Barcelona Diary 2025

Taxi at 8:45 PM, onto bus at 9:25. Smooth overnight trip to Barcelona, with one rest stop in the middle.



Arrived Sants Estacio after 6 AM, lugged all our baggage a couple of blocks to the taxi rank, home by 6:50. Apartment is fine.

I'm up at 6:30; Dora was up all night. Taxi before 7.

Smooth flight to Paris. As usual, the legroom is terrible.

Next flight delayed 1 hour. Which is fine, because connecting here takes a long walk, passport control, an elevator down to a bus, to another wing and then another longish walk, then the gate. And I almost missed the plane because Dora and I got separated at passport control (different lines for EU and non-EU), and I came out and started waiting for her, but she had come out earlier and didn't wait for me. By the time I figured out where she was, it was going to be very close. In fact, what saved me was that the next flight was delayed another half-hour. And I found out that Dora lost her boarding pass somehow and had to get another one.

Long flight to Lima, again with cramped legroom. A guy nicely moved over so I could have an aisle seat, so more options for legroom. But Dora's seat was so cramped that her knee started hurting badly and she had to get out of her seat and stand. Eventually she complained and they moved her up to a different section. Some pretty strong turbulence several times.

Long immigration line in Lima, but it moved along. Got our luggage, into a taxi, to a hotel somewhat near Dora's house here. 22.5 hours of travel, door to door.

Then Dora tells me she forgot to bring some of the legal papers she was supposed to bring. Which were the main point of this trip. Fortunately, one of her sisters will be coming too in a couple of weeks, so (with some hassle in Spain) can bring the papers with her.



Dora out at 8:30 to meet locksmith at house.

She picked me up at hotel in a taxi around noon. To house, which is in pretty good shape (clean, at least). Workers replacing locks.

Met Dora's friend at the house. Into car, stopped for a snack, then to main municipal tax office. Spent all afternoon there, 3.5+ hours. Paid about $900 of house-taxes on my credit card.

To another tax office, but they were closing. Nice dinner in a restaurant.

Taxi to house. Dora spent hours talking to worker, then to neighbors.

In the house, most things are working, except no hot water on 2nd floor, and microwave not working, and we need to get a washing machine.

Finally out of the house around 11:30. Walked out to main street and caught a taxi, But we're out of cash (paid all of it to the workers), and this is a gypsy cab and cash-only exact-change-only. To an ATM, where still my cards don't work, but Dora got some cash. To a pharmacy to buy a few things just to get change. Finally into hotel room after midnight-thirty.



Dora out at 7. I did breakfast downstairs in the hotel.

Took taxi to house around 1. Got charged a gringo price even though I negotiated it down a bit, still not bad (about $8). Paying was tricky because we're still just about out of cash: most of our ATM cards don't work here, ATMs won't let you take out much in one shot, and workers and many taxis are cash-only. Partly my bad: just before the trip, I found that my USA ATM card had expired a month ago, and it was too late to get a new one.

Found that workers have disabled water on the first floor, so no hot water at all.

Zoom call with family in USA.

To a neighbor's birthday party at 5:30 or so. Nice people, and nice food and drink. Out at 7:45 or so.

Taxi to other birthday party, in the NE of Lima, far from house and hotel. Arrived about 9:20. 1.5 hours in the taxi, a grind.

Party was fun, nice people, good food and drink, they hired a singer who brought 3 big speakers and a sound board to this smallish apartment. Dancing. A piñata.

Left party at 12:45, into taxi. Some places with thick traffic stopped, even at 1:30 AM. Into hotel room at 1:50. Showers.



Up at 9:30, feeling tired and hung-over. Did breakfast downstairs in the hotel.

Packed up, checked out of hotel, into a taxi around 11. To house, where I got out with all the luggage, and Dora got back in the taxi to go to a tax office.

Dora spent all afternoon doing errands, home at 6:30 or so.

Apparently the water on first floor is working now, a matter of an unpaid bill. So hot shower should be possible.



Picked up and to lunch with some of Dora's friends. Nice food. Afterward, across street to a very nice park, Parque De Las Amistad. Pics.

Took a hot-ish shower downstairs. One bathroom is not working. Another has hot water only, but no shower curtain or curtain rod.



