Thu 1st 1915 On roof terrace, group of three up here chatting in pretty rapid Spanish, I said buenas noches and they responded but that's all.
I just checked Starling prior to topping up account so I can use their card to wd at airport in Panama if I want and I got my money back from the cash machine dispute. Surprised I didn't get a notification (I got one the other day for a few pence in interest) but not complaining. Half wonder if I should avoid using their card again in case I get another failed transation which isn't automatically resolved and it looks like I'm doing something dodgy. But we'll see how it goes. Must admit it feels good to have this resolved.
Got a Poker, also bought another one and a Cola + Pola 2% beer+cola (?) mix earlier. (So this is the one leftover from three bought yday, and another Poker and C+P bought today.)
1917 Let's crack Poker and have a little drink before writing more.
Nah, let's write as I drink. Not a bad day of leisurely-ish touristing.
Didn't sleep great but not terrible. Was pouring down this morning - not clear to me (only internal window with blind down and fan noise) until I left room.
Displaying my usual adaptability I didn't repine but went to the cafe next door (no need to go out of cover) for a couple of coffees - it's nice enough in there but it is a slightly "upmarket" and slightly pricey coffee shop (7kish+semi-mandatory tip for latte).
I was and am 90% confident I can actually get onto flights just showing PDF on phone, and I will try that on principle. However, Avianca's emails explicitly say if you use the app you can check in with that, so I downloaded their app in work profile on O6 and it works fine (it seems to be just a website wrapper) and it can show my boarding pass (and I screenshotted both boarding passes in the app) and so this ought to be 100% guaranteed OK.
So I then didn't need to find an internet cafe in the pouring rain. As it happened it had stopped by time I had finished second coffee and I went out to walk over to hotel triada (?) which a web search said was where colectivos go to airport and is near parque Santander as guide book says. Overcast but although it seemed to feel more muggy as time went on initially it was very nice out, felt fresh after rain and temp warm but not oppressive.
1923 Finger and beer (and earwigging, maybe) break.
1931 Bit of a trog over to PS/HT but mainly because of crossing the very busy roads. I found it and couldn't see any obvious colectivo stuff so did a circuits round PS, popped into cathedral (quite nice; I could write more but apart from fallible memory, in the modern world where there are a billion photos of landmarks like this online there is just no point, unless something specifically hooks my attention) and in the end asked security guard outside HT who very politely directed me round corner. I found an office and went in and (as it said on web) woman told me it was 15k from there, or that I could pay 20k to be collected from elsewhere. She gave me a card and I noticed you could contact them via WA so I thanked her and left.
Jumping ahead, after visiting Casa Bolivar I went to fairly nice cafe on the pedestrian passage to one side of it and had a couple of white coffees and after mulling a bit I got onto colectivo place via WA and (rather slowly; I'd write a message and 10-30 mins later they'd give me a brief voice message - I figured however I could prob handle going into office and booking in Spanish live, but with a flight hanging in the balance I thought even if my Spanish were *perfect*, I still might find myself doubting what we'd arranged if the car is late, whereas this way I at least have it in writing/recording for my own peace of mind) booked them to come pick me up at 1030 tomorrow at hostel. That website had said it's 32k fixed fare for a taxi from centre and I think guide book says same (it has wrong info for opening hours for CB tho) so this isn't a huge saving, but it's something. I figured paying the extra quid to be picked up at hostel well worth it, eg it might be pissing it down and the walk was just long and stressful enough wrt the traffic (I didn't feel in danger from people, tho always with backpack I feel a tiny bit more vulnerable so would be dif tomorrow anyway) that the risk of getting run over and just the hot sweaty potential wasn't worth it.
I picked 1030 as a compromise as if the car is even 30-60 mins later I might feel a bit stressed but I still have time to scramble to get a regular taxi etc.
1938 Finger and beer break.
1940 General impression of Bucamaranga is favourable. It is not (at least what I've seen so far) what I'd call beautiful, but it is pretty clean and feels safe and kind of comfortable and "real" (eg there are cheapish eateries and small shops and it isn't all tourist oriented). It is a smidge warm but not insanely so and the warmth is on my personal borderline between pleasant and oppressive - it's not like eg my recollections of Cartagena which (albeit of course I'd just arrived in the country from UK) was sweltering. Very nice up here on roof terrace tonight as usual.
