Málaga middle of week 3 of 12, July 15, 2011 Friday

Corrections / Clarifications: A pack of cigarettes is 3.80€, not 8€. Motorized bicis are actually called motos. Caesar is the correct spelling, not Ceasar.

Spirited Drink. Brandy? It is produced in Spain by Casa Osborne (doesn´t sound very Spanish to me), where it is aged in American Oak Casks (botas de roble americano). Whaaa? 8.48€ / liter. Awful strong, 33% alcohol (66 proof?). You´ve seen those old western movies where a cowboy takes a swig, closes his eyes, and slaps the bar 3 or 4 times. It´s like that.

IVA (Impuesto sobre el Valor Añadido, Value Added Tax) is EU´s version of our sales tax. It can be 4%, 8%, or 18% depending on the product. Each line item on a ¨ticket¨ (TEEkeht, not recibo) shows the item´s price with the IVA already included. The total IVA for each percentage is listed toward the bottom of the receipt. I don´t have the patience to figure out what item gets taxed at what rate. I do know that the fuel-from-hell Veterano got taxed at 18%. Some companies show the total in pesetas as well (e.g., 8,43€ = 1.388 pesetas). America uses periods and commas exactly opposite to the way most other countries do.

Euro paper money (50, 20, 10, and 5) comes in different sizes and colors for each demonination. Coins come in 2€, 1€, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2, and 1 centimo denominations.

We´re ¨Livin’ On The Edge¨ -- Aerosmith.  Some cash drawers allow coins to be stacked edgewise by denomination. This way a cashier can make change quickly. The 2€ coin´s edge has many tiny short notches and printing; the 1€ coin´s edge has 4 sections, half of each section has many tiny short notches and the other half of each section is smooth. The 50 and 10 centimo coins have wide notches. The 20 coin has (only) 7 equally-spaced notches. The 5 and 1 coins have smooth edges. And, the 2 coin has one endless notch around its edge. Whew! Now, given this information, what is the average IQ of the Design Committee members? (Show your work on a separate sheet of paper) Anyway, this is the European standard.

Actual usage. If you stack some coins within three fingers, you can pull out the coins just by looking at the edges (and sizes, of course, for the 50/10 and 5/1). 3.88€ (using one of each coin) is:

  many tiny short notches and printing (2€)

  4 sections (1€)

  wide notches, large (.50)

  7 equally-spaced notches (.20)

  wide notches, small (.10)

  smooth edges, large (.05)

  one endless notch (.02)

  smooth edges, small (.01)

I´ve got a headache. Anyway, I’m assured that once this system is mastered, it can be used throughout Europe. The Venezuelan lady at the Internet Cafe told me about it and then I started noticing some (but by no means all) people using it. Imagine that you just moved to the U.S. and you have to pay for something. All of our bills are the same size and color. And, we´ve got that dreaded quarter coin. LOL  How do YOU do it? You just do, right?

Mitch and Jerry, from California, arrived in Málaga capital. They followed my blog and I followed theirs as we were all trying to get info on how to retire here. They did manage to get a visa though, through the Spanish Consulate in L.A.. Amazingly, their short-term apartment is in the building right next to mine. The odds of that have got to be astronomical. I was to end up in Manilva; they were moving to Sevilla; and here we are, neighbors, in Málaga capital, Málaga province – at least for one day.

We all went to a restaurant that they knew from their exploratory trip here. Great food, and live flamenco singers and dancers. Several guiris (foreigners) and gringos (American foreigners) got taken on stage. I was terrible. LOL   The next day, Mitch and Jerry left for Sevilla by Renfe (train). They intend to stay in Spain permanently, as Spain recognizes their rights as a married couple at the national level (the US does not).

¨´cos I’ve come from Alabama (Texas, actually) Wid a banjo on my knee(eh?)¨ -- Stephen Foster´s ¨Oh! Susanna¨. It´s Thursday and my NIE (NEEeh) should be ready for pickup at the Comisaría de Policías. (They don´t actually comiserate with you; it´s the Police Commisioner´s building) It is here! And, it still shows me living in Manilva. They can´t take that away from me – even though I’ve asked them to. I´ll have to visit Manilva someday. ¨I´ve got a mansion, ´forget the price. Ain´t never been there, they tell me it’s nice¨ -- The Eagles´ ¨Life´s Been Good¨.

And on the walk back these art objects didn’t hide as well as before.

