What Happens in the Economics Job Market and How Did I Survive It?

Every year, economist job seekers and employers get together for interviews at the Allied Social Sciences Association (ASSA) annual meeting. The interviews happen in the first week of January between Thursday and Sunday, and every year the conference meets in a different city in the United States. To get a spot for an interview, job seekers apply to the job openings the months before the meeting, generally by the end of November of the previous year. After the conversations at the ASSA meeting, employers will invite a subset of the interviewees to an on-site examination (flyout). After the flyouts of all candidates, employers will make job offers. If those offers are rejected, the employers will go down their list of preferred candidates and make second rounds of offers. If they finish their list without hiring, they may invite more candidates for a flyout, and the process continues.

Employers will post their jobs in at least four web platforms: Job Openings for Economists (JOE), Econ Job Market, Academic Jobs Online, and Chroniclevitae. Most of the job offers are listed in JOE, and some of those offers will redirect you to other web pages. However, a small group of jobs will be posted in the other three platforms but not in JOE. You will have to go over all the platforms to cover all the openings entirely. Just to give you an example of the size of the market, for the 2019 ASSA meeting the number of job postings for junior economists at the JOE webpage was around 1,300. In my experience, one-third of the job applications will redirect you to the human resources (HR) web page of the institution where you are applying, and the remainder of the applications will happen in one of the four mentioned platforms.

Most of the job applications require at least a Curriculum Vitae (CV), a Job Market Paper (JMP), and three letters of recommendation. If you ask me, what are the most important documents of the Economics Job Market? I will answer the previous three. However, a large proportion of job postings will require a cover letter, a research statement, a teaching statement, and sometimes a diversity statement. In the rest of this document, I will develop my opinion and experience with all these documents for the job applications, the interviews, the flyouts, and the job offers during my process in the Economics Job Market.

Let me start with “the most important advice for the job market.” You will hear this phrase followed by many different pieces of advice. Very often in their opinion, people will mention documents of the job application. You will hear many times, the JMP, but also the letters of recommendation; you will hear the teaching and research statements, and also the previous publications, etc. If everything is important, what is truly important then? The job market process is different for every person, and everyone will recommend that you should focus on what they think was useful for them. It took me a while to realize that I was the one in charge of my job application process. Everyone can have an opinion, and it is wise to hear those opinions, but you are the one in charge of choosing what is really important to you.

After the clarification that this report is just my opinion, I will start with the first necessary document for the job application, the CV. You can find many resources to learn how to outline your CV. See for example the “job application” web pages from the University of Chicago, Harvard University or the University of Illinois. Almost surely, the equivalent of a Graduate College in your university has a Career Development Department that holds workshops to teach you how to outline and write your CV. I attended one of those seminars to prepare for the job market, and it was beneficial to me. Moreover, I kept “samples” of CVs from job market candidates that visited my university in previous years. Then, while preparing my CV, I blended the format of the CVs that I liked.

Notice that your job market CV is not a regular document. Anything in your job market CV is subject to scrutiny during the interviews and flyouts. To put perspective regarding the importance of this document, during most of my job interviews, my CV was the only document that the interviewers read carefully, and they had a printed copy of it. Make sure that you convey in your CV all the information that you want your interviewers to have. You should be able to talk about every project or past experience that you include in the job market CV.

I will continue by talking about the document that many people argue is the most important, the JMP. The paper shows your ability to do research, and it is the culmination of a project that generally takes years. If you are looking for an academic job, the JMP shows to your interviewers the prospects of your research. Make sure that the paper that you share with your interviewers is well written and follows the standards of an academic paper. If you are not searching for academic jobs, the JMP is an opportunity to show your skills for industry jobs. If you are seeking industry jobs, make sure that your paper shows that you have what they need, e.g., you know how to use large datasets, or you know how to visualize data, or the newest econometric methods, etc.

Under normal circumstances, the JMP that you use in your job applications is not the first draft of your paper. I recommend you to have a first version of the JMP as early as possible. This is my proposed timeline: If you are going to the ASSA meetings in January, have the first draft of your paper by the end of the previous June and make sure to have a second version of the article by the end of August. A draft of the paper does not need to be perfectly written, but having a version of the paper helps you to think about your project. In my case, some ideas clarified while writing or reviewing a draft of the paper.

The JMP will help you to get a job, but don’t hope that your interviewers will read the full document before you meet them. If anything, they will read the abstract, introduction, and maybe the conclusion. Put yourself in their shoes, imagine you get hundreds of job applications and you need to make a short list of candidates. Would you read the JMP of every candidate thoroughly? Make sure that the abstract and introduction of your paper are perfect and give the interviewers all the elements they need to put you on the short list. Jeff Lin shared with me the “formula” of Keith Head for an introduction. I agree entirely with Head’s method. You should have a solid abstract and introduction from the beginning. Try to use Keith Head’s formula for all the drafts of your JMP. In fact, I think your third draft of the paper should be ready by the end of September, and you should spend October working mainly reviewing your abstract and introduction.

It is easy to procrastinate the writing of your JMP by running one more robustness regression or by reading yet another reference. Academic writing is difficult, and it is a habit to develop throughout time. Unfortunately for me, I internalized the habit of academic writing only by the end of my Ph.D. program. I encourage you to start the practice of writing as early as possible. To develop my skills in academic writing, I went to workshops with other fellow students to learn about and share the painful process of writing and rewriting. I went one step further by reading The Little Book of Research Writing by Varanya Chaubey. The book is inexpensive, short, and it helped me a lot in the process. I encourage you to buy the book and use its method.

Most importantly, I was lucky enough to have Professors willing to read and iterate over the abstract and introduction of my JMP. A short list in alphabetical order of people that gave me feedback includes David Albouy, Don Fullerton, Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham, Jeff Lin, Ben Marx, Julian Reif, and Luis Felipe Sáenz. Try to make your list as large as possible. Send me your JMP in the first week of October, and I will be happy to give you feedback on your abstract and introduction. Enjoy all the attention that you will get when you are in the job market.

That is enough about the JMP. Let me now talk about the letters of recommendation briefly. To do so, let us imagine the situation of the people in the search committee. Let us assume that they get one hundred applications with fantastic CVs and excellently written JMPs. How can they distinguish between applicants? An influential letter of recommendation can make a difference, especially if they know the writer either in person or by reputation. You may argue that you don’t write the recommendation and that the letters are out of your control. I will say that recommenders will write about what they know from working with you. In that sense, you should pick the set of recommenders that know you well. You should talk to many Professors way before the beginning of the job market; you should go to seminars and interact with them as much as possible. Also, you should formally ask for the letters of recommendation with enough time.

I am bringing the fact that you should formally ask for the letters with enough time because the process of uploading the recommendations to your job applications is difficult and stressful at the beginning. As I mentioned before, you will have to deal with four different web platforms, and your letter writers will have to log in and upload their recommendations at least in JOE and Econ Job Market. You can also use a so-called proxy to upload the letters in all the platforms, including Academic Jobs Online, Chroniclevitae, and most of the HR external links.

A proxy is a third person that deals with the letters on behalf of the recommenders. The year that I was in the job market, the proxy sending my letters was dealing with the recommendations for all the other candidates in my department, she was doing this job for the very first time, and she was dealing with other parts of her regular job. As you can correctly guess, those were busy times for the proxy and me. Due to the steep learning curve at the beginning of the process, letters may not arrive on time for some of the first applications. Those are things that you cannot control; don’t over stress about it, but plan accordingly.

At this point, I am only missing the statements of research, teaching and diversity, and the cover letter. Some people argue that these documents don’t matter because no one in the search committee will read them. I will ask those people: How are you so sure that no one will read these documents? If you are lucky to get a flyout, you will meet many people that weren’t involved in the job search, e.g., the provost of the university or the manager of a team in an office. It seems reasonable to assume that at least some people will read only your cover letter or one of your statements. In my opinion, you should consider the statements as an opportunity to think about yourself regarding your research agenda, your philosophy while teaching, and how you address diversity. That is a useful exercise by itself. I think the statements should be short, but sharp. For example, my research statement had three pages, my teaching and diversity statements where one page each. Again, different people will recommend different strategies; use what works for you.

To finish with the documents for the job applications, let me tell you what I did with the cover letters. I was lucky to find hundreds of job openings matching my interest during the year that I was in the job market. With so many cover letters to write, I was facing “the curse of dimensionality.” I decided to follow this strategy: 1) Classify the job offers in one of four categories: industry, academic, postdoc, and teaching. 2) Write a one-page generic cover letter for each type of job offer. 3) Tailor the cover letter for my preferred job openings. To tailor a cover letter outside the industry category, I added the name of the school, the exact name of the position, the name of the department, and some other details. For industry jobs, I tailored everything to show interest. I don’t think the cover letter makes any differences except for industry jobs. Again, I put effort on this document because I wasn’t sure no one will read it.

The fun starts after all the documents are ready for the job applications. I used a spreadsheet with all the job openings from JOE to find where to apply and to keep track of the process. I spent November making 351 job applications and tailoring 94 cover letters. In retrospective, about ten percent of my job applications became an interview, one-third of the interviews at the ASSA meeting became a flyout, and one-third of the flyouts transformed into a job offer. Those numbers are case dependent. A fellow student in my cohort had only 2 interviews, but also 2 job offers. As Professor Anil Bera once said to me, you just need one interview and one job offer. I applied to many jobs only because of my risk aversion and my stress-based insomnia.

The number of interviews that you have during the ASSA meeting is an incorrect metric to measure your success in the job market. The metric should be to have at least one job offer. Use the latter metric to select your interviews. If you schedule too many interviews in one day, you will be too tired to do well on all of them. It is possible to have many meetings if those are spread appropriately over the four days were interviews happen. If the sequence of the number of your interviews per day is 5, 10, 10, 5, for example, the situation isn’t that bad; if the sequence is 2, 11, 12, 5, then your performance may suffer from your cumulative fatigue in those days with more than 10 interviews. If you have more than 10 meetings in a day, I recommend you to reschedule some. Again, everything is case dependent; think of your case and make a decision. Don’t underestimate the fact that you will be exhausted as the days pass during the interviews in the ASSA meeting. For example, in my last interview on Sunday, I had a mental collapse when the interviewers asked me a straightforward question that I wasn’t expecting. I was unable to articulate a reasonable answer because I was mentally and physically tired.

The key to having successful interviews is practice. You know beforehand most of the questions that interviewers will ask; prepare and practice your answers for those questions. They will ask general questions, such as: What is your job market paper about? What else do you have in your pipeline? What classes would you teach? Where do you plan to submit your JMP? Where do you see yourself in five years? Do you have questions for us? They will also ask specific questions. For example, they asked me: Can you develop on your Iran research idea? What would be your syllabus in a class of Urban Economics? Who is your favorite economist? Who should win the next Nobel Prize in Economics?

