Bogota, Tuesday

Tue 26th 1234 Back at hostel. Topping up O6 before heading down to LC to try to have lunch at La Tinaja de la Abuela and meet G/J at 3. I have signed up for the lang exch near here (and I found the place on my wanderings earlier), it starts at 4 and is free before 6 and finishes/turns into a "party" at 9, so it looks like I can more or less turn up when i like and I think it may reduce awkwardness of "saying goodbye" to G/J and not overly intruding on them if I can say I'm off to lang exch and see them for say an hour or two.

Didn't sleep too badly, tho woke up several times and was drowsing semi-comfortably in bed before 8am alarm. Actually down at breakfast by 830, cornflakes and bread and marmalade and coffee, I was only one there tho local-ish (staff/resident?) guy with walking frame came in and said hi, he asked me to tell reception the milk was "dañada" and I vaguely worry it was slightly off - the cereals tasted slightly weird but I haven't eaten cereals of *any* brand in years and they didn't taste terrible. Fingers crossed.

Water was and still is off. I shaved using water from a bottle.

Feel vaguely sweaty but I almost certainly won't have time to shower before lang exch.

I had arepa de huevo and empanada de carne and a white coffee at Parilla San Martin (they don't seem to understand "pintado" here, tho PSM staff didn't seem to understand me much at all - it is possible they use "perico" to mean white coffee, not sure) (about 12K? not sure) and wandered and found lang exch venue and got sick+mildly scared of being accosted by maybe beggars or maybe ambulant vendors round the region "SE" of BBC and then had a white coffee (4.5K, used up some change) at place didn't get name of but had "Il buen cafe..." or something sign inside which isn't far from hostel and now back here.

I think the area near hostel may be Zona Rosa or Zona T rather than Chapinero but really not sure, this is just based on some street signs.

All this is broadly fine. These beggar-ish types do make me wonder if I'm safe to walk round tomorrow post-checkout with my passport in my flip belt. But I also don't much like the idea of leaving it in my bag at the hostel, even if in a padlocked compartment, just in case my whole bag goes astray. Have to see how it goes.

No idea when is "best" to leave to head down to LC. I reckon TM could well take 30-45m and given lang exch timing I want to eat a "main" meal before I meet G/J - I hope tdla is open/not chocked, probably be OK. I can probably kill a modest amount of time wandering LC and/or drinking coffee but don't want to go nuts.

Oh, my first foray out was to Carulla nearby where I got 1kg panela and some stupidly expensive sweets for nephew/niece. I brought that back and emptied my bag out and have semi-packed. 1kg panela is perhaps a lot to carry but even with 750ishml water and the fleece in blog says bag was under 7kg when I came out and I will wear the fleece on the plane (and temporarily while passing through any checkpoints) and I think I am also allowed a personal item (my daypack, which I can put whatever in in unlikely event weiht is a concern) and the only "extra" stuff compared to when I came out are the flip flops, tiny souvenirs, some papers and today's purchases. I also expect/hope to buy a litre-ish bottle of aguardiente airside unless the price is insane, but that's only going to be about another kg so we're kind of looking at 9kg plus flip flops and a few papers and I think my limit is 10kg and this is before you factor in wearing the fleece instead of having it in bag and using daypack to offload some weight at a push.

Yes I will have to lug this weight (minus aguardiente) to airport and all of it across London, but that is hardly an epic journey and if it works properly it will be nice to bring back these consumable souvenirs.

1251 Been to bog, water might be back on.

Did see young eng guy from last night and his two mates in street earlier but as we've never spoken didn't acknowledge them.

Nothing really against him to be clear. He was saying on his phone call everything is really cheap and if he sees a beer is like £1.50 he's all "maybe I won't have that, it's expensive" and I could completely identify with this. He also said he had an hour Uber ride and it was like £3, obviously he is more comfortable with this kind of thing than I am.

