Our first walk downtown did not start without a hitch. Firstly my phone data had runout three days early and when I tried to get an Uber I couldn’t connect. This was after trying to find a bus that had empty seats – we couldn’t. Finally we broke down and hailed a taxi. 150  pesos ($10 cdn) seems to be the normal charge – a bit more than last year but what can you do?

We walked the Malecon from the North end, came across the Christmas display and took a few piccies. Moved over to the Municipal Market area, as I needed to buy a man-bag, I had left my trusty old one at home, so I needed a replacement to hold my wallet, sunglasses and change for the bus.

A coffee at the “Page in the Sun” a favourite,for a coffee and muffin. Taking a walk around Doreen mentioned that she would like to see the lady that gave her a pedicure downtown last year. We found the street but not her place. Another one was available so I took off to walkabout while she had her feet and nails polished.

Grabbing a bus back did not seem to be that hard one had to wait a while as local buses to the barrios seemed to be more prolific than the buses that travel to the North. But we found one and arrived back in good shape and with some local raspberries for the week’s breakfasts.