Practice helps a lot to deliver the message during the meetings. Let me give you an example of a situation where practicing my interviews helped. I had only one meeting where interviewers actually read my JMP in detail, and they were asking precise questions of tables and figures, e.g., why did you cluster the standard errors at the State level in regression 2? Due to my prepared spiel, I was able to give a quick answer to the technical question and come back to the main point that I wanted to convey. Because of the unexpected questions, I thought that was my worst interview, but I ended up having an on-site examination with them. I spent almost all December having mock interviews with fellow students and faculty. Practicing interviews was a great use of my time.

The process of interviews and flyouts has been studied before. Rebecca Thornton introduced me to the book Cracking the Academia Nut by Margaret Newhouse. Another excellent reference is John Cawley’s Guide and Advice for Economist. I can’t add much to those references regarding what happens in the on-site examinations. It is a long day of short meetings followed by your presentation, or maybe you present first and then meet people. It usually includes at least one meal where you have to talk to two or three people at the same time. See the previous two references for further details and preparation.

I will add to the previous two references by saying that you should consider investing in a Global Entry or TSA precheck program. Global Entry gives you TSA precheck, but not the other way around. With any of these programs you can speed through security at airports, you don’t need remove your shoes, and you can keep your laptop in the bag. Under consumption smoothing, you shouldn’t worry about investing in things that will help you get that new job that you are looking for. Paying one hundred dollars to remove stress in the airports seems reasonable. Finally, have in mind that you will pay for many of your flyouts and then get a reimbursement. Have available credit limit in your credit card to cover those expenses.

Let me finish by reminding you that the job market is a matching market. You may be better off by removing uncertainty for you and the other side. In a student-optimal matching, you will give your interviewers signals of your preferences. I did the following to provide the signaling: after I finished all my interviews, I sent “thank you notes” only to the interviewers of the jobs I believed as suitable matches for me. Also, I conveyed the information of a flyout geographically close to those jobs that I felt like a good match. For example, I got one additional on-site examination by sharing the news of another flyout in the same area. When I got a job offer, I transmitted that information to the jobs where I got a flyout, but also to the jobs where I did an interview, and I liked more than my current job option. That translated into one more flyout and one more job offer.

Disclosing the information of my flyouts and job offers to interviewers wasn’t easy. I got many polite emails along the lines of “Congratulations! But we are not interested in you.” I was as professional as possible, and I kept in mind that maybe my profile wasn’t what they were looking for. It is not personal. Remember, they are trying to get their best match as you are trying to get yours. You don’t want to be in a place where they don’t want to have you.

How did I survive all the job market process? I tried to see the job market as a big game where winning was getting at least one job offer. I did a backward induction to solve the game. The more you know about the process, the less you have to worry about what comes next. You are a scientist and you understand the value of observation and assessment. The job market puts you in a situation where you are the subject of observation and the observer. It is challenging to apply your scientific skills as the subject and the observer. However, the job market is an excellent opportunity to practice what you have learned about matching and bargaining. After all, you have been working on your Ph.D. program for several years, and this is just another step of the process. In the end, you will be starting a new chapter of your life. To put it in the words of Kelly McGonigal, you have to make stress your friend.

Feel free to send me an email for further clarification. Remember that this is just my opinion, and everyone will have one. You should form your criteria. I hope this information is useful. Best of luck with your job market search, and I hope you get your best match!

From the Beginning to the End (English and Spanish)

My friend Phillip Scholz Galviz died on June 2, 2023, while we were traveling together in Portugal. This is my version of the trip. I wrote it to recount the details of what happened and to reflect. I planned to have one paragraph per day, but each day was much more than one paragraph. I don't know if it's a coincidence that I finished the story on the day Phillip's remains returned to Bogotá, June 18, 2023. I don't expect anyone to read it because it's very long, but I am leaving it here in case anyone wants to know the details of our trip. My version of the journey is not meant to make you sad but to remember how happy we are.

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Del Principio Al Fin

El principio: Celebrando la vida

El viaje a Portugal se definió como una celebración de la vida. El viaje lo organizo Carlos Hurtado (Aka Charlie o Carlitos) como remplazo a otro que había quedado pendiente en mayo de 2020 por obvias razones. Charlie siempre llamaba al Phillip Scholz (Aka el mono) el 20 de febrero por su cumpleaños; ese lunes 20 de febrero de 2023 no había sido la excepción. Charlie tenía un viaje de trabajo que terminaba en Portugal, y le había dicho a su amiga Natalia Criado (Aka Nats) que lo acompañara a la parte de Lisboa. Después de hablar con Phillip por su cumpleaños, quedaron que harían el viaje los tres.


Phillip había ido a festejar su cumpleaños a Berlín y al regresar se sintió enfermo. Le encontraron una meningitis que no se sabía si era viral o bacteriana. La enfermedad lo llevó al hospital por varias semanas e incluso se pensó en cancelar el viaje a Portugal. En abril estuvo hasta el 20 de ese mes con exámenes y para mediados de mayo se fue a Colombia a visitar a su familia. Sólo hasta final de mayo se definió que sí, que en los últimos días del mes de junio, y los primeros de julio, el viaje de la vida pasaría.


Carlitos tenía una propuesta de itinerario por día, casi que por minuto. Sin embargo, los otros miembros del trío maravilla, Phillip y Natalia, al ser artistas, preferían un itinerario más fluido. Se acordó dividir el viaje en 3 días planeados y 3 días de aventura. El martes 27 de junio viajarían a Lisboa, y tendrían tres días planeados del 28 al 30 de junio y una parte fluida del 1 al 3 de Julio (50-50).


El Viaje

Los primeros dos días completos pasaron en Lisboa, Portugal. Carlitos estaba terminando un viaje de trabajo y ya estaba en Lisboa. Nats venía de Milán, y casi pierde su vuelo porque se quedó "organizando maletas" hasta muy tarde; casi no se despierta esa mañana para coger el avión. En la mañana de ese martes 27 de junio, el mono firmo un contrato con el teatro de Salzburgo, y en la tarde salió al aeropuerto de Frankfurt con suficiente tiempo; él llegaría a las 10 PM a Lisboa. La emoción era infinita! Natalia y Carlitos esperaban a Phillip con ganas de festejar. Hicieron una reservación en la cervecería Trindade para que el mono llegara ahí a comer. Cuando llegaron al lugar notaron que eran los únicos en un restaurante con más de cincuenta mesas. Cuando los tres por fin estaban juntos, se burlaron muchísimo de la situación. El paseo empezó y se mantuvo entre risas. Carlitos, en un momento de esa cena, levantó su copa de agua con gas y dijo: "estoy muy emocionado de poder hace este paseo con mis primeros dos amores de la vida." Recuerda decir cuánto amas a las personas que amas. Luego de eso, caminaron a un bar, tomaron un gin (y agüita con gas), y se fueron a dormir temprano (1:30 AM).




El primer día completo fue el miércoles 28 de junio. Ese día hicieron todo lo que se podía hacer; la emoción era muchísima. La mañana arranco con Carlitos saliendo a correr 10K (está un poquito obsesionado con el ejercicio). Nats y Phillip se despertaron pocos minutos antes de que Charlie regresara. Conectaron el teléfono de Nats al tv del hotel y así empezó la fiesta. Primer video comprometedor; Carlitos sin camisa, Phillip en pijamas, Natalia en la cama. Muchísimas risas, fotos y videos que fueron al IG de inmediato. "Arréglense ya que vamos a desayunar a Neighborhood," primera orden de Natalia. Acto seguido vino una pregunta importante de Phillip: "y que vamos a hacer si alguien necesita ir for number two? Vamos a tener un código?" La primera de muchas preguntas importantes. "Usemos el nombre de una fruta como palabra clave para que todos salgamos corriendo" dijo Carlitos. De la lluvia de ideas surgió "cacahuate" cómo la señal (cacahuate no es una fruta, pero tiene más sentido). Primero de muchos chistes internos. Eran las 10 AM del primer día, y ya tenían las primeras de muchas experiencias que se repetirían todo el viaje: chistes, preguntas importantes, videos, fotos, lluvias de ideas, muchísimas risas. Recuerda disfrutar cada momento por simple que sea.




Llegaron a Neighborhood y de inmediato Phillip conectó con la hermosísima cajera del lugar. Fotos, risas, videos, delicioso café. Casi no pueden irse a Urban Revolution, una exposición de arte callejero. Cuando finalmente llegaron a la exposición, hicieron lo de siempre; fotos, risas, videos, mucho arte. Eran las 2 PM y hacían 40 grados centígrados. Cruzaron un puente para ir a ver el edificio del MAAT, y estando sobre el techo del edificio, decidieron entrar; fotos, risas, videos, preguntas importantes, mucho arte moderno. Phillip quería ir a un restaurante que había visto el día anterior, que tenía un pulpo gigante en el techo. Para llegar alquilaron unas scooters electicas. Fotos, risas, videos, riding with mucho style. Fueron a "A cevichería," y como siempre, fotos, risas, videos, canto, pulpo delicioso. Charlie reservo un rooftop llamado Carmo a las 7 PM; risas, fotos, videos, buena vista y buenos drinks. Natalia tenía una reservación a las 10 PM para Trick's, la cena de €75 por tres platitos pequeñitos; eso les pasa por andar con Natalia Criado. Risas, fotos, videos. En la cena tenían que decidir cuál era el siguiente paso, y Phillip y Natalia tenían recomendaciones de amigos que apuntaban al bar VAGO, así que allí fueron a dar.




El bar VAGO marco la primera noche de fiesta. La música increíble, los cocktails brutales, la cerveza de ginger perfecta, la gente lindísima. Conocieron a uno de los dueños (el portugués), que les dijo que los otros tres dueños eran colombianos. Cuando llegó uno de los dueños colombianos, resultó que Nats lo conocía; Qué mundo pequeño! Al final cerraron el bar a las 2 AM, pero el trío maravilla, Phillip, Nats y Carlitos, se quedaron con el dueño y sus amigos. Phillip y Carlitos dieron clases de salsa las chicas que se quedaron después del cierre. La noche terminó bailando la lambada en la calle a las 4 AM. El primer día fue tan emocionante que contó como si fueran tres días en uno. Recuerda vivir la vida entre chistes, preguntas importantes, videos, fotos, lluvias de ideas, muchísimas risas y momentos felices. Hay que vivir el instante al máximo.