I started considering renting a bike. There a place on Calle Victoria (beep, beep, zoom) that rents bicycles for 10€ a day. That´s $15! Used bikes can be found on milanuncios.com for 120€. REGARDLESS, I think I would be afraid to ride one around here. Everybody drives like a bunch of foreigners. No, wait, I´m the foreigner. Anyway, I´m going to buy a monthly bus pass soon (unlimited use for around 35€).  In February 2011, a liter of gasoline sold for 1.33€ here. 1 Euro per liter = 5.35484351 U.S. dollars per US gallon. 1.33€ / liter =  $7.12 / gallon. Holy dinosaur droppings! In the US, it´s just under $4 / gallon now.

Málaga end of week 2 of 12, July 12, 2011 Tuesday

 Arabic Spice Shop. Chubacca? Aaaaargh.

The good news is the oarsmen are getting TOMORROW off; the bad news is Ceasar wants to water ski TODAY! I bought an inexpensive electric guitar so that I can play TODAY and will either sell it or give it away when I leave. The neighbors are going to have to wait UNTIL THEN to get some rest. LOL. (What do you think of this one, José?)

I can´t take the stuff I´m buying back home. The radio/CD player, coat hooks, clothes pins, trash basket, and whatever else I buy while I´m here is going to have to stay here. The baggage fees are higher than the stuff is worth, plus I don´t want to lug stuff around and try to get it past Customs. Plus, the electric stuff won´t work back home. BTW, the radio stations here play the worst music (to my taste). A flamenco song can be followed by an American, English, Latin American, French, or whatever song.

The University of Málaga (original building?).

Albóndigas. Meatballs. No can opener required. Man does not live by tapas alone.

Accessing your American money overseas. You can take out 200€ ($300) per day from the Cajero Automático (ATM) for a 3% service charge. You can also open an account with any of the banks here and transfer money into it, assuming you signed a form(?) with your American bank in person BEFORE you left! I just found that out TODAY.

To open a cuenta bancaria all you need is a passport, no NIE. Transferring money into your account is done from the sending bank, not from here, via a phone call from anywhere. My American bank charges $30 for each transfer. On a thousand dollars, it works out to be the same charge either way. Also, American bank accounts use a bank routing number and an account number; European banks use an entity number, branch number, two control numbers, and an account number. Additionally, in order to transfer money, these must be preceded by a bank-assigned code and followed by a bank-assigned SWIFT BIC CODE. We don´t want just anybody tranferring money into my account!

Bikers. Motorized bicis (BEEsees) are very popular here. (I haven´t seen/noticed any electric bikes, Rudy)

InstaNet is the name used by ClearWire 4G for its operation in Spain. It costs 36€/month, no contract, no NIE needed. Ay. It´s Tuesday. I’m on the service now and it works great! I can also call the US for free when my VoIP phone (512) 704-9864 is plugged in. (Thanks, Marsea) I´ll still pick up my NIE on Thursday, just in case somebody else requests it later on.

Málaga middle of week 2 of 12, July 10, 2011 Sunday

I do read the comments people post. When replying to some comments recently, I lost my original text because I had not signed in first. The blogspot system is a little confusing, but it´s free.

Just for kicks, I tried to get internet service from another Movistar store, then another. Well at least they are consistent – I´ll have to wait until Thursday to pick up my NIE at the Comisaría de Policía.

Don´t leave home without it. A plastic trash bag costs 3 centimos. Since they are not free, this forces people to re-use them until they fall apart. They still end up in the landfill, eventually. Paper bags are not an option.

A business case. The internet ¨cafe¨ has 10 machines. Each rents for 1.20€ / hr. Best case scenario: 25K€/yr ($37,440/yr). This is based on a 40 hour week, no vacations. The shop is actually opened longer but I doubt that one employee works more than 40 hours per week. Also, they sell sodas and candy, and they have phone booths for long distance calls. But, they also have rent and utility costs, and the machines and phone booths are frequently idle. The family that owns and runs this business is from Venezuela. A 2/2 apartment sells for around 200.000€. I don´t think the govenment is subsidizing them, and they seem to be doing alright.

Sculpture at La Rambla, on my way to the Muelle (MooEHyeh, Wharf). Smiling faces?

A Mediterranean Sea-faring ferry. I´ll be taking something like this to Mallorca in a few weeks.

Off to the left is the Mediterranean Sea, wide open

 Another day, another cruise ship and another(?) cargo ship.

 A cargo ship being unloaded in Málaga. 