Workers downstairs chipping paint from bad spots on walls, all day.

Dora was out all day doing errands, came home at 8:30 or so with a patient to do a treatment to.

Went downstairs to take a hot shower, and found almost no water-pressure. Back upstairs and took a cold-ish shower.



Dora out all morning.

Out with Dora at 3:30 or so. Walked to main road, took a tricyclo to express bus stop, took express bus up to NE of Lima. To neighbors Dora had when she lived there in childhood. Nice people, nice dinner with them. Did business at co-op bank next door. Back to neighbors for coffee and a little dancing. Then express bus back, and the connection was slow and the 2nd bus was jam-packed. Out, got groceries, tricyclo to home. In by 9:45, sweaty and tired. Cold shower.



I needed to do a couple of Spanish bank-transfers, but my Spanish bank's web site wouldn't let me do them because I'm in Peru, and their English-language support phone line didn't answer all day. So I called the Spanish-language line and managed to get the transfers done. An achievement, although made easier by just copying previous transfers, didn't have to re-speak all the info. And I'm very familiar with the steps to do a transfer, the steps the agent was doing for me.

Dora out all day, home just before 2 AM.



Online, bought tickets and reserved hotel to go to Puno, at Lake Titicaca. Flights very expensive, hotel very cheap.

Later, reading up about Puno, I found it's at 12,500 feet ! Altitude sickness is likely.

Dora out all day, home maybe 9:30.



Got out of the house after 9, but Dora didn't call for a taxi. We walk toward the main road, and find one. But then Dora spends 15 minutes getting cash from an ATM.

Finally off, and traffic is not bad. Dora has forgotten her eyeglasses. We're to airport around 10:30. Check in, deal with the luggage, plenty of time for our 11:40 flight.

But then Dora tells me there is paperwork she MUST do today, and someone is coming from the co-op bank to the airport to bring paper to her. That person shows up at 11:05, still enough time to make our flight.

But Dora has received a big check, and wants to deposit it NOW into a bank. So off to a bank branch in the airport, where she does that. Now we're completely out of time, and not through Security yet.

Fortunately there's really no line at Security, and we get through. Dora wants a bathroom, but there's no time. To the gate, and we're beyond last call. But fortunately they're waiting (anxiously) for us, and a whole busload of passengers has been delayed for us. We get through the gate and onto the bus and it goes.

Nice seats on the plane, and drinks. Smooth flight, I see some snow-topped hills.

Land at Juliaca, get off, and suddenly I can't find my passport ! I'm panicked, searching everything. I start to go back to the plane, which is already loading for next flight, I'm violating security rules. An agent intercepts me and tells me my passport has been found, and agent in the terminal has it. Phew ! I don't how it got lost, when boarding or during flight or when deplaning, but someone turned it in.

Back into terminal, have to wait 20 minutes or so, but finally I get my passport back.

Into waiting pre-arranged taxi. Short ride, then stop at a farmacia so Dora can buy pills. We take anti-nausea pills, something to ease breathing, and ibuprofen. Already I'm feeling a little weak. But it's not as cold as I feared, it's pleasant.

Long ride from Juliaca to Puno. Sheep, cattle, a few horses. Dora is feeling dizzy and headachey; I feel okay. Taxi driver tells us that the big festival we came to see (Candelaria) is NEXT weekend, not this weekend. Oh, well.

Out near the tourist center of Puno, which is pedestrian-only, nice. Soon find the hotel and check in. Into room by 3:30 or so. Dora still feeling bad, so she takes an infusion of coca-leaves that they have downstairs.

Electric outlets here are USA-style, not Spanish, but I have one adapter. And the tapwater is not safe to drink.

Out at 5:30 or so. To a bank for a while. Then to dinner at a restaurant which turned out to be a mixed bag. Dora's soup was good, mine was mediocre. My pizza was good. Dora ordered cuy (guinea pig), and when it came I tried a couple of bites and didn't like it. She tried it and said it tasted of fish, and we suspect they fried the cuy in used oil that had been used to fry fish. She sent it back, there was some mild argument, and she ordered something else which turned out to be mediocre.

