Medellin Suburbs Dentist & Shared Accommodation

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Apto Compartir translates to Shared Apartment. Apto is slang.

Went to Poblado (UPscale) (Parque Lleras Pronounced Jyeras) last night with Sol,(happy hour the menu is 40% off) $53,000 for dinner for two after happy hour. Good steak, passable chicken wings & fries. Then stopped at another more upscale restaurant, Sol had a Monte Christo coffee, me a regular coffee for 16,000 COP's.

Mixed Martial Arts, a UFC fight was on one TV, cousin Jim and a bunch of us get together often to watch. The bars are capacity in the USA ($10/head in Palm Springs) & Canada to see them, I was the only one watching in Lleras, most were watching nothing or the football game.

I bought a cell phone in el centro, a bit of an adventure but ended up same cost as Exito I think. So Exito is probably best. Although the guy did unlock the phone so it will work with a Canadian card when I get home to Canada. You can buy mobile internet pretty cheap, about 50cents and hour plus startup I guess. I use Martas mobile stick.

Moved into Martas on Friday, It is nice and I am jsut getting used to the new routine now, Monday...the Palm Tree was good but a memory now.

A tooth fell apart 2 days ago. Got it fixed today, great experience. $75CND. First full day of cloud and rain in a month today, but still tee shirt weather just wet.

Went out to Sabaneta last night with Maria and had Morcilla (Mo see jya) basically Chorizo with rice, onions, pork, Sangre (blood), and spices wrapped in some intestine. It was pretty good. Little lemon juice and hot salsa with it.

Getting some glasses made but have to wait for an appointment about $75 including an exam from an optomtrist (not an opthamologist).

I had to pull the Parque Lleras night fotos. Copyright stuff. But here is a link to a very pretty foto of Medellin.

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Photos

Ross's Sabaneta Penthouse
Mix of country and city.

Ross' Apartment Sabaneta
Beautiful place and location, right in the heart of Sabaneta. Ross has a couple of rooms for $600/month each.

Ross' front room
Sol and Ross' GF Jesail.

Building boom
Right behind my new place in Calasanz.

Itagui, some say it's a bit dangerous
And others don't think it so so much to worry about, including Monica (Sols daughter) a University But definitely lots of nice people. Soles balcony to her fron area.

Sabaneta gran Plaza
As always in latin America shops mostly cafes and bars surround the plazas.

An Important Catedral
Sabaneta. As always overflowing as it is a Saint Catedral. (Spanish spelling)

click on this to see it more clearly
I take photos of signs here that interest me. I like the easy reminder they give.

Joggers on a wild Thursday Night
Marta & I out for my first look about the new neighborhood and I saw where all joggers etc came from to Estadios when I lived there.

Tours Medellin
Click page 2 at the bottom to see 10 more fotos.

Martas friend Lorenzo
Lorenzo I met at tennis and introduced me to Marta my new landlady.

Maria, Me & Morcilla
Morcilla First ingridiant is blood, nest onion, pork, rice and spices all in an intestine wrap.

Morcilla and chorizo
Click at bottom of page for more fotos on page 2

Claudia
Marta phoned at 8 this morning and I was out of the chair by noon. No anestasia, few tense moments but great job.;

Dentist waiting room
Just a waiting room but a Colombian one.

Claudias Card.
I would get m yteeth fixed here rather than Canada. She seemed very good. and $80 total.

Comments

[cathy]

Good blogging
Morcillos sounds very much like the scottish blood pudding. I like unusual signs too. How long are you staying in Medellin?

[anonymous]

it seems you are very 'brave'...but then we were brave 6 mo. in Buenos Aires...

[Christine]

It looks like your trip is going very well... So many interesting people, places...and cuisine. Your new accommodation looks much more comfortable than the previous. is it a house? Keep it coming with the great pics! I'm off work at 1600 all week so feel free to try and call. Talk to u soon. Love chris.

