Antigua, Tuesday

0801 Didn't sleep too badly, though kept waking up wanting a piss but didn't want to face getting down from bunk. Finally woke up 0730ish and decided I wasn't going to sleep any more. Not showered or changed clothes yet, waiting for today's trekkers to leave first.

No free breakfast here (except on day of trek). Just loitering vaguely near pool on terrace while I mull what exactly to do.

You can rent various items for the trek so no idea what to do. Will I wear my own jacket with the fleece or is that a risk? Should I bother buying myself a hat? Will I wear the gloves I bought after all? Meh.

May finish the tortilla chips I had left from yesterday. Not ideal breakfast but this gives them time to pass through system and I'd rather not take them on hike withg me, they'll probably go soft by then.

0829 Checked and there is free water here (important so I know I can top up tomorrow morning before trip) and it looks like there's free coffee too; in any case I just helped myself to a cup. Sitting in garden, feeling a little ill at ease. Not showered yet, half tempted to just leave it til later afternoon but prob shouldn't.

I guess I don't actually have all that much to do today. Need to do some shopping - if I can get a cheap hat I will, even if I won't wear it - and about 4pmish I will pack (ie transfer stuff not taking on hike to daypack to leave here). I also need to sort out accommodation after hike - I get a discount on the night after the hike so I should maybe stay here, I am a bit iffy about the bunk but it's not so bad and I don't want to write off the possibility of having got to know people on the hike - though of course most of them could be staying elsewhere. OTOH I could switch to another hostel someone recommended to me, I would only have three - no, four - nights there so I'd maybe be resetting the clock on the "getting to know" people thing but maybe that doesn't matter. The bar here is open to public and shuts 10 or 1030pm so if I were so inclined nothing would stop me coming back here even if I had got accommodation elsewhere.

0903 Second coffee. Feeling moderately chilled out. Am rather tempted to book for that other hostel; it's cheaper, I've had a personal recommendation it was good and if I *do* get to know anyone on the tour *and* they are staying here nothing stops me coming back here in the evening to see them. I haven't asked about the discounted price for bed after hike but the other hostel is about 25% less than this one anyway. Not that it's bad here, but it does feel a smidge overly "party" for me - will waffle more about my talk with barman later.

0919 Should move towards shower. In a minor and not properly verified stroke of luck yesterday, the "lost" key for my padlock surfaced from my main bag's side pocket as I fumbled trying to lock it to bag rack in dorm. I can't be sure of this as I had two keys, I think the other is stashed somewhere and thus I do now have both, but I can't be sure. I didn't use the padlock because lacking a keyring I didn't feel I could trust myself not to lose the key again. I may lose the thing again as I just had to shove it back loose in the side pocket anyway, but still, this is good if true.

1008 Showered, topping up phone bat in bar (without a drink), have booked the other hostel for Thu-Sat nights. I have free cancellation until tomorrow. Going to confirm I *am* signed up for Acatenango tomorrow at reception then head out to shop. This is kind of me saying that I am *not* going to visit Guatemala City this trip, but I think that's fine - as previously waffled, probably better to do it as a trip with minimal luggage from eg Antigua while leaving main bag at Antigua hostel in storage, and I don't think it's a must see, plus I can experiment with hanging around hostel and perhaps some casual day trips in the last few days.

1105 Left hostel a bit ago. Just had rather tricksy negotiationg in first pharmacist found and have paid about Q31 for 10x600mg ibuprofen. Three quid! Can't help suspecting I've been ripped off and I should have gone somewhere else and asked price there, but at least its done, and these are 600mg tabs whereas I *think* the standard ultra-cheap UK ones are 200mg and if so not quite as rip off as it seems. Massively wobbly on Spanish during negotiation, loads of numbers and might have struggled to get "best value" even in English. I fucking miss having prices shown clearly on shelves instead of having to ask and be told making it awkward to shop around. Still, this is done, as I say.

1206 At Casa de las Mixtas. Just ordered black coffee without checking price, but it was OK here last time. Living on the edge!

Went to Despensa Familiar and bought some massively expensive Snickers bars, small bottle of water (I lost my small disposable bottle on last day of 3 day hike and need a small one to keep in hand or pocket if possible while walking), some more peanuts and (even though I'm pretty sure I already have 1.75 fully charged batteries already) a AA alkaline for torch. This came to Q88.56, including three bananas which I ate outside in street to try to partially compensate for lack of vegetables in diet lately. I may have over-bought stuff but there won't be any shops up there and it seems silly to risk spoiling the experience by being hungry (especially if I can't eat the provided food) or not being able to continue with the hike up to the summit because my torch goes dead. I reckon I've got about 3000+ calories worth of peanuts and Snickers so (quite apart from the fact I've got all this fat round my gut as an emergency reserve) :-) I really shouldn't be hungry even if I can't eat provided food. I also got some chewing gum (insanely priced at Q13ish) which might help save my teeth a bit from all the sugar.

