Today begin with a walk to the shopping center about 5 blocks from the hotel. We wanted to get out and get some air and the heat seemed bearable. Magnolia, our translator and friend, had wanted to take Cameron to the park later in the afternoon, so we were looking forward to that as well. As we got ready, Cameron asked to watch something on TV, so I turned on the Disney Channel. It was in Spanish of course, but that didn’t stop Cameron from sitting in his bed and staring at the shows. =)
The stores are always fun to browse through. You always find exciting new things. Cameron thought these giant carrots were amazing!
We got back to the hotel and had lunch. The food at the Hotel Stein is always amazing. Because we have chosen to be on the all inclusive plan, we just allow them to prepare whatever they want to feed us. This gives us an opportunity to try new and exciting foods and I think it is easier on the hotel staff. And even though they always try to accommodate the children, we have still had our moments with Cameron were we have had to remind him, “Cameron, we need to be thankful for whatever is prepared and try to eat it, even if it isn’t our favorite.” Cameron is a really good eater and normally will try anything, so it hasn’t been too big of a challenge.
We put Cameron down for a nap right after lunch and Magnolia arrived around 2 PM for our outing in the park. She drove us to a park that the city had built not too long ago, but after walking around for a little bit and seeing the disrepair the park had fallen into, we decided to go to an Exito (which is like our Wal-Mart) to get some shorts and a couple of other things we needed. Cameron mentioned that he really wanted some ice cream and so Magnolia asked if we could get some of the best ice cream in the city! Sounded good to us so we ended up at a Ventolini in this really nice shopping center that we went too. The ice cream was amazing, made from fruits and I have never even heard of and Cameron played on the outdoor playground as well. He made three new “best friends” and he didn’t even speak the language. =)
After doing some shopping we returned to the hotel and prepared for dinner. You probably know where this is going, don’t you? When the kitchen staff brought our dinner, Mary Ann and I both took one look at the food before us and quickly caught each other’s eyes. We knew that we were in trouble. We were either eating the fried squid that had been placed in front of us, or we were setting a bad example for Cameron. Now some of you might enjoy a little calamari now and then, but we have had a couple of experiences that have caused this dish reside on our “what not to order” list. But what were we to do? We ate the squid and smiled! As it turned out, it was pretty good. Even Cameron liked it, so we chalked it up to a lesson learned. However, we still haven’t told Cameron what it was. I just called them “Colombian nuggets.”
Parenting is truly not for the light hearted…or the weak stomachs. =)