Damn, this place is clean! The Harbor Walk.

Finally, a bank that can hold all my money (yeah, right). El Banco de España is Spain’s equivalent of our Federal Reserve Bank. BTW, every Euro (bill) is a different size.

Bike lanes.

Art, Fart, I´m not paying you for that paint job. (Good help is so hard to find these days) Málaga is Picasso´s birth place. This is the Picasso Museum.

A statue to a commander. No mention for the dead soldier. It´s always like that.

Málaga, the city, dates back to 770 BC (Before Christ). The Phoenicians founded it and called it Malaka. The arabic word for King is Malik; there may be a connection, or maybe not.

The time here is GMT+1 (Greenwich Mean Time plus 1 hour). For now (both the US and Spain use daylight savings time), when it is noon in Texas (Central time zone), it is 7pm here.

Busted trash bag. It was picked up in one hour, an hour later, someone put out 2 more trash bags.

They're cleaning the streets again.

Upon leaving a shop, the salesman said ¨Hello!¨. ¨You say Goodbye, and I say Hello¨ -- The Beatles. Oh well, at least he´s trying. Later, -- Ron

Austin to Málaga July 2011 week 1

For my non-Spanish-speaking friends Calle (KAH-yeh) means Street. Calle Larios (I call it La Rambla, nobody else does) is actually Calle Marqués de Larios (mahrKEHS DEH LAHdeeohs). Calle Victoria is actually Calle de la Victoria. Life is too short for the long version of these names.
Here are some pictues of Málaga´s Rambla, Calle Larios.

The internet cafe is working great but I want to be able to access the web whenever I please. Marsea (María), my lady friend in Palma de Mallorca, had told me about milanuncios.com. I went there looking for an old computer and found one for 100€. The young man and his wife selling it were originally from Czechoslovakia. They have been here over 5 years. Their daughter has moved up to a laptop (portátil). He spoke pretty good Spanish and answered a phone call in Czech (I guess). He wanted to come to the US but never got a visa and eventually gave up trying. Yep, I know that tune.

I´m having a fun time typing this on the computer with its Spanish keyboard. Now, I´ve got to break myself of the habit of using hotkey combinations. Here, Ctrl+A (select all) is Ctrl+E (Seleccionar todo). Saving is done using Ctrl-G (Guardar), not Ctrl+F, S (File, Save).

I found a real grocery store near El Corte Inglés. It is called Eroski, the same name as the smaller neighborhood grocery store near my apartment. I bought a radio/CD player and a bunch of little things (razors, cologne, and the like). Eventually, everything costs the same, that is, some things are more expensive and some less expensive. If you get there with a bag, you have to seal it inside their seal-a-meal type bag. Good idea. No charge for this bag.

The apt building has A – one – clothes washer. It’s free. I had to go on the web and find out how to use it! It is a Bluesky BLF 1009/1 (I´m not making this up, folks, it could be the engineer´s license plate number). It is a front loader and has 20 programs, and no where does it say what any program does! Or, how long it takes. The washer turns the clothes clockwise, stops, turns them counter-clockwise, stops, and repeats. It took 2 hours! There is no clothes dryer. I had to hang my laundry outside. BTW, those are my 3 balconies in the pictures. I ¨americanised¨ the clothes lines; they zigzagged originally, now they run parallel. This should have been done once and the benefit reaped thereafter. Das ist the American Standard, or maybe I´m Obsessive and Compulsive.

A sign was posted in the lobby regarding trash disposal. The building will be fined if garbage is left out in the street. Great idea! Dogs and cats could tear into it and spread it around. No mention of where to discard it though. I found 3 bins (trash, glass recycling, and organics) 2 blocks away. I couldn´t help it, so I added that info to the sign. Das ist the American Standard – no, I´m definitely OC.

Sanitas, the medical insurance company, said they would reimburse me the unused portion of my prepaid one-year medical plan by payment to a Spanish bank. I opened an account with no problems at all, didn´t even need to seed it with any money. I declined the credit card. But now I can put some money in there and have Sanitas debit it to pay for a dental plan for 3 months (9€/month, $13/month). Too bad I had to have a wisdom tooth pulled before I left (at $350), it would have been done here for free.

