Medellin since November

Hola a todos nuestros amigos,

Esperamos que esto te encuentre bien. You'll need to consult your phone translators!!

Firstly some news of TT3 - we were very relieved to receive an email from the new owner to the effect that she had arrived in Karpathos - an island roughly halfway between Rhodes and Crete. Rhodes is part of Greece and is roughly 40 odd miles from Fethiye - SW. Apparently there was some heavy weather on the passage. They then plan to leave her in Agios Nikolaos at the eastern end of Crete for the winter and, if our interpretation of the spelling is correct, it looks like a well protected place. There is a marina as well as what seems to be a fisherman's harbour which, if you could get a long-term berth there, would offer complete "hurricane-hole" protection. Anyway, there will be further news no doubt when we hear some more.

Due to the total unreliability of postal services in Colombia and the alternative high cost of courier services, we had been in a dilemma as to how to get the Bill of Sale to the new owner in the UK. However, through a Medellin expat website, we met a young English couple who were soon returning to the UK for Christmas with family. So, we met them in a cafe in Laureles and gave them the B of S to post once they arrived in the UK. We now have confirmation that it has been received at the Cheshire address.

We feel so relieved that the new owner and TT3 are now out of the clutches of the crook, Levent, and his Hakan Yatcilik Boatyard. We will not forgive him for the distress that he caused to us, and the subsequent loss of value to the yacht, and his absolute incompetence. The main job that we had wanted done was to replace the top rudder bearing which had developed a slow weeping leak - but only when underway. It wasn't totally apparent to us by the time that we left Turkey, but apparently the rudder almost seized making it very difficult to control the boat leaving Turkey and a hex nut on top of the bearing had been cross-threaded. Unbelievable, and the whole job will now have to be re-done. Add to that the painting job which was so bad, and perhaps you get the picture. TT3 and ourselves were very lucky that we "found" Barry through a short blog we had posted on Cruisers and Sailing Forums and he was able to have the foresight and fortitude to ultimately get her back in the water and out of Turkey.

Levent and his sidekick (Claire Jones, who is not much better), are quite simply opportunistic crooks. We had had doubts about them, but in the end had been influenced by a recommendation by the Sevenstar Yacht Transport Fethiye agent (Interdolphin), and so made the horribly ill-fated decision to haul out there. Jean, who has had some experience of nursing in mental institutions in Australia, became fairly sure that Levent is a schizophrenic psychopath and we simply could not deal with him. In fact towards the end we feared for our safety and in a terrible and desperately emotional state made the decision to leave and abandon our old girl - our home of the previous 9 years. You cannot appreciate our feelings unless you had bonded with a classic wooden yacht over the previous 16 years as Jim had - 9 years for Jean. Those many experiences, and the fact that she had unfailingly looked after us during the voyaging from NZ to Thailand from 2011 to 2014, including a nasty storm one night 60 miles from Norfolk Island confirm In our minds that nothing could be bad enough for that bastard in Fethiye - Levent of the Hakan Yatcilik Boatyard, Fethiye, Turkey.

We had in the meantime made contact with Murat Toprak of Yacht Brokerage Turkey based in Bodrum and he was unfailingly helpful in going the extra mile to assist buyers in dealing with Levent, otherwise we do not think she would ever have left the yard. We cannot praise Murat highly enough. 

We had had her listed with a UK based brokerage for some time before we left SE Asia and through them there was a buyer who travelled to Fethiye, but was so spooked by Levent and his antics and sheer dishonesty that he abandoned the project. He also had totally unrealistic ideas about what he thought needed to be done and was talking about shipping her to the UK, which would have been completely uneconomic. 

We'll say it again - Levent is a dangerous, incompetent and unmitigated horrible bastard of an individual, once you are captive in his yard. We will be posting this message on any yachting forum that we can find in the hope that we can help any other boat owner from falling into the same trap as we did.

But then Barry came along. He is a builder by trade and also a wooden boat enthusiast, so had the necessary knowledge to do just what was necessary to leave the yard. He has said that he wants to cruise the Caribbean in time and so we may have the pleasure of meeting him and our old girl again - perhaps in Cartagena. That will be another emotional time - and we've had our share of emotions this year.

So, apart from the work we had done ourselves to the old girl, and the subsequent loss of value well below what we would have normally expected her to sell for, the final outcome (for TT3) is not so bad. We'll look forward to a re-unification in due course.

There have been a few happenings here in Medellin since we last communicated - some good, some simply irritating and others just observations.

