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Domingo. How shall we waste time today?

I first noticed it yesterday afternoon. Naomi asked me to download a couple of books for her kindle and texted me the name of the author. For sure the author’s name had way more letters in it than I could remember by the time I got to my computer type it into the search field, so I waited for the text. Didn’t get it. Hmm… Check WhatsApp. No, not there either. Send it again. Nothing. I finally went to look at her phone to see if she’d actually ‘sent’ it. Yep. Well, I never got it. I copied it into my computer, letter by letter: ‘Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’. See what I mean?

Later that afternoon, I headed out to the beach to take a look at the crowd of people that were winding down their day there. And I looked at all the little drink stands and ceviche bars. And I looked at the gorgeous sunset. And I took a bunch of photos of all of that. I sat down at one of the stands and had a small order of fries. While waiting for them I sent a text to Naomi about my whereabouts. Funny, no cell signal here. No wifi either. No sending of texts. No phone calls. Something is fishy with my phone.

I stopped by the mall that is next to our ‘resort’ and explained my problem to a couple of young workers at a little phone sales booth there. The guy looked up the serial number on my phone, then logged into an official government website — where it was confirmed. My phone has been ‘blocked’. Apparently, in order to discourage bad people from stealing other people’s phones, the government keeps a record of ‘unregistered’ phones. And it turns out that that ‘nice lady’ at the airport who double charged me for my super-duper phone plan not only ripped me off — but ‘forgot’ to ‘register’ my phone, as all sellers of SIM cards and phone plans are supposed to do. So what now? Well, the guy says, I need to go to the one ‘official’ Claro phone store in the big mall 10 kms away in neighbouring Santa Marta — and they can ‘release’ my phone if I can prove that it’s legitimately mine.

And that’s what led to today’s adventure.

I wasn’t sure how best to get to that mall this morning, so I did a bit of ‘research’ on my computer, asked ChatGPT for some advice, and shortly after breakfast (toast and yogurt, in case you’re wondering) I took my ‘useless’ phone and headed out to the street to catch a bus. I knew what route I should be taking, but after watching a few buses go by, wasn’t sure exactly which of the posters plastered onto the windshield of the bus would tell me what route they were going. So I ended up just jumping onto a bus, saying the name of the mall (Centro Comercial Buenavista) to the driver. He looked at me quizzically. I said it slower and louder. Huh? Even louder. He motioned for me to hand him some money and go sit down. By now all the other passengers were clearly a little ticked that this gringo was slowing down there ride.

Well, you probably already guessed that about 40 minutes into the hot and crowded ride, it became clear to me that this bus was not going to get me to the mall. I showed the lady with the baby in the seat beside me my ‘useless’ phone, which showed the Buenavista place name on google maps. No, she shook her head. She ended up getting off the bus with me, waiting at a very warm bus bench for the ‘right’ bus, pushing me onto the bus while yelling ‘buenavista’ at the driver. And just like that! only about 30 minutes longer than it should have taken, I arrived at the big beautiful Buenavista shopping mall.

I found the Claro store near the big cinema at one end of the mall. There was a waiting line. There is ALWAYS a waiting line. I waited patiently for my turn to speak to the expert who was ‘screening’ the customers. (One thing I’ve learned about Colombia: they have a lot of line ups. The ATMS have long queues at each machine, and people sure do take their sweet time at the machine. Here there were several booths with workers just waiting for the next customer — but no, they have a system!) When it was my turn to explain my issue (that is, the two of us typing into my ‘translate’ program, since no matter how loudly and clearly I put together a few Spanish words, she didn’t seem to understand), it turned out that yes, I had come to the right place, but no, they couldn’t help me today. I gathered that the problem needed to involve the government department ‘releasing’ my phone’s serial number, and the government was not working on Domingo, a Sunday.

Really? you mean I came all this way for nothing? I wandered around in the mall for a while. I even stood in a 2-person line at the KFC ice cream cone booth, waiting ever-so-patiently for my little treat. And that wait got even longer when a lady barged in right in front of me just before I was going to order, and when she was done and I was just standing there giving her the evil eye, and she motioned to me to just move ahead and order. What’s the matter with you? A good thing that I was a kind and polite Canadian, and that today is Domingo; I ordered my cheap little ice cream cone and headed back out to catch a bus going back home. I guess I’ll come back tomorrow.

