chocolates for her boyfriend back in the States.

I stopped in Dollar Store and found their baking sheet is 38.5cm x 26cm.  The problem is the current baking sheet in our oven is 37cm x 34cm.  So if the length would fit I would lose 8cm from the width.

We stopped in Sinko bar for a drink then picked up an order of chicken wings to share from Sport Wings.

In the evening we had dinner at a Spanish restaurant in La Buena Mesa.

Joke of the day

So, Johnny and his girl Sally are going to the prom this Saturday. But, before they can go, Johnny needs to make sure they have a perfect night.

So, Friday comes, and Johnny goes out to get his tuxedo. When he gets to the tux rental store, there's this ridiculously long line. But he needs the tux, so Johnny waits. And he waits, and waits until finally, he has his tux.

Next, he needs a limo. So he goes to the limousine rental shop and finds that there's an even longer line there. But he needs the limo, so he waits. And he waits, and waits, and waits, until finally, he has the limo ordered.

Johnny realizes he needs some new kicks, so he stops by a shoe store to get himself some nice shoes. When he goes to pay, he sees the longest line yet. But he needs the shoes, so he waits. And he waits, and waits, and waits, and waits, and waits, until finally, he's got his new shoes.

Saturday, Johnny's ready to pick up his girl. He drives over to her house, picks her up, and they head to the prom. At the dance, they're having a great time, dancing, playing at the casino, hanging out with friends. Soon, though, Sally gets thirsty, and asks Johnny for a drink. Being the good guy he is, Johnny obliges.

So Johnny walks over to the punch table, and what do you know... there's no punch line.

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

I slept well only getting up once during the night.

It’s obvious we got a little rain overnight.

There is a notice in the elevator that we will be losing our gas sometime today between 8am and 5pm.

This morning I got the email that Teresa has been waiting for.  The nueve eps gynecologist, Dr. Maria Mercedez Gomez, reported that result of your cytology came and went normal, that is; that there were no signs of cancer cells or HPV (Human Papilloma Virus).

That’s very good news and I understand she will be tested again next year.

Jim and I had coffee at Bartolos.  Jim and Teresa had lunch at El Barco while I had lunch at a cafeteria in the food court across the street from Euro.

Bryan picked us up at the apt and on our way to the airport I thought I saw Dr. Rendon on his electric scooter.

We picked up Joan and her daughter Airin.  Back at the apt they put their suitcases in their rooms and we walked up to Otra Parte for a nice dinner.

We returned to the apt through La Buena Mesa but the Percimon, the yogurt store, was already closed.

Joke of the day

A married couple takes their son to the circus. After a while the father gets up to get some popcorn. While he is away the little boy notices something hanging down between the elephants legs.

"Mommy, what is that hanging down on the elephant?" he asks.

The embarrassed mother says "Oh, that's nothing honey," and is relieved when the father returns with the popcorn.

Not satisfied with the mother's answer the little boy waits until his mother leaves to use the bathroom and asks his father, "Dad, what is that hanging down between the elephant's legs?"

Dad answers, "That's the elephant's penis." 

The little boy says, "Well how come when I asked mom she said that it was nothing?"

Dad leans back and says "Son, I've spoiled that woman..."

Monday, February 11, 2019

Last night I slept well despite getting up twice during the night.  I woke/got up at 8am but everytime I coughed I got a shooting pain in my lower back.

We ate a few slices of fresh pineapple to tide us over until we can get to breakfast.

We left the apt just after 9am.

We took a bus to the park and first stopped at Bartolos for coffee.

At the currency exchange it took us about 25 minutes for both of us to get our cash via World Remit.

It was just after 11am when we finally got to Donelia restaurant in Chucksmart for a calentao and coffee breakfast for 13mil for two.

Background: When we were at the Superbowl party, Jerry told us about a beautiful house whose entrance is by the Envigado courthouse.

We were walking to the bakery for coffee when Jim stopped and peered into a hallway.  The owner invited us in for a look.  It’s an old house with a couple bedrooms filled with pictures.  There was a garden in the back with lots of hanging doodads.

We took a bus back to the apt.