Chocolate does seem expensive here, but iirc it certainly also felt expensive (even compared to generally high prices) in CR and also looking further back it does feel like in LA in general it is quite pricey, ISTR discussing this at lang exch in Santiago in maybe 2018.

Somewhat arbitrarily gonna head out at 1pm.

2057 Just got back from lang exch.

Went into LC (about 30 mins on TM plus modest waiting time). Went to TdlA and saw messages from Mum and called and got "possibly bad" news about Jaffa but won't discuss that here. Felt a bit upset but things may be OK and of course me eg going back to hotel to feel crap would not help anyone.

Met G/J no problem, I found corner 12 near Botero museum. Good to see them and have a chat. I left about 6 as I wanted to be on TM before dark, they very generously said they'd pick up the bill. Had three bers with them, first a fancy mora stout at 6% and the other two more basic Poker. Corner 12 seems a nice enough place and has a reasonable selection of beers and I suspect it's not super pricey (tho not sure) and I could see myself going again.

Got back to hostel about 1845ish and had a piss and called Mum and then walked on to Vintrash for lang exch. Queue to get in, 10k cover as after 6pm, it was maybe 1930-1945 when got there. Inside lots of tables but no obvious space and also no obvious Spanish group except a basic one and even then it wasn't clear I could (there may not have been a seat) or should sit down and just join them. Maybe if I'd been there at 4-5pm it would have been different, not that I regret meeting actual proto-friends like G/J instead of going to that.

Couldn't see any prices for beer, they only had Stella and Corona in fridge so I asked for a Corona and it was fucking 17k! For the usual 330ml bottle. I was mildly hacked off but made an effort to remain smileyish and I loitered around (by an advanced spanish and basic korean pair of signs at an empty table) and more by luck than judgment ended up speaking English with a couple of locals - one spoke better English than the other and I am not sure they understood me perfectly but it was nice to have a chat. They turn the volume up around 830-9pm and by 830ish there was just one of the locals talking to me and he was going to leave so we left together and tho I think it was in his direction he very kindly walked home with me (tho from a safety POV I half wonder if this was bad as solo I'm not advertising my foreigner status by speaking English). One (apparently they are mostly Venezuelan) guy fist-bumped me and asked for money but I said no without it being a big deal.

I nursed the one beer both on price and "not getting too drunk esp when it didn't feel that fun" grounds and that was fine.

I am actually yawning now.

I think given I want to be up for breakfast and that is 8-10 and checkout is 11 I will probably go to bed now. I'll clean my teeth but not shower and then I can shower after breakfast and be as "fresh as possible" for the longish day+night until I get home and can shower again. It will also be easier to pack tomorrow when I have showeed etc. I will set alarms on both phones to reduce risk of oversleeping but given I've had like four beers since 3pm and I am going to bed not much after 9pm I don't think there's a huge risk of oversleeping and having to pack in a mad rush.

Still not entirely sure what I will do with passport tomorrow but either option (leave it in bag at hostel vs keep it on me in flip belt) is probably not terrible and it just comes down to which particular (fingers crossed) unlikely event ("deep-ish" mugging vs bag loss at hostel) could happen.

Yawning again, so yes, I think let's move towards bed. Vaguely tempted to snack on the mani garapinado I have but I will resist, I am not really hungry and they will be a good reserve for flight (tho I plan to eat a lot tomorrow during day and prob two "main" meals) and if I don't need them a bonus treat (tho I am sure you can buy them in UK) back home. Let's go do teeth.

Kudos for at least going to LE and making an effort and despite it feeling socially unpromising (lots of people seemed to be in groups and maybe I could/should have boldly introduced myself to a stranger but it didn't quite feel that kind of place) not just necking my beer and walking out and not utterly flipping out about the crappy pricing and the queue (which really made no sense, it wasn't that busy inside tho it was busy, and even the reservados/vip line hardly seemed to move) and the cover charge. I could prob have done better (thrown caution to the wind and spoken to random people) but I could have done worse and with it being last night and so forth I didn't do too badly.