1944 So after finding colectivo office I went back to (IIRC) Mister Pollo on carrera 22 which I'd spotted on walk over and had very decent (and down to earth - Felipollo style) half pollo asado with salted potatoes and plantain and a non-diet pepsi for 17k for food and 3k for drink, I didn't tip as there didn't seem to be a tip jar and don't think it was expected.
I then walked over to Casa Bolivar and got let in by some guy who came and unlocked the door (it was not exactly heaving) and I mostly resisted temptation to milk it but was maybe in there at a guess 30-60 mins and it was curiously quietly absorbing.
I then went and had those two coffees as noted above, walked a right angle path along approx calle 36 until it hit kr33 and then down there back to hostel. Called in at Jumbo at the right angle but they didn't sell 1l water with a price on or [three prob Colombians just all left; I was half earwigging but not trying too hard, they seemed to be discussing coffee at one point and there was something about supporting this project, I half wonder if it was a pseudo-business meeting re hostel or coffee shop] individual cans of beer (unless you buy ultra premium; I was vaguely tempted but decided against eg 14k for can of Paulaner) and I couldn't really see any snacks etc so left empty handed. Walked down to Oxxo and got that Poker and Cola+Pola thing and 2 litre bottles of Brisa water, dropped them off in hostel kitchen and popped down to D1 to buy some snacks for tomorrow (I do vaguely plan weather permitting to be up 8ish and go out for breakfast on Kr33 eg maybe place I ate first day). A slightly odd seeming woman asked me to read a price out to her but no problem. Got some of that pan integral con pasas had had in Barichara and also some mini croissants, about 3+4k respectively. Modest queue but not too bad by D1 standards. I was asked for ID number at till but just said "No lo tengo" or something like that and no fuss made. I felt vaguely dishearted seeing everyone else ahead of me respond to this no fuss at all, but apart from my own personal idiosyncracies here this is as I've said prob a D1 thing not a general Colombian legal requirement - still feels to me vaguely bad precedent for people to respond so "meekly" to this but guess it's not my business.
Then back to hostel for illicit water only wash of tops, nice long hot shower, very bad shave (will treat myself to new razor in Panama) and tooth cleanse before back to room to call parents and check papers for tomorrow and then up here.
1952 So I think that's the mechanical stuff.
Today was as I think I said quietly enjoyable. Felt satisfying to walk round and drink coffee and putter round museum. Vague pre-flight nerviness and I am a bit sorry to be leaving and that my time in Buc has been a bit short but still not a bad day. Touch wood everything will be OK tomorrow, as I said yday having done the online check in I feel a lot more confident I will be allowed to fly tomorrow and I am reasonably confident my paperwork in general is in place to satisfy whatever bureaucrats I come into contact with tomorrow.
It's a shame things haven't been more social here but it's fine and (maybe I'm deluding myself) it doesn't TBH feel as though there are that many other guests or as if they're all engaged in a constant social whirl. Most of the people I see round the hostel seem to be together (eg - based on earwigging when in bathroom earlier - I think there are two young Irish women who have been sitting down in "ping pong" common area a lot, given they are both Irish I think it's a reasonable guess they are travelling together rather than random people socialising) or are sitting on their own reading or with laptop etc.
1957 No recent updates to FCDO Panama page, which is good.
Looking at guide book over coffees this morning, the "featured" map of Panama at start only has IIRC one place east of PC - and that's IIRC where the boat trip leaves from. So I guess there is maybe not that much tourist stuff or safe stuff east of PC (which is relatively to east of country, and I don't know how much of it is swallowed up by unsafe Darien region). Gut feeling is I will concentrate on the Pacific coast (and maybe some of the inland bits off that coast), perhaps at some point in the future it might make sense to do a Panama/CR Caribbean coast trip which might include that Bocas del Toro boat trip. But I will probably have a properish read/skim at least of guide book tomorrow while killing time at airport or once I am in PC.
I had a quick look at map to try to semi-memorise the route from metro to hostel earlier. Will try to keep doing that. It will prob be fine to get phone out for brief checks on OM but the more I can avoid this the better.
Furniture up here has been moved, my usual slightly ratty double sofa thing is now against wall so I'm looking in the opp direction to usual and there are about six small round tables packed in front of me. In some ways the view feels slightly nicer.
2004 Finished beer. Will get Cola+Pola in a minute.
Unless I forget and apply automatically, not planning to put sunblock on tomorrow. Will slightly conserve supply but more to the point no reason enduring the mild "stickiness" it probably creates when I expect to spend the entire day in taxis, airports and planes.
