Quepos, Tuesday

Tue 7th 0919 Slept fairly well, woke up early but semi-pleasantly drowsed. Finally got up about 8ish.

In kitchen area (semi-outdoor remember), few people around but vaguely companionable in no talking way.

Just checked and I could rebook the original Uvita hostel with the new dates for the original price. So first off why all the fuckery yesterday? Some stupid "not relevant to the dates" restriction due to IT limitation about this festival?

I am a bit tempted to rebook and cancel the new hostel. However, old hostel still has nominal 2pm check in so it's no different really, newer hostel isn't as handy for the park (but I'm going to be walking there once or twice a day abs max) but is more central and thus perhaps easier to go to a soda or tour office etc and in terms of check in perhaps easier to kill time nearby if I need to due to getting there early. Also despite the bad-to-me existence of a pool, new hostel is higher rated and the price difference is negligible and whatever I do I'll never know if the other would have been better (I meet people and feel really comfortable etc) so kind of silly to keep flip-flopping. No major hard feelings towards first hostel but if they had just been a smidge more helpful with changing dates (they pretty much offered to do it, then started waffling about festivals etc and never actually did it) they'd have had my business. Also if I do rebook I'm going to be a bit worried they'll think it's a mistake/get confused, whereas if I just go with the new hostel it is a single no-fuss booking with them so less scope for confusion.

Will contact new hostel asking for a lower bunk. If they say no, I probably won't look at cancelling and rebooking as no guarantee old hostel would promise it me for a second booking.

Had mirrorless shave this morning FWIW. Could maybe have propped phone up and used camera but didn't try.

Incidentally noticed other day the back (not the whole removable back, a sort of large sub-panel of it) of the G5 seems to be coming loose in one corner and potentially something could be inserted underneath and an attempt to pry it off made. I cannot possibly do anything about this now, it will probably (touch wood) be fine indefinitely and once I get home I can maybe take the back off and have a proper look and/or see if I can get a replacement back (eg off a broken/smashed screen phone, or an actual explicit replacement back) off ebay or whatever. *If* it shows signs of coming off while I'm still abroad and needs urgent attention I will take it into a phone shop and see what they can do - this is AFAIK an entirely "mechanical" issue and a drop of glue or something may be all it needs. (I suppose if things get bad and it comes right off I may also buy some glue and have a go myself.)

1602 Killing time a bit in kitchen. Wearing trunks and two tone blue top with sleeved rolled up. Not sure I feel that much cooler, though maybe (there is more of a breeze than recently), but as I did a walk up beach and back (2h 15m total) I feel (despite sunblock etc, and only being in water knee-ish deep and then only due to tide) all kind of burned and vaguely itchy. I have some red spots around base of right thumb and forefinger and not quite sure why.

Paid for the extra night - woman seemed a little standoffish TBH, but whatever - and popped out to LJ2 for food and treated myself to some local (CR, not Quepos) sugary snacks for later as well. Didn't buy any beer as already have 3 cans, have wedge one in roof beams (hoping to pick breeze up) in wet towel in hope of evap cooling, then changed and went for walk on beach.

Cooked when I got back, right hand esp felt unavoidably sticky no matter how much I washed it - not helped I think by lack of any cloth other than own (dirtyish) clothes to dry it on.

New hostel say they'll try to give me a lower bunk but they're busy so can't guarantee it. Not too bad. Not switching back to "old" hostel over this, have flip-flopped enough and it's only three nights.

As other beach day I used the big bottle of sunblock bought here in CR for the "extra" going to beach application, so the small bottle has still only been used for the daily head/neck application and is still going strong.

I did ask woman while paying for extra night about taxi when I check out and she thinks it will be fine, I didn't book anything as not quite decided what to do yet and also don't want taxi turning up tomorrow morning by mistake.

Beach walk a bit of a slog TBH but not terrible. On walk back I was lost in not-super-enjoyable thought when suddenly two dogs were barking at me - dunno if they'd come up quietly or I'd zoned out and not noticed them. Bit of a shock but I kept walking (I also had a biggish plastic bottle as a possible weapon) and told them to fuck off and they didn't really cause any problems. No sign of them on the way out.

1800 Had shower (in what I think one review called the "jungle" shower, a sort of cubicle with plants in - no light either, used just around sunset tonight but also used it with torch first night as other shower I could find in use) after lukewarm Imperial Original on beach just before sunset. Evaporative cooling maybe helped a smidge but not much - to be fair there isn't that much of a breeze in my room and don't like to leave wrapped beer (it's wrapped in my PackTowl, remember) lying around outside. Given "diy" nature of this place I am a smidge surprised owner hasn't dug big "permanent" evaporative cooling pits.

Think I am a bit burned despite what I thought was generous application of factor 50. But maybe the 2.25h was too much. Not end of world.

Think I will feel vaguely sad to leave here (remembering I still have tonight and a full day/night tomorrow left) but at same time I am probably going to be ready-ish to leave by then. Having to get on a bus and faff with the usual transit crap etc feels vaguely intimidating.

Wearing trunks with different long-sleeved top post shower. Mosquitos (or at least flying things - it's dimmish and not looking too hard) seem to keep landing on my legs.

1903 Back in room, older French couple still here and having dinner with Jack, they offered me a bit of wine and I accepted and stayed sitting reading rather than "joining" them but felt a bit awkward so I made my excuses and said goodnight about 1845.

There might now be other people talking in kitchen area but not sure. It's fine, a quiet night in snacking on the stuff I bought earlier and maybe an illicit trouser wash when I clean my teeth sounds OK.

2017 Just cleaned teeth - forgot bottle of water and also ran toothbrush under tap before thought, didn't use "extra" water and prob be OK, also reality is this water is probably OK-ish and I am consuming small bits of it on not-yet-dry cutlery washed in ot etc.

Earlier while guzzling quite nice but very flaky costillas grandes (sweet pastryish things from shop) and dropping flakes all over floor saw big "thing" (kudos: didn't scream) emerging from the wooden pallets making up room floor and it was actually a pretty sizeable cockroach (just *possibly* some kind of beetle in general, but doubt it). Oh well. Goes with the rural-ish vibe etc and don't think it terribly indicates hygiene issues.

Had one of my badly evap cooled 350ml cans of Pilsen while guzzling and watching YT. Not super tired but will probably go to bed now-ish for want of anything major to do - may watch more YT in bed etc.

Feel broadly OK. Fingers crossed they aren't confused and think I'm leaving tomorrow. Vague "will there be room for me?" worries re onward travel down towards Osa but sure it'll be fine and despite not-that-strong time wobbles in my mind I think I've already demonstrated I've got plenty of time in hand.

Plan for tomorrow is probably to mostly lounge round kitchen and read. Obviously will go out for food to cook for lunch/dinner (whatever you want to call it at 2-3pm-ish) and *may* treat myself to mildly chilled IO from shop with a trip out at 5pm ish. May hang round (lightly or not at all sunblocked, it's mostly in shade) in trunks and top tomorrow.

I did a wash of black trousers before cleaning teeth, have put my stuff into grey trousers so they're ready for tomorrow or the day after when I check out. Fingers crossed black trousers will be dry by checkout so can pack, should be fine as over 24h. May do tops and/or little bit of dirty uw tomorrow but we'll see, less pressure on uw and tops are relatively easily to sneakily wash in next hostel, especially if I don't use soap.

2211 Actually feeling quite tired now so going to stop watching YT and lie down and read and let myself go to sleep. Intermittent flashes of lightning (more than last night?) have been lighting up dark room through big gaps in walls, which is kind of cool.