Here´s a new term: Vado Permanente. Keep Clear. Vado means Ford, like the landing/loading zone on a river (I guess?). So this means No Parking In Driveway. Also, Blue Jeans are Vaqueros (cowboys). I´ve only heard the Vosotros used twice, when ladies were talking to kids; I know it is more common up north, where the people have a higher education level in Castillian Spanish. Speaking of education levels in Spanish, I was considering buying a fan – the store clerk showed me that the shop next door carried ´abanicos´ (handheld fans that ladies use in church and at bullfights); next time I’ll ask for a ¨ventilador¨ instead. Also, Derecho is Right and Recto is Straight.

I have seen a few minor ¨building code violations¨, but nothing major (like missing manhole covers in Ecuador). Here, an occasional brick has been dislodged from a street or sidewalk. The street cleaning machine comes by every night and the city sanitation department has people out all day sweeping up. HOWEVER, people walk their dogs, let them do their business, and don´t clean up after them. Damn. I wish someone would jail them.

Ojos borados. I´m not sure how to translate this. Pale colored eyes? I´ve seen these in blue, green, and brown. It’s like water colors. You know it is not possible, but you get the feeling that they are looking right through you. Almost half of the heads at any given time are light brown or blond. Also, almost half of the people here smoke; I think a pack of cigarettes costs 8€; wow, man that´s $12! I quit last October, not because of the price, I was getting out-of-breath easily.

Non-stop shopping (versus one-stop shopping). My latest quest is to get a modem for home internet access. The local cell phone company, Movistar, provides the USB plugin antenna for free but requires an NIE (Número de Identificación para Extranjeros, i.e., Foreigner´s ID#) for the 15€ basic month-to-month, no contract service. I hoofed it to the Comisaría de Policías and got the 2 forms to fill out. Tomorrow I have to pay the 16€ at my local bank (why there? dunno), and return the forms along with a copy of every single page from my passport to the Comisaría. Then I can return to Movistar and get my modem and start my service. How many stops was that?

I fill out the forms and make the copies. Now, I wait until my bank opens tomorrow.

The lady at my Unicaja bank branch can´t accept my 16€. I need a NIF to get a NIE. Crud. Back at the Comisería, the man says to use the Unicaja bank branch next door. The lady there got it done without a NIF. Ay. Okay, where´s my NIE? The Comisaría´s system is showing me living in Manilva since May; I should apply for my NIE in Estepona. (WHAT? Nooo. I gave up waiting for my visa in May) Well, okay, I guess we can give you your NIE here. Come pick it up next Thursday. (God grant me patience, and hurry!).

Here’s a picture of a tree and a huge steam engine. Both are on the walk to the Comisería de Policías on Avenida Andalucía (an extension of Alameda Principal). The police station is on the street that intersects this Avenue, Virgen de la Cabeza. I´m biting my tongue to keep from making an off-color remark. I think this means The Lead (or Foremost) Virgen.

Why is it so humid here? Oh, because we are right on the Mediterranean Sea. Here´s a picture of a cruise ship just off the Alameda Principal and Calle Larios (my Rambla). BTW, right behind me is a McDonalds and next door is a Burger King. I didn’t come here to eat American food. The local food is terrific!

Austin to Málaga June 2011

Sorry about the long post. If you are okay with reading my posts, please Follow to get automatic updates.

Continental got me from Austin to Houston (IAH), and then British Airways from Houston to London (Heathrow). I had 3 hours to 1) get past Customs at Heathrow, 2) board a Nation Express bus (which I had prepaid $30 for online), and 3) get past Security at Gatwick. It was going to be close, so I carried my small bags on-board to avoid waiting for them at the carousel. The bus was a little late because it was raining. Stress. Driving (riding actually) in the left lane is always an experience for me, if we stick to the left lane, we are in the slow lane. Stress. Occasionally, we drive in the faster right lane. BTW, the IAH-to-Heathrow flight was 8 hours, smooth sailing, even got some sleep. At London (Gatwick), Security kept my fingernail clipper (the kind that looks like a pliers with a pointed tip); she was really nice, almost apologetic, ¨no problem, keep it¨. All planes were grounded due to lightning, but just for half an hour. The Gatwick-to-Málaga flight was 2 ½ hours. I sat next to a nice Scottish lady now living in Marbella (yes, she looked and acted rich).

At Málaga airport, got some cash 120€ charged as $178. At first I thought it has charged me 58€ for the transaction. Whoa! Luckily, that was not the case. The formulas are:
EUR x 1.44... (USDtoEUR exch rate) x 1.03 (3% service chg) = USD
EUR / .688... (EURtoUSD exch rate) x 1.03 (3% service chg) = USD

I took the metro bus (2€) to downtown Málaga's old historic district, specifically Alameda (Avenue) Principal and Calle Larios (I´ll call it La Rambla because it is more of a walking mall than a street although cars can drive on it, but don´t).

