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******
Tuesday July 3, 2018
We went to the bank at 8:15, shortly after it opened, and that was a mistake, because all of Tulua had the same idea. The line stretched outside around the building just to get a number to get to a teller or a service rep. Being an old fart did not help anything unless you begged someone to let you squeeze in front, as some did. This did not include all the people bypassing the line to get to the bank machines. When we finally did get to see the service rep she was not helpful because I need a Colombian residency visa card (Cedula) to do almost anything, same as Ecuador. So I am transferring a lot of money here to an account that I cannot have access to yet.. After 95 minutes we got out of the bank to find no line-ups at all. I guess we can sleep in next time.
The next stop was the Notary office to notarize Cristina's letter asking to allow my visa as her spouse, and notarize a copy of her Cedula. Then I came home and organized all the documents which I then scanned for safety reasons. I now believe that I have all the documents necessary to apply for my visa.
The Government website says that I could apply online, and I am tempted, but my Spanish is rudimentary and I don't want to screw it up. I also have no idea how I am supposed to pay the fees, etc. My friend Tom got everything handled by a facilitator up north who speaks no English so I am hoping to find someone here that can handle it for me in a similar fashion here. I am loathe to give up my passport to any courier services or the like.
Then we had another big World Cup game between Colombia and England. Colombia got their first shot on goal in extra time, in the 93rd minute, to tie the game at 1-1,.. totally lucky on their part and keeping the hopes of all Colombia alive. After a scoreless 30 minutes of overtime they went to the penalty kicks. When Colombia got up 3-2 it appeared that the upset might be complete, but it was not to be. Their next 2 shooters missed their shots and they lost, as predicted by me in my Monday blog. Sweden also won, so I am still a skilled prognosticator... lol.
I tried to take a few shots of the herons on 2 occasions today but I am not entirely happy with my results yet. I will keep trying...
I also took fresh shot of the 6 dogs for you. All are not bad except the photo of Mariposa.
Then Cristina insisted that Miguel and Adiela had made arrangements for us to go house-hunting not leaving here until after 5pm, making a stop, driving to Andalucia, waiting for the realtor, etc, so it was almost 6pm by the time we actually got any action. But,... did we ever hit paydirt on the very first house!!! It is not perfect, but close.... From the front it is clean but unimpressive (good for security) but inside....... it is long.... really long, and spotless. It has 3 bedrooms (master is monstrous with an ensuite) and another full bath, beautiful kitchen, fantastic floors, walls and ceilings, proper electrical outlets, then the piece-de-resistance, ..... a monstrous double back yard with a huge covered patio and fruit trees!! The dogs will just love the room to play and have fun. We think it is a winner. The only problem that I have to try and solve is the open garage (electric door) right next to the living room..! I find it odd that anyone could be sitting in the recliners watching the World Cup right next to their Chevy. But the price is right, and it is in a Strata 2 location so utilities will be really cheap. This house would be worth much more money in a bigger place like Tulua. The neighbors are nice and long-term, and the place is 1.5 blocks from the main square. Everyone was enthralled by it. So I will begin quiet preparations to get a deal done....
The realtor took us to a few more places as well but they seemed like Beverly Hillbillies houses in comparison to the first beauty.
Andalucia has an attraction for us because of the natural rural beauty in the foothills of a cordillera of the Andes and the simple life it offers, just minutes from Tulua. Cristina has lived here for 7 years previously and her ex-in-laws are here, as is the cemetery where Christian is buried. Hopefully things will progress smoothly as we settle into a permanent place that we like.
I hope you enjoy the pictures. That was the day’s excitement.
Al
******
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NOTE that you may click on any photo for an ENLARGED VIEW.
OK
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| This is the line around the corner of the bank building |
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| We move up and we can see the doorway.. |
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| Lago Chilicote in the morning with the herons still in the center tree |
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| Two lovely herons |
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| This is just around the corner from our house |
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| Lots of herons in this area |
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| Ready to cheer on Colombia (note the jersey) |
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| And we have a kickoff at 1pm |
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| Tied at the end of regulation |
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| Before the penalty kick phase |
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| This is our new pygmy pup survivor NeNe. Love his resilience. |
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| Princesa is my happy dog, always nearby. |
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| Raton is the puppy brat of the bunch, always in motion. |
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| Buddy is our cuddly furball |
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| Mariposa is our crazy redhead |
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| Turi is our calm protector. She will love the new place. |
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| Buzzards in the neighbourhood? |
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| Dusk, a heron headed to the big tree in the middle of the lake. |
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| The herons begin to nest for the night |
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| The ibis come to the top of the tree |
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| Not much problem between ibis and heron |
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| Peaceful coexistence |
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| An ibis in flight |
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| Back to the big tree |
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| Gas prices per US gallon (divide by 2.9) |
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| I like the idea of whirlygigs to suck out heat.... |
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| This is the front, garage door partly open |
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| Monster double lot back yard with fruit trees |
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| Huge mangoes, as well as oranges and lemons |
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| View from the back patio |
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| And it is a HUGE patio! |
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| Looking from back door to the front, very long |
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| Master bedroom. Ensuite. Monstrous |
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| Kitchen/Dining. Check out floors and ceilings. |
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| The next house we saw was a joke. Didn't photo any others which were worse yet. |
