January 14, 2025 - Did You See That Moon?

 I'm a morning person so enjoy getting up early.  Here, walking into the living room just before dawn and seeing the sea and Old City is a special treat.  This morning?  Breathtaking.  My phone couldn't do the moon justice.

After my walk on the beach, I enjoyed a couple of video calls, ate and studied Spanish.  I've been spending several hours a day on Duolingo.  I figure if I'm going to inflict my Spanish on the locals, I should at least make an effort to clean up my grammar.

Here are some photos...

My living room view at 6 a.m.

I need to learn how to use my phone camera.  The moon looked even larger and more impressive in person.

I'm still up in the air about moving here but one negative is that I couldn't drive here.  This is typical of the size of parking spots.  

I'd have to have Juan Carlos on retainer.  I could back in there.  But it would take a long time.  And/or there would be dents.

Yes, I do find the penis umbrellas and cathedral humorous.

This vendor had his umbrellas open early and was busy washing the chairs.

I also enjoy bird foot prints.

Playa de Bocagrande

Lots of birds today.  And, not as humid as yesterday.  Perfect for walking.

The waves were decent but no surfers this morning.

There were two massage ladies out working at 7 a.m.  One told me the name of the larger bird (in Spanish) but now I can't remember.

Someone left their castle.

Very artsy with the colors, eh?

Some type of crab?  There were lots of these holes (about 1 1/2 inch in diameter) in part of the beach.  I've seen them in Florida, but smaller.

Handsome.

All quiet in front of the Hyatt this morning.

Sitting in the water.  Not a bad way to start the day.  Reminded me of "taele" in Samoa - bathing in the sea which meant sitting in the water, usually while chatting with friends.

This little guy was having a blast digging in the sand.  His dad was holding an infant and watching him.  How early do you think he started asking to go to the beach?  

Some believe that finding a white feather is a sign an angel is with you.  

Another vendor, working hard.

It seems this is beach 5.

The umbrellas stay up.

I have no idea what this group was doing.  At first I thought it was buoys but nope, people's heads.  Not moving.

Sunrise.

The area is remarkably quiet, given the dense population.

A hotel and convention center near my building.  Rooms currently go for about $210 a night.

It may not look like it in this photo but many of the hotels are full.  This is the busiest month of the year.

Not a great place for shell collecting, just small broken ones and small pieces of dead coral, mostly.

Sunrise.

The vendors work hard.

Every morning, they drag out the chairs/pads/tables and wash them.  And rake the sand and pick up trash.  All before the tourists come to spend the day.

This is how to spend retirement.

I saw some pelicans this morning.  I love watching them from the balcony, circling and diving.

This man sells souvenir trinkets on the beach.

View of my apartment, from the beach.

The bait fish are tiny.  And seem to be plentiful.

There are a variety of options of chairs/loungers/tables to rent by the day.

At night, all the furniture is tied up together and covered.

Then dragged to the water each morning.

A coffee/snacks vendors.  Selling coffee to a chair vendor.

In the front of my building is this window for deliveries.  The delivery people aren't allowed in the lobby.

Fixing breakfast with this view is sweet.

They sell a variety of fruit/veg drinks at Carulla.  I really like the green drink.  It has pineapple and apple juices with spinach, carrot and other vegetables.

My breakfast - Green Drink, gooseberries and peanut butter on crackers.

This little guy shows up around breakfast time each morning.

Usually the pool is fairly busy early but it was still empty at 10 a.m.