Found out there was a comedy of errors when "we" gave house-keys to the neighbor, and the workers are locked out. They had planned to work the whole time we were on this trip, and now they'll miss 3 days of work.

Out, and to nearby plaza which is nice (our hotel's location couldn't be better). Into a drugstore for a while. Out of the pedestrian area for a while, and that was not so nice. Back to the pedestrian area.

Dancers in the plaza, some in costume, some groups in everyday clothes and practicing routines. Entertaining.

Back to the hotel room by 10. Tired. Chugging water to wash down a lot of pills.

Took only a few pics today: pics.



Heard some drumming around 0500; I guess they start early.

By 6 or so, I was feeling bad, just couldn't get comfortable in bed. Around 6:30, Dora fed me about 10 pills and some coffee from downstairs, and within minutes I felt much better, my breathing was better, my headache started going away. She took about 10 pills too.

Still tired and feeling weak. We got out around 11, and I felt weak.

Around corner, saw a performing group for a bit, then into the church. Quite nice inside, and they've just started a Mass. So we stayed for that.

Now Dora is feeling bad, so we went back to the hotel for a while.

Out at 12:30 or so, and walking down toward the lake, but it's a long way away. Hoping to get a taxi to the stadium or venue where there are performing groups, but no one will take us, they say they can't get near the place. And I think they're sold out today anyway; we looked online for tickets.

We keep walking, and eventually into a very cheap non-tourist restaurant for a mediocre meal. Dora is falling asleep after the meal.

Out, and soon we find a big parade on a main street. We pay to rent good seats under an awning shading us from the sun, and start watching the parade. Lots of groups in traditional dress, and dancing. But the music is plain, and many of the groups seem the same somehow. The parade keeps going and going, it's huge.

By 3, I'm tired and cold (a wind has come up). We leave our seats, soon find a taxi, and home by 3:15 or so.

Out at 6:15 or so with Dora. There's a procession going from one church to the cathedral, and we join it. The street is packed. We get separated. I watch the ceremonies at the cathedral (with fireworks, nice) but never see Dora. I phone-call her afterwards, but we miscommunicate about where she is. Back to the hotel.

We meet at hotel room, then out to a restaurant for dinner.

Pics.



I thought we were heading for a 10 AM ceremony at the cathedral, but we didn't get going until 11 or so. Both of us feelng weak. We head down there, and stop in a hotel to use the bathroom. Coming out, Dora briskly walks about 2 blocks somewhat uphill and barges into a crowd to get Communion from a head priest, and that is a mistake. The effort leaves her weak, dizzy, with a headache. She rests for a while in the entrance of a police station. I'm weak too; I'm careful to walk slowly and for short distances. I buy a bottle of water which we share.

The ceremony ends, and we hook up with a friend of Dora's. To a farmacia with her to buy oxygen for Dora.

Turns out she's a tour-guide, and she promises to show us the waterfront later. She leaves, Dora and I have a reasonable lunch in a restaurant (she has cuy again). Dora says the oxygen really works. On the TV, they're playing performing groups in the stadium, and I'm glad we couldn't get tickets, it looks just like what we saw for free in the parade.

We go back to the hotel, and soon it's time to meet the friend again. 4-block walk and we find her and her son. Turns out we're going on a boat to the floating reed-islands. Eventually into a taxi. Which screwed us by taking us only halfway to the waterfront, because again there's a big parade, essentially the same one we saw yesterday, on the same street.

We walk across that street and then the 8-10 blocks to the waterfront. Turns out our boat left without us, but turned back to pick us up. We just had to cross about 8 docked boats sideways to get into it.

Out into the lake, which is shallow on this side. First some true reed-islands or peninsulas, then we get into manmade floating islands with huts and houses built on them. We stop at one, have a nice lecture about how they're constructed and maintained, and see the inside of a hut. Then the "sell things to tourists starts", and Dora is a sucker for that stuff. She spends ALL of our local cash (which in fairness came out of her ATM card) ! Now how are we going to pay for other boats here, at the restaurant on another island, for the taxi home ?

On the boat to the restaurant island, kids singing charmingly, then demanding money. Again Dora is the sucker, emptying out her coin-purse to them.