[topspinwilly]

Catica is spanish class still going strong?
Yes blood has its supporters and it tasted fine. Pigs ears in the butcher window. Haven't seen them on the menu though. Probably I will not get out of Medellin except for maybe a trip to a finca (farm) nearby, many people I know go often to their (or a friends) finca. I hope to come back for longer next year and might explore more then.

[topspinwilly]

Dear anonymous thanks for commenting
No reason to be nervous here. Unless someone jumps of a motorcycle with a weapon. You get so much advice here on safety, much of it overkill but things can happen. An older friend at tennis this morning related being attacked last year by a guy with a hammer. He had some martial and subdued the attacker. He had been here for 3 years but the attack was in Ohio while he was back there.

[topspinwilly]

Hi Chris, I thought maybe too many fotos this post.
I missed some fotos during a night at Edgar's a couple of days ago unfortunately. He is a friend from tennis (we played a couple of games this morning) He and Margarita were so hospitable to Maria Elena & I in their wonderful penthouse in Poblado. He is a doctor doing nothing but 6 month pilot exams. Dwayne and the rest of the Mcalistors will be interested in that. So he plays tennis in the morning and is lucky enough to see only pretty healthy people in the afternoon.

[Monica]

It's not dangerous place
I know this place many years ago, and nobody has robbed or threatened. Medellín have many other places that are really dangerous :) Good luck!

[topspinwilly]

Monica thank you for your comment.
I didn't know you could put a foto in the comment. That is really cool. Thanks for those who don't know the foto is in Itagui. Many people in Medellin think Itagui is dangerous but I know you have to spend time in a place to really know. Monica knows better than others, the situation that exists there. She is Soledad's daughter and the view is from her balcony. Thanks Monica.

[Dwayne McAllister]

[e-mail]
William, I must say it's been enjoyable reading of your adventures! Keep it coming!

[topspinwilly]

Monica I will edit my post..
I think your right, my tennis "Jovani" coach agrees. Of course it probably is not as safe as Poblado but also not the most dangerous area.

[topspinwilly]

Dating Renting & Cell phones
Hey Dwayne: Well the Spanish is advancing. Still a long way to go. Sometimes it goes very well and sometimes not. Got a cell phone for about $50 bucks with 70 texts and maybe100 minutes. I do a lot of texting. Much easier than talking in Spanish. I moved to Marta's because I needed a change. Learn about a slightly different area better. Too long in the hostel, prvt room $450/month, but some great people there & I am getting to bed earlier now. This is half price $225/ month. Bigger room, own bath, Marta is about 50 learning English, we hang out and get on well. The Neighborhood that works best for me is near Estadios where my tennis club is. So now I am 20 minutes the other side of Estadios where I used to be, a little longer walk but that is part of the enjoyment. I have lived in the best part of town, its a bit sterile (and now a total of 5 areas). I might like farther out (Sabaneta) it is more country-like and seems great but you have to live there to really know. I would have to take a bus 15 minutes then the train 25 minutes to get to tennis everyday. Big problem for me. Yep I have been dating but nothing romantic has happened yet. Met some very nice ladies though and went out many times. Still looking. Glad to hear from you Dwayne. Hope we play some tennis in the summer. It would be nice to see Sherry and Shawn also. Take care. you cousin William PS I will post this as a comment if you don't mind since it covers some questions. This post was from Dwayne's Prvt message

[Dwayne]

William I envy you
Retirment seems to be treating you well enough. When I was a kid this is the life I would have wanted, hanging out, playing sports, meeting people socializing this is all very good. Perhaps at some point you may want a new challange but in the mean time, not bad at all! Good for you!

[Sol]

SALUDO
Hi William, hope you are well. Always remember that people are valued and judged by what they carry inside, their qualities and not by where they live. Also remember that you live where you can and not anywhere, because if it was where I wanted to live in a paradise. Happy day. sol Hola William, te deseo un feliz día, estés donde estés- Recuerda siempre que las personas se valoran por lo que llevan dentro, por sus cualidades y nunca por el lugar donde viven. También recuerda siempre que uno vive donde puede y no donde quiere, porque si asi fuera yo viviría en un paraiso. sol.