Check out is 11 so there should be no issues there.
2006 FTR there do seem to be a surprising number of people at long table in open bit of "ping pong" common area below. Tho they seem to be in pairs and mostly speaking Spanish.
Let's go get that C+P.
2010 It's OK. Sort of based on taste but also power of suggestion from reading ingredients, I think it's a kind of beer/cola/cream soda mix. 2% abv. Interesting at least and worth trying.
Two guys up here wandering round discussing in fluent Spanish stuff about I think layout of tables or some other kind of equipment, so presumably staff. This might fit with these extra small round tables having appeared up here tonight but not being sensibly distributed, as if they're either being stored up here or further work needed. They did seem to be not taking proper advantage of at least half of the large floor space of the roof terrace before.
There are loud shouts/chants coming from somewhere nearby, as if some sports or cheerleading team is practicing or something.
I don't really need to pack in any major way and I hope given I left fan on tops will be dry by bedtime anyway. I may empty bag out and repack it just to be on safe side and make sure eg I have all liquids together and in a suitable plastic bag.
2030 Continuing wandering, discussion and gesturing (hard to hear, not that I'm bothered, it's just vaguely odd) about layout of roof terrace. Finished C+P. Forgot to exercise, will do it when go back to room - not like I'm gonna be seriously pissed. Will go get second and last Poker in a bit.
2042 Been reading. Let's go get last beer.
2046 Went for piss before getting beer, "ping pong" common area full of a large group of young prob locals having some kind of meeting - not sure what about. This may be one source of the various odd distant-ish sounds I've been hearing.
2111 Cat is wandering about. it's reluctant to come near me though. Also vague wafts of appetising barbecue-ish smell.
2129 Finished beer. Some shuffling of tables and cheers going on up here. I'm sure I'm welcome to stay/not in the way but there are now loads more people coming up as I write this and it feels odd and I am gonna go down to room, I was about to head down anyway. Odd kind of night.
2131 Back in room. Pretty sure it was that ground floor ping pong group going up to socialise/party. No one told me I had to leave or anything but I genuinely was on the verge of going down anywhere and the whole thing felt a bit odd.
2234 Mostly repacked. Some stuff like clothes and liquid need to wait til morning. I've poured the dregs of the started-half-full repellent bottle into the full one (carefully, with a horrible vision of me tipping the full bottle all over the floor). Being in pack rat mode, I am not throwing the empty one away - if the spray mechanism busts or cap gets lost on the full bottle it will be a spare - but at least it now does not need to take up space in my liquids bag.
Have put enough USD in flip belt that if (touch wood) I cannot get cash out at airport I have enough in there (including small bills) to buy a metro card and top it up and probably to pay for a taxi in a pinch without digging around inside main bag. I also have enough USD in main bag to pay for hostel. This is a luxury because I happened to have USD to come out with - if I were going to a country I'd never visited before or hadn't brough cash from home, I'd have to rely on airport cash machine. (Though in general I would travel with some USD cash and in a pinch for some other country I could prob change that USD at airport at a terrible rate if cash machines not working.)
Much noise and shouting and singing coming from roof. :-)
I also experimentally "packed" bathroom stuff (including 33cl disposable water bottle from home I otherwise hadn't used much) into the PackTowl mesh bag (which I am not sure I see the point of, though I suppose maybe in theory you could use it to hold a damp PackTowl on outside of your pack to dry in transit - but I have never done this) and this seems to fit quite nicely and I might experimentally start using it like this (instead of a slightly damp-retaining plastic bag) from now on. But I won't start til post flight, obviously I need liquids in a plastic bag for airport and not worth adopting the new system for a single night/morning. Still, been meaning to try this for a bit now and pleased it seems to work well - means I don't have to buy a custom mesh bag, don't have to wait until next trip to have a mesh bag as a result and means I'm getting better use out of the PT bag I was otherwise mostly-uselessly lugging around, while also retaining option if necessary to temporarily evict bathroom stuff into a plastic bag and use PT bag for drying PT (or, I suppose in theory, wet uw) on outside of bag in transit. (Though in reality unless something was sopping wet I'd probably rather pack it safely inside bag than risk losing it from some awkward dangling PT mesh bag on the outside. But you never know, this might be useful at some point.)
