Not looking for romance

I am a simple person, well after all, I am a man, at least last time I looked, and I like life uncomplicated.
While in Peru in 2014 I was leaving my apartment one day when I came across a lady standing in the street looking up at the building - she asked me about the apartments as she was looking for somewhere to move to (though she was put off by the rent I quoted I was paying!). When she heard my accent she asked where I was from, and then told me she had an English friend, who, like me, spent 6 months a year in Huanchaco, and we should meet up. Yay, I love matchmakers! We are both English, both single, and therefore must want to hook up. I made some excuses about being busy at the moment and went on my way, thinking that would be the end of it.
Two weeks later there is a knock on my door - she (the Peruvian lady, not her English friend) had tried every apartment looking for me, which wasn't that hard as there were only 4 of them. I invited her in out of courtesy, and she told me her friend was about to return to the UK, but also told me a potted version of her own life history - single mum (I guessed mid-forties), ex-husband in Argentina, where she lived with him for many years, doesn't know anyone here so is lonely (though has family in Trujillo, 10 kms, away as that is where she was originally from), no social life, and so on. I could barely get a word in edgewise, and she spoke very fast, but my understanding of Spanish was up to the task.
She again invited me round to meet her friend, for coffee or a meal, and again I made my excuses - I was just about to embark on my first motorbike trip - but she gave me her business card (she worked in a beauty salon) with phone number and email address, and asked me to get in touch when I got back.
As soon as she left I sent an email trying to explain that I was not looking for a relationship with anyone, hoped I had not misunderstood her intentions, and wishing her well. I hoped that might be the end of it! But a week later she again arrives at my apartment - she is unable to access her emails. so never got my message! Her friend has now left and she is very lonely, and only has her 10 year-old son for company, and never gets a chance to go out. I ask her about her family in Trujillo, and she says she doesn't really get on with them, as they disapproved of her marriage to an Argentinian and move there, so they won't help her, and also she lost touch with all her old friends while out of the country for so long.
I am feeling very uneasy about all this, especially as she keeps saying how important my friendship is - but my command of Spanish is not up explaining this effectively, and I get the impression she is not really listening to what I am saying anyway, and I trying so hard to say that I am not interested. After she goes I even try sending text messages, but next time I see her she says she cannot access text messages on her phone!
She even brings her son round to meet me one afternoon, on the way back from school! Then one evening she comes round in a really bad state, all weepy and saying how things are really tough for her, and has no-one to talk to, and values my friendship and really thinks highly of me - and I have no idea how to respond to this as I do not want to encourage her, but have no idea how to gently explain my feelings, and hoping I am not putting out the wrong signals, as everything I am doing seem to be encouraging her. A couple of days later she comes round in the morning, and after a good deal of beating around the bush asks if she can borrow 50 Soles (around £12), as work is slow and she needs to buy some food for her son. Yeah, I know, alarm bells are now going off, but I agree, hoping that this will change the relationship dynamics.
I start ignoring the door, too, as I can see who is there without being seen, both day and night - cruel, I suppose, but I cannot think of a better way of getting the message across. Things do go quiet for a while - I am doing some more trips on my bike, and don't see her at my door. Then I am on the way, on foot, to the market one morning when I bump into her with another man, who she introduces as her ex visiting from Argentina. She pays me back the 50 Soles, which I never expected to see again, and invites me for coffee with them both as her ex-husband is only visiting to see his son for a few days. Iam genuinely on a tight schedule so make my excuses. Then 2 days later I bump into him on his own, and he again invites me for coffee - I try to explain that I don't think it is a good idea, but I have trouble explaining things like this in English, let alone in a foreign language!
That wasn't long before my time in Peru in 2014 ended, and I didn't see either of them again before I left. 2015 I stayed in a different apartment block and saw no sign of her, so thought she must have finally got the message, and possibly moved away as well because Huanchaco is a very small town. That is until two weeks before I was leaving to return to Brazil. I often walk along the seafront promenade in Huanchaco, as I love the sea and definitely need the exercise, though I do tend to avoid the busiest times (festivals, weekends, and so on). This particular day was a Saturday and I had walked along about half the length of the promenade, which was fairly busy, but as is my wont I wasn't paying much attention to other people around me (too busy trying to avoid potholes in the pavement, and not bump into people), and instead of turning round and returning the same way, through the crowds, I cut through one block and returned along a street parallel to the seafront. Suddenly I heard my name being called, and turned to see her with her son and sister hurrying along behind me. I had walked past them buying something from a street vendor, and she recognised me.
Big hugs and introductions - it sounded as though her sister knew all about me - and the inevitable invitation to go and have coffee then and there, or for a meal tomorrow at her family home in Trujillo! I was genuinely on my way to a meeting (I do some irregular work with a small charity in Huanchaco), but she gave me her new phone number and extracted a promise that I would call to arrange something! Good Lord! I thought it was guys that had trouble taking a hint! It has been 12 months, and she is acting as though we are best friends and only parted yesterday.
Simple? I have never had a more complicated relationship - or non-relationship as I have been doing everything I can think of not to get involved. As I only have a fortnight left, and she now does live in Trujillo, 10 kms away, and doesn't know where I am staying this year, I am hoping that this will be the end of it - at least until 2016 when I return to Peru again - but I definitely get the feeling I am being stalked!