When I got home, Naomi was having a delightful morning, painting at the kitchen table. I was hot, tired, and frustrated. So Naomi got right to work in the kitchen, making us a delicious lunch (Denver sandwiches, in case you’re interested). And after lunch she went out to the pool with her sketchpad. And I did Wordle.

There was some talk of going for a walk on the beach, but by the time Naomi had finished a few calls with friends and family, she declared that she was too hungry to do anything else. We headed to the food court at the next door mall and ate our supper (fried chicken and fries, in case you need to know) at an outdoor table. We stopped at the grocery store on our way home. (Man, beer is crazy cheap in Colombia.)

Manitoba nuts! I didn’t know it gave such!

Back at the ranch, Naomi did a bit of laundry while I wrote this super-long blog post. But before I say goodnight, let me show you the interesting bag of nuts that Naomi bought today.

And the Hordes Have Arrived!

It’s the weekend and the flavour of things around here have changed. Rudy and I noticed it last night when we went out for an evening walk. The malacon was hopping and all the thousands (and this is hardly an exaggeration) of souvenir and trinket shops were open. It seems hardly possible that a person could make a living owning one of these shops. All the merchandise is exactly the same and who really wants this stuff. But I think I underestimate the desire for the average Colombian beachgoer for this type of memorabilia.

This morning when I went for a beach walk I was surprised to see who the beach goers were. Basically they are all Colombian. At least that is how it appeared to me although I did not interview even one of the hundreds I saw. Basically they were families. Whole families walked down the sidewalks toward the beach. Old grandmas and grandpas held the arms of the younger generation, some of them barely able to walk. It was delightful to see the elderly being led into the ocean and steadied in the waves by their people. Families built sandcastles. One young girl I passed had created an elaborate castle in which she had placed her barbie and her barbie’s boat.  Bathing costumes were varied. Body shapes were diverse. Everyone was in for the fun and it appeared to me that these Colombians really embraced a day at the beach.

Business was also brisk.  Vendors with fleets of huge blow up unicorns, mattresses, kayaks, and ancient paddle boats stood in the shallows, their merchandise  on leashes like dogs on a walk. Food vendors and vendors selling plastic pail and blow up life jackets and floaties walked the strip. And yes, the Colombians were buying.  I walked to the end of the beach strip and then it was getting hot so I returned home to make breakfast and then go for a dip in the pool.

The pool is my new favourite place and even though it is busy on the weekend it still is worth going for a swim.  The water is exactly the right temperature and it is glorious to immerse oneself.

Rudy went down to the beach in the evening to take some sunset pictures. The beach was still full with beach goers.

True to Central and South American culture, things were hopping last night, even in our own patio gardens. The music was loud, the laughter was exuberant, and it all carried on long past midnight. Lucky for us, Rudy and I both are not bothered by noise and we fell asleep to the sound of beats in the courtyard.

A Shift

Woke up this morning in our new place at Rodadero and I feel rejuvenated and ready to adjust my schedule. In Minca, because we had a shared space, I never really felt like I could set up my art stuff. So, although I did some sketching (pencil drawings) when I was out wandering, I never got to take those sketches and explore what I saw with paint and pencil crayons, markers. Now that we have a whole apartment to ourselves I have set up an art station on the dining room table. Rudy is beginning to expect that I will take over a section of each place that we rent and seems to be okay with it. And really, in this place, there is plenty of room for both of us to spread out.

One thing that I have not done for a week is cook anything in our place. Well today, that all changed. After going out to forage every time  we wanted a bite to eat it was pure pleasure to scramble up some eggs with cheese, toast some bread and pour some juice. This is only a small pleasure and I really never think of it at home but when I have not had the opportunity to cook and suddenly I can do something as simple as scramble eggs I am over the moon.

After breakfast I spread out my art supplies and checked with my art instructor, Debbie. Debbie has no idea who I am but she always has some insights for me on  Utube or bits of information about what she is painting and what techniques she is using. I hadn’t tuned in to anything of hers for a whole week and my drawings were getting tight and fussy. Now, with new resolve I worked on finishing something I had started. It is a study of leaves and rocks in a stream below the waterfall in Minca. I was kind of happy with the feel I got with the flow of water. It still seems tight but I like the movement.

I checked out the ocean this afternoon and it is very nice but oh so hot. I waded in the water but that was all. Instead I went back to our place and went to the pool. It is massive and I can swim lengths.  I was the only one there for quite a while. The water is so warm and it is so clean. I wished I had someone to swim with. I know that my kids would probably jump at the chance. And there is even a shallow kids area and a waterslide for older kids.