But let's go do my teeth and go to bed.

2140 Copied photos off O6 onto USB thumb drive and onto K1 (so tho it may run battery down overnight some may get backed up).

Found e-mail from Avianca in spam from Sat about bidding on a business class upgrade. No e-mails about checking in, I might expect one to turn up 2355ish tonight.

Just checked *again* and flight is 27th March at 2335. Paranoia kicking in. Anyway, let's send this and finally get into bed.

Salento-Bogota and Paramillo del Quindio hike (part 2)

Mon 25th 0616 Sitting in front passenger seat of otherwise empty bus to Armenia. 6.xk.

Slept borderline OK but did keep waking up and the damn plastic mattress advertising every roll or turn (mine and other people's) was getting a bit annoying. Woke up maybe 5ish feeling tired and "oh fuck, I have to get up soon" .

Bit of a whiny git during packing etc in dark in dorm with eg cleaning teeth feeling noisy as fuck at the open sink inside dorm and at phone GPS refusing to lock.

Bag feels like it is utterly bulging despite my only new acquisitions being some tiny souvenirs, and I have about half a litre of water and ate most of the 250g packet nuts/fruit I had been lugging round since start of trip. I suspect it just needs packing "cleanly" and maybe things like having dirty trousers in dry bag instead of loose inside bag and able to fit round stuff doesn't help. There's also the general dorm thing where you can't really pack properly.

FWIW sink was just open in dorm, sep toilet and shower cubicles also in dorm and the shower cubicle was basically "all wet" - there were two hooks, and my trousers got sprinkled hanging on those as I showered, so you had to get mostly (un)dressed in dorm. Not end of world but a bit crappy and just describing situation.

I hope this *is* the first bus to Armenia. Probably is. Driver chap said unprompted (he asked where I was going) I'd easily get a bus to Bogota, so fingers crossed.

0723 On bus (luckily got aisle seat despite forgetting to ask) at Armenia, due to leave 0730. 60k. asked three companies, first said 0830 and I nearly stupidly bought without asking round. Would have been slightly nice to visit bog before getting on but no time really and tbh I don't need to go. 7h trip, so with luck will be in Bogota 1430 and even with delays or breaks should be OK with daylight. See how it goes but gut feeling is am going to try via Transmilenio, it will require three changes but still. I have my tullave card in pocket, dunno if it has credit but it's a start.

Bag fits nicely in overhead rack and I have my daypack at my feet with a few nuts and my nc headphones in.

0951 Ibague. Got off and had piss (wasn't busting) and a warmed up ham and cheese croissant (4k). Also finished off the nuts and fruit mix from home earlier.

1601 At recep in new hostel. No one here but not fussed as entering wifi pwd. Got into terminal about 1420, walked over to Transmilenio with only one guy (on footbridge right by TM) trying to talk to me but I rudely said "no gracias" and kept walking and no fuss.

Do not understand TM routing or labelling, but altho poss went round houses my route via Universidades (Venezia just playing, Hombres G) and Av Jimenez worked.

Tiny bit watched Bond film (2006ish? that was date of death of one character on a grave) with no audio (Spanish audio playing quietly but I had headphones on with music) on bus.

1852 Back at hostel. Went out for personal mexicana pizza at place right by hostel (not bad, v lush jugo de lulo en leche), then wandered up towards a possible BBC just north of here which seemed to be another bar and went over to an actual BBC a bit east of there. Bit expensive at 20k a pint (was 16k in Medellin IIRC) and maybe just cos I've drunk a bit lately the two pints I had were OK but not "wow" . Started to piss it down towards end of second pint and toyed with staying for third but it was expensive and wasn't feeling it. Got bit soaked on way back, was gonna go into supermarket for panela and maybe some snacks/soft drinks for tonight but I missed it, went into an Oxxo and got an econolitre of Colombiana for 2.8k and 185g of Takis Fuego for a shocing (no price on shelf, natch) 9.8k but I figured fuck it under the circumstances. Colombiana is in fridge, not labelled as per instructions COS THERE IS NO FUCKING PEN OR TAPE.