Banking in Brazil as a foreigner

Brazil has been my home for at least 6 months of the year for the past 6 years. I say "my home" as it is the only place I actually own a house, though I do not have permanent residence here.

As a non-resident I an unable to open a bank account here so have to rely on my UK account and cashpoint machines (ATMs). Since the exchange rate at the moment is very favourable it is probably a good thing I don't have a local account holding my meagre savings, but accessing this money can be a challenge. When I first came here the daily (local) withdrawal limit was R$1000, which at the time was around £330, but recently, for some unknown reason the banks have reduced the ATM withdrawal limit - for foreigners - to R$500, which is around £90 at the current exchange rate! One "reason" given is it is to protect tourists from muggings or being taken to an ATM at gunpoint to clear out their account - however it is possible, where there are multiple different banks, to make a withdrawal at each in succession up to the R$500 limit.

In my town we only have one physical bank, which has 6 ATMs, though only 4 actually dispense cash - the others are for deposits, balance enquiries, bill payments (if you have an account there) and other services. One of these is a "priority" or preferencial ATM, for disabled, pregnant, elderly (over 60 here!), and mothers with toddlers.

It is possible to make over the counter withdrawals of amounts up to your own bank's daily limit (though I have never tested this), but getting inside the bank is a challenge. You have to pass through a revolving, metal-detecting, door watched over by an armed security guard - so have to divest yourself of anything metal, including keys, coins, phone, glasses, and so on. These are passed through a perspex "letterbox" in the armoured glass wall, and collected by the security guard (he needs to check there are no weapons in them!), who then gives them to you. You then are faced with a ticket machine - you have to select whether you are a customer or not, then it asks for an ID number??? The guard informed me that I simply have to press "continue" at this stage, and then it asks what service you want, so I select counter (as opposed to talking to an adviser or other employee), and then I select "preferencial"! The previous time I went in there was no queue at the counter, just the person being served, so I declined priority, and then sat as 4 priority customers in a row entered an were attended before me! One had a pile of bills to pay so I ended up waiting 30 minutes! So the next two times I selected priority, however the automatic system (linked to a screen) wasn't working so I had to wait to be called - and both times they served around 10 people before me! I only ever go inside as a last resort now.

I went in the other day to withdraw some cash and only three ATMs were functional, and had long queues, so, although I am entitled to priority treatment, chose the shortest queue (there appeared to be several qualifying customers already in the priority queue anyway). After a 10 minute wait it was my turn, so I inserted my card - and it told me the machine had a problem with my card and I should go to another ATM! As there were still long queues at all the machines, and I wasn't out of cash, I decided to return at a later time.

Today is Sunday so I decide it will be a good time to try again. Still only 3 cash dispensing machines functional, so I choose a different one to the one that caused problems before, and everything seems to be going smoothly - until it comes to dispense my money. "Counting notes" - lots of whirring from inside the machine, and the cash slot opens. More whirring, "counting notes", slot closes - and this carries on for 10 minutes, before I get a message there is a problem with the cash drawer and transaction is cancelled! I take a chance on the priority machine and this time it dispenses my money, though I must admit I was starting to worry what I would do if I couldn't withdraw cash from the only bank in town!