Bit worried I'm gonna run out of Google Photos space well before trip is over. But I guess cross that bridge if and when I get near to it, I shouldn't inhibit my photo taking cos of this and I do have other means of backup even if they are not so "safe" as GP. (It is of course a shame my home server died just before the trip, but can't be helped.) I'm at about half full now (7.5ish GB of 15 used) but I think I started with 2-3GB used (could be wrong) so the burn rate is probably not as high as it seems, and the recompression GP does (these are for sharing wih parents during trip and as a last resort backup if I lose everything else, the recompression is an acceptable trade off) saves a lot of space of course.
2247 Gonna go down and clean teeth. The stuff I bought for airport is vaguely tempting me but I am not really hungry and I need this for tomorrow and if I *do* feel hungry in the morning that's good as it will help motivate me to get up and go out for breakfast. I am not exactly tired but it's prob not a bad idea to go to bed earlyish.
I did exercise BTW, bit late but better than letting it slide further.
I have a litre bottle of chilled water in fridge, am prob gonna leave it here and drink it in morning or take it to airport. I may pop to Oxxo for more water tomorrow depending how things work out but I think I have enough (in a forest of mostly empty bottles) to be fine for tonight. And nothing stops me going to kitchen in middle of night if I really want, I don't believe they lock it up here as one or two arsey hostels have done.
2309 Going to bed. I am thinking I should maybe write down some of my little daily routine things in a pseudo-checklist somewhere as IIRC I always have to re-discover these during first week or two of a new trip. And some stuff I forget even now, eg I keep forgetting to take towel with me to shared bathroom (a towel is provided here, I haven't needed to use PT except for drying clothes once or twice) when I clean my teeth, so I end up drying my hands on my shirt. And for example putting bathroom stuff in a bag of some kind including eg any tablets I am taking daily so when in a dorm I have them readily available and can take them when doing pre-bed tooth clean. This all sounds trivial and I guess it is, but even so these things don't go quite as smoothly as they could at start of trip. And there may be other little (personal; of no massive interest to anyone else) tips/tricks I am not thinking of right now which would benefit from being written down for review just before taking a future trip.
Anyway, bed. Not feeling too edgy about tomorrow, vague worries/annoyance about getting up early-ish but it's not insanely early start anyway, and also getting up early should reduce feelings of rushing round pre-taxi and pre-flight in general.
I just checked Starling prior to topping up account so I can use their card to wd at airport in Panama if I want and I got my money back from the cash machine dispute. Surprised I didn't get a notification (I got one the other day for a few pence in interest) but not complaining. Half wonder if I should avoid using their card again in case I get another failed transation which isn't automatically resolved and it looks like I'm doing something dodgy. But we'll see how it goes. Must admit it feels good to have this resolved.
Got a Poker, also bought another one and a Cola + Pola 2% beer+cola (?) mix earlier. (So this is the one leftover from three bought yday, and another Poker and C+P bought today.)
1917 Let's crack Poker and have a little drink before writing more.
Nah, let's write as I drink. Not a bad day of leisurely-ish touristing.
Didn't sleep great but not terrible. Was pouring down this morning - not clear to me (only internal window with blind down and fan noise) until I left room.
Displaying my usual adaptability I didn't repine but went to the cafe next door (no need to go out of cover) for a couple of coffees - it's nice enough in there but it is a slightly "upmarket" and slightly pricey coffee shop (7kish+semi-mandatory tip for latte).
I was and am 90% confident I can actually get onto flights just showing PDF on phone, and I will try that on principle. However, Avianca's emails explicitly say if you use the app you can check in with that, so I downloaded their app in work profile on O6 and it works fine (it seems to be just a website wrapper) and it can show my boarding pass (and I screenshotted both boarding passes in the app) and so this ought to be 100% guaranteed OK.
So I then didn't need to find an internet cafe in the pouring rain. As it happened it had stopped by time I had finished second coffee and I went out to walk over to hotel triada (?) which a web search said was where colectivos go to airport and is near parque Santander as guide book says. Overcast but although it seemed to feel more muggy as time went on initially it was very nice out, felt fresh after rain and temp warm but not oppressive.
1923 Finger and beer (and earwigging, maybe) break.
1931 Bit of a trog over to PS/HT but mainly because of crossing the very busy roads. I found it and couldn't see any obvious colectivo stuff so did a circuits round PS, popped into cathedral (quite nice; I could write more but apart from fallible memory, in the modern world where there are a billion photos of landmarks like this online there is just no point, unless something specifically hooks my attention) and in the end asked security guard outside HT who very politely directed me round corner. I found an office and went in and (as it said on web) woman told me it was 15k from there, or that I could pay 20k to be collected from elsewhere. She gave me a card and I noticed you could contact them via WA so I thanked her and left.