Todos los días tenían una magia distinta. Carlitos se inscribió al gym de al lado del hotel y estaba dando lata desde las 9 AM del Jueves 29 de junio (esta un poquito obsesionado con el ejercicio). Entre tanto, Natalia regaño a Phillip porque él hizo algo de ruido al despertar y ella tenía que dormir un poquito más; el mono llamo a Carlitos para que viniera a rescatarlo. A las 10 AM Nats trabajaba desde la cama, Charlie llegaba con huevos, jamón, queso y frutas, y Phillip hacia el desayuno. Nats tenía que terminar una entrevista, así que el mono y Charlie se fueron a Neighborhood, a hablar de la vida y con la hermosísima cajera. Al final, quedaron de tomar unos drinks con ella en la noche (claramente propuesta del mono). Natalia llegó donde ellos estaban a las 2 PM, pero parecía que habían pasado apenas tres minutos desde las 11 AM que llegaron. Así eran las cosas con el mono. En cuanto llegó Nats, se fueron almorzar al healthy organic market; eso les pasa por andar con Natalia Criado.




Durante el almuerzo decidieron que querían ver el Reservatório da Mãe d'Água das Amoreiras. Llegaron a las 3:30 PM, pero el siguiente espectáculo era en una hora. Salieron a caminar por el barrio. Natalia insistía que todo era igualito a Bogotá, y no había nada que le diera más rabia a Phillip. De ahí en adelante Nats y Charlie decían que todo era igualito a algo en Colombia. Después de todo, como no burlarse del rey de las burlas? Estando caminando, Charlie dijo, we should hold hands. Sin motivo alguno, empezaron a caminar los tres, cogidos de la mano. La gente los miraba como a extraterrestres, ellos no entendían, solo el trío maravilla entendía. Por supuesto, pararon a hacer un vídeo de la caminata cogidos de la mano. Desde luego, esa hora paso como un minuto. Remember, time flies when you are having fun. Entraron al espectáculo, soñaron despiertos, y salieron casi a las 5 PM en busca del siguiente plan. Charlie había buscado y sabía que el Museu do Azulejo les gustaría a sus amores artistas.




Un carro los llevó rapidísimo al Museu do Azulejo, y llegaron a la caja a las 5:33 PM. "Lo siento, la entrada es hasta las 5:30 PM" dijo la no-tan-amable cajera. "No puede ser, viajamos 45 minutos en un taxi, y el museo cierra a las 6 PM" dijo el mono. La señorita los llevó donde al administrador, quien decidió dejarlos entrar gratis. Algunas veces, en lugar de pelear, las palabras correctas y una sonrisa abren las puertas. "No se pierdan la iglesia ni el observatorio," dijo el administrador. Se recorrieron el museo en segundos, lo vieron todo, tomaron las fotos y a las 6:30 PM ya estaban de camino al hotel. "Ay, vamos a hacer compras," dijo Nats en el carro de ida. En lugar de ir al hotel, fueron a Latte Lisbon; eso les pasa por andar con Natalia Criado.




Nats decidió que no salía esa noche pues tenía que trabajar, así que sería noche de chicos. Carlitos y Phillip se fueron a encontrar con Katerina, la hermosísima cajera, a las 7 PM en el rooftop del Selina Secret Garden. El lugar era cool, la música estaba bien, la gente linda; el lugar no era más interesante que VAGO, así que se fueron al bar de los colombianos. Se tomaron unos drinks tranquilos hasta que Katerina se tenía que ir. La noche del jueves en VAGO era muy distinta a la noche miércoles. Para empezar, era solo el dúo dinamita. Además de eso, el balance era de cuatro mujeres guapísimas por cada hombre. Entre ginger beer, cocktails, buena música, baile y buenas vibras, el dúo dinamita causó estragos. "Tenemos mucho game juntos," le dijo el mono a Carlitos. Y sí, los amigos del alma se comunican sin palabras, y eso funciona perfectamente en el juego de la vida. La noche terminó tipo 3:30 AM. El dúo dinamita regreso a casa para completar el trío maravilla. En el camino, el mono le dijo a Charlie, "tienes que enfocarte más en una sola chica! no puede ser que estas bien con la holandesa, ella se va un ratito, y cuando regresa y me pregunta por ti, estas apretando a las argentinas!" Esas palabras dejaron reflexionando a Charlie por el resto del viaje. Just focus!

El tercer día, viernes 30 de junio, se alquiló un auto, y se planeó manejar a Sintra en la mañana, y al sur en la tarde. Ese plan no ocurrió así, desde ese día el viaje entró en modo fluido, dejando que Portugal les mostrara qué tenía para ofrecer. Todo lo que hicieron ese día contaba como por una semana de aventuras. Natalia y Carlitos se despertaron a las 9 AM para ir a clase de yoga. Luego de eso, Nats quería hacer compras, así que Charlie la acompaño. El mono se despertó tipo 10:30 AM, se bañó, se arregló, alistó su maleta, y llegó a la tienda House of Curated donde ellos estaban. La ropa era divina! Phillip levanto una camisa echa en crochet, vio el precio de €450 y dijo: "eso le pasa a Carlitos por andar con Natalia Criado." De ahí se fueron a Ementa SB, una tienda con mucho estilo. El mono se encantó con la ropa, se compró dos camisetas y una gorra, pero quería comprar la tienda entera. Cuando se dieron cuenta, era casi medio día y Charlie y Nats no tenían las maletas listas! Carreras para arreglarse y salir a recoger el auto de alquiler.




Se recogió el carro, una Ford PUMA, a eso de la 1 PM. El camino a Sintra fue de autopista, nada muy especial. Lo lindo llegó cuando empezaron a subir al Palacio do Pena. La carretera muy estrecha, de un solo sentido, con casas hermosa de ambos costados. Llegaron a lo que pensaban era la entrada a eso de las 3 PM, y compraron tickets para poder entrar al palacio a las 4:30 PM. Tenían una hora y media para recorrer los jardines. La organización del lugar era extraña; no tenía mucha información, y la poquísima información era muy confusa. Parecía un vortex de caos. De alguna manera intentaron ver los jardines exteriores, pero no podían encontrar nada de lo que el mapa mostraba. Por primera vez se sintió algo de desespero en el viaje; no podían llegar a donde querían porque el mapa solo indicaba dos dimensiones, pero el palacio queda en una peña, y faltaba la información de altura. En un punto, Phillip perdió la paciencia y les regaló el mapa a unos turistas que pedían direcciones. Después de eso el mono dijo "hay que dejar que el lugar nos muestre el camino." Efectivamente, empezaron a encontrar todos los landmarks que querían ver.




Ya a las 4:30 PM entraron al palacio. Las fotos eran espectaculares! Cada esquina se veía mejor que la otra. Phillip se obsesionó con Charlie y le empezó a tomar mil fotos. A eso de las 6 PM, después de ver cada rincón del palacio, se bajaron a un lago que habían visto cerca al parking. Ese lugar fue mágico por su clama, su luz, y su belleza; Tomaron mil fotos más. De ahí salieron al pueblo y se quedaron embobados viendo una tienda de azulejos atendida por el artista que los diseñaba. Sin darse cuenta, eran las 7 PM, no habían almorzado, no sabían cuál era el nombre del hotel al que tenían que viajar, y no habían seguido el plan inicial. "No pasa nada, vamos a ese restaurante, nos pedimos unos buenos platos, buscamos la reservación, y dejamos que Sintra nos muestre el resto del camino," dijo Phillip. Ya en el restaurante, Carlitos empezó a buscar la reserva en Aljezur, pero no la encontraba. Desesperación total del pobre Carlitos porque no lo podía creer. La buscó de todas las formas posibles. Incluso él sabía el día que la hizo y el precio que "había pagado." La reserva no aparecía en sus transacciones de la tarjeta de crédito, su celular tenía pésima señal, y su computadora estaba sin pila. El universo quiso que ellos decidieran pensar que la tarjeta no había pasado y por tanto la reserva no se había hecho. El grupo decidió, arranca la aventura, buscando donde dormir al llegar a Aljezur.

Al final de la cena, se acercó la única otra "cliente" del restaurante, que al en realidad resultó siendo una mesera de que estaba cenando. Ella los saludó, y les preguntó: "Cómo va su viaje? Para donde van ahora?" A lo que el trío maravilla respondió al unísono: "Aljezur!" La local respondió exclamando: "Es mi lugar favorito de todo el mundo! No se pueden perder la playa Monte Clérigo, y tienen que tomar medronho! Con 5 de esos quedan viendo estrellitas." Phillip estaba feliz de esa interacción, después de todo, él siempre quería que el lugar le mostrara el camino. Al final de esa cena, ya tenían el plan del siguiente día resuelto, solo faltaba el hotel.


Arrancaron el camino a Aljezur desde Sintra, y marcaba 3 horas de recorrido por autopista; si todo salía de acuerdo con el plan, estarían en Aljezur a las 11 PM. En la primera hora de camino, Nats buscó hoteles de último minuto, pero se percató que Aljezur era un caserío de poquísimas casas, y casi todo eran hostels que no permite hacer reservas para el mismo día a esas horas de la noche. El plan original de Charlie era ir por el camino de la costa y no por la autopista, así que propuso: "quedemos en un pueblo 'grande' que tenga hotel con caunter en el camino de la costa, y mañana buscamos con calma un hotel en Aljezur." Era un buen plan, así que se desviaron de la autopsia para tomar el camino de la costa con rumbo a Vila Nova de Milfontes. El desvío por la costa hizo que la nueva hora estimada de llegada al nuevo destino fuera media noche.

El camino era largo. El conductor siempre Carlitos. Desde la primera vez que Phillip le pidió el auto prestado al papá para que su amigo Charlie lo manejara a una fiesta en un hangar, hasta esa noche de camino a Vila Nova, habían pasado 25 años. El copiloto era Phillip y en la silla trasera estaba la princesita Natalia, capturando en video algunas de las conversaciones de la ruta. El principio de ese tramo del viaje se caracterizó por la música. Phillip puso canciones de Bob Marley, clásicos de Sublime, sus más recientes canciones favoritas de Salsa, entre otras. Una hora de música fue suficiente para que Natalia propusiera un juego: "digamos un color, un país y una fruta, que pensamos que describe a los otros." Ya Charlie sabia el color de Phillip desde hacía 25 años; "el mono es color azul." Eso se sabía desde sus viajes a Villa de Leyva. El país de Phillip era obviamente Alemania, pero la fruta? Después de alguna reflexión Carlitos exclamó: "Phillip tiene que ser la uchuva, porque es una fruta indescifrable! Es dulce pero astringente, es tropical, pero de la montaña. Es muy misteriosa. Si uno no la conoce, no sabe de dónde viene esa fruta!" Muchísimas risas al respecto, pero al final, acuerdo de que era la fruta del mono.