I am looking forward to more of the same activities tomorrow.

 

Escaping the Bugs

This day is the last in Minca. We head out early afternoon. The bugs have really done a number on Rudy and not so much on me. But this morning as we were digging into a delicious breakfast they descended on me for a final goodbye. Now I am sitting waiting to catch our taxi and am feeling itchy all over.

It is fun to be heading on to a new place. My adrenaline kicks in and I get excited about what there is to see at the new location. The niggling feelings of what has been “not quite perfect” at the present location give way to the optimism of finding a “perfect” place next. But really this stay in Minca has been lovely in so many ways. The peaceful quiet walks on the dirt roads, the waterfalls, the hot tub, and the plethora of great places to eat. We may not find those things at our next place but, maybe the bed will be more comfortable and there won’t be bugs, etc.

Well we arrived at our place in Rodadero. At first glance it is wonderful. It’s not too big but has all the necessities and is in a lovely area close to the beach with a pool on the grounds.

Once we unpacked we headed to the grocery store for supplies for the week. It is going to be so great to be cooking a bit again.

Late Breakfast / Early Dinner

It’s our last full day here in Minca. Naomi was DETERMINED to go for another walk up to the little waterfall today. But it ended up being another lazy morning at the apartment. As I’ve done here every morning, I made a cup of tea for Naomi and a delicious coffee for myself. We showered. We read some more Trump news. Other than that, it was another beautiful day in the jungle.

Naomi packed her artist tools, her swimsuit, and a towel, and marched off to her waterfall. I stayed home and wasted more time on the computer. Just before 1 o’clock she texts me; getting hungry, wait for me, let’s go get something to eat.

Before we could go to the restaurant I had to make a stop at the ‘ATM’. It’s not an ATM — the guy in the little desk behind the glass asks me how much money I want. Then he punches the amount plus 6% into the portable card reader, I put my password in and OK it, and voila! he doles out the bills. It’s like I’ve ‘bought’ something with my card, but the thing I bought is Colombian pesos. (300,000 plus his cut).

By now it’s around 2:00 o’clock. We’re off to what is now our favourite diner here in Minca — the Mexican restaurant. I guess the power is out, because there’s a very noisy generator sitting in the driveway. And when it runs out of fuel, the TV playing loud Colombian ‘tex-mex’ tunes shuts off. A young man hops on his motorcycle and soon returns with a big fruit juice bottle of gasoline. Back in business. We order a big plate of nachos and a couple of beers. Delicious and filling! And as it turns out, that’ll be the only meal we’ll eat  today.

It’s not as hot as it’s been most days. We wander back to our apartment. Along the way we stop a couple of taxis that are waiting in front of the big church on the Main Street and ask the drivers for a price to transport us back to Santa Marta and to our next Airbnb. We want to make sure we have enough cash for the trip tomorrow.

Once we’re back at the apartment Naomi packs her bags so she’ll be all ready to go tomorrow at noon — she’s planning to visit the waterfall one more time in the morning before we leave. When she’s packed, she takes her pencil crayons and heads upstairs to do a bit of art. After a while I join her upstairs. She opens the last of our beers and we have a little happy hour up there. By 6:30 it’s dark outside.

We continued watching the ‘Severance‘ series. After 3 episodes we’ve had enough. Naomi picks up her Sudoku book and I start typing this up on her blog. Hope she’s got some good pictures to add.

Tuesday

Well today is one of those days where I can’t think of anything to write. I might just ignore the fact that I have a daily blog to complete if it was just me, but Rudy seems to think that all will go to pot (and civilization as we know it will crumble) if one day is missed so here goes….

Breakfast was uneventful. A cup of tea in the room and a cup of yogurt in the courtyard.

Laundry day! I tried to do it but the woman who runs the hostel insisted and so I have nothing to report on that activity other than it is done and we now have clean clothes.

Adventures?? Really none! The day was hot and I did not venture on any extended walks. I stayed home and finished the Octavia Butler book, Parable of the Sower. It kept me interested and the chaotic world of the future was interesting to contemplate but I was not carried away with the writing style.

Evening Stroll! Before supper we took a short walk to a Mirador.  Rudy had put his jeans on to avoid insect bites so he was hot and sweaty and did not want to go far but we saw some great views anyway.

