January 12, 2025 - Spa, Massage and Drama

 I have to be out of my apartment every Wednesday so Noemi can clean.  I know, it is a burden, lol.  This morning my plan was to spend a few minutes in the lobby before heading to get my spa on.  

But...drama in the lobby.  I won't bore you with the details but I spent 90 minutes watching events unfold as two women tried to get to a boat for a day trip.  A bus was waiting at the curb, the husband didn't show as planned, the bus wouldn't wait more than 20 minutes and the women wouldn't leave without the husband.  Eventually the women left and the husband never came down.  Did I mention the wife and husband don't speak the same language and were using a translating service to talk?  I feel sorriest for the tour guide, who the ladies somehow decided was completely at fault for not making a bus load of other tourists wait until the husband decided to arrive.  I hope they all ended up having a good day.

After 1 1/2 months here, I feel like part of the neighborhood.  JC hangs out at a taxi stand near my apartment so I chatted with him for a few minutes on my way to the spa.  Then, I talked with a hat vendor, who likes to practice his English with me.  It is a daily thing.  Then the "bird man" and I greeted each other.  He likes to feed the pigeons each morning.  Yesterday I showed him a video from my "bird cam" at home. 

Once at the spa, the receptionist said "The usual?"  Yes, please.  I love change and new experiences but am also a fan of the comfort of routine.

After a shampoo, blow dry, mani/pedi (with tips, less than $40) I strolled home just in time to get a massage from Juanita.  

I'm so exhausted from all the effort, I think I'll just spend the afternoon reading and order Rappi for dinner.  Tacos?  Sushi?  Pizza?  Chinese?  So many choices.

Tomorrow will be another quiet day taking care of some paperwork and stuff.  Friday I'm planning to visit an historic village, settled by the freed slaves.  

A few photos...

That's the moon, at about 6:30 this morning.

There were more clouds this morning.

The quiet lobby.

More drama.  That's a new arepa vendor across from my apartment.  Normally, there's a different vendor.  That guy was pushing his cart up the street, looking very annoyed.  I'll have to get the scoop from JC on Friday.

This is the cat who lives at Crepes and Waffles, near my apartment.  Good food, HUGE menu, gluten free options and a nice patio.

January 15, 2025 - Another Excellent Day

 My Wednesday routine today went well.  Noemi arrived promptly at 8 a.m. to clean.  I walked over to the Luxury Concept Peluqueria Spa to enjoy a manicure, pedicure, shampoo/head massage and blow dry.  A bargain at $34.  Also nice to walk in and be warmly greeted, by name.  

After the spa I made a quick trip to the grocery store which was significantly less crowded and more pleasant than my weekend visit.  Bummer that I didn't realize until I got home that I forgot paper towels and coffee.  Ah, well.  Good excuse to go back tomorrow.

Once back in the apartment I did my normal stuff.  Laundry, studied some Spanish, tutored some English and chilled.  A very nice day.  Here are a few photos.

Door open, coffee with a view.  A delightful way to start each day.

I've been coming home from my beach walks and even after stomping and doing my best to wipe off all the sand, it still gets in my apartment.  This morning, I found the foot washing station tucked around the corner from the lobby.  Yes!

There are a number of hotels like this one, across the street from the spa.  No ocean view but about $30 a night.  And two blocks from the beach.

Where I happily spend my Wednesday mornings.  I arrived a few minutes early so hung out under the shade of a tree.  A young man, selling tours, joined me.  He said hello and held up his brochures, with a questioning look.  I said "No thanks" and thought he'd leave.  But he stayed and we just watched the traffic together, enjoying a quiet moment.  After about five minutes, I said good bye and headed to the spa.  He wished me a good day.  I've felt nothing but safe and welcome here since I arrived.

The only other customers this morning were three middle-aged Colombian men.  They get as many men as women for manicures and pedicures.

That weird looking chair is where I get my shampoo and head massage.  Heavenly.  It converts into a massaging lounge chair.

I was apparently very relaxed because my watch kept going off, telling me to "Wake up!".  Shut up, Fitbit.

Roland has accepted my challenge to cook some pulpo when he arrives.  The challenge is making it tender.  You can buy a whole octopus (about 1 kg) for about $10.

They have a variety of salmon, which is pricier than in the US.

I'm not sure I'd want to meet these chickens alive.  Those are some HUGE chicken breasts.

I picked up some ground beef for dinner tomorrow.

Masa de maiz is used for making arepas, tamales and other local favorites.

It comes in white and yellow.

I love grape/cherry tomatoes.  They sell a lot at Carulla, with varieties I've never seen before.  These are just four of the different types they sell.

The water looks very brown today.  Because it is windier than normal?

