Today is a day for a big adventure. As you have read on Sunday’s post, Rudy is without a phone and this is something that needed to be remedied. Who is all calling him, you might ask? Well really it is just me when I need to get back into the apartment (there is only one key ever) and he is out gallivanting. How often does this happen? Well so far on the this trip I can count that on one finger. But we have nothing more pressing to do and Rudy is an expert on how to get to this mall across the city so off we go. I am looking forward to bus travel as we have not yet done it on this trip and it really tends to give a feel for the pulse of a place and its people. And if nothing else, we will really work up a sweat.
The bus ride over the mountain into Santa Marta is beautiful. There are miles of walkways along the highway on their own separate metal structures and they are something to look at, hanging over the edges of the gulches.
The ride is long and we are at the back of the bus. On one particular road we almost break our tailbones as we race along at breakneck speeds and hit hug potholes. (Manitoba, in spring, has nothing on the massive chunks of missing road here in Santa Marta.) Finally, after some interesting fights between the driver and various people who try to sneak on the bus without paying, we arrive at a spot on a large road where the driver stops and yells at us to get out. We have to walk the rest of the way. Luckily it isn’t far.
The mall is massive, the stores very fancy, and the air conditioning pumping out great gusts of cold air. Rudy goes to stand in line at Claro and I wander around. It is basically like a North American mall except the walkways are so wide and filled with tropical plants. I wander to an art store and search for big pieces of watercolour paper. Soon Rudy is done. He is in need of some new shorts so we look. Most places are designer stores but we do find some stores for regular people and Rudy finds what he needs. We relax in the coolness for a while and eat some mall food. Then we need to brave the heat and the crowded buses and go home. The bus fare is 2,600 COP (which is 90 cents Canadian ) for a regular bus. Occasionally there are air conditioned buses and the fare is 2,700 COP (93.5 cents Canadian). We hope for an air conditioned ride and figure that we can spend an extra 7 cents for the both of us but we are not in luck. The trip home is hot, but fun. There is lots to see and experience.
Once home I immediately get my bathing suit on and head down to the pool. Within a few minutes even Rudy has joined me so that is an indication of how much he needed to cool down.
The evening is spent doing what each of us likes to do best: Rudy watching the Jets game and me reading my new book. Both the new book and the Jets game are real nail biters so it turns out to be a really satisfying evening.