Turns out they do exchange Euros at the restaurant. But while Dora is doing that (with MY Euros), a front blows through, with strong winds. So the tour operators cancel the "eat at restaurant" plan (fine with me) and we get back onto the boat that first brought us, just in time to avoid the rain.

We sit there for 15 minutes or so, then the boat shoves off. Plenty of rain and wind. And when we get to the main channel between the true islands, we find another tour boat that has been blown aground into the weeds. So we back up to them and take their passengers onto our boat.

Some difficult navigation through dark and rain and wind, but they get us home. Raining and windy as we go down the pier and find a moto-trisky and all 4 of us get in.

We get to the parade, and I think it ends as we're waiting. Across that street, and soon we hit jammed traffic, really bad. Eventually guide and son get out, and then we turn out of the traffic, and up to where Dora and I get out. And the rain has stopped.

Pics.

To our hotel by 7:15 or so. Didn't feel like going out for dinner.

Dora was sick all night, probably from the cuy she ate.



Up at 8 or so. Checked out of the hotel in Puno and into a taxi after 9. We're both feeling weak.

Long ride to Juliaca airport. Got there with plenty of spare time, which Dora proceeded to eat up with shopping and then a meal, much of which she sent back or didn't like. Then we get through Security, and Dora says she can't walk any more, she needs a wheelchair and oxygen. Which she gets (her pulse-oxygen is 88, mine is 87), but there's only time for a couple of minutes of oxygen, they're doing last call for our flight. Which then spends 15 minutes just sitting without moving.

To Lima after 2, into a taxi, long ride to the house. An additional padlock has been added to the front door, and both (big, sticky) bolts have been slid across, so it takes a little while to get in. In by 4, then Dora has trouble finding the key to our bedroom door. Finally in.

Nice to be back near sea-level, where there's oxygen.

Dora showers and goes out to do errands. I collapse. Later a (cold) shower.

Dora out until 1 AM or so.



Dora out at 6:30 AM or so. Back at 7 PM or so, soon out again.

This train wreck keeps getting worse: Dora's father and niece will be arriving tomorrow night, with one of her sisters. May be father's last chance to reunite with his sole surviving sibling before they die. And he needs to do some pension paperwork in person. Still a bad idea to bring him and niece here, IMO. Long trip, we have no hot water or laundry in the house, getting cash is a chore, going anywhere is an ordeal, more.

Dora home at 4:45 AM.



Dora says there IS hot water, I just haven't been running it long enough.

SNAFU: Sister and father and niece missed their connection in Madrid, are stuck there (with a ton of luggage, too). Later found out they got onto another flight.

Somehow I managed to pull some muscles over left side of my ribcage.

Still no hot water for me in the shower, and now Dora says maybe it's just warm sometimes. But Dora says there is hot water downstairs again, shower down there.

Dora out at 11:30 PM, going to airport to try to pick up luggage that arrived on an earlier flight than the people. She was out all night.



Sister, father, niece arrived at 9:45. No sign of Dora. I think most of their luggage will come on a later flight, didn't come on an earlier one.

Dora arrived at noon, soon gone again, came back around 3. Big dinner together.

Later others out to retrieve luggage from airport, and maybe to meet relatives, and they were gone for a long time. In the evening, Dora crashed and slept.

Others arrived at 11 with luggage; I had to carry four 20-kilo suitcases and two smaller ones upstairs.



Dora out to do errands. Niece and sister went out with friends. Zoom call with family in USA.

Progress: Dora got her national ID card renewed.

In late evening, Dora out with friends to do some dancing. I didn't want to go. She was back at 2, up again at 5:30.





Others out all day, meeting with relatives etc.



Dora gone all day, then stayed up all night, doing a medical treatment to someone.



Dora gone all day, home at 10:30 with lady to do medical treatment to. And the lady is a nurse, she'll do some treatment to Dora too.



Dora out all afternoon and to about 9. Light rain in afternoon and evening.



Dora out all day. In the evening, she sends a message that she's flown to Puno to stay there for several days !



Dora not doing so well in Puno: it's cold and rainy and she has altitude sickness.



At 16:45, the father niece sister into a taxi and off to the airport, back to Spain. So I'm all by myself in the house, for a day or so until Dora gets back.