Usually we go to the Mercado Campesino (Farmers' Market) at Parque Presidenta at Poblado on a Sunday morning. Great for fresh produce and all sorts of associated items, such as jellied Collagen which we eat as a snack and which is very good for the knees (rodillas)! Great coffee and Empanadas as well - just what the doctor ordered early on a Sunday morning. We usually walk about 150 metres and then hail a taxi which costs between 6 and 9,000 Pesos (NZD2.70 - 4.10). As we've said before, why would you need a car in Medellin? With taxis they are so cheap and no parking worries. The costs are metre driven but the metres slow down when not moving and stuck in traffic. 

In spite of the above, we have been contemplating the purchase of a car - mainly for the ability to explore outside the city. There are delightful towns and villages in very picturesque locations up to 2-3 hours drive away and we will be looking forward to visiting these places soon - possibly by bus initially.. There is a website - tucarro.com - that lists all sorts of vehicles new and used, but since the much diminished returns from the sale of TT3, we are definitely looking at used and in fact have come across quite a few listings for W124 Mercedes. These are the compact versions of Mercedes' offerings between roughly 1982 and the early 90's and have a reputation of being the best built Mercedes of the modern era. They are much cheaper in Colombia than on classic car sites in the US. Jim's old 1987 420 SEC (W126) in NZ was another separate example of that era and was a great car which he will always miss. Here there are a number of W124's that look to be in very good condition and with reasonable mileages. The 4 cylinder version (E230 or 230E) is the main item of interest. There appear to have been a great number imported new into Colombia in those years and all have been looked after well. We'll hopefully make a decision on that soon.

We still have not initiated any formal Spanish lessons, but have had so much happening and often at unexpected times, that attendance at formal classes would have been compromised. We will now be looking to start formal lessons early next year.

There is one slightly unfortunate aspect to life here and that is the food. There are some good restaurants which are generally not expensive, but they are few and far between and we have lost the urge to eat out very much, which can only be good for the budget. There are notable exceptions - the Sunday market as above and the de Lolita coffee bar at La Frontera Mall as well as a quite expensive restaurant in the basement of the Oviedo Mall where we have lunch occasionally. In addition there is the Otraparte Museo Cafe just along the road, which is very reasonable and has a lovely garden with many Bromeliads and a group of largely steak restaurants a bit further on. But the food in cafes (especially in shopping malls) is mostly pastries with almost nothing that we would regard as nutritious. So, we are getting more adept at buying meat and veg. and simply cooking at home. We have a 4 burner gas hob and an electric oven - all of which work well. But there are beautiful large round things in a maize shell with lean minced beef and mashed potatoes and carrots. Absolutely gorgeous, especially when hungry but not recommended for everyday!!

But don't get us wrong - the food generally available at retail level is of a high standard, especially the fresh fruit, and the eggs, notable after the awful things in Malaysia. Not so much the vegetables because it seems that vegetables are not cooked much here. They are mainly part of salads. However, great root vegetables - zanahoria (carrots),  many varieties of papa (potatoes) and yams, wonderful fresh local garlic and many other items. But traditional Colombian cooking leaves a bit to be desired. Lots of beans and bean soup and corn. And they don't use much or seem to have much idea in the way of herbal flavouring or seasoning. Often salt will be brought to a table but not often any pepper (pimienta). And sugar is used with gay abandon but we became used to that in Asia so we always say "no azucca". Milk (leche) is used a lot too and they always look askance when we say "sin leche y sin azucca por favor"!!!

We are still trying to get our heads around the operation of the TV. At least thank goodness we have mastered the art of getting Fox News so now we are immune from "FAKE NEWS"!!!!!! We have Netflix and You Tube so we can watch movies and we also watch vintage English TV videos such as "Dad's Army" and "Yes Minister". And other vintage shows of interest such as a documentary of Douglas Bader which was very illuminating. Also Pam Ayres' poetry - such a long time since we had heard any of that. Then there's the Goon Show and the various members - Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, Harry Seccombe and Michael Bentine - wonderful stuff. There's Peter Ustinov, and the incomparable Ronnie Barker in "Open all Hours". Even watched a few episodes of "The Darling Buds of May" which starred as the patriarch David Jason who starred as "Granville" the shop boy from "Open all Hours" and was the acting debut for Catherine Zeta-Jones. She looked delicious in the strawberry patch where she seduced the tax inspector who she subsequently married - all on air of course!!

