Quetzaltenango, Thursday

2039 At El Shamrock, no idea if anyone I know or might come to know will turn up for quiz but wanted to 'try out' the walk home at night before (trying) to extend at current apartment.

Got back after dark from kite festival. Walking home, I realised the power was out in a whole chunk of city. Would have been super creepy late at night; luckily enough cars and so forth to make it OK. Used phone as torch a bit, tho batt was very low. Got into flat, got my proper torch out of bag and put phone on to top up off power bank while having turkey ham sandwiches and coke zero - luckily still cold.

Was toying with going to local bar once phone topped up in hope they'd have candles/generator and I wouldn't be running torch battery down. But power came back 1930ish so was able to shower and come out here. Have brought torch with me just in case; don't normally do that as don't want to lose it, but seems prudent. Here in Xela the onebag.com advice about having a torch really seems to be good advice - up til now I was packing a torch just because it said so, but never seemed to use it.

Was given no 'meet at X at time Y to go home' instruction for kite festival. I had heard bus driver said he'd be back for us at 3 so assumed that. Despite lurking round near the entrance in a likely place me and one other guy had to be 'looked for'. Felt a bit awkward but I didn't apologise or complain either. Oddly I had asked other people about this and they too had said not arranged yet, so no idea how they all managed it.

Although a biggish gap in the middle 1145ish-2ish (with live music, which was OK) and it was hot, festival surprisingly cool. 'Infantil' kites only (!) a couple of metres across launched before 1145, which was quite good but not quite wow. The launching of the big kites from 2pm was impressive; they are 4+ metres across and there was a pleasantly non-health-and-safety hint of danger as they plummeted down into the crowd when failing to take off. Each kite allowed two tries to launch; the ones which got up high stayed up indefinitely (though one got up and soon broke up under the strain); there were about 4-5 up when we left (it was still going on, but it's 3h each way from Xela - I think it's actually nearer Antigua/Panajachel but not checked map yet).

Had a couple of very good grilled corn on cob with lemon and salt (Q5 each) and a prefab ice cream (Q10) during day. Q110 to school for bus and - credit where it's due - no entry fee for the event itself (they did keep saying this). I could understand 80% of the commentator/announcer's Spanish, though it was quite repetitive which doubtless helped.

No one I know/have just met here yet, but it's 2052 and judging from last week will get busier shortly. If I don't know or form an impromptu group with someone it's fine, I'll have a couple of beers without doing quiz and go home.

2142 Doing pub quiz on my own. Only three teams including me, so as the guy running it said, why not? 1 in 3 chance. Don't fancy my chances but whatever. Not that busy here. Maybe late Halloween or day-of-dead festivities are sucking people away. (First half question sheets have been collected so can get away with writing this on phone.)

Music geared to people vaguely my age. Jet "Be My Girl" now - memories of the St Moritz club in London - we had Rockwell "Someone's watching me" earlier.

Switched from Moza to Gallo to save Q5 a beer (20 vs 15)

2232 Should just have got a litre of Gallo (35) to start. But then I wasn't planning to do quiz. Think I came joint third (out of four teams), but don't think it was a whitewash. Slightly edgy about walk home but will hang on a little bit as think I may get a tequila (which isn't too bad for my Q10 entry fee) and not quite finished beer and may - tho prob won't - get some chat.

2253 Home. Didn't get tequila, maybe I misunderstood or left too soon - should prob have said goodbye to Manuncian quiz host but meh. No big deal walk home; if anything on the way out there I decided I didn't like approaching El Shamrock on 4 Calle so on way back looped round via 5 Calle - much better. All other roads well illuminated, mostly quiet but bit of traffic. Did pass couple of other interesting looking places (slightly) nearer home, though didn't go in as one still had halloween stuff up, other looked like a mini-but-acceptable club and not sure where entrance was but key thing is it's Thursday and have an 8am start tomorrow so noting their existence and not trying to go in.

I am probably going to be here at least another month. While I have fantasies of a nicer flat (cheaper, more service, nearer centre), this is OK and I like the view and I think if I can, it's worth staying here another week. Let me see if that's an option and book it if I can.

2304 OK, done. There were 3 apartments free in this block so demand presumably not that high. Of the 4 apartments including this on booking.com, one was sold out and the next cheapest was more than double the price. Not looked at airbnb or the various "apartment available, call XXX" offers seen round town yet - may check those out during afternoons next week, but I'm happy to stay here another week at least, and if there is nothing better which isn't a lot more expensive I'm reasonably satisfied with this. FFS if it *really* bothered me walking home to this apartment  I could book a room at eg last week's hotel *as well as* having this apartment for Fri/Sat night and it still wouldn't cost double, as that next most expensive place on booking.com would. (I appreciate I am effectively giving my location away by writing this, but meh.)

Meant to say earlier that coming up 12 Avenida (incidentally I do kind of feel I've managed to get to grips with the layout round the vaguely central part; if I get lost on eg a diagonal street and it's daylight I just wander until I hit an Avenida/Calle and generally know where I am then) I had a sudden thought about street dogs and picked up a (filthy, and surprisingly lightweight) chunk of broken road surface to serve as a weapon - if I ever need it, there's unlikely to be a stone lying on the ground. I have kept the thing in one of the pockets of my fleece, why not? I walked home with it in my fist, probably did no good (no dogs got even remotely stroppy, I only saw one at a kind of urban-fox distance anyway, and if set upon by humans chances are it's "just" a mugging and I'd be foolish to put up a struggle) but maybe it gave me a certain extra confidence which helps.

Dunno if school director (or other students - though most were from a tight Asian clique AFAICT (not in a nasty way, just natural language ties) or are/were leaving today/tomorrow anyway - there were about 13 students including me in the minibus) will be peeved with me for delay today coming back. No idea how much of a delay I caused; *maybe* up to 45 mins but for all I know 15ish. My attitude is that I'm not making a fuss if she doesn't; frankly it was disorganised not to say 'meet here at time X', so I don't really regard it as my fault (especially as I was lurking around from 3 rather than watching the kites properly), but I'm not going to be a twat and make a fuss unless she does. Ergo not going out of my way to be apologetic but also not going on the offensive unprovoked.

Still a bit peeved about having to pay for today's classes when I didn't get any, but ultimately not worth making a fuss about (and I doubt I'd get any financial satisfaction anyway).

Let's move towards bed.