I thought Dora was coming home today, but no sign of her. Finally got messages and a phone call saying she's very sick in Puno, has an IV and oxygen, planning to come back here Tuesday.



In the evening, Dora says she's feeling better today than yesterday.



Dora home at 4:30 via taxi, and stopped just long enough to dump luggage, then off in another taxi.

Dora home at 3:30 AM.



Dora decided to switch internet providers just before we leave, and so today we're without internet.

Walking around the neighborhood, couldn't find any free Wi-Fi.



Dora out at 10 or so. Still no internet.

Dora gone all day and night.



Around 9:30, a taxi delivered Dora's bags etc, but no Dora.

No other sign of Dora all day and all night. Don't know where she is.



Worker arrived at 7, and waited for Dora. Cleaning lady arrived at 10:30.

No sign of Dora, and we're supposed to fly to Barcelona tonight.

Finally she arrives at 2:30. She's been staying at a friend's place, and she's sick.

Soon we're agreeing that I will fly tonight, and she will stay here. Apparently her doctor says she can't fly, and anyway she has more things to do here with lawyers and workers and such. I'm too depressed to stay here any longer.

Later in the afternoon, Dora is doing everything she can to annoy and confuse me, saying she's cancelled our tickets, etc. Then she's just furious that I'm leaving.

Just before we leave, I find many of my clothes lying around, and find that Dora instead has stuffed my suitcase with big cheeses and cookies to take to Barcelona !

Into a taxi at 6:30. Dora can't find her keys, so we just close the house door and hope she finds them later.

To godmother's house, but Dora forgets the address and we can't find it, so onward to the airport.

Arrive with plenty of time to spare, re-arrange the suitcases and get them shrink-wrapped. Go to check-in. The lady there is able to open medical documents on Dora's phone, which she didn't tell me about. And the lady finds out that Dora is diagnosed with TB and not allowed to fly, but also as the husband I'm presumed infected and also forbidden to fly ! So I'm stuck here for at least another week, have to get tests and scans.

They make us put on masks. But as soon as we get to the restaurant, we take them off. We have internet here, so I tell my family the situation, and do various internet chores I haven't been able to do for the last several days.

Later she tells me she had the TB blood test in Barcelona, more than a month ago, and just received the results two days ago. And was unable to read them, I think. But was told orally that she could not fly.

Back into taxi, and head to a hotel. Get there and into room before 11:30. Turns out Dora stayed here last night too.

Dora stayed up until 5 AM, studying, interfering with my sleep.



Since Dora stayed up most of the night, she slept late and we missed breakfast. Then the internet installer called, and we rushed to pack up and check out of the hotel and get in a taxi to the house to meet the installer there.

Installer is here for hours, what is taking so long ? Turns out to be typical Dora: she's doing a side-deal with him to put internet and phones and TV connections upstairs. And she's going out to do a treatment, leaving me to deal with the installer when he comes back to do it. And we have no cash to pay him for it.

She's into a taxi at 5:15 and off. I don't think she's eaten anything all day.

Installer showed up at 7:45, with a helper. Finally done before 1 AM. Everything seems okay except for the one thing I wanted: better Wi-Fi on the second floor. I can connect through Wi-Fi to the repeater they installed, but the connection has no internet. Ethernet ports on the repeater do have internet. I don't understand.

Dora stayed out all night.



Went to Makro for groceries.

Dora home at 7:30 PM, bringing tile and cement etc for workers.

Dora stayed up all night, downstairs cleaning and playing music.



Workers arrived about 6:30 AM and started doing lots of noisy stuff, demolishing tile and making a hole through an outside wall.

Dora doing a medical procedure to a neighbor.

Delivery of more parts and materials, and I paid balance of about €800 on them.

Finally some progress on the TB front: at 6:15 we're into taxi, with driver and his wife. Turns out this is Dora's normal driver, and his wife is a nurse who has been nursing Dora. So they need TB-testing too.

To a hospital where Dora used to work, and she knows the chief of the ER. So we get good treatment, at least at first. Things are slow, and our supposedly-international insurance doesn't work, so I have to pay for everything. But prices are reasonable.

Driver's wife leaves before doing anything but incur the ER-fee; she's going on a trip !

Eventually the driver gets an X-ray, then he leaves.