room is quite nice, top floor, roof terrace with french people talking out on it. bit hacked off I still need to finish writing up trek. in hindsight despite minor extra weight given I had a lot of time on my hands it would have been good to take K1 with me and do writeups during it (unlike San Blas trip where I was constantly occupied).

mildly soaked, gonna go have a shower and wash one top and one set of uw so I have enough for the next two days and can if i want maybe shower and/or change either here at say 4pm on last day (shared bathroom etc, they might let me - oh, no towel here either, grr) or at airport (can sneak into bog and change if I want even if I don't shower) as well.

Feeling vague "ought to do something special" as last day(s) but need to take it easy. Was a lang exch 20ish blocks south today, there is a more local one tomorrow and I may go but not forcing myself.

2021 Out at sole (large) table on (enclosed) roof terrace, no one else here. Got my econolitre.

Fwiw it was raining quite heavily this morning as we were on bus going into Armenia (which is quite big, and has a cool old steam train on a roundabout - no photo).

There is a nice brown-ish tabby cat here.

I am in Sierra Nevada room. And the - ffs can't remember where I was - last night hostel was called Combi, I didn't twig until I got there and saw all the murals etc - it is "themed" around what I'd call the VW camper, but on seeing the murals and combi clicking I was inevitably reminded of Men At Work's "Down Under" .

So day 2 of hike I wasn't entirely clear where we were going but we walked up steep feeling hillside from finca and then trogged some way and came into a kind of valley where (as it turned up) we walked up to the ridge between the paramillo proper (I half wondered if we were going up there; the extra height is prob negligible but it's prob unsafe or not path or risk of falls or whatever) and quindio norte, with surprise amazing views (including Lago del Otun) in the distance (so from ridge you get cool view across in dir of LdO and also back across valley we had come up) and then up the ridge of quindio norte, which peaks at something like (have photo of height in rocks) 4750m asl. I was generally finding it hard on my legs and altitude may or may not have played a part in that but I didn't feel significantly (not saying there was nothing) headachey or anything. I *was* a bit worried as i only had 1.5l water (which guide had said was OK) and didn't want to run out, so it did perhaps mean i got a bit dehydrated.

Meeting Joanie and Garry at 3pm tomorrow BTW by the Botero museum. This works well, as it means I can prob avoid going to LC on Wed and thus will *prob* carry passport all day in hidden belt rather than leaving it in bag at hostel.

On the way down I slipped a few times (even after Nico gave me a hiking stick thing) on the very loose gravelly steep inclines but I didn't do anything worse than mildly bash up my arm and wrist.

We came back a different route and even Nico seemed intrigued/surprised by the terrain (some muddyish but almost ice texture underfoot feeling green mossy "islands" with muddy pools around). It felt a bit of a slog, tho fortunately mostly flat, walking back after we got down into the valley and through this "island" area but not too bad.

Lunch was a bit of a pisser. Served decent soup and then some decent rice and a 99% prob dressed salad and some prob chicken but genuinely not sure covered in tomatoey muck and a large potato in the same. I wasn't *ecstatic* at getting inedible-to-me food, but it clearly wasn't a serious issue. Main concern was risk of causing offence or something. In the end I scraped the muck off the potato and ate as much of the inside as I could and "hid" my plate under the bench in the raised kitchen area we were sitting in and went off at an opportune moment on pretext of cleaning teeth.

This threw me into a bit of an emotional tailspin. I felt really awkward and like I ought to keep out of the way and there were loads of new people from some big groups turning up today and it all just felt weird and shit and by the time Nico came to tell me to come in to dinner (me wondering as always if I should just go in but not wanting to shove my way in esp with so many people there today so needing to eat in relays) I felt kind of shitty and I ended up taking (I was asked) only a small portion of the bad-sounding goulash which was actually fine in order to try to head off the possibility of further offense even though it was good and more would have been nice and I think I was mostly eating with family/guides by this point and I just felt super awkward.