We changed into shorts and walked a block away where we quickly caught a bus to the Ayura metro station.  We took the metro to the San Antonio station where we transferred to the west line.  We got off at the Sur Americana station and walked about 12 blocks south to Planetrica (Carrera 65D #34-41) which sells 100% buffalo milk and cheese.  Jim had a couple glasses of wine and a sandwich.

We found we were a block from Unicentro mall.  We walked about 6 blocks to Barrio Central Café at Circular 2 and Carrera 69-123.  I had a lemonade and a pulled pork sandwich.  While there, at a nearby table,we met a guy named Terry from Dallas, Texas.

Across the street we caught a taxi but it must have taken at least an hour to return to the apt due to very heavy traffic.  Maybe it had something to do with a bicycle race going on in Medellin.

About 7pm Jim left to have dinner at a Spanish tapas restaurant that he found in La Buena Mesa.  According to their website they close at 8pm.  When Jim returned he said that their website is wrong a it doesn’t close until 10pm.  That might be a reason they don’t do more business.

Joke of the day

Three Scots and three Irishmen are traveling by train to a conference. At the station, the three Irishmen each buy tickets and watch as the three Scots buy only a single ticket.

"How are three people going to travel on only one ticket?" asks an Irishman. "Watch and you'll see," answers a Scot.

They all board the train. The Irishmen take their respective seats but all three Scots cram into a bathroom and close the door behind them. Shortly after the train has departed, the conductor comes around collecting tickets. He knocks on the bathroom door and says, "Ticket, please." The door opens just a crack and a single arm emerges with a ticket in hand. The conductor takes it and moves on.  The Irishmen see this and agree it was quite a clever idea.

So after the conference, the Irishmen decide to copy the Scots on the return trip and save some money (being clever with money, and all that). When they get to the station, they buy a single ticket for the return trip. To their astonishment, the Scots don't buy a ticket at all.

"How are you going to travel without a ticket?" says one perplexed Irishman. “Watch and you'll see," answers a Scot.

When they board the train the three Irishmen cram into a bathroom and the three Scots cram into another nearby. The train departs. Shortly afterwards, one of the Scots leaves his bathroom and walks over to the bathroom where the Irishmen are hiding. He knocks on the door and says, "Ticket, please."

Sunday, February 10, 2019

Despite getting up twice during the night I woke/got up at 8:15.

Jim and I left the apt at 9:30 and walked up to Avenida Poblado where Ciclovia was in full swing.  We walked by a street sale selling t-shirts and Jim said “hey, there’s one for Northwestern”.  I said “where” and he pointed to it.  Even though it was in black (hot) I bought it for 6mil ($2).

We took a bus to the park and bought arepas with mozzarella cheese at Las Chachas.  We took them to Bartolos where we ate them with our coffee.  There was an exercise class in progress at the park.

We took a bus to Sabaneta and they had entertainment (singer with band) in progress in the park.

We walked over to a bar where we had another coffee.

There was an information booth and I picked up a great map of Medellin which included Envigado.  I also found some tour brochures which I took.

We walked a few blocks to Porci Carnes for lunch where we had smoked ribs for 14,500 each plus drinks.  Delicious!  At one point Bryan, Jim’s airport driver, called out his name as he was driving by.

We took a bus back to Envigado and got off just up the hill from our apt complex.  We stopped briefly in a restaurant called Solpi Jugos (celebrating their 125^th year) that had a good menu and that I plan to take Teresa to some day.

We were back at the apt by 2:30.  I tried to take a nap but couldn’t fall asleep so I was up by 3pm.

About 7pm we walked up to Tepito the Mexican restaurant where we easily got a table outside.  I had a chimichanga cochinita pibill (shredded beef) which was delicious.

Joke of the day

A young boy enters a barber shop and the barber whispers to his customer, "This is the dumbest kid in the world. Watch while I prove it to you."

The barber puts a dollar bill in one hand and two quarters in the other, then calls the boy over and asks, "Which do you want, son?" The boy takes the quarters and leaves.

"What did I tell you?" said the barber. "That kid never learns!"

Later, when the customer leaves, he sees the same young boy coming out of the ice cream store.

"Hey son, may I ask you a question?  Why did you take the quarters instead of the dollar bill?"

The boy licked his cone and replied, "Because the day I take the dollar, the game is over!"