Jumping ahead, after visiting Casa Bolivar I went to fairly nice cafe on the pedestrian passage to one side of it and had a couple of white coffees and after mulling a bit I got onto colectivo place via WA and (rather slowly; I'd write a message and 10-30 mins later they'd give me a brief voice message - I figured however I could prob handle going into office and booking in Spanish live, but with a flight hanging in the balance I thought even if my Spanish were *perfect*, I still might find myself doubting what we'd arranged if the car is late, whereas this way I at least have it in writing/recording for my own peace of mind) booked them to come pick me up at 1030 tomorrow at hostel. That website had said it's 32k fixed fare for a taxi from centre and I think guide book says same (it has wrong info for opening hours for CB tho) so this isn't a huge saving, but it's something. I figured paying the extra quid to be picked up at hostel well worth it, eg it might be pissing it down and the walk was just long and stressful enough wrt the traffic (I didn't feel in danger from people, tho always with backpack I feel a tiny bit more vulnerable so would be dif tomorrow anyway) that the risk of getting run over and just the hot sweaty potential wasn't worth it.
I picked 1030 as a compromise as if the car is even 30-60 mins later I might feel a bit stressed but I still have time to scramble to get a regular taxi etc.
1938 Finger and beer break.
1940 General impression of Bucamaranga is favourable. It is not (at least what I've seen so far) what I'd call beautiful, but it is pretty clean and feels safe and kind of comfortable and "real" (eg there are cheapish eateries and small shops and it isn't all tourist oriented). It is a smidge warm but not insanely so and the warmth is on my personal borderline between pleasant and oppressive - it's not like eg my recollections of Cartagena which (albeit of course I'd just arrived in the country from UK) was sweltering. Very nice up here on roof terrace tonight as usual.
1944 So after finding colectivo office I went back to (IIRC) Mister Pollo on carrera 22 which I'd spotted on walk over and had very decent (and down to earth - Felipollo style) half pollo asado with salted potatoes and plantain and a non-diet pepsi for 17k for food and 3k for drink, I didn't tip as there didn't seem to be a tip jar and don't think it was expected.
I then walked over to Casa Bolivar and got let in by some guy who came and unlocked the door (it was not exactly heaving) and I mostly resisted temptation to milk it but was maybe in there at a guess 30-60 mins and it was curiously quietly absorbing.
I then went and had those two coffees as noted above, walked a right angle path along approx calle 36 until it hit kr33 and then down there back to hostel. Called in at Jumbo at the right angle but they didn't sell 1l water with a price on or [three prob Colombians just all left; I was half earwigging but not trying too hard, they seemed to be discussing coffee at one point and there was something about supporting this project, I half wonder if it was a pseudo-business meeting re hostel or coffee shop] individual cans of beer (unless you buy ultra premium; I was vaguely tempted but decided against eg 14k for can of Paulaner) and I couldn't really see any snacks etc so left empty handed. Walked down to Oxxo and got that Poker and Cola+Pola thing and 2 litre bottles of Brisa water, dropped them off in hostel kitchen and popped down to D1 to buy some snacks for tomorrow (I do vaguely plan weather permitting to be up 8ish and go out for breakfast on Kr33 eg maybe place I ate first day). A slightly odd seeming woman asked me to read a price out to her but no problem. Got some of that pan integral con pasas had had in Barichara and also some mini croissants, about 3+4k respectively. Modest queue but not too bad by D1 standards. I was asked for ID number at till but just said "No lo tengo" or something like that and no fuss made. I felt vaguely dishearted seeing everyone else ahead of me respond to this no fuss at all, but apart from my own personal idiosyncracies here this is as I've said prob a D1 thing not a general Colombian legal requirement - still feels to me vaguely bad precedent for people to respond so "meekly" to this but guess it's not my business.
Then back to hostel for illicit water only wash of tops, nice long hot shower, very bad shave (will treat myself to new razor in Panama) and tooth cleanse before back to room to call parents and check papers for tomorrow and then up here.