The other day we went up to the Finca (rural property with house) which belongs to our friend Monica's family. We taxied over to the apartment where she and her father live and then caught a bus up the steep hillside towards the airport. The property is somewhat short of the airport and is in a gated community. Firstly we stopped in the local village where we had a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs - we were starving by then!! But Colombian eggs are great - bright yellow yolks and great flavour, particularly if you buy the free range ones. There was a small superette-type tienda (shop) attached to the back of the restaurant where Jean found a ham which was organic and had been smoked and then marinated for 4 days. We thought it would be good for Christmas but that was still some weeks away. However, the owner assured us that if it was properly vacuumed-packed we could freeze it so he did that and we were the proud owners of a large Jamon Artesenal which we will look forward to sharing with Vinay at Christmas.

After that we caught the bus again and then had a long walk into the property and it was beautiful. The house stood on a raised knoll overlooking a lovely small lake which is part of Medellin's water supply. It is surrounded by beautiful lawns and gardens.and is actually two hexagonal rooms joined with bedrooms off. Monica's father who is now 86, had apparently designed and built the house himself. A delightful property and we were mesmerised by birds coming to a bird feeder while we were having lunch. The feeder was just outside the window and there were birds of all colours congregating. Blues, yellows and greens and one very striking - all black but with a slash of bright orange down its back and into its tail. We didn't dare move! Poor old Coco (Monica's dog) had a nasty brush with a larger aggressive dog while entering the property before we arrived and had a wound on his back, so he was very subdued for the rest of the day. Then after a very pleasant day, we eventually left by bus again and arrived back in Envigado tired but very pleased we had seen some more of the beautiful countryside surrounding Medellin. And with a Christmas ham!

We've mentioned it before, but owning a dog seems to be almost a national hobby. Just out walking you see so many and all so well looked after and groomed. Schnauzers, Dachshunds, the odd German Shepherd (nostalgic for Jim), Spaniels (nostalgic for Jean!), Golden Retrievers and Labradors to name but a few. Dog walking for owners absent at work is a thriving industry. Might get into it ourselves!!

Our health has been a bit up and down - largely probably as a long-term reaction to events in Turkey. In Jim's case nothing that some more exercise and watching the diet won't fix, but Jean has developed some stomach issues including wind retention. So, we went to see Dr. Mauricio at the Clinica Las Vegas again and he immediately diagnosed the problem, although in the way of modern medicine, the pills he gave her relieved the condition but probably did not address the cause and indeed there seemed to be little interest in establishing the cause. So, again with Monica's recommendation and help Jean visited an acupuncturist about an hour's drive from Medellin. She went there and spent about 6 hours and then came back armed with an extensive prescription for homeopathic remedies. These have been duly obtained and, while initially she had some adverse reactions to them, she has now settled down and seems to be slowly improving but it involves a strict diet and certainly no alcohol or coffee!!

We are slowly building up our exercise levels by swimming, walking and climbing stairs. We are on the 8th. floor - piso ocho. Jean of course is much more diligent than Jim in that regard, but the swimming is always an attraction. Particularly as the Body Corporate has at long last installed a new pool heater and the water is a very comfortable 28C. The pool itself is almost as long as the one at RLYC and has a tiled floor with a yellow fish - reminiscent of the Krabi swimming pool. Jim does 20 lengths walking in chest deep water and 20 lengths swimming so it's all good. 

One thing about the pool annoyed us no end. Apparently there had been 2 accidents in other pools where people had been sucked into pool outlets and injured and so we were told there had been a local rule that swimmers had to use caps to avoid being sucked in by the hair!!! This is patently ridiculous, especially as there is absolutely no chance of anything like that happening here. We told the Body Corporate that the rule which had initially been touted as a hygiene requirement, was ludicrous and that as owners we would continue to exercise our rights to swim without caps. In fact we did superficially investigate the availability of caps but could not find anything big enough for our European heads!! Jim wants to get a Colombian Panama hat but in spite of having one already which is a little too small, cannot find another one big enough!! Too many brains no doubt!!

Astrid, our lawyer, very kindly asked us to a Christmas dinner party at her apartment in Poblado and her son, Emilio and his fiancee were also there. They both speak excellent English and Emilio is involved with Immigration and the Police in dealing with the increasing problem of forced Venezuelan migration. We had a great time and tried Astrid's recipe of Lulo juice and vodka. So easy to drink. The dinner was great and we talked all about a number of things, including telling them much about New Zealand. 

Since then we have read that Russia has sent two nuclear capable bombers plus support aircraft including a troop carrier to Caracas, Venezuela and Russia has been supporting the regime economically as well. Putin is just a thuggish gangster and we hope that we are not looking at another Cuban Missile Crisis a la 1962 with JFK and Khrushchev down the track. But the immediate effect of the Russian presence is that it renders the possibility of any military intervention much less likely. This just means that the problem will continue and the Venezuelan people will starve in greater numbers than they are already.