All very irrational but even in hindsight not sure I know what I "should" have done. I suppose if I'd been there (I was in bog when Nico called me) when dinner was being dished out I could have asked for none of the sauce stuff and headed it off. But apart from that, I don't see (given I'm not kicking up a fuss and demanding an alternative etc) that not liking the sauce makes me a terrible person. And while maybe I should just have assumed it *wouldn't* give offence and not worried about it, worrying about giving offence hardly seems like a terrible failing on my side. meh. I dunno. But rightly or wrongly this definitely made me feel shit and compared to the v cool scenery (even if I felt a smidge awkward with the group as prob already noted) of the morning and the feeling of achievement, the lunch-onwards part of day 2 was pretty shitty.

Anyway, woke up quite a bit in night (prob not cos of this) and altho iirc breakfast was supposed to be 7ish I might have got up 630. Did chat bit with Daniel and Pia and they said they had had to turn back. Chatted with Felix over breakfast (which was fine, slightly watery scrambled egg stuff but not a big deal) and he showed me his glacier photos. Paid Patricia and it was 182k, I didn't tip, dunno if I should have done. there was some minor doubt as to whether I was just paying for myself or Nico too, I (perhaps stupidly) said I wasn't sure and I'd paid Nico for his guide services, and she "luckily" said prob just me then, and given that was a (reasonableish) 182k and N had told me 200-300 total I am guessing that was right. But lesson learned: I should confirm this with guide when booking any kind of pay-as-you-go non-inclusive tour in future, to avoid problems.

Felix and his Colombian friend whose name I have sadly forgotten came with us for the walk back (maybe 25ish km, and same-ish on way out - I do have GPS logs but not looked at them). There were some cool views and some nice dogs/cats/fluffy chickens en route but I won't try to duplicate photos. Also some meanish dogs at one finca we passed through and though they were fine I'd have been freaking out if I'd been on my own.

After the initial bit the walk wasn't *massively* uphil but of course descending is not trivial and (tho nothing like day 2) I did fall over once or twice, despite having hiking stick. TBH while I tried to be positive and wasn't *too* whiny even internally and don't think I did whine or ask questions externally, esp as we were setting a fair pace and I didn't always like to stop and ask for a water break, I did frankly get to feel fucking sick of walking on the way back and was telling myself stuff like it has to be over within an hour or two and every step is a step closer. It wasn't physically terrible but I think my legs were getting slightly wobbly/uncertain towards the end, dunno if that was just today's walk or the cumulative effects of the three days.

I was also a bit "annoyed" we clearly weren't gonna be back by midday or even 2-3. We hadn't set off til somewhere between 8 and 9 and in the end we got into the tourist park bit of valle de corocora about 1445 (approx time of arrival at finca la playa on days 1 and 2, by coincidence) but still had a fair walk to the jeep place (I paid 10k for two, Nico decently gave me 5k for his share - not a lot but shows decent principle so to speak) and by the time I had gone back to atardecer de salento with Nico, given him a 100k tip, squashed contents of plastic bag into main bag and walked round to Combi it was about 1600.

I'll be honest - perhaps low blood sugar, not sure - I was a whiny git while unpacking/repacking at Combi. I just wanted to go out and have food but I was faffing with a seemingly endless quantity of plastic bags and general crap and I had a shower in the small facility etc.

I was gonna go to Rincon de Lucy but their menu del dia board wasn't out. I went to Ewhatsit in hope of curry but again they were shut afaict. So - and to be fair this had been one of my "fantasy" options during day 3 hike anyway - I went to supermarket and got some bread and mortadela and gorged on sandwiches back at hostel.