1952 So I think that's the mechanical stuff.
Today was as I think I said quietly enjoyable. Felt satisfying to walk round and drink coffee and putter round museum. Vague pre-flight nerviness and I am a bit sorry to be leaving and that my time in Buc has been a bit short but still not a bad day. Touch wood everything will be OK tomorrow, as I said yday having done the online check in I feel a lot more confident I will be allowed to fly tomorrow and I am reasonably confident my paperwork in general is in place to satisfy whatever bureaucrats I come into contact with tomorrow.
It's a shame things haven't been more social here but it's fine and (maybe I'm deluding myself) it doesn't TBH feel as though there are that many other guests or as if they're all engaged in a constant social whirl. Most of the people I see round the hostel seem to be together (eg - based on earwigging when in bathroom earlier - I think there are two young Irish women who have been sitting down in "ping pong" common area a lot, given they are both Irish I think it's a reasonable guess they are travelling together rather than random people socialising) or are sitting on their own reading or with laptop etc.
1957 No recent updates to FCDO Panama page, which is good.
Looking at guide book over coffees this morning, the "featured" map of Panama at start only has IIRC one place east of PC - and that's IIRC where the boat trip leaves from. So I guess there is maybe not that much tourist stuff or safe stuff east of PC (which is relatively to east of country, and I don't know how much of it is swallowed up by unsafe Darien region). Gut feeling is I will concentrate on the Pacific coast (and maybe some of the inland bits off that coast), perhaps at some point in the future it might make sense to do a Panama/CR Caribbean coast trip which might include that Bocas del Toro boat trip. But I will probably have a properish read/skim at least of guide book tomorrow while killing time at airport or once I am in PC.
I had a quick look at map to try to semi-memorise the route from metro to hostel earlier. Will try to keep doing that. It will prob be fine to get phone out for brief checks on OM but the more I can avoid this the better.
Furniture up here has been moved, my usual slightly ratty double sofa thing is now against wall so I'm looking in the opp direction to usual and there are about six small round tables packed in front of me. In some ways the view feels slightly nicer.
2004 Finished beer. Will get Cola+Pola in a minute.
Unless I forget and apply automatically, not planning to put sunblock on tomorrow. Will slightly conserve supply but more to the point no reason enduring the mild "stickiness" it probably creates when I expect to spend the entire day in taxis, airports and planes.
Check out is 11 so there should be no issues there.
2006 FTR there do seem to be a surprising number of people at long table in open bit of "ping pong" common area below. Tho they seem to be in pairs and mostly speaking Spanish.
Let's go get that C+P.
2010 It's OK. Sort of based on taste but also power of suggestion from reading ingredients, I think it's a kind of beer/cola/cream soda mix. 2% abv. Interesting at least and worth trying.
Two guys up here wandering round discussing in fluent Spanish stuff about I think layout of tables or some other kind of equipment, so presumably staff. This might fit with these extra small round tables having appeared up here tonight but not being sensibly distributed, as if they're either being stored up here or further work needed. They did seem to be not taking proper advantage of at least half of the large floor space of the roof terrace before.
There are loud shouts/chants coming from somewhere nearby, as if some sports or cheerleading team is practicing or something.
I don't really need to pack in any major way and I hope given I left fan on tops will be dry by bedtime anyway. I may empty bag out and repack it just to be on safe side and make sure eg I have all liquids together and in a suitable plastic bag.
2030 Continuing wandering, discussion and gesturing (hard to hear, not that I'm bothered, it's just vaguely odd) about layout of roof terrace. Finished C+P. Forgot to exercise, will do it when go back to room - not like I'm gonna be seriously pissed. Will go get second and last Poker in a bit.
2042 Been reading. Let's go get last beer.
2046 Went for piss before getting beer, "ping pong" common area full of a large group of young prob locals having some kind of meeting - not sure what about. This may be one source of the various odd distant-ish sounds I've been hearing.
2111 Cat is wandering about. it's reluctant to come near me though. Also vague wafts of appetising barbecue-ish smell.
2129 Finished beer. Some shuffling of tables and cheers going on up here. I'm sure I'm welcome to stay/not in the way but there are now loads more people coming up as I write this and it feels odd and I am gonna go down to room, I was about to head down anyway. Odd kind of night.
2131 Back in room. Pretty sure it was that ground floor ping pong group going up to socialise/party. No one told me I had to leave or anything but I genuinely was on the verge of going down anywhere and the whole thing felt a bit odd.