Like many people no doubt we were saddened to learn of the passing of former US President George H.W. Bush. We watched the funeral on Fox News and were surprised at how it affected us emotionally. Maybe it was the realisation that his passing represented the end of an earlier more gentle era where people were generally more civil to each other - although if you'd lived in Colombia in those days you might have had a different perspective. We also think that the obvious solidity of the Bush family coming together in their grief was in contrast to our own families where we are so geographically separated and most contact only comes when we initiate it!!. No-one's fault - just how things have turned out with Jean's family in Miami and Jim's in NZ in the north and south islands. And our own nomadic lifestyle which hopefully is starting to tone down somewhat! 

A lighthearted note - apparently HW did not like Brocoli and was considering a ban on Brocoli in Washington. He said "my mother used to make me eat Brocoli but now I'm President of the United States of America and I'm not eating Brocoli"!!

We must also mention that we have acquired a Christmas Tree! Made in Thailand - at least that's a change from the ubiquitous "made in China". It's only 2 meters high but looks great with its decorations. First one we've had in at least 10 years.

Finally, we must make some political comments - again!! We hasten to add that we welcome non abusive political argument and will always engage in robust discussion - no hard feelings and no holds barred!!   

Brexit - what a bloody shambles. Largely created by MP's who never wanted to leave in the first place and appear to have thought that the whole nasty mess would just go away. And imagine a British PM going cap in hand to Europe to try and re-negotiate a deal already made and set in concrete. Puts us in mind of Neville Chamberlain and his cowardly scrap of paper when he returned from Munich in 1938. As Churchill famously said sometime later when the British Army was on the Dunkirk beaches with its back to the sea - "How can you negotiate with a tiger when your head is in its mouth?" Britain needs to grow a backbone, force a change in PM and the new PM immediately fly to Washington where he/she will find that the US will be more than happy to negotiate a FTA which will benefit both parties.

And political comments cannot go without reference to President Donald Trump. Since the midterms are now over, it is becoming clear just to what extent the Democrats will go in their hatred of the President - even to ignoring the obvious needs of their country. But investigations into the crooked Clintons and their slush fund foundation are just starting to surface with obvious resistance from the DOJ and the FBI who of course are supposed to be politically impartial, but who are anything but. A number of people need to go to jail and not just Trump's ex lawyer who is a liar and a crook. All the former top brass of the FBI (including probably some still there) and a few in the DOJ as well. The fact the the former FBI Director Comey has so far refused to hand over documents legally demanded by the US Senate is telling. As will be whether the FBI complies with the court order from a Federal Judge to hand over more than a million documents and memos in respect of their improper interrogation of Lieutenant-General Flynn - not to mention fraudulent claims in respect of the FISA foreign national surveillance warrants placed before the FISA court which was seriously misled at the time. Our bet is that the charges and subsequent conviction of Flynn will be thrown out - or Trump will certainly pardon him. And that the crooked former FBI agents will be finally sent to jail. In order for Flynn to meet his legal bills he has had to sell his house and is now financially compromised, and all because he forgot about a couple of emails. He's a retired former Marine General and it's disgraceful that he has been treated in such a shocking way. The author, 72 year old Jerome Corsi, who wrote another book exposing the Deep State, is another example of the shocking intimidatory tactics used by the FBI in order to secure "confessions". He's fighting back and has launched a claim against the DOJ and FBI for damages for USD350 million!

As regards the Clinton Foundation, apparently Bill just used it as his personal piggy bank and it received USD145 million when crooked Hillary "sold" Uranium to Russia while Secretary of State. That's a great kickback and is again typical of the Dems total narcissistic disregard of any ethical and legal behaviour.

It is our fervent hope that 2019 will see these gross abuses of federal power exposed and ALL the perpetrators prosecuted to the full power of the law. 

Then, just perhaps people may begin to see the Deep State for what it is and the extent to which the Democrats (and "crooked Hillary") have been prepared to go in their insatiable lust for power and deep hatred of President Trump which is rooted in his determination to expose and destroy the Deep State. 

And one final comment - do not believe anything you read in the NZ (or possibly Aussie) media. They are just clones of the New York Times and the Washington Post who are in turn just part of the vicious media campaign to destroy Donald Trump and his Presidency - at any cost.

On that happy note it just remains for us to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and we hope that you have good times with your families and friends. For us, we are looking forward to seeing Jean's nephew, Vinay, who is flying into Medellin from Lima, Peru on the 21st. It will be great to see him and we are looking forward to a quiet Christmas (with marinated ham!!) here in Medellin after the usual December madness has died away.

With all very best wishes for the Festive Season and lotsaluv from us here in Medellin....................

Jim and Jean