Its Sunday, its ok

Tonight KJ and I, Karen, are enjoying a wonderful warm evening in our new home. The day started at about 10 with us going in search of the atm which gives 1500 pesos or about $500 american. While she was able to get ooodles out, I was still stuck at the 600 peso limit, which is only $200, hardly enough to pay cash for a months rent plus deposit. So we tried, individually, to pay via paypal and that was totally fruitless, I was unable to pay with a credit card, any credit card. Sooooo, we emailed her back to say we’ll be there at 12:30 with cash. Oh yeah, after trying to find a telephone place open on Sunday and then a phone booth, I decided to try going into a posh hotel to ask to use their phone, its a local call afterall. And Paz at one time offered we could use her phone but we needed to get a card, to pay for it. What??? Local calls are FREE…. *My patience for Paz, a long story of many small things, was running very thin at this point*

I asked her to call a cab since we had A LOT of luggage and the cars in general are small. She said its 50 pesos for a car to come here, when its only about 10 if you pick a cab up on the street. I said if he is to come here with a bigger car we will pay. 12:15

Now we’re to meet Nacho at 12:30 and ordered the cab for 12:15. It’s 12:19 and I say where is he, well Paz ordered it for 12:30, WHAT????? you know we’re meeting him at 12:30. So I said lets just catch a cab on the street then. So 12:30 they show up in a small tiny taxi. I’m upset and its not acceptable. I wont pay 50 pesos, and I tell him this quite passionately in Spanish I didnt know I had, he talked to Paz, meanwhile I hail a taxi, the same as his and say to KJ let’s go. He says I’m going to call the police, KJ laughs at him I hear.

So I learned that when I am upset about something I will find a way to speak Spanish quite profienctly. Our fare was 10 pesos, about $3 and we were squished in with all our luggage.

Something has clicked as I have gotten bolder. Tonight, after buying groceries for our new home, we had oodles of bags that I didnt want to carry up the street, Tres Sargiento. It’s a pedestrian street, just doors down from the Thai restaurant but we’ve seen a couple cars pull up and drop people off. He said I cant go down the street, no cars as we all look at the sign that says no cars. I immediately say, with confidence, Es Domingo, es ok. He backs up and off we go, delivered to our doorstep, literally. We had a good laugh

We’ve settled into our rooms just right. She’s taken the downstairs non private room where the big closet and main bathroom are. I’ve gotten the upstairs tiny attic room with a small bathroom and french balcony. It has a single bed and she’s been sleeping on a single. It’s a little bit of funky as you hike up these wooden box steps with handrails, have to be a bit of a monkey to manuever. We’ll swap half way, or not. I’m so grateful for having space and my own key and no smoking in the house. And its gorgeous really. Check out my trap door and the secret attic room, where we keep the dead bodies.

In New Zealand when one gets a chill, they say “somebody’s walked over your grave”… just so you know