2234 Mostly repacked. Some stuff like clothes and liquid need to wait til morning. I've poured the dregs of the started-half-full repellent bottle into the full one (carefully, with a horrible vision of me tipping the full bottle all over the floor). Being in pack rat mode, I am not throwing the empty one away - if the spray mechanism busts or cap gets lost on the full bottle it will be a spare - but at least it now does not need to take up space in my liquids bag.
Have put enough USD in flip belt that if (touch wood) I cannot get cash out at airport I have enough in there (including small bills) to buy a metro card and top it up and probably to pay for a taxi in a pinch without digging around inside main bag. I also have enough USD in main bag to pay for hostel. This is a luxury because I happened to have USD to come out with - if I were going to a country I'd never visited before or hadn't brough cash from home, I'd have to rely on airport cash machine. (Though in general I would travel with some USD cash and in a pinch for some other country I could prob change that USD at airport at a terrible rate if cash machines not working.)
Much noise and shouting and singing coming from roof. :-)
I also experimentally "packed" bathroom stuff (including 33cl disposable water bottle from home I otherwise hadn't used much) into the PackTowl mesh bag (which I am not sure I see the point of, though I suppose maybe in theory you could use it to hold a damp PackTowl on outside of your pack to dry in transit - but I have never done this) and this seems to fit quite nicely and I might experimentally start using it like this (instead of a slightly damp-retaining plastic bag) from now on. But I won't start til post flight, obviously I need liquids in a plastic bag for airport and not worth adopting the new system for a single night/morning. Still, been meaning to try this for a bit now and pleased it seems to work well - means I don't have to buy a custom mesh bag, don't have to wait until next trip to have a mesh bag as a result and means I'm getting better use out of the PT bag I was otherwise mostly-uselessly lugging around, while also retaining option if necessary to temporarily evict bathroom stuff into a plastic bag and use PT bag for drying PT (or, I suppose in theory, wet uw) on outside of bag in transit. (Though in reality unless something was sopping wet I'd probably rather pack it safely inside bag than risk losing it from some awkward dangling PT mesh bag on the outside. But you never know, this might be useful at some point.)
Bit worried I'm gonna run out of Google Photos space well before trip is over. But I guess cross that bridge if and when I get near to it, I shouldn't inhibit my photo taking cos of this and I do have other means of backup even if they are not so "safe" as GP. (It is of course a shame my home server died just before the trip, but can't be helped.) I'm at about half full now (7.5ish GB of 15 used) but I think I started with 2-3GB used (could be wrong) so the burn rate is probably not as high as it seems, and the recompression GP does (these are for sharing wih parents during trip and as a last resort backup if I lose everything else, the recompression is an acceptable trade off) saves a lot of space of course.
2247 Gonna go down and clean teeth. The stuff I bought for airport is vaguely tempting me but I am not really hungry and I need this for tomorrow and if I *do* feel hungry in the morning that's good as it will help motivate me to get up and go out for breakfast. I am not exactly tired but it's prob not a bad idea to go to bed earlyish.
I did exercise BTW, bit late but better than letting it slide further.
I have a litre bottle of chilled water in fridge, am prob gonna leave it here and drink it in morning or take it to airport. I may pop to Oxxo for more water tomorrow depending how things work out but I think I have enough (in a forest of mostly empty bottles) to be fine for tonight. And nothing stops me going to kitchen in middle of night if I really want, I don't believe they lock it up here as one or two arsey hostels have done.
2309 Going to bed. I am thinking I should maybe write down some of my little daily routine things in a pseudo-checklist somewhere as IIRC I always have to re-discover these during first week or two of a new trip. And some stuff I forget even now, eg I keep forgetting to take towel with me to shared bathroom (a towel is provided here, I haven't needed to use PT except for drying clothes once or twice) when I clean my teeth, so I end up drying my hands on my shirt. And for example putting bathroom stuff in a bag of some kind including eg any tablets I am taking daily so when in a dorm I have them readily available and can take them when doing pre-bed tooth clean. This all sounds trivial and I guess it is, but even so these things don't go quite as smoothly as they could at start of trip. And there may be other little (personal; of no massive interest to anyone else) tips/tricks I am not thinking of right now which would benefit from being written down for review just before taking a future trip.
Anyway, bed. Not feeling too edgy about tomorrow, vague worries/annoyance about getting up early-ish but it's not insanely early start anyway, and also getting up early should reduce feelings of rushing round pre-taxi and pre-flight in general.
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