La segunda tanda de juegos se basó en uno de Esther Perel llamado "Where Should We Begin." Charlie tenían ese juego en casa y consiguió una versión simplificada con solo 36 preguntas. La idea es que cada jugador responde la misma pregunta. Ese juego termino inspirado unas respuestas muy profundas y unas conexiones muy íntimas porque les permitió hablar de la vida e incluso de la muerte. Estas son las 12 preguntas que alcanzaron a responder antes de llegar al hotel:

  1. Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?
  2. Would you like to be famous? In what way?
  3. Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say? Why?
  4. What would constitute a “perfect” day for you?
  5. If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the mind or body of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you want?
  6. Do you have a secret hunch about how you will die?
  7. Name three things this group appears to have in common.
  8. For what in your life do you feel most grateful?
  9. If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?
  10. Take a couple of minutes and tell the group your life story in as much detail as possible.
  11. If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?
  12. If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future, or anything else, what would you want to know?




Efectivamente llegaron al hotel, se registraron fácilmente, y se fueron al unico bar abierto. Carlitos terminó bailando una salsa con Natalia, porque al parecer el bar tender decidió homenajear a los colombianos que los visitaban. Siendo las 2 AM, se fueron a dormir. El día planeado que se salió de los planes terminó siendo todo un éxito. Recuerda que no todo tiene que ser planeado, algunas veces hay que dejar que el lugar nos muestre el camino.

Como el hotel fue de último minuto, les tocó tomar dos habitaciones. Phillip y el Charlie durmieron en una, y Natalia en otra. Esa noche Carlitos tenía pesadillas y casi no podía dormir; se movía muchísimo en la cama y estaba muy intranquilo. El pobre de Phillip durmió muy poco por tanto sufrir de Carlitos en sus sueños. Qué era lo que tenía intranquilo a Charlie? No lo sabremos nunca a ciencia cierta; puede que haberse salido del plan y el no haber podido encontrar la reserva lo hicieran perder la calma. El detalle exacto no lo sabremos, pero puede que su alma estuviera infeliz por algo que se venía y él no se esperaba.

El día siguiente marcaba el cuarto día de aventuras. El sábado 1 de Julio, Phillip y Charlie se levantaron a las 9 AM y fueron a despertar a Natalia; el objetivo era salir pronto a Aljezur. El hotel era muy familiar, y tenían un conejito de mascota. Phillip se derritió con tantísima belleza, después de todo el mono tenía muchísimo amor por los animales. Luego de eso fueron a desayunar a un restaurante con tres mesas y tres meseros, donde los meseros eran jóvenes con la capacidad de no entender nada de lo que el trío maravilla quería. "They are not the sharpest knife in the kitchen," dijo el mono. Aprovecharon para buscar un hotel en la zona a donde se dirigían, y Natalia terminó encontrando uno llamado Aljezur Villas, que no quedaba en Aljezur sino en Vale da Telha, un grupo de casas aún más pequeño que el primer caserío, y que estaba a unos 10 minutos del Aljezur verdadero. Después de que les tomara tantísimo tiempo para traer el desayuno, el trío maravilla terminó saliendo de Vila Nova de Milfontes un poco después de las 10:45 AM. El camino fue de tan sólo una hora y media, así que básicamente apenas y pusieron música y alcanzaron a hablar de sus personalidades. Natalia logró definir la de Phillip como una "recocha cuadriculada." Totalmente cierto! El mono era muy fluido, repentino, recochero, pero al mismo tiempo extremadamente organizado y metódico.




Los viajeros llegaron al hotel a las 12:30 PM, se registraron, y a las 12:50 ya estaban en la playa Monte Clérigo tomando su primer medronho. A la 1 PM se sentaron a almorzar en un mesón para seis, pero solo con tres comensales. Todos querían vista al mar, así que los tres se sentaron en línea, del lado con vistas al mar. Pidieron pulpo y otras delicias. Phillip empezó a preguntar por la ubicación de unas piedras que caían al mar. Él tenía una foto que había tomado de algo que había visto online, pero no se acordaba de la ubicación. Preguntó a la mesera, al que estaba en la puerta, al asistente del chef que estaba pasando los platos por una ventana cerca a la mesa. Nadie daba razón de esas benditas piedras. "No hay afán, ya las vamos a encontrar," dijo el mono. Al final de cuentas tenían un par de días más por delante. Almorzaron tranquilos y Phillip conectó con un bebe que estaba en la mesa de enfrente, claro porque él tenía una conexión especial con los niños; después de todo, en el fondo, él tenía alma de niño.




A las 2:30 PM bajaron a la playa. Era una playa de arena suave y mar picado. Las olas de eran lo suficientemente peligrosas como para tener una señal que indicaba que era mejor no meterse al mar. En ese momento comentaron de la muerte de Lucas, el esposo de Dayan, mientras vacacionaban en unas playas paradisíacas en Asia. Phillip dijo algo muy cierto, "el problema no es para el que se muere, el problema es para los que se quedan vivos."




Caminaron un poquito más y encontraron unas piedras tipo acantilado que daban algo de sombra. En ese lugar se tomaron muchísimas fotos y luego de un rato se echaron a tomar el sol. Nats y Charlie estaban felices, pero Phillip detestaba ese calor. No duró más de 10 minutos y se paró a investigar la playa. Por las próximas dos horas, Phillip jugo futbol, hablo con gente, se terminó metiendo al mar, vino a mojar a Charlie y a despertarlo, se fue a hablar con las vecinas, se tomó unos medronhos más en el bar de la playa. Entre tanto, Nats y Charlie seguían en el mismo lugar y casi en la misma posición. A las 4:30 PM, el mono envío una foto desde un restaurante. En la foto se veía un melón con jamón, una pola, y unas aceitunas. "Round two," decía el mensaje. Nats y Charlie llegaron al lugar y pidieron algo más de comer. Hasta ese momento el día no había sido más que viajar, comer delicioso, explorar, y tomar unos buenos drinks. Si lo ponemos en balance, un gran día.




A las 5 PM ya había sido suficiente playa. Se fueron con rumbo al hotel, pero pararon en un restaurante local a comprar agua y otras cosas para el desayuno. Además, Phillip pidió otro medronho y le preguntó a la mesera, "dónde es la fiesta esta noche?" A lo cual la mesera respondió, "sin duda tienen que ir al bar de Hugo! Es el único lugar aquí, y la fiesta es hasta las 6 AM." Buenísimo! Ya tenían el plan de la noche. Sin duda el lugar les estaba mostrando cuál era el siguiente paso.




Llegaron al hotel y se metieron a la piscina, se relajaron y hablaron de la vida; incluso tomaron una pequeña siesta. Natalia tenía una referencia de un amigo que le había contado que había un bar con una piscina skate. Lo empezaron a buscar, y cuando vieron las fotos Carlitos exclamó, "ese es el hotel que yo reservé!" Resulta que él no había podido encontrar la reserva porque buscaba Aljezur, pero en realidad estaban en Vale Da Telha. Aparte, el auto corrector había hecho que el correo se enviara a otra cuenta y la reserva se cobraba sólo después de la estadía, según el correo que luego sí pudo encontrar. Las cosas podrían haber sido distintas si hubieran encontrado la reserva, y Carlitos pidió disculpas al grupo. De manera tajante Phillip le dijo, "eso no importa ya, está en el pasado. Si te lo cobran, lo pagamos. Igual hemos tenido una gran aventura. Tienes que dejar de sentirte mal por eso " Y sí, todo había sido una aventura! Tienes que aprender a dejar de sufrir por los errores del pasado.

En turnos se metieron a bañar para arreglarse para la fiesta. La primera fue Natalia que entró a la ducha a las 8 PM; luego entró Phillip; de último Carlitos. Al salir de la ducha, Phillip empezó a decidir que ponerse, y encontró una de sus camisetas nuevas que había comprado en Ementa SB; decidió que iba a estrenar. Carlitos se puso su camiseta blanca con un corazón rojo grande, y Natalia un vestido todo negro. Sin planearlo estaban todos vestidos de blanco y negro. Mientras Charlie se bañaba y alistaba, Phillip y Natalia decidieron que no se usaría el PUMA esa noche. "No estamos en Estados Unidos, no hay que manejar a todos lados Charlie," le dijo Natalia. Eran 14 minutos de caminata, pero el clima estaba perfecto. Charlie pensó que al final de cuentas, el carro era para usarlo, pero ese par de europeos tenían otras costumbres distintas y estaría bien caminar.

En el camino al Skate bar vieron la luna casi llena. Natalia dijo, "yo me pongo medio loca cuando la luna está llena." Phillip preguntó, "y cuando es luna llena?" Después de una búsqueda rápida la respuesta de Natalia fue "julio 3." El viaje estaba agendado para que cada miembro del trío maravilla regresar a casa ese martes, 3 de julio, por lo que no verían esa super luna juntos. En broma pero enserio Phillip exclamó "Nos tocó alargar el viaje y quedarnos unos días más!" A lo cual Carlitos dijo "sin duda, deberíamos hacerlo!" Pararon a tomar fotos de la luna, pero es bien sabido que la luna no se deja fotografiar. Siguieron su camino y llegaron al Skate bar a las 9 PM.




El Skate bar tenía instrumentos para que cualquier se tomara el escenario; el bar ofrecía variedad de cocktails y pizzas a la parrilla. Charlie pidió dos pizzas para compartir, Nats y Phillip unos mojitos. Phillip "se fue al baño" mientras las pizzas llegaban; en realidad se fue a explorar mientras buscaba el baño. Esa era la naturaleza del mono. Nunca se quería quedar en un solo sitio. Al rato regresó y les contó en detalle qué tenía el hotel y cómo era todo el espacio. Llegaron las pizzas, se las comieron, y Phillip se antojó de más, así que se dirigió a la caja a pedir otras dos. Desde la mesa, Nats y Charlie lo observaban. Estando en la caja se pidió un medronho y se puso a hablar con una pareja que estaba en la fila. En su camino de regreso a la mesa, le charló a uno de los skaters que había estado haciendo trucos; él siempre estaba charlando con todo el mundo. Luego se sentó en la mesa y les dijo: "si no estuviera tan larga la fila para subirse a tocar, ya estaría tocando el bajo con los de la banda."

Después de un rato de estar charlando Charlie dijo "me habría gustado intentar en la piscina skate," a lo que Phillip respondió, "ahí en el hotel tienen tablas que seguro te prestan." En efecto, Carlitos fue al hotel y encontró una tabla prestada; de inmediato se pasaron al borde de la piscina skate a ver cómo él hacia el ridículo. Entre tanto, Natalia y Phillip hablaban con el skater que Phillip había interactuado anteriormente. Cuando Charlie se cansó de intentar y fracasar, se subió al borde de la piscina skate para darse cuenta que Nats y Phillip ahora hablaban con la pareja que Phillip conoció en la fila. Ellos eran dos argentinos que vivían en Málaga, España. Ella se llamaba Noelia y él se llamaba Mariano. Cuando comenzaron a charlar serían las 10:30 PM, y el Skate bar cerraba a las 11 PM; después de todo, los huéspedes tenían que dormir.

