Suite and Shopping in Santa MartaJul 8, 2009
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sunset - the view from our suite
nothing like a good old fashioned BBQ
| Well it turned out that our wait for our room was much longer than we had anticipated. Two hours became three became four, only to discover that they had a problem with the toilet and were not able to fix it today. This meant going back to our previous room in the hopes that it would be available tomorrow. Elaine and Cory were sitting with a Welsh fellow named Alex, when the idea came to them, why not take the suite and use the shared bathroom. Alex who is fluent in Spanish put this suggestion to the girl on the front desk and she agreed it was a good idea. Of course for our “inconvenience” we would get a discount on the room. Instead of paying $80,000 pesos it was going to be $50,000 and it included breakfast which normally is $12,000 for the two of them. Cory and Elaine were quite excited because when they did the math it was cheaper than their other room at $40,000 + $12,000 for breakfast = $52,000 or $26.00. They were getting their suite for $25.00 for the first night anyway. It was late afternoon when we finally were able to get all the bags in the room, and headed out for dinner, because we had not had time to get any groceries. There is a restaurant at Casa del Felippe that is only open Wednesday to Sunday, and everyone was raving about it. Cory and Elaine agreed to meet up with a New Zealand couple Jen and Dan for Filet Mignon the next night. Wednesday morning after breakfast Cory and Elaine grabbed a taxi to take them to Santa Marta to get groceries. It would probably be the equivalent of going from Yale to Chilliwack for size not distance. It is only natural to believe that the grocery stores in Santa Marta will be cheaper and have a better selection than the corner stores in Taganga. Well, they were 50% right. There was a much better selection. Warm bottles of Smirnoff Ice were available for $4,400 there and available cold in Taganga for $3,000. Beer prices were similar. It was quite disappointing, but Cory and Elaine were able to stock up on meat, fruit and vegetables for the week. After returning to the Casa, there was time to head down to the beach. It was very hot down there and Cory and Elaine rented some chairs for $6,000. The chairs gave them the option of sun or shade. The water was quite cool, and very refreshing. Elaine made friends with 6 local children when she went in the water. It gave her the chance to practice some Spanish. Upon returning to the Casa we were told the toilet works sometimes. Might work the first time, and the second time, but maybe not the third time. Hmmmmm, wonder what the price will be for tonight? At 7:00 we went down and met up with Jen and Dan and ordered our filet mignon. For those of you who don’t know, this is beef, real beef. The first real beef Cory and Elaine have had since leaving Canada. It was delicious and a huge serving with potatoes and vegetables in a red wine gravy. All this for only $16,000 pesos or $8.00 US. It was worth it. When we got up to go to breakfast this morning, two workmen were outside in our courtyard digging up the yard, to work on the ongoing problem. It is not really that inconvenient, and the toilet does seem to be working, We are having a BBQ tonight so I must go, as I have to watch Elaine as she does some prep, after all it has been a while since she prepared a meal. Will let you know how it turns out, but I do have complete confidence in her ability. |
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