Dora and I are scheduled for CT scans: 2 for me, 3 with contrast for her. Down to Radiology. Pretty quickly I have my two scans.

Prices: the ER cost about €40/person, the X-ray cost about €15, each CT scan costs about €160, the contrast cost about €7.

Turns out we can't get the TB scratch-test here; we have to go somewhere else. If we fail that, we have to get (fairly expensive) blood tests.

SNAFU: it turns out Dora is dehydrated and has high creatine level, so they need to fix that before doing contrast. They take her somewhere, and I wait. I assume she is sleeping while they do IV for saline and contrast.

But after waiting more than 1.5 hours, I start searching for Dora. Turns out she's back up in the ER, sleeping, and they've done nothing for her. No saline solution, no contrast. We decide to leave and she'll come back tomorrow. It's midnight.

We have a long walk to get to a street where we can find a taxi. But we find one, and home by 1 AM.

Dora refuses to drink water and go to bed: she just slept in the ER, she has things to do, if she sleeps now she won't awake at 6 to go back to the hospital, etc. I give up trying to persuade her to take proper care of herself.



Dora out at 8:30 or so, back to the hospital for scans.

Went to Makro for groceries.

Dora out all day and evening.

Finally messages from Dora at 4 AM. She went to another clinic, and ended up getting admitted because of dehydration. She was sedated and slept until now.

She says my CT scans were negative for TB. They showed kidney stones (a recurring problem I've had), and enlarged prostate.

She says I should go by myself to get the TB scratch-test, but I don't know where and I don't have small bills for taxi and I don't know if I can communicate once I get there. Have to wait for her.





Dora showed up at 7:15 AM and right back out again, in a hurry to go out to another hospital to have scans done.

Dora home at 4:30 or so. Turns out the hospital she went to was having a 150th-anniversary party today, so no work was being done, she didn't get any scans. We'll go somewhere nearby to do TB scratch-tests tomorrow morning, I hope.



Confusing day, not sure when we're going. Eventually at 5:30 PM we load a ton of Dora's stuff into a taxi and off to a hospital. But it turns out Dora doesn't know exactly where it is. We find a clinic, but they're closed, and the guard says the hospital will be closed for normal testing too, come back on Monday.

Fortunately I get them to let me out of the taxi and I walk home. Dora is going to do a medical treatment on a friend. Later I found out she's taken my laptop with her, not sure if it's by accident.

Dora home at 11:30 or so.



Dora out at 11 AM or so, home at 9:30 PM. She has to pay a largish amount to the taxi, but none of our payment methods work, and their credit-card reader doesn't work.

 

Up at 7:30, out at 8:15 or so. Dora is bringing along a heavy small suitcase and a heavy computer bag. She wants to go to the central hospital, not the local one, and then to a lawyer and then a govt tax office. A death-march day. I should have said no, but I want a TB-test.

Walk to Makro, and worker and I wait while Dora goes inside to use ATMs. She's back about 45 minutes later with no cash, her cards don't work. I think she spent much of the time writing up a denuncia against someone, I don't know who.

How can we go with only 50 cents in cash in her pocket ? She brushes that off and we get into a taxi. They won't take credit card, which is all I have.

Long hot ride to central hospital. Dora calls a friend and has them pay for the taxi through the YaPay app.

It's a hot day, and I'm lugging the heavy bags, and wearing long pants. By the time we find her doctor friend, up a flight of stairs, I'm sweating and tired.

He takes us to Pneumology, and we're seen by another doctor. Really all he does is take Dora's history, and write prescriptions for us to get TB-tests (and Dora to get scans, I think). We'd have to come back on Wednesday to get the actual tests.

Somehow after that, Dora fritters away another 1.5 hours, chatting with people, maybe scheduling the scans, I don't know.

By then heat and stress and lack of food have given me a headache. I want to go home, but Dora won't help me get there, and says none of the taxis here will take credit cards. We find a crowded cafe in the hospital and Dora pulls her YaPay magic again to pay for the food.

Out, and get a taxi. The driver is not happy, but Dora gets another friend to pay, and first we drop Dora and bags off at a Metro station, and then the taxi driver takes me home. I get in at 3:45, wrung out.

Later, to Makro for groceries. They take credit cards there.