Ray's Adventure

Good Morning!
It has been a busy few months since I posted last but very good.
After returning from a great visit to see Craig & Sue Schafer in in Florida right away we headed back to Bogota to get Gloria her tourist visa at the US Embassy. Many of her friends have tried without success so she was a little apprehensive but she did get it and it is good for 10 years. While in Bogota we toured the Emerald Museum and the Salt Cathedral. The cathedral was carved out in a huge underground salt mine outside of Bogota. Absolutely beautiful.
Then after a bit we drove to the Pacific coast city of Buenaventura. Not high on the tourist list as it is a major port city. Colombia is blessed with major ports on the Atlantic and Pacific saving the costs of shipping through the Panama Canal. Bueaventura is a few miles inland with access by a protected inlet. We took a water taxi out to the coastal edge town Juanchaco, then choice of car or motorcycle ride to the beach area of Ladrelleros. Amazing beaches mixed with rock cliff walls. Very undeveloped but rich in natural beauty. We did find one very nice hotel and explored from there. We hired a local guide for a walking jungle tour and the next day he took us in his boat via inland tidal rivers up to another beach area La Barra. This place was incredible as was the mangrove lined rivers. Very poor, no road access except for a trail used only by motorcycles. But the beaches were huge, undeveloped full of natural beauty. The boat trip back was a bit tricky as the tide had lower the water by about 5'. Had to walk the last 100 yards up the uncovered river stones to the landing. The next day we walked back to La Barra via the beach, it was about an hour walk then returned by the trail the motorcycles use, I now understand why only bikes can get through. Great trip with a final stay again in Buenaventura, hotel including breakfast for just under $14, not what you think, it was a great place.
Back in Pereira we have found an apartment we bought not far from Gloria's old place. Complex is about 15 years old with security, pool, sauna and parking in a nice quiet area. Apartment is completely remodeled and we got a good deal. We will make the final payment next Tuesday but wont move in until the end of October when we come back. The previous owner will rent from us until her new house is finished, all good.
We continue our visits to areas nearby visiting a farm of another of Gloria's friends tucked up in the mountains. They grow coffee, corn, vegetables and have all the normal fruit trees such as mangos, papaya, avocados, limes, oranges and the like. Fantastic views and great visit. We also tried out another thermal pool property. This one is at the end of the road along with a quaint hotel/restaurant. Very scenic with two waterfalls, one hot feeding the pool. A vineyard tour in the town of La Union, combined with a zoo and nature park.
There have been local "ferias" or nice expositions or flea markets around town and nearby one evening was a blocked off street featuring local artists with paintings, jewelry, food and music.
I am headed back to Panama on the 19th for a couple of days as my medical visa expires on the 21st and I will have a major penalty to pay if I don't leave and return under a tourist visa. So I had bought some precious metals in Panama and I will go check out the vault and their office. Not a total waste but why you cant just check in with immigration and make the switch without the trip is beyond me. I will plan to get my "retirement visa" in November after we get back so that will put an end to this hassle. I was wanting to go to Ecuador but the tickets were more expensive and after the earthquake they suffered last night I guess Panama is a better choice.
There has been two meetings of expats here in Pereira by a new group. We have people here from all over. Nice to get together and share ideas and experiences.
Wishing you all sunny days, calm winds and a break from all the political BS that cant be escaped no matter where in the world you are,
Ray and Gloria

The entrance to the salt mine

View of the cathedral

Amazing dedication and simple beauty

These rooms just go on and on

Between the pillars that help support the cathedral. This is about 400' underground.

Ceiling in salt mine showing sands lines when this whole country was once under water.

On the beach at Ladrelleros just below our hotel

A boat of locals bringing things to sell in town at the landing where we headed out to La Barra

Just down the beach from the hotel, part of our jungle tour

The dock in Buenaventura where we caught the water taxi

One night at the hotel

A heron on the boat trip to La Barra

The beach at La Barra. Our hotel was about an hour straight ahead

View on the river trip

We stopped here for a swim on the way to La Barra. This segment of the river ended at this waterfall.

Where we landed in La Barra

Our guide

Lunch spot in La Barra. This is about as restaurant as it gets here

Our hotel in Ladrelleros

The trip back to Buenaventura, we were the only ones headed back on this taxi

Nice views all the way back. We missed this on the trip out as it was drizzling

The vineyard in La Union. Yes they tasted great!

She caught me tasting another

I love these buildings. At the start of the grape tour

Pretty bird in the vineyard

In a tree just outside the winery

With January coming to an end we are happy to report all is going well. The search for a car has ended with our purchase of a 2013 Nissan Tiida Hatchback. Quite a process. After checking classifieds for weeks every time we found what we liked or a good deal it was gone before we called. Automatic transmissions are not common here, I think it is a luxury. It seemed like we might have to travel to Bogotá or Medallin, many hours, just to find one. We checked all the small dealers with no luck. Finally we visited the big Chevy dealer, they had two used automatics on the floor, but we soon found out they were too already sold. But she said they are cleaning one and we could see it the next week. Thinking it too would be gone by then we paid a deposit based on approval after seeing it. It turned out great and after one week we took delivery. Lots of paperwork, fingerprints, trips to the notary, the transit dept (DOT), more papers. The collision insurance is optional, but is 100% coverage including roadside service with no deductible for $300/year. Pretty cool.
Now Gloria has renewed her license and we are good to go, she even had to get a medical and psychiatric exam, very thorough.
Gloria's house sold right away in January so she was relieved. The apartment is working well but we are slowly looking to buy a place here. The dollar is very high which makes things good for me but is tough on the Colombians. But it is a good time to buy, even with the peso low, Pereira is the fastest growing city in Colombia so prices are rising. From what I've seen, we can find a very nice place for $40-45,000. It's hard not to.
The only concern I have in the apt. is the noise I make in the workshop/bedroom. No one has complained and I only do it during the day for short periods of time so maybe there is no problem. It sure has been fun to putter around with some small projects. Just starting to understand the local woods so I have lots of ideas.
Many people ask what does it really cost to stay here. So here are the details for the last month, keep in mind the peso is now at 3,300/dollar compared to $3,100 when we paid the last bills.
Rent $284
Cable $35 includes 5 gig WiFi, TV cable and house phone
Water $15
Electric $28
Gas $6
This totaled $368 for November. We each have cell phones with sim cards, so service here is $6.10 for one month at one gig, add $3.05 if you want another gig per phone.
The beauty is the savings are just the icing on the cake. The climate, friendly people and natural beauty is the best part.
Headed to Florida for a week starting Valentines Day starting with a visit to Craig and Sue in Cape Coral.
Happy February to all.