Phillip les dijo a Noelia y Mariano que la fiesta continuaba en el bar de Hugo, por referencia obtenida de la mesera pocas horas antes. Los argentinos se prendieron al plan de inmediato! Era sábado en la noche y, después de todo, estaban todos en unas merecidas vacaciones. Mariano dijo, "vamos en el auto que justo entramos los cinco." Claro, por azares del destino el trío maravilla había decidido salir sin el PUMA. Entraron en el carro los 5 Latinos y en 3 minutos estaban en la fila de entrada. "Son 3€ por persona, e incluye una cerveza," dijo el bouncer. Phillip saco un billete de 10€ y dijo, "yo pago los de este grupo de 3 personas." Le dieron 1€ de regreso y dejaron pasar a los 5 Latinos. Las matemáticas no cuadraban; los argentinos entraron gratis. Bueno, en compensación, ellos gastaron una ronda de mojitos para los que estaban tomando alcohol y un agua con gas para Carlitos, que desde hace 21 años que no toma.

La música del bar de Hugo era ecléctica, por decirlo así. Al principio mucho reguetón y canciones en portugués. En un punto pusieron "papi chulo," y Phillip saco a Carlitos a bailar. A la 1 AM del domingo, 2 de Julio, el mono y Charlie bailaban "papi papi, papi chulo, papi papi ven a mí, ven a mí," mientras que Natalia filmaba el ridículo espectáculo. Muchísimas risas del grupo de 5 Latinos. Entre tanto, Noelia tenía muchísima preocupación por las carteras y maletas del grupo, y sugirió que dejasen todo entre el auto. Efectivamente salieron a dejar todas las cosas en el carro de los argentinos; “no se preocupen que nosotros los llevamos al hotel,”dijo el copado de Mariano.




A la 1:30 AM sonó una canción se Zouk brasilero, que justo Charlie había estado aprendiendo a bailar desde febrero. En la pista de baile estaban una señora y otra mujer más joven. En cuanto la señora vio a Phillip, se le lanzó a hablarle casi que como si se hubiera encontrado con un viejo amigo. La más joven agarró a Carlitos, que la miraba con cara se "quieres bailar?" Mientras que Phillip y la señora estaban afuera, Carlitos hacia su espectáculo de baile en medio de un círculo de gente sorprendida por los pasos de Zouk. A la 1:39 AM, Phillip escribió en el chat grupal: "Carvoeiro, Benagil." Al ratito entró Phillip muerto de la risa, contando que la señora que los sacó era la chef del restaurante donde habían almorzado, y que ella había oído la pregunta que él había hecho de dónde eran las piedras que caían al mar, que ella sabía cuáles eran, pero que él no la escuchaba porque estaba en la cocina. El mensaje que él mando era la ubicación de donde quería ir al día sigue! "Así es la vida, un día estamos aquí, haciendo una pregunta, y al día siguiente nos encontramos con la respuesta de casualidad," dijo el mono con muchísima alegría por la agradable sorpresa.

El baile continuó, pero la música cambio a un tono más electrónico como a eso de las 2 AM. Podría ser por la música, o por cansancio acumulado, pero todos salieron a sentarse en el patio del bar. Natalia, Carlitos y Noelia se pusieron a hablar en un subgrupo, mientras que Phillip y Mariano le empezaron a hablar a uno que estaba disfrazado de Donald Trump cargando a un charro mexicano (si, yo sé, qué?). Mientras Noelia y Charlie charlaban, Natalia se quedó dormida en el hombro de Charlie a eso de las 2:45 AM. Phillip se percató y se acercó tiernamente a despertarla; le preguntó "Nats, quieres que nos vayamos ya?" Ella se despertó y asintió con la cabeza. Los argentinos, nuevos amigos, dijeron, “bueno, vamos que los llevamos a su hotel.” Salieron los 5 Latinos, llegaron al auto, sacaron sus cosas del baúl, y se dispusieron a entrar en la parte de atrás del auto. Entró primero Nats; Carlitos le dijo a Phillip, “sigue tú,” a lo que el mono respondió en burla, "ay no, yo no me hago al lado de Natalia porque huele feo." Se subió Carlitos en la mitad, y Phillip en la puerta trasera del lado del copiloto.

Cerró la puerta Phillip y de inmediato empezó a hacer ruidos de ronquidos. Todos pensaron que estaba molestando a Natalia porque se había quedado dormida en el bar. El camino al hotel desde el bar de Hugo no duraba más de 30 segundos porque estaba a menos de dos cuadras. Llegaron frente al hotel a las 3 AM, Natalia se bajó, pero Phillip seguía "haciéndose el dormido." Charlie le dio un par de codazos como para decirle que ya habían llegado y el chiste había acabado. Cuando lo miró bien notó que estaba cubierto en sudor. En eso se bajó Mariano y Noelia para ver qué pasaba. "Se quedaría muy borracho y no responde," dijo Mariano. Charlie abrió la puerta, le sacó los pies y con ayuda de Mariano lo sacó del auto.

En cuanto lo intentaron parar, cayó desplomado sobre sus rodillas. Charlie lo tenía abrazado y le dijo, "mono, estás bien. Levántate." En ese momento Phillip subió la cabeza, abrió los ojos y tenía las pupilas dilatadas. Era evidente que tenía problemas para respirar. Natalia empezó a gritar y salió corriendo al hotel a buscar ayuda, pero ese era el problema de los hoteles de Aljezur, que no tenían caunter y no había nadie que atendiera. "Lo tenemos que llevar YA a un hospital, gritó Noelia." Sin saber cómo, Charlie levantó a Phillip, lo abrazo, y como una bestia lo metió entre el carro. Phillip quedó sobre Carlitos; él le tenía la cabeza con la mano izquierda, mientras que le agarraba la mano con la derecha. "Tranquilo mono que ya vamos al hospital." El mono le agarraba la mano fuerte a Charlie y hacia esfuerzos por respirar. Estaba inconsciente, pero se sentía presente.

Mariano manejó rápido al puesto de salud de Aljezur, que quedaba a 10 minutos, pero llegaron para encontrarlo cerrado. Noelia encontró otro puesto de salud de otro caserío cercano. En 10 minutos más llegaron a otro lugar cerrado. Noelia grito en el frente, "encontré un hospital abierto en Lagos, a 35 KM, son 40 minutos, andá, andá, andá." El mono seguía con esfuerzo para respirar, inconsciente, pero agarrando la mano de Charlie fuerte, quizás por reflejo. "Tranquilo mono que ya vamos a llegar," decía Carlitos; Phillip no respondía. Mariano aceleró al máximo. Las curvas las agarraba a 100 Km/h y las rectas a 140 Km/h; él preguntaba gritando "Esta vivo? Está vivo?" A medida que pasaban los minutos parecía que lo perdíamos.

Natalia y Noelia buscaban el teléfono de emergencias, que no era 911. Mientras tanto, Carlitos daba golpes en el pecho del mono, con la intuición de que eso le mantendría el corazón latiendo. En un momento, Natalia intento dar respiración boca-a-boca a Phillip. Todo eran esfuerzos de desesperación pues ni Natalia ni Carlitos eran paramédicos. De alguna manera lograron contactar a las emergencias médicas, y ellos preguntaron "tiene pulso?" La verdad que Carlitos no se lo sentía. "No tengo idea! Como hago para confirmar?" Gritó Charlie al teléfono. “Levántele la camiseta y mire si se mueve el estómago o si salta el pecho,” respondieron del otro lado. Carlitos hizo la maniobra y se percató que las dos cosas pasaban. "Está vivo! Está vivo!" Grito. "Podrían, por favor, anunciar al hospital de Lagos que vamos con una emergencia médica desde Aljezur?" Añado desesperado. "Los van a estar esperando!" Respondieron del otro lado del teléfono. A Charlie le volvió el alma al cuerpo pues su amigo estaba vivo.

Charlie sostenía la cabeza de Phillip con su mano izquierda, y con la derecha le daba golpes en el pecho, o le agarraba la mano. El mapa del GPS decía que faltaban 13 minutos para llegar, y en ese momento Phillip dejo de apretar la nano de Charlie. Él pensó lo peor, pero no dijo nada a nadie del carro porque guardaba la esperanza de estar equivocado.

Llegaron al hospital a eso de las 4 AM y Carlitos saco a Phillip del carro sin saber cómo. Lo cargó y lo subió a una silla de ruedas que los estaba esperando. Corrieron a una camilla donde los esperaban los paramédicos. Ellos lo subieron a la camilla y de inmediato le tomaron signos vitales. "Tiene pulso!" Gritaron. "Hijueputa, está vivo!" Le volvió el alma al cuerpo a Carlitos. En ese momento por fin hubo algo de calma. Esa había sido la hora más intensa de sus vidas, pero al final de cuentas no era más que un susto pues el mono había llegado vivo, y claramente los médicos tenían todo lo necesario para salvarlo. Charlie estaba tan seguro de que todo estaba bien, que les agradeció a los argentinos y les dijo que ya eran libres, que ellos podían ir a su hotel, que él se quedaba acompañado al mono, y que cuando saliera al otro día se tomaban un taxi de regreso. "Olvídate, aquí nos quedamos hasta el final," respondieron.

Pasaron 30 minutos, y siendo las 4:30 AM del domingo, 2 de julio, de 2023, salió la doctora a buscar a los acompañantes. "I'm sorry to inform you that your friend has passed away."

El Fin




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From the Beginning to the End

The Beginning: Celebrating Life

The definition of the trip to Portugal was a celebration of life. Carlos Hurtado (aka Charlie or Carlitos) organized the trip to replace another one that was postponed in May 2020 for obvious reasons. Charlie always called Phillip Scholz (aka el mono) on February 20 for his birthday; that Monday, February 20, 2023, was no exception. Charlie had a work trip that ended in Portugal, and he had invited his friend Natalia Criado (aka Nats) to join him for the Lisbon part of the journey. After talking to Phillip on his birthday, they decided that the group of three friends would make the trip.


Phillip went to Berlin to celebrate his birthday and returned feeling unwell. He was diagnosed with meningitis; it was unclear if the illness was viral or bacterial. The disease kept him in the hospital for several weeks, and there were even discussions about canceling the trip to Portugal. He was tested until April 20, and he went to Colombia to visit his family by mid-May. It wasn't until the end of May that they finally decided that the trip of a lifetime would take place in the last days of June and the first days of July.


Carlos had a proposed itinerary for each day, almost down to the minute. However, the other members of the terrific trio, Phillip and Natalia, being artists, preferred a more flexible itinerary. They agreed to divide the trip into three planned and three adventurous days. On Tuesday, June 27, they would travel to Lisbon, and they had three scheduled days from June 28 to June 30, followed by a fluid part from July 1 to July 3.