La Rambla is a Shopaholic's Delight. Nice stuff. Very nice stuff. Every thing any ego and nice body would like to wear. There are sheets hanging above the 4(?)-story buildings so that people can shop all day. It really helps ward off the heat and humidity, plus it actually looks nice (although it doesn't sound like it). The upper floors are offices, not apartments.

I booked 3 nights at a hostel just beyond the far end of the Rambla. I got here on a Wednesday and spent my first night just recovering from the trip. Tuesday and Wednesday were to be spent trying to find an apartment. The main drag off the Alameda Principal is Calle (Street) Victoria. The first apartment I saw on Tuesday was bea-u-ti-ful, but they would not rent it for less than a year. The same situation happened with the second apartment, although it was not quite as nice. That afternoon, I started looking at Pisos Compartidos (Shared Flats) although I didn´t care for that idea. I set up a appointment to view a 3-bdrm apt owned by a young lady. This apartment too was also on Calle Victoria. When I got there, she tells me the guy won´t be moving out until mid July. Augh! Stress. Panic time. I took to the streets around the hostel. The buildings have signs that read Se Alquila (For Rent) and phone numbers. I got an appointment to view a 1/1, and took it for 390€ ($595) / month, with a 3 month lease (no problem). Whew! I just need to go to the Cajera Automatica (ATM) and get 780€ (security deposit and 1st month's rent).

Funny thing these ATMs. God forgives; they don´t. My debit card will allow me to withdraw 200€ per day, that is just cents short of $300. But, I can´t remember my passwords to my 2 credit cards. Stress! I´ve never had to withdraw cash using a credit card. Crap! I call up the banks and they can reset my password … the process takes 5 days! I asked (okay, begged) María (the landlord´s rep) to let me pay in 200€ increments, but to let me stay there starting Thursday night. They went for it! Whew! Thank you María (she´s a really nice lady, and there´s your proof) and the landlord, whomever that is.

Went to buy some towels. It hot and humid here. I sure need to shower in my new apt. Each flimsy towel is 10€! That´s almost $15! BUT, the sales lady gave me 10 shirt hangers for free. BTW, I knew shirt hangers as ¨ganchos¨(hooks); they are called ¨perchas¨ (hangers). The shower works great. The water is potable, so I can brush my teeth without fear of dying! Also, the streets are safe quite a few cops around as well.

I found a grocery store. The prices are a bit higher but the selection sucks. No wait! Yeah, that´s right. Anyway, as my brother Mark puts it, the extra money is going toward health care; he´s right!

Also, you can buy salt but you can´t buy a salt shaker, at a grocer store. I found 2 at El Corte Ingles, a huge department store. One was 4,50€; the other, 6,00€. Guess which one I bought (I´m paying for my own health insurance, thank you).

I´m getting blisters from walking so much. I found 2 internet cafes. The one closest to my place is open 11am to 10pm Monday through Saturday, and 1pm to 10pm Sunday. It costs 1.20€ / hr. Super!

The Magic Jack system works great here too.

Everybody parties every night but especially on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. The action starts around 11pm and lasts until 5am. Kids come out and sing in the streets. Each line followed by ¨Oh, Eh, Oh, Eh, Oh, Eh¨ – the Spanish version of Camptown Races´ ¨Doo Dah, Doo Dah¨ I guess(?). This Sunday morning, one of the churches had a procession through the streets, drums beating, horns blaring. Penance?

Also, ¨feria¨ is not ¨change¨. Feria is a fair; change is cambio. Ha ha. Where did I pick that up?

Rolled Rs -- according to the Spanish Royal Academy

1. Use a soft R when a single R precedes a vowel (cara) or a consonant (perla).
   Use a rolled R when there are 2 consecutive Rs (villarreal).

2. Use a rolled R when a word starts with a single R (rosa).

3. Use a rolled R when a single R is preceded by AB (abrogar), OB (obrepción), or SUB
(subrayar).

4. Use a rolled R when a single R is preceded by PRE (prerogativa) or PRO (prorata).

5. Use a rolled R when a single R is preceded by L (malrotar), N (enredo), or S
(israelíta).

6. Use a rolled R when a word is composed of two words, the second of which starts with
only one single R (boquirubio).