They do not play with the warning labels on food here.

This ham was delicious but apparently not good for my health because it is too salty.  Now, I look for the ones that warn of excess sugar, salt and trans fats.  So tasty!

Food delivery is so cheap and easy, I've been very lazy about preparing meals.  Here's my lunch of gooseberries, ham, cheese and saltines.

I got this from the bakery.  I thought it was cake but it was puff pastry layers with arequipe, which is what is called dulce de leche in Argentina and caramel in the US.  It was very heavy and very sweet and shockingly, I tossed 1/2 of it.  

Noemi does a great job of cleaning.

This view is not getting old.  That's the pool and the Caribbean beyond.

One wall of the apartment is glass,with great views.

The Old City at sunset.

The sky at sunset doesn't disappoint.  And the hot tub has been busy every evening since I arrived.

January 8, 2025 - Best Morning Yet

 My landlady asked me to vacate the apartment on Wednesday mornings so the cleaning woman could do her thing.  You don't have to ask me twice to let someone else clean for me.  Because I needed to be out between 8-noon, I didn't do my normal early morning walk.  

I had no particular plan so headed to McDonalds for breakfast.  But the menu doesn't seem to include yogurt or anything remotely healthy.  Instead I found a shady seat on the outdoor McDonald's patio, which seems to be used as a waiting area for tourists taking the HOHO buses.  

I enjoyed people-watching for awhile and was approached by several vendors selling hats and inexpensive jewelry.  One criticism of Bocagrande is how aggressive the street and beach vendors are but I haven't found that.  So far a smile and "gracias pero no" sends them on their way.

It was starting to get warm on the patio, even in the shade, so I headed up the street, to look for the small store to buy water.  On the way, I spotted the Luxury Concept Peluqueria Spa.  I got there around 9 and they were just opening.  The receptionist told me if I was willing to wait 10 minutes or so I could get a pedicure.

Sure enough, 10 minutes later the nail tech arrived.  The pedicure was almost exactly what I'm used to in the US - complete with massage chair with attached bubbling foot bath.  Except it only cost about $6 for a 50 minute pedicure.

While my toes were being pampered I asked if I could get a shampoo and haircut, too.  Sure!  In addition to the shampoo I got a 20 minute head massage with some sort of conditioner.  Then, one of the best haircuts I've had in awhile followed by an excellent blow dry.  Total cost was $38 and I now have an appointment for next Wednesday for a pedicure, shampoo/head massage and blow dry.  Wednesdays may now be my favorite day of the week.

Here are some photos...

One of the cruise ships coming in to dock.  

ATMs here, as in many countries, are in a small room.  There was a man standing in the doorway when I arrived so I hung back and waited.  A couple of minutes later, the man opened the door fully for a woman to pass and waved to motion me in.  I was a bit leery since this isn't the normal procedure but when I got to where I could see inside, I understood.  This guy was repairing one of the ATMs and the other guy was his partner.  I took out more than a million.  Ok, it was a bit over $100.  

My view of one of the HOHO buses.  There's also a larger, double decker  HOHO.

This is the restaurant where I've eaten twice.  Technically, I've ordered delivery twice.  Excellent roasted chicken.

The spa was very nice.  And cool.

The setting and staff are on a par with spas in the USA but so much cheaper.

Soakin' the toes.

I tried to imagine myself sitting on one of those low, rolling chairs.  I fear a broken hip would be involved.

See the white thing in the background?  A woman is getting a shampoo in that thing.  That's where I got my shampoo.  It is a massaging lounge chair and the white plastic thing has soothing colored lights that change colors while you're getting shampooed and massaged.  When I am rich I am buying one.  And hiring the amazing woman who did the treatment.

SHHH!  Keep your voices down, please.  We're relaxing here.  I almost fell asleep while she blow dried my hair.

Gotta love the auto translation.  Please note these are your choices for chicken.  Would you prefer 1 pope or 2 arepas.  And, Choose Your Prey?   And, I don't know about you but I don't think I've ever seen a ham leg on a chicken.  I have seen a breast wing before.  I opted for no gloves, which is a common option in many countries when eating fast food chicken.

Some days, the ocean is Caribbean blue.  Some days, it looks like this.

Just chillin' and a rainbow appeared on the living room floor.

This vent is between my laundry room and the hallway where the elevators are, which means I can hear everything from the hall.  Happily, it is almost always quiet in the hall.   

Speaking of Kokoriko...my dinner of roasted chicken and potatoes.  I ordered Guacamole and got a piece of avocado. It's like the Ikea of fast food. I added grape tomatoes from the fridge.  It was delicious.  Delivery took 10 minutes.  I have plenty more chicken for tomorrow and total cost was less than $12.