The Journey

The first two full days were spent in Lisbon, Portugal. Carlos was finishing a work trip and was already in Lisbon. Nats came from Milan and almost missed her flight; she almost didn't wake up that morning to catch the plane. On the morning of Tuesday, June 27, Phillip signed a contract with the Salzburg Theater, and in the afternoon, he flew to Lisbon with plenty of time; he would arrive at 10 PM in Lisbon. The excitement was boundless! Natalia and Carlos were eagerly waiting for Phillip to celebrate. They made a reservation at the Trindade brewery for the three of them to have dinner when Phillip arrived. When they got there, they noticed they were the only ones in a restaurant with over fifty tables. When all three were finally together, they laughed a lot about the situation. The journey began and was filled with laughter. At one point during dinner, Carlos raised his glass of sparkling water and said, "I'm thrilled to be able to take this trip with my first two loves in life." Remember to tell the people you love how much you love them. After dinner, they went to a bar, had a gin (and sparkling water), and went to bed early (1:30 AM).




The first full day was Wednesday, June 28. On that day, they did everything they could; the excitement was off the charts. The morning started with Carlos going for a 10K run (he's a little bit obsessed with exercise). Nats and Phillip woke up a few minutes before Charlie returned. They connected Nats' phone to the hotel's TV, and the party began. The first compromising video: Carlos shirtless, Phillip in pajamas, and Natalia lying on the bed. A lot of laughter, photos and videos that were immediately posted on IG. "Get ready because we're having breakfast at Neighborhood," Natalia's first order. Then came an essential question from Phillip: "What are we going to do if someone needs to use the bathroom for number two? Do we have a code?" The first of many important questions. "Let's use the name of a fruit as a keyword so that we all run away when someone says it," Carlos said. From the brainstorming, "cacahuate" (peanut in Spanish) emerged as the signal (even though it's not a fruit, it makes a lot of sense – in Spanish). The first of many inside jokes. It was only 10 AM on the first day, and they already had the first of many experiences that would repeat throughout the trip: jokes, essential questions, videos, photos, brainstorming, and lots of laughter. Remember to enjoy every moment, no matter how simple it may seem.




They arrived in Neighborhood, and Phillip immediately connected with the lovely cashier. Photos, laughter, videos, delicious coffee. They could hardly leave for Urban Revolution, a street art exhibition. When they finally arrived at the show, they did what they always do; photos, laughter, videos, lots of art. It was 2 PM, and the temperature was 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). They crossed a bridge to see the MAAT building, and while on the rooftop, they decided to go inside; photos, laughter, videos, essential questions, lots of modern art. Phillip wanted to go to a restaurant he had seen the day before with a giant octopus on the roof. To get there, they rented electric scooters. Photos, laughter, videos, riding with style. They went to "A cevichería," and as always, photos, laughter, videos, singing, delicious octopus. Charlie reserved a rooftop called Carmo at 7 PM; laughter, photos, videos, good view, and good drinks. Natalia had a reservation at 10 PM for Trick's, a €75 dinner with three small dishes; that's what happens when you hang out with Natalia Criado. Laughter, photos, videos. During dinner, they had to decide the next step, and Phillip and Natalia had recommendations from friends pointing to the bar VAGO, so that's where they went.




The bar VAGO marked the first night of partying. Incredible music, amazing cocktails, perfect ginger beer, beautiful people. They met one of the owners (the Portuguese), who told them that the other three owners were Colombians. When one of the Colombian owners arrived, it turned out that Nats knew him; what a small world! In the end, they closed the bar at 2 AM, but the terrific trio, Phillip, Nats, and Carlitos, stayed with the owner and his friends. Phillip and Carlitos gave salsa lessons to the girls who stayed after closing time. The night ended with them dancing the lambada on the street at 4 AM. The first day was so exciting that it felt like three days in one. Remember to live life with jokes, essential questions, videos, photos, brainstorming, lots of laughter, and happy moments. You have to live each moment to the fullest.




Every day had its different essence. Carlitos signed up at the gym next to the hotel and had been working out since 9 AM on Thursday, June 29 (he is a little bit obsessed with exercise). Meanwhile, Natalia scolded Phillip because he made some noise while waking up, and she needed a bit more sleep; el mono called Carlitos to come and rescue him. At 10 AM, Nats was working from bed, Charlie arrived with eggs, ham, cheese, and fruits, and Phillip made breakfast. Nats had to finish an interview, so el mono and Charlie went to Neighborhood to talk about life and meet the lovely cashier. Eventually, they agreed to have some drinks with her later that night (clearly el mono's proposal). Natalia joined them at 2 PM, but it seemed like only three minutes had passed since they arrived at 11 AM. That's how things were with el mono. As soon as Nats arrived, they went to have lunch at the healthy organic market; that's what happens when you're with Natalia Criado.




They decided they wanted to see the Reservatório da Mãe d'Água das Amoreiras after lunch. They arrived at 3:30 PM, but the next show was an hour later. They went for a walk around the park next to the Reservatório. Natalia insisted that everything was just like Bogotá, and nothing irritated Phillip more than that. From then on, Nats and Charlie kept saying that everything was just like something in Colombia. After all, how could they resist teasing the king of teasing? While walking, Charlie said, "we should hold hands." Without any reason, the three of them started walking hand in hand. People looked at them like aliens, but people didn't understand; only the terrific trio understood. Of course, they stopped to make a video of their hand-holding walk. And sure enough, that hour passed like a minute. Remember, time flies when you're having fun. They entered the show, daydreamed, and left around 5 PM for the next plan. Charlie had looked it up and knew that the Museu do Azulejo would appeal to his artist friends.




A car took them quickly to the Museu do Azulejo, and they arrived at the ticket counter at 5:33 PM. "I'm sorry, the entry is until 5:30 PM," said the not-so-friendly cashier. "This can't be; we traveled for 45 minutes in a taxi, and the museum closes at 6 PM," said el mono. The lady took them to the manager, who decided to let them in for free. Sometimes, instead of fighting, the right words and a smile would open your doors. "Don't miss the church or the observatory," said the manager. They toured the museum in seconds, saw everything, took photos, and by 6:30 PM, they were on their way back to the hotel. "Oh, let's go shopping," Nats said in the car on the way. Instead of going to the hotel, they went to Latte Lisbon; that's what happens when you're with Natalia Criado.




Nats decided not to go out that night because she had to work so it would be a boys' night. Carlitos and Phillip met Katerina, the lovely cashier, at 7 PM on the rooftop of Selina Secret Garden. The place was fantastic, the music was good, and the people were friendly, but it wasn't as interesting as VAGO, so they went to the bar owned by the Colombians. They had some quiet drinks until Katerina had to leave. Thursday night at VAGO was very different from Wednesday night. Firstly, it was only the dynamic duo. Additionally, the gender balance was four beautiful women for every man. Between ginger beer, cocktails, good music, dancing, and good vibes, the dynamic duo caused a stir. "We've got a lot of game together," el mono said to Carlitos. And yes, soulmates communicate without words, which works perfectly in the game of life. The night ended around 3:30 AM, and the dynamic duo returned home to complete the terrific trio. On the way, el mono said to Charlie, "you need to focus more on one girl! It can't be that you're doing well with the Dutch girl, she leaves for a bit, and when she comes back and asks about you, you're flirting with the Argentinian girls!" Those words left Charlie pondering for the rest of the trip. Just focus!

On the third day, Friday, June 30, they rented a car and planned to drive to Sintra in the morning and head south in the afternoon. That plan didn't quite happen, as from that day onwards, the trip entered "fluid mode," letting Portugal show them what it had to offer. Everything they did that day felt like a week's worth of adventures. Natalia and Carlitos woke up at 9 AM to attend a yoga class. After that, Nats wanted to go shopping, so Charlie accompanied her. El mono (Phillip) woke up around 10:30 AM, showered, got ready, packed his suitcase, and arrived at the store House of Curated, where they were. The clothes were divine! Phillip picked up a crocheted shirt, saw the price of €450, and said, "That's what Carlitos gets for being with Natalia Criado." Then they went to Ementa SB, a stylish store. El mono was delighted with the clothes, bought two T-shirts and a cap, but wanted to buy the whole store. It was nearly noon when they checked their watches, and Charlie and Nats hadn't packed their bags! They had to rush to get ready and head out to pick up the rental car.




They picked up the car, a Ford PUMA, at around 1 PM. The road to Sintra was on the highway, nothing particularly special. The beauty began when they started climbing up to the Pena Palace. The road was very narrow, one-way, with beautiful houses on both sides. They arrived at what they thought was the entrance around 3 PM and bought tickets to enter the palace at 4:30 PM. They had an hour and a half to explore the gardens. The organization of the place was strange; there wasn't much information, and the little information available was very confusing. It seemed like a vortex of chaos. Somehow, they tried to see the exterior gardens, but they couldn't find anything the map showed. For the first time, they felt a bit desperate on the trip; they couldn't reach where they wanted because the map only indicated two dimensions, but the palace locates on a cliff, and the height information was missing on the map. At one point, Phillip lost his patience and gave the map to some tourists asking for directions. After that, el mono said, "we have to let the place show us the way." And indeed, they started finding all the landmarks they wanted to see.




At 4:30 PM, they finally entered the palace. The photos were spectacular! Each corner looked better than the other. Around 6 PM, after seeing every nook and cranny of the castle, they went down to a lake they had seen near the parking lot. That place was magical, with its calmness, light, and beauty; they took a thousand more photos. From there, they went to the village and were mesmerized by a tile shop attended by the artist who designed them. Unknowingly, it was already 7 PM, they hadn't had lunch, didn't know the name of the hotel they were supposed to travel to and hadn't followed the initial plan. "No worries, let's go to that restaurant, order some food, look for the reservation, and let Sintra show us the rest of the way," said Phillip. At the restaurant, Carlitos started looking for the reservation in Aljezur, but couldn't find it. Poor Carlitos was in total despair because he couldn't believe it. He searched in every possible way. He even knew the day he made the reservation and the price he "paid." The booking didn't appear in his credit card transactions, his cellphone had no signal, and his laptop had no battery. The universe made them think that the credit card hadn't gone through, and therefore, the reservation hadn't been made. The group decided to go for an adventure, looking for a place to sleep upon arrival in Aljezur.

At the end of dinner, the only other "customer" in the restaurant approached them; it turned out to be a waitress who was having her dinner. She greeted them and asked, "How's your trip going? Where are you heading now?" To which the marvelous trio responded in unison, "Aljezur!" The local woman exclaimed, "It's my favorite place in the whole world! You can't miss Monte Clérigo Beach, and you have to try Medronho! With five of those, you'll be seeing stars." Phillip was happy about that interaction because he always wanted the place to show him the way. At the end of that dinner, they had already resolved the plan for the next day; only the hotel was missing.