Supper. It was great. I feel like I write way too much about the food we consume in my blog. But since this day’s reporting is short (and not so sweet or even interesting) I will report about the food experience..  The Italian place we went to makes all its own pasta. Rudy had the fettuccini bolognese. I had a delicious caprese salad with some local (and very tasty cheese. ) My drink was lemonade with coconut milk. (I had to include my drink as drinks are one of the best things about eating out here. )The fruit drinks available include Lulo, Pina, Mora, Fresa, Maracuya, Papaya, Mango, etc.  and the one today was probably the best.

Back at home we counted our cash and realized we needed to get a bit more out to make it to the end of our stay here in Minca on Thursday. There are no banks here or ATMs but there is some sort of hole-in-the-wall place you can get money from your credit card at a steep interest rate. Well I guess there is no other option.

And that’s it. Another day here in Colombia.

Back to the Little Waterfall

After some yogurt and a cup of tea I left Rudy nursing his many bug bites on his legs and headed up to the small waterfall. I packed my drawing supplies, my water bottle, and put my swim suit on under my clothes. At the end of our street I stopped at the tienda and bought some galletas de limon (lime icing-filled cookies) and headed up the familiar dirt road. I hadn’t gone far when I joined a young woman from Quebec. She has been travelling on her own for the last five months (through Central and South America) and was almost ready to fly back to Canada. I got some interesting information about places she has been in Colombia which will help us as we move across the country.

The waterfall is small but there are a number of pools and although there were some people there it was not too crowded. The water is cool and refreshing and after a dip I settled down to do some sketching and some people watching. There was  lots to enjoy and it kept me occupied for quite some time.

Soon it was time to return and I phoned Rudy to see if he wanted to go out for some lunch. However, on the way into town I stopped at a tienda and bought a baked plantain that was filled with queso cosqueno and also a homemade sausage with bun and lime. I brought it home and we shared that for lunch along with a beer. We haven’t really eaten very much street food so it was good to try something new.

Rudy headed out late afternoon and after I had worked on blog stuff I headed out to find him. He was at a restaurant overlooking the river.  We decided to stay for supper and over an hour later we got our food.

Now we are back at our place and settling in for the rest of the evening. Perhaps a sit in the hot tub for a while.

More Time in the Jungle

Today was a slow day. I think Rudy and I were both feeling a bit down. I decided that some jungle exploring in and around town would be good for me so I set off towards the  main street and then over the bridge. Not far past the bridge I found a dirt road and turned down it. This mountain village is not on a grid like a prairie town and so I followed a winding road.  When a fork in the road appeared I made a random choice and just kept going. I passed regular houses, some hotel/hostel/eco lodge establishments and other random buildings. The trees are massive, the vines aggressive, and the bamboo stands towering. There was really no main attraction that I was wowed by but rather little bits of life along the way.

After a while I was hot and tired. I phoned Rudy and agreed to meet him at the Arabic restaurant for a late lunch. He was already there by the time I wound my way back. The food there is delicious. Rudy had a curry meat bun and a cheese bread. They were accompanied with a garlic sour cream spread. My mouth is watering here even as I remember it. I got a dish called Musabaha which, in Arabic, means swimming. Basically it was a warm dish of chickpeas, corn, fried bread and covered in hummus and olive oil. It was incredible.

Other than that we spent the day reading, drawing,  and watching some sketches from the SNL 50 years celebration. When it was dark out we went for a walk and ended up at an Italian restaurant. The courtyard looks over the cancha and it would have been great if a soccer game was in progress. As it was we watched some boys kick around a ball. The highlight for me, as far as food goes was a soda with Lulo fruit. I had never tasted that kind of fruit (much less heard of it). When we were done we made our way down the darkened streets back to our place. There we  sat in the hot tub in the cool of the evening.

Cascadas de Marinka

Today our goal was to walk up to the waterfall about an hour away. By the time we went out for breakfast (scrambled eggs, fruit salad, patacones, and coffee) and got our bathing suits and hiking shoes on, it was past 10:30.

The climb up to the waterfall is not steep for the most part but nonetheless it took more oomph that walking on the prairies does. Once we got there we were sweaty and I was definitely ready for a dip.

 

The water was cold and refreshing and I was glad I got in.  I had imagined something a little more like the place where Augusta and I had swum in a waterfall in Guatemala where there were large pools to relax and move around in. Not so here. But there was wonderful cool spray coming off the rocks and the lush vegetation.

There were also massive hammocks overlooking the gully from which to observe the surrounding countryside. All in all it was a good experience and although Rudy declined to get in the water he took loads of pictures of flowers (and pics of me in the waterfalls).

