shopping

Some things in Bogota are cheap, like taxi rides, and some things are expensive, like clothes and most anything you have to buy from a store. This afternoon we took a taxi to the Santa Ana mall where there is a French store that is slightly cheaper than the other stores in the area. It is sort of a Colombian "Walmart" except everything costs about three times more than in the states. We went to buy Jonathan a pair of pants that wouldn't be falling off him. Right now he's got a bit of the low rider look going. We were able to get a pair of pants with an adjustable elastic waist, but the clerk insisted we buy a larger size than we wanted (in fact the same size we were told he wears). I guess when pants cost that much, you don't want the kid to outgrow them too fast. We also got the sunscreen. We are planning to take a trip up into the mountains tomorrow so we might need it.

After the shopping excursion we went to Crepes and Waffles for a snack. We ordered different kinds of crepes for everyone, intending to share so we could try all different kinds. Jonathan totally lost it when he thought we were trying to take his food. Eventually he figured out what we were doing and then he kept trying to give everybody samples from the plate in front of him, so I guess it was a success but it was pretty hairy at first. The crepes came with different fillings. We tried different fruit types as well as chocolate. Each plate also had scoops of two different kinds of ice cream as well as whipped cream and a chocolate bar for garnish. The total cost for the five of us for this lavish "snack" including tax, tip and a beverage came to about $10.

On the way back, Jonathan and Maria were running and playing with each other. The ultimate indignity for Maria is that, even with his gimpy leg, Jonathan is faster than she is. He is quite strong and does amazingly well despite his physical difficulties. Eventually Maria wiped out and now she is lying here recovering from scraped hands and knees.