They set off for Aljezur from Sintra, and the GPS indicated a 3-hour journey on the highway; if everything went according to plan, they would arrive in Aljezur at 11 PM. In the first hour of the trip, Nats searched for last-minute hotels, but she realized that Aljezur was a small village with very few houses, and almost everything was hostels that didn't allow reservations for the same day at that late hour. Charlie's original plan was to go along the coastal route instead of taking the highway, so he proposed, "let's stay in a 'larger' village on the coastal route, in a hotel with a counter, and tomorrow we can look for a hostel in Aljezur." It was a good plan, so they deviated from the highway to take the coastal route towards Vila Nova de Milfontes. The detour along the coast made the new ETA midnight.

The journey was long. Carlitos was always the driver. Twenty-five years had passed since the first time Phillip asked his dad to borrow him the car for his friend Charlie to drive to a party. They were now on their way to Vila Nova; Phillip was the co-pilot, and in the back seat was Princess Natalia, capturing some of the conversations on video. The beginning of that leg of the trip was marked by music. Phillip played songs by Bob Marley, classic Sublime tunes, and his latest favorite Salsa songs, among others. An hour of music was enough for Natalia to propose a game: "Let's name a color, a country, and a fruit that we think describes each other." Charlie already knew Phillip's color since he was 15 years old; "el mono is blue." That was known since their trips to Villa de Leyva. Phillip's country was obviously Germany, but the fruit? After some thought, Carlitos exclaimed, "Phillip has to be the cape gooseberry (uchuva), because it's an indescribable fruit! It's sweet but astringent; it's tropical but from the mountains. It's very mysterious. If you don't know it, you won't know where that fruit comes from!" Lots of laughs about it. They agreed that it was el mono's fruit, after all.

The second round of games was based on one by Esther Perel called "Where Should We Begin." Charlie had that game at home and got a simplified version with only 36 questions. The idea is that each player answers the same question. This game inspired profound answers and intimate connections because it allowed them to talk about life and death. Here are the 12 questions they managed to answer before getting to the hotel:

  1. Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?
  2. Would you like to be famous? In what way?
  3. Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say? Why?
  4. What would constitute a “perfect” day for you?
  5. If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the mind or body of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you want?
  6. Do you have a secret hunch about how you will die?
  7. Name three things this group appears to have in common.
  8. For what in your life do you feel most grateful?
  9. If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?
  10. Take a couple of minutes and tell the group your life story in as much detail as possible.
  11. If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?
  12. If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future, or anything else, what would you want to know?




Indeed, they arrived at the hotel, checked in quickly, and went to the only open bar. Carlitos ended up dancing salsa with Natalia because the bartender decided to pay tribute to the Colombians visiting. It was 2 AM, and they went to bed. The planned day that went off-script turned out a success. Remember, not everything has to be planned; sometimes, you must let the place show you the way.

They had to take two rooms because they booked the hotel last minute. Phillip and Charlie stayed in one, and Natalia in another room. Carlitos had nightmares and could hardly sleep that night; he moved a lot in bed and was very restless. Poor Phillip hardly slept due to Carlitos' wild dreams. What was troubling Charlie? We will never know for sure; perhaps going off-plan and not finding the reservation made him lose his composure. The exact detail remains unknown, but it's possible that his soul was unhappy about something unexpected coming his way.

The next day was the fourth day of adventures. On Saturday, July 1, Phillip and Charlie woke up at 9 AM and went to wake up Natalia; the goal was to head to Aljezur early. The hotel had a family vibe and a pet rabbit. Phillip melted with so much cuteness, given his deep love for animals. After that, they had breakfast at a restaurant with three tables and three waiters, young people who seemed unable to understand what the fantastic trio wanted. "They are not the sharpest knife in the kitchen," said el mono. They took the opportunity to search for a hotel in the area they were heading to, and Natalia found one called Aljezur Villas, which turned out to be located not in Aljezur but in Vale da Telha, an even smaller group of houses, about 10 minutes away from the real Aljezur. The fantastic trio finally left Vila Nova de Milfontes a little after 10:45 AM after taking forever to bring them breakfast. The drive was only an hour and a half, so they just played music and managed to discuss their personalities. Natalia described Phillip's personality as "playful strictness." Totally true! El mono was spontaneous, unpredictable, and playful but simultaneously highly organized and systematic.




The travelers arrived at the hotel at 12:30 PM, checked in, and by 12:50 PM, they were at Monte Clérigo Beach, having their first Medronho. At 1 PM, they sat down to have lunch at a six-person table with only three diners. Everyone wanted a sea view, so they all sat in a line, facing the ocean. They ordered octopus and other delicacies. Phillip started asking about the location of some rocks falling into the sea. He had a picture he had taken of something he had seen online but couldn't remember the location's name. He asked the waitress, the person at the door, and the chef's assistant passing the dishes through a window near the table. No one could explain the whereabouts of those blessed rocks. "No worries, we'll find them eventually," said el mono. After all, they had a couple more days ahead. They had a peaceful lunch, and Phillip connected with a baby sitting at the neighboring table, as he had a special bond with children. After all, deep down, he had a child's soul.




At 2:30 PM, they went down to the beach. It was a soft sand beach with choppy waves. The waves were dangerous enough to have a sign indicating that it was better not to go into the sea. At that moment, they talked about Lucas's death, Dayan's husband, while they were vacationing on some paradise beaches in Asia. Phillip said something very true, "the problem is not for the one who dies; the problem is for those who stay behind."




They walked a bit further and found some cliff-like rocks that provided shade. They took many pictures in that spot and later sunbathed. Nats and Charlie were happy, but Phillip disliked the heat. He lasted no more than 10 minutes and got up to explore the beach. For the next two hours, Phillip played soccer, talked to people, went into the sea, splashed water on Charlie to wake him up, spoke to the neighboring sunbathers, and had a few more Medronhos at the beach bar.

Meanwhile, Nats and Charlie stayed in the same place, almost in the same position. At 4:30 PM, el mono sent a photo from a restaurant. In the picture, there was melon with ham, a beer, and some olives. "Round two," said the message. Nats and Charlie arrived at the place and ordered more food. Until that moment, the day had been all about traveling, eating delicious food, exploring, and having some good drinks. It was a great day if you put it all in balance.




At 5 PM, they had enough of the beach. They returned to the hotel but stopped at a local restaurant to buy water and other things for breakfast. Additionally, Phillip ordered another Medronho and asked the waitress, "where's the party tonight?" To which the waitress replied, "You definitely have to go to Hugo's bar! It's the only place around here, and the party goes on until 6 AM." Great! They had a plan for the night. The place was showing them the next step, as Phillip always wanted.




They arrived at the hotel, jumped into the pool, relaxed, and talked about life; they even took a short nap. Natalia had a reference from a friend who had told her about a bar with a skateboarding pool. They started looking for it, and when they saw the pictures, Carlitos exclaimed, "that's the hotel I booked!" He couldn't find the reservation because he was searching for Aljezur, but they were actually in Vale da Telha. Besides, the autocorrect had caused the email to be sent to another account, and the reservation was charged only after the stay, according to the email he finally found. Things could have been different if they had seen the reservation email, and Carlitos apologized to the group. Phillip bluntly told him, "that doesn't matter anymore; it's in the past. If they charge you, we'll pay for it. We've had a great adventure. You have to stop feeling bad about it." And yes, it had been an adventure! You have to learn to stop suffering from past mistakes.

They took turns showering and getting ready for the party. Natalia was the first to enter the shower at 8 PM; then Phillip went in, and finally, Carlitos. When Phillip got out of the shower, he started deciding what to wear and found one of the new t-shirts he had bought at Ementa SB; he chose to wear it for the first time. Carlitos put on his white t-shirt with a big red heart, and Natalia wore an all-black dress. Unintentionally, they were all dressed in black and white. While Charlie was showering and getting ready, Phillip and Natalia decided they wouldn't use the PUMA that night. "We're not in the United States; we don't need to drive everywhere, Charlie," Natalia said. It was a 14-minute walk, but the weather was perfect. Charlie thought these Europeans had different customs and walking would be fine.

On the way to the Skate bar, they saw the almost full moon. Natalia said, "I get a bit crazy when the moon is full." Phillip asked, "when is it a full moon?" After a quick search, Natalia replied, "July 3." The trip was scheduled for each member of the marvelous trio to return home on Tuesday, July 3, so they wouldn't see that supermoon together. Half-jokingly but half-seriously, Phillip exclaimed, "We should extend the trip and stay a few more days!" To which Carlitos said, "most definitely, we should do it!" They stopped to take photos of the moon, but it's well known that it doesn't allow to be photographed. They continued and arrived at the Skate bar at 9 PM.




The Skate bar had instruments for anyone to take the stage; the bar offered a variety of cocktails and grilled pizzas. Charlie ordered two pizzas to share, and Nats and Phillip got mojitos. While the pizzas were getting prepared, Phillip "went to the bathroom," but he was actually exploring while looking for the restroom. That was the nature of el mono; he never wanted to stay in one place. Phillip returned after a while and told them in full detail what the hotel was like. They ate the pizzas, and Phillip felt like having more, so he went to the bar to order two more. From the table, Nats and Charlie watched him. He ordered a Medronho and started a conversation with a couple waiting in line when he was at the bar. On his way back to the table, he chatted with one of the skaters who had been doing tricks; he was always talking to everyone. Then he sat at the table and said, "if the line to get up and play wasn't so long, I'd already be playing the bass with the band."

After a while of chatting, Charlie said, "I would love to try the skate pool," to which Phillip responded, "they have boards they'll surely lend you at the hotel." Sure enough, Carlitos went to the hotel and borrowed a skateboard; they immediately moved to the edge of the skate pool to see him make a fool of himself. In the meantime, Natalia and Phillip talked with the skater Phillip had interacted with earlier. When Charlie got tired of trying and failing, he climbed onto the edge of the skate pool to see that Nats and Phillip were now talking to the couple Phillip had met in the line. They were two Argentines living in Malaga, Spain. Her name was Noelia, and his name was Mariano. When they started talking, it was around 10:30 PM, and the Skate bar closed at 11 PM; after all, guests had to sleep.

Phillip told Noelia and Mariano that the party continued at Hugo's bar based on the recommendation they had received from the waitress a few hours earlier. The Argentines immediately liked the plan! It was Saturday night, and, after all, they were all on a well-deserved vacation. Mariano said, "let's go in our car; all five of us just fit fine." Of course, the marvelous trio had decided to go out without the PUMA by chance. The 5 Latinos got in the car, and in 3 minutes, they were in the entrance line. "It's €3 per person, including a beer," said the bouncer. Phillip took out a €10 bill and said, "I'll pay for this group of 3 people." They gave him €1 back and let the 5 Latinos in. The math didn't add up; the Argentines entered for free. In return, they bought a round of mojitos for those drinking alcohol and sparkling water for Carlitos, who hadn't had an alcoholic drink in 21 years.