Also went to market and bought a woolly-ish hat (beanie-ish style) for Q35; I didn't shop around or haggle but WTF, I paid Q35 for my cap at the market in Xela too. I could probably rent a hat from hostel but someone on 3 day trek said "buy a hat, then it will be a sort of useful souvenir - I went up Acatenango in this hat". Might also be useful to have a truly soft and thus squashable-into-pocket hat back in UK anyway, instead of cap which has awkward hard brim.

I checked with hostel I am on the list as I came out, I am, the receptionist (who I addressed in English as she has spoken to me in English before) said about my "no sauce" dietary requirement. :-)

Waitress here said she liked my phone; I managed to play along with a few comments in Spanish. Feeling a bit crappy about the quality of my Spanish in this morning's purchasing activities but I guess it's all practice.

Happened to go past bus station round back of market during my hat quest, so at least I know where that is if maybe want to do a daytrip to Ciudad Vieja after Acatenango.

Am thinking I may venture to visit Snug at 6pm-ish for the bluegrass on my last Sunday; that finishes 7-8pm-ish and in the hopefully unlikely event anyone remembers me, I can decline further on grounds I need to fly the next day.

So apart from packing I think I am mostly sorted and have little else to do rest of day. I had e-mailed my Spanish teacher on Sunday proposing to meet today but she hasn't replied; I'm not going to hassle her, reading between lines of her last message she has family health problems and I will get in touch with her after Acatenango and see if she wants to meet then, given I am staying here until I go back to UK.

Am up on terrace, only person here for some reason.

May have one or two beers at hostel bar tonight but definitely an early night. Not sure if I will have a second shower tonight or if I will try to shower tomorrow morning.

1501 Woohoo, have run phone battery down to 11% but by sheer chance my battery pack is in the daypack I brought out to do my shopping with. I should be able to top the battery pack back up in the locker next to my bunk later so I will have a third coffee here before going back to hostel to pack and maybe loiter in common area (more because "everyone has to be somewhere" than because I want to be there, but it's all practice at hanging around) - though I should pop out for dinner too, perhaps El Faro again to keep costs down.

1617 Let's go back and pack. Intermittent single fireworks going off and giving me a bit of a start. This seems to be a general Guatemalan thing.

1711 Fucking hell. On lower terrace of hostel with hopefully free coffee. Surprisingly stressful trying to "pack". Dingy as fuck in dorm and lost a pair of uw. Haven't "packed"  in sense of organising stuff, will have to try to do that tomorrow morning, but have segregated stuff into daypack and rest - will leave daypack behind. Left battery pack charging in unlocked cupboard on bunk - pretty uncomfortable getting up and back down - just have to hope no one tries to steal it, I don't have a spare lock without risking the use of the padlock - if there was an actual locker I'd only need one lock on that to secure bag and one would be free, but since there's just a bag rack I need one lock to chain the bag to the rack and another to shut the bag.

I need to go out for food but a bit later will do.

Bill was only Q15 for three coffees at CdlM, I paid with a Q100 and lied when asked if had other change, so I tipped Q10 given I had been there a while.

Have taken various superfluous items of clothing (eg swimming trunks) with a view to emergency extra layers. Had horrible "I could die" thoughts on walk back here. I could, but I could get run over crossing the road too. This is really not that big a fucking deal.

Quick look on web (NHS beta site as it happens) says a doctor can prescribe up to 4x600mg Ibuprofen a day, so I'm guessing as long as I don't take more than four tablets a day I am OK given it will only be over a 36ish hour period. "Usual" dose is (simplifying) 3x400mg a day. So if I can keep it to 2x600mg a day that's even better.

Felt hugely like I have no right to be there while scrabbling with shit on dorm floor. Feh.

1815 At El Faro. No Q20 menu but there is a churrasco cena at Q35; I *think* I have negotiated no salad dressing or sauce and it comes with a drink so fingers crossed.

I have written an e-mail to Rab about what barman told me last night; may get round to pasting in an edited version here but may not.

Feeling rather on edge, more social than explicitly about tomorrow I think, but not sure. Still have some of those Tortrix chips in pocket which will eat when I leave here.

2115 Bed. Not first, though dorm light is on. By chance went up on roof terrace - bit cold, not exactly great sign for Acatenango - and Argentinian barman there, we had some chat, hardly anyone else up there due to cold plus beer pong tournament in lowr bar. Another group turned up about 2045, I felt a bit excluded but OTOH I didn't go out of my way to join in conversation as knew I needed to go to bed soon. Really need to improve my Spanish though also good I was able to do what I was. Not super tired but not not tired. Apart from cold barman was again reassuring re Acatenango, anyway fingers crossed, let's send this and try to sleep and hope phone doesn't get knocked to its doom off edge of this eyrie in the night.