Lyman's Journey: Another Week of Recovery & Discovery!

I apologize for all the missteps with my blog! I know most have not gotten their email updates for the last several weeks. I do believe I have solved the problem but that means you will be getting several posts at the same time. Happy Reading! And, they are probably not be in correct order.

Week Ending August 18, 2013

To continue with our weekly adventures, I was still sick with my cold for most of this week. As of today, though, I'm cured and have a clear head with only a small sinus drip left. Yeah!! It feels good to finally feel good!

So until Wednesday, we laid low here at the condo and enjoyed surfing the web on our iPads or reading while sitting in front of our windows and watching the comings and goings on the beach. I also used this time to do the Expense Chart and write my analysis, reworking it several times after fresh eyes got a peek at it. Except here are a few pictures taken while Mike did a walk each day.

The other item I worked on was arranging a surprise gift for Mike's upcoming 65th Birthday on Sunday, September 1. Several new friends here have done paragliding jumps in Canoa, a small beach town just up the coast from here. As Mike loves to fly in small planes, I thought this new adventure would be perfect for him. Yup, it's all arranged and I couldn't hold the surprise in, so I announced his surprise as soon as I had it booked. Mike was over the moon surprised and elated! I did good!! Stay tuned for the results on August 28!

Wednesday evening we got together with Miriam Weaver & Dave Causy at their place to finally have a chance to get to know them. Miriam and I have been fb buddies for a long time and she is our rental agent for our condo.

What a great evening we had! And, dinner at Pepi's was fun and good food, too! Love making new friends!

Thursday was still a little laid back but I did get out and we walked to the grocery store, which wore me out! The sun was out most of the day and it was glorious and warm! After an afternoon nap, we headed back to Coco Bongo's for the weekly Booz run and a nice visit with other expats who hang out there.

Continuing on with my efforts to get back to normal, we decided to finally walk around town and discover areas we hadn't seen yet. The sun was out and we had a great time walking. An easy town to walk around and through as there are few hills until you get to the edges.

At the Church square, we noticed the stairs climbing up the most prominent hill. Although not ready to make that climb just yet, we know it leads up to the cross that also is an observation tower overlooking the area. So looking forward to making that trek this coming week!

And we picked these up at the market and are enjoying them at home!

The afternoon was idled away soaking up the sun poolside. An hour in this sun so very close to the equator is ample to tone up the tans we brought with us. The pool water is still a bit too chilly for comfort but the kids don't seem to mind though!

Friday evenings there is always a group of expats that get together for dinner. So we decided to join them this week at Puerto Amistad, which is a beautiful bar/restaurant at the marina. It's owned by an American sailor and his Columbian wife. What a great time! The food was outstanding ! My BBQ pork ribs were mouth watering, cut it with a fork tender, falling off the bone delicious!! Ribs are my favorite and I was in unadulterated heaven! At a cost of $12.50, I thought it was still a good deal considering the huge portion and quality. And, still less than in the states for the same. This was a splurge though.

What was really interesting to us though, was this was the first time we met several expat couples that actually live on their boats. They have been sailing all over the world and are now here for an extended period of time. A completely different way to consider making this journey. Their stories were and are fascinating and we enjoyed the change of pace conversation!

Another great walk on Saturday all through town and along with Malecon. Another beautiful sunny warm day here that shouldn't be missed!

Can you tell we're enjoying the beauty here!

Last night we had drinks with new friends, Susan & Karl Heer, at their place. It's always interesting to see other people's rentals and their quirkiness'.

It was the 3rd Hot Summer Nights Saturday festival with only one week left of the celebration. We walked down the main street here, Simon Bolivar, and found that last night's event was a pretty quiet affair. Not quite sure why since it had been several streets of vendors and the stage but last night was only a couple of vendors and the stage. The whole night on stage was all local talent - sort of. Like a bad karaoke night. The highlight for us was the little ones doing their dances to many different songs - Makarena, Gangman, etc.