Saturday, December 1, 2012

Well, there’s good news and bad news.  The good news is that our goods have gone through customs and on Friday the port fees were paid.  On Monday we will arrange for delivery.  It may be next week or the following week.  There are two holidays next week and that may prevent a sooner rather than later delivery.  That means that we will have everything unpacked and in its place well before the new year arrives.

The bad news is that Patraix continues to be a pain in the ass.  We got up at 5:30 yesterday morning and were in line at 6:30.  We were number 104 on a list that ended up with more than 200 names on it.  At 8:30 numbers were distributed.  They only handed out 60 numbers.  The process takes all of five minutes.  You hand in your document saying that you have been granted a two-year extension, your proof of payment of the 16 Euro tax for your application to be processed, your photos and they take a thumbprint.  Last year there were six employees attending to the public.  To make matters worse, nobody in an official capacity came across the street where we were lined up to say that all the numbers for the day were given out and you might as well go home and not wait around in the cold.  And so, the saga continues.

At around 11:00 we decided to stop in at the Central Bar at the Central Market in hopes of finding a seat at what is a very popular space.  We were in luck and we finally got to try the croquetas de pollo and the buñuelos de bacalao. The croquetas had an abundant amount of chicken in them and it was obvious that there was a goodly amount of curry in the mix. They were some of the best that I have tasted.  The buñuelos de bacalao were excellent, also.  The codfish taste was much more apparent in these than others we have tried.  They get high marks, also.  We walked out of the Market very full and agreed that there was no need for us to have lunch after this experience.

At 7:45 we left the house bound for the Teatro Flumen where we had tickets for what was billed as a magic cabaret.  Its title was Échame un polvo y desparece.  The title is both a play on words and a rather common joke that magicians always hear from a spectator.  The joke is as follows: “Ah, eres mago.  Eres de los que echan un polvo y desparecen.”  The literal translation is “Oh, you’re a magician.  One of those who sprinkles magic dust and disappears.” However, the expression “echar un polvo” is slang for the act of making love.  The show was billed as appropriate for adults over the age of 18.  There was nothing in the show that merited that warning.

The show stars Karim who mixes comedy with magic, María Rayo who does a dance number and a well executed and choreographed Dancing Cane, Jaime Figueroa who, under the stage name of Fettucini does a comedy magic act that had everyone rolling in the aisles, and last, but not least, Las Linas Morgan, a cross-dressing duo who begin the show dressed as nuns and then change into chorus girls.  Funny!!!!!!! The show lasts 70 minutes and is well paced and very enjoyable.  We needed a good laugh after yesterday morning and this show was just what we needed.

We took a cab home and read for a while before heading for bed.  I have started the new Harry Bosch novel, The Black Boxand it looks very promising.