1454 At El Faro, v busy. Hopefully getting menu del dia fajitas de pollo, I have asked for no sour cream or guacamole or sauce but I am far from sure I will get it. But WTF. Need to write up Acatenango tour which was on the whole very good but not doing it right now.
Got checked in at new hostel, had to hang around til I could check in at 2 but was allowed to use facilities, had a shower (cubicle small, but woman met on tour let me leave my bag in her locker) and topped up phone a bit. It may be a pub quiz there tonight, or it may be ladies night at some bar, but as part of my experimental socialisation I will go loiter in hostel bar from 1830/1900ish and see what happens.
Need to withdraw some cash, I suspect I'm going to get stuck with a bit too much but I feel uncomfortable if I don't have a couple of hundred in reserve, so will probably withdraw 700.
Thought I hadn't while was waiting to check in but do have a lower bunk, which is nice, and as I requested.
Also dropped in four lots of clothes at laundry next to hostel, assuming no mix up this sees me securely through the rest of the trip including Monday when I fly home.
1522 Food v good, more than two tortillas would be nice but for the price can't complain. Xmas music playing. We even got about half of Chris Rea's "Driving home for Christmas" before it got cut off.
Bill 20, made it 26 and a bit in coins (I've got a surfeit of useful-ish Q1 coins and stupid fiddly things like Q0.10 so trying to unload prior to returning home). Broke a Q100 in paying.
1543 Withdrew 700, 31.20 fee stings even more on this amount but don't want to be stuck with loads of quetzales when back in UK. Passed a travel agency with leaflets about shuttles, most of the times to the airport are USD10, happened to meet guy handing out leaflets in street and he said I'd get a better price in quetzales, not sure if true, but I asked (incorrectly, I think) and he said the rate is 1USD=Q7.5, which suggests shuttle would be acceptable Q75. Will shop around a bit tomorrow, may be meeting Spanish teacher tomorrow and will see if she has any thoughts on times of prices.
Only 52% battery - phone charges appallingly slowly so didn't get it up to 100% when waiting to check in at hostel. OTOH in aeroplane mode doing nothing more than logging a GPS trace it lasted the entire Acatenango trip and only got down to 70ish%, I think.
At Casa de las Mixtas for coffee - the free coffee at hostel seems somewhat unavailable and given I am going to loiter round bar tonight and cutting myself some slack and loitering here for a bit first.
Walked past El Ilegal bar which has beer for Q10 during happy hour 3-8pm. Maybe another night.
1700 Just finished "Three Act Tragedy". May not rush back for laundry - I can get it tomorrow morning if they are shut tonight - and perhaps lie on bed back at hostel watching a bit of Youtube while phone charges up prior to shaving and a bit of bar loitering later.
Started "Evil Under The Sun".
Probably wrote this before and not claiming it's a well-developed analogy, but I can't help seeing some potential socialising similarity between common areas of a hostel and the Agatha Christie-esque middle-ish-class socialising in the common areas of the fancyis hotels and resorts of her novels.
1720 Let's go. No reason to stay, and only wearing short-sleeved shirt and evening drawing in very slightly.
1922 At hostel bar, feeling very awkward (loads of SYTs clustered round it - I have moved off into the courtyard). Cheapest beer is Victoria at Q12 (not great price, but OK). I notice Tropicana ads for Acatenango tour with the Tropicana name ripped off the corner. Probably not but half wonder if this hostel is owned by same people (given Victoria was the "house" beer at Tropicana). Not that it matters.
Don't think pub quiz is going to be any good to me socially.
Was going to watch videos on bunk but Android being Android, it decided to prioritise scarce bandwidh to updating random apps and uploading (maybe) photos. Turning battery saver on might have inhibited this background activity, but of course you can't turn battery saver on while charging. So I listened to some music instead while phone charged, up to 65%.
Picked up laundry, all OK. Just may have fleece washed tomorrow but not sure.
1948 Doesn't seem to be a pub quiz, at least not one starting at 1930.
1950 OK, some activity on WhatsApp group for tour photos suggesting drinks tonight. Not exactly in the mood but I will go, I can always leave early on (possibly true) please of being tired - woke up 5am Wed and couldn't get back to sleep, and probably only 4-5h sleep up at the campsite too.
Can't go looking a gift horse in the mouth though. Will go see if I can squash a bit more life into phone battery before I go.
0125 Bed. Weird mix of boring early to bed and wishing had stayed out. But no too bad considering pub quiz actually starting as I left 8pmish.
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