The walk home was relaxing. It had cooled off some and downhill was much less strenuous so we had a leisurely time. At one point we stopped to enjoy two massive trees.

One had a tunnel in it and when I climbed up to get a closer look it seemed like I might be able to clamber right into the heart of the tree. I wouldn’t have been surprised to meet some wood elves or other creatures inside of it. The massive roots towered over our heads, not to mention how high it was to the top of the canopy. And the circumference of the one tree trunk ENORMOUS!

We were hot and tired by the time we got home. Rudy washed his runners (he’d had a mishap and lost his footing crossing a stream so they were muddy and wet). He also had a million little red dots all over his legs where the tiny mosquitos had bitten him. We both had an ice cold shower in our outdoor facility and then settled down to relax. I don’t know what Rudy did but I went upstairs to the balcony to lie in a hammock and promptly fell asleep.

After this it was time for supper. So back we went to Tacos and Chelas (the Mexican establishment) where we drank a couple of lovely margaritas and ate delicious tacos and burritos. Another perfect day.

Tomorrow is Sunday. A day of rest? I may go for a walk in the countryside by myself with my sketching stuff. Or I might just chill around here. I guess tomorrow will tell.

A Hike for Me and Saving a Bird for Rudy and Lidia

After a lovely sit in the hot tub in our own private courtyard last night I crawled into bed. So far the only downside to this absolutely wonderful place is the bed. It is hard and somewhat lumpy. But really I shouldn’t complain about anything in this paradise. It cools off nicely in the mountains here in the evening and days are warm.

Breakfast consisted of pancakes and fruit and coffee (hot for Rudy and iced for me).  We sat for a long time in the shade of the restaurant. A lovely family (parents and two kids) sat a few tables away from us. The were Canadian (I surmised) and the woman spoke passible Spanish. She was teaching the kids how to order in Spanish and I absolutely loved their interactions. The mom so delighted in the exchange with her kids and they laughed and giggled. It brought me back to the Guatemala days and the fun we had with our kids experiencing day to day life in a different culture.

After breakfast we wandered down the street back to our house. It is so great to be in the countryside after the hustle and bustle of the city. Everything feels very safe here and I am content to wander and explore on my own and am not concerned about finding myself in an area with unsavoury characters. I spent the rest of the morning sketching various scenes in our courtyard and off the balcony at the top of the house. I am finding that I can lose myself in this activity and when I lift my head an hour will have passed. I guess that is the definition of playing.

Around 2 o’clock I decided that an adventure was in order. Rudy had his nose buried in the computer doing some coding to fix up this website so that the banner photos would work better. Since I really couldn’t help him (that is an understatement ;)) I felt no guilt about my expedition. I decided to take the road out of town towards a couple of the waterfalls. I didn’t know how far I would get or what the terrain would be like. The road rose and followed a gully for a while and then I was engulfed in jungle. Although I was climbing it was mostly a gentle slope. I passed under massive trees and huge stands of bamboo and although the day was warm, I mostly walked in the cool shade. There were a number of people on the road, some coming down and some walking in the direction I was taking. I stopped to talk to a bunch of  young German women and got lots of information about how far it was to the waterfalls and what the road was like on the way up. We swapped some travel stories and then we separated and went our way. I made it a place which I thought might be the path to the first waterfall but after following it for 15 minutes I saw it was taking me to a cluster of small houses so I turned around and headed back to the main road. Just five minutes further on I found the path to the small waterfall. I made my way down and cooled my feet in a pool. Although I wouldn’t have minded going further I realized I needed to get home as I didn’t have any water on me and also Rudy and I were planning to go out at 4 o’clock for something to eat.

When I arrived back at the house there was much excitement. A hummingbird (colibri) had flown into the house through the courtyard and had hit the window trying to get out. Lidia, the woman who runs the house, is a huge bird enthusiast. The are feeders and fresh cut fruit all around the courtyard. When Rudy alerted her to the accident she immediately picked it up and tried to revive it. After a number of false starts  and more banging into windows (and the bird even falling into a pail of water) Lidia was finally able to revive the bird. She mixed up some sugar water and fed it to the bird who amazingly lay in her hand and drank deeply of the elixir. Once its feathers were dried, it was able to fly away. It was so great to see the care and attention Lidia paid to the bird.

 

I am very enthused about what this area has to offer. I am so glad to be in the countryside. I feel relaxed and happy. We had a delicious meal for supper  and wandered around town a bit. Happy Valentines Day!