Yesterday I spent all day in Pereira, the city is situated only half an hour bus drive from Cartago. There is a Bolivar Square (of course), some nice churches and a lot of shopping centres. I was shocked to find out that the sculpture in the square was naked Bolivar!! (in the picture) - I have never seen a sculpture like this in any other Bolivar Square in Venezuela or Colombia, it is always serious and fully clothed hero on his calm horse.
I went to a DAS office in Pereira and asked about my tourist visa extension for two more months. I was told that I have to do it in Cali a week before my stamp expires, and that it will take only few hours.
I met Fernando in the late afternoon and we went to his leather shop and to another business he manages - an ice-cream shop. Later on, I met Erica from Couch Surfing who I contacted a day before. She phoned me and invited to her shop with clothes, prams and nappies for children. We had a chat and then she showed me the city by night. I came back to Cartago late in the night.

Today it birthday of Fernando's mum (she is 71). She has been so good to me during all my stay in Cartago - feeding me, teaching how to fry platanos (long bananas) and making sure that I slept well. I bought her flowers but I got angry at the florist. The guy owning the shop didn't want to show me the flowers and I didn't want to order something I couldn't see first. After a lot of irritating negotiatons he finally made a kind of nice bunch of flowers (I think I would make it much nicer).
Later today I am leaving for Cali.
Aga and Mauricio dancing salsa in Primero de Mayo, in Bogota'