The music at Hugo's bar was eclectic. At first, there was a lot of reggaeton and songs in Portuguese. At one point, they played "Papi Chulo," and Phillip took Carlitos to dance. At 1 AM on Sunday, July 2, el mono and Charlie were dancing "papi papi, papi chulo, papi papi ven a mí, ven a mí," while Natalia filmed the ridiculous show—lots of laughter from the group of 5 Latinos. Meanwhile, Noelia was very concerned about the group's wallets and bags and suggested leaving everything in the car. Indeed, they went out to leave all their belongings in the Argentines' car; "don't worry; we'll take you back to the hotel," said the friendly Mariano.




At 1:30 AM, a Brazilian Zouk song came on, a dance that Charlie had been learning since February. On the dance floor, there was a lady and a younger woman. The lady started talking to Phillip as if she had met an old friend when she saw him. The younger woman grabbed Carlitos, who looked at her with a "do you want to dance?" look, while Phillip and the lady were outside. Phillip wrote in the group chat: "Carvoeiro, Benagil" at 1:39 AM. Shortly after, Phillip entered the bar laughing and telling them the whole story. The lady who had taken him outside was the chef of the restaurant where they had lunch, and she had overheard him asking about the stones falling into the sea. She knew about those, but Phillip didn't hear her because she was deep in the kitchen. The message he sent was the location of where they wanted to go the next day! "That's life; one day we're here, asking a question, and the next day we accidentally find the answer," said el mono with great joy over the pleasant surprise.

The dance continued, but the music changed to a more electronic tone around 2 AM. It might have been because of the music or accumulated fatigue, but everyone went out to sit on the bar's patio. Natalia, Carlitos, and Noelia were talking in a subgroup, while Phillip and Mariano started talking to a guy dressed as Donald Trump carrying a Mexican charro (yes, I know, what?). While Noelia and Charlie were chatting, Natalia fell asleep on Charlie's shoulder around 2:45 AM. Phillip noticed and gently approached to wake her up; he asked, "Nats, do you want to leave now?" She woke up and nodded. The new Argentine friends said, "All right, let's take you to your hotel." The 5 Latinos left, and the 3 Colombians took their belongings from the trunk, and got ready to get into the backseat. Nats got in first; Carlitos told Phillip, "you go next," to which el mono responded jokingly, "oh no, I won't sit next to Natalia because she stinks." Carlitos got in the middle, and Phillip sat in the back seat on the passenger side.

As soon as Phillip closed the door, he started making snoring sounds. Everyone thought he was making fun of Natalia because she had fallen asleep at the bar. The drive from Hugo's bar to the hotel took less than 30 seconds as it was less than two blocks away. They arrived in front of the hotel at 3 AM, Natalia got out, but Phillip was still "pretending to be asleep." Charlie gave him a couple of nudges to signal that they had arrived and the joke was over. Looking closely at him, he noticed Phillip was covered in sweat. At that moment, Mariano and Noelia got out of the car to see what was happening. "He must have been too drunk and isn't responding," said Mariano. Charlie opened the door, pulled out Phillip's feet, and with Mariano's help, got him out of the car.

As they tried to stand him up, he collapsed on his knees. Charlie held him in his arms and said, "mono, you are okay! Get up." At that moment, Phillip raised his head, opened his eyes, and had dilated pupils. It was evident that he was having trouble breathing. Natalia started screaming and ran to the hotel to seek help, but that was the problem with Aljezur's hotels: they didn't have receptionists, and there was no one to assist. "We have to take him to the hospital NOW," Noelia shouted. Somehow, Charlie lifted Phillip and, like a beast, embraced him, squeezing him into the car. Phillip ended up on top of Carlitos; Charlie held his head with his left hand while holding his hand with his right. "It's okay, mono; we're going to the hospital." El mono held Charlie's hand tightly and made efforts to breathe. He was unconscious, but he felt present.

Mariano drove quickly to the Aljezur health center, which was 10 minutes away, but they found it closed. Noelia found another health center in another nearby village. In another 10 minutes, they arrived at another closed place. Noelia shouted from the co-pilot seat, "I found an open hospital in Lagos, 35 KM away; it's a 40-minute drive; go, go, go!" El mono was still struggling to breathe, unconscious but holding Charlie's hand firmly, perhaps as a reflex. "Don't worry, mono, we're almost there," Carlitos said; Phillip didn't respond. Mariano accelerated to the maximum. He took the curves at 100 km/h and the straights at 140 km/h, shouting, "Is he alive? Is he alive?" As the minutes passed, it seemed like they were losing Phillip.

Natalia and Noelia searched for the emergency number, which wasn't 911. Meanwhile, Carlitos was hitting el mono's chest, intuitively thinking it would keep his heart beating. At one point, Natalia tried to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on Phillip. It was all desperate efforts because neither Natalia nor Carlitos were paramedics. Somehow, they managed to contact Emergency Medical Services, which asked, "Does he have a pulse?" The truth was that Carlitos couldn't feel it. "I have no idea! How do I confirm?" Charlie shouted into the phone. "Lift his shirt and see if his stomach moves or his chest pumps," they responded from the other side. Carlitos did the maneuver and realized that both things were happening. "He's alive! He's alive!" he cried out. "Could you please announce to the hospital in Lagos that we're coming with a medical emergency from Aljezur?" he added desperately. "They'll be waiting for you!" they responded from the other side of the phone. Charlie's soul was at peace because his friend was alive.

Charlie held Phillip's head with his left hand and used his right hand to hit his chest or hold his hand. The GPS map showed 13 minutes left to arrive, and at that moment, Phillip stopped squeezing Charlie's hand. He thought the worst but didn't tell anyone in the car because he still held onto the hope of being wrong.

Charlie held Phillip's head with his left hand and used his right hand to hit his chest or hold his hand. The GPS map showed 13 minutes left to arrive, and at that moment, Phillip stopped squeezing Charlie's hand. He thought the worst but didn't tell anyone in the car because he still held onto the hope of being wrong.

They arrived at the hospital around 4 AM, and Carlitos took Phillip out of the car without knowing how. He lifted him and put him in a wheelchair waiting for them. They rushed to a stretcher where paramedics were waiting for them. They put Phillip on the stretcher and immediately checked his vital signs. "He has a pulse!" they shouted. "Fuck; he's alive!" Charlie shouted. Carlitos' soul was restored. At that moment, there was finally some calm. It had been the most intense hour of their lives, but ultimately, it was now a bad memory because el mono had arrived alive, and the doctors clearly had everything they needed to save him, Carlitos thought. Charlie was so sure everything was okay that he thanked the Argentines and told them they were free to go to their hotel, that he would stay with his friend, and they would take a taxi back when he left the hospital the next day. "Forget it; we're staying until the end," they replied.

Thirty minutes passed, and at 4:30 AM on Sunday, July 2, 2023, the doctor came out to find the companions. "I'm sorry to inform you that your friend has passed away."

The End




...

Voting in Colombia (in Spanish)

Por: César A. Uribe, Carlos A. Hurtado y Camila Henao Arbeláez

Mucho se ha dicho sobre aquellos votantes que, como Fajardo y De La Calle, han decido ejercer su derecho al voto sin escoger a ninguno de los dos candidatos, es decir votando en blanco. A aquellos que dicen apostarle a un proyecto de país a largo plazo, y que prefieren no apoyar a ninguna de las dos corrientes, los han tildado de `tibios’, de apátridas en la izquierda, y de indecisos en la derecha.

Esta vez, no obstante, el centro se consolidó como una fuerza política sólida, importante, y, sobre todo, decisiva. Los casi 5 millones de votos de centro—sumando aquellos de De La Calle y Fajardo1—terminarán por decidir, no sólo el próximo presidente, sino la dirección política del país de por lo menos los próximos cuatro años.

Muchos analistas han hecho aritmética con las cifras. Que los del uno van para allá, y los de estos otros para acá. Sin embargo, esos cálculos padecen de rigurosidad, son objeto de la opinión política de quién hace el cálculo, y sólo ofrecen escenarios puntuales.

Los resultados electorales, como muchos otros fenómenos humanos, son sujetos del azar, lo que los hace muy difícil de predecir con exactitud. Por esta razón, es más creíble hacer miles de simulaciones bajo diferentes escenarios, y analizar las probabilidades, y los umbrales bajo los que ganaría un candidato sobre el otro. (Vea aquí la nota técnica).

Realizamos 10 mil simulaciones, donde se representa la decisión de cada votante, dada su elección en primera vuelta, y bajo ciertos supuestos1. Cada una de las simulaciones, resulta en un número posible de votos para cada candidato. Así mismo, nos dimos a la tarea de analizar cómo el voto el blanco, y la proporción de votos que de Fajardo pasan a Petro, afectaría los posibles resultados. Los resultados de la simulación permiten analizar los rangos posibles de votación bajo diversos escenarios, más no pretende predecir resultados.

Los votos Verdes y el voto en blanco, serán decisivos. Como ya se ha venido vaticinando, el voto en blanco incrementa los escenarios posibles en los que ganaría Duque. Por ejemplo, si el 10% de los votos de Fajardo apoyan a Duque, pueden ganar ambos candidatos, y quién gane depende del voto en blanco/abstención de los verdes restantes. Si menos del 15% de éstos votan en blanco, ganaría Petro. Si, por el otro lado, más del 15% de los Fajardistas restantes, siguen la “ola blanca”, ganaría Duque. ¡Escoja usted su escenario preferido, y mire quién podría ser nuestro próximo presidente!

El más reciente sondeo sobre intención de voto de Yanhaas, indica que el voto en blanco estaría en 14%. Para el siguiente ejercicio, asumimos que 22.8% de los votos de Fajardo apoyarían a Duque, 14% votaría en blanco o se abstendría, y el resto apoyaría a Gustavo Petro. En este escenario, Iván Duque sería el próximo presidente de la República. El promedio del número de votos sería de 9,426,605 para Iván Duque; mientras que Gustavo Petro obtendría, en promedio 8,370,503.

Forest

Con las pasadas elecciones, el centro se posicionó como una fuerza política importante para el país. ¡Los resultados de 10 mil simulaciones lo confirman! El ganador de la contienda electoral estará determinado en gran medida por los votos que de Fajardo decidan votan en blanco o abstenerse, y del restante que, de éstos, pasen a apoyar bien sea a Duque o a Petro. ¡Amanecerá y veremos!

1 En la registraduría se validaron 4,980,876 por estos dos candidatos.

2 Se asume que tanto Duque como Petro se quedan el mismo número de votos en segunda vuelta, y la abstención de estos votantes será del 2%; de los votos de Vargas, el 80% se va con Duque y el 10% se abstiene; de los de De La Calle, el 80% se va con Petro y 10% se abstiene.