I then went out and had two craft draught beers at Callejon (pricey but nice), 2 pintados (8k plus 1k tip for elderly-ish waiter who seemed v friendly and reminded me of Alf from the Swan in City years back) and then went to kafe del alma where I'd been first night in Salento and listened to OK live music. Despite being served a drink for someone else on arrival, I then seemed to be invisible and while I wasn't waving and flailing arms no staff seemed to want to deal with me for about 20 mins and I vaguely wondered if I was somehow persona non grata, tho in the end they did serve me and I had 3 club colombia roja, gave musician 5k tip and went back to hostel and cleaned teeth and went to bed.

Random note: sign at FdlP showing various prices (eg beer at 8k, not insane but didn't have any) showed "brandy with milk" at COP70k. This feels insanely expensive, I have no idea why or why this would be so desirable or whatever, but mentioning it fwiw.

Oh yeah, on day 2 walking back through valley I suddenly thought "I haven't seen a coconut for weeks" . :-)

I'm just gonna shove in these rough notes I made during the hike on o6, they are prob duplicates but I don't think they're harmful and might as well keep them:

trek

day 1
5k Jeep
6k sendero finca el porton
met bloke from villa de leyva hostel
lost Vaseline
lunch at finca la playa pretty good
watched video and nearly fell asleep
mooching, invited into kitchen where met vdl guuly
left as was warmer and felt bit awkward w "family", asked about using sockets to chafg ephone and said yes so I took phone off Charing on power bank it had reached 88pc ish and put power bank on to top back up
3700m at finca according to GPS
not seen nico all afternoon tho no actively sought out
overcast at finca, light rain last part of hike, put rain jacket on - it is drying on line outside now
got to fimca maybe bit before. 3pm

German couple Daniel and pia

day 2
up at 520 tho breakfast not 530
natty and maybe ash??prob alon
"amor para dos"? song

sudden thought on walking back that hadn't seen a coconut for ages
up to 4760mish
back for lunch r 1445ish sim to day 1
sauce
showered but didn't change any clothes as didn't sweat that much and wanted to conserve non musty clothes for salento/bogota

day 3
finca la playa both nights
walked back with Felix? Spanish guy and his Colombian friend whose name i forget - plus my guide nico of course
cop182k finca la playa food and accom (mine only)
got back to touristy park bit maybe 1445 v approx but still some walking from there, jdep ride on back butbsyarted to rainvsovwe squeezed in, prob got to new hostel about 1600ish maybe a hair before, was internally rather whiny aboutbsortinf out all crap in bag and showering when just wanted to go out, also bit internally whiny but not too bad during seemingly endless walk
5k Jeep
89k hostel 2 nights
100k tip
14k approx supermarket bread and mortadela 250g
37k inc tip 2x330ml craft beers at callejon first wheat second between red and black 10pc
2 pintado 8k+1k recuerdo
3 330ml club Colombia roja 4.7pc kafe del Alma
<20k inc tip beers kafe DeL alma
5k tip for live music

hostel combi didn't realise meaning til arrived and saw artwork etc then had down under stuck in head

brandy and milk was 70kbat finca la playa, no idea why



*Slightly* annoying youngish English guy on a phone call telling how good his trip is and asking about a friend's life. I'm probably just a touch jealous of what he's doing here, it sounds like he is travelling with a group, and he also seems to have way more friends back home than I do. But notwithstanding the fact things could always have gone better and some end-of-trip blues etc, on the whole I can't say it's been a bad trip for me either.

I think that's me caught up. I prob packed a bit better than for SBA but a) having stuff inside plastic bags is still a fucking nightmare for packing and getting stuff out etc b) I still found myself wondering where the fuck item X was that I knew I'd brought but wasn't sure which compartment of bag or whether I'd buried it at bottom or hidden it in some plastic bag full of misc junk was still a bugger.

I am not going to "run away" from this English guy but my plan always kind of was to have my takis fuego in my room and I have nearly finished this econolitre and was mainly sitting out here in order to grind out the trek report, so I will hang on here a bit - some chap has come up with a comically large armful of food and appears to be about to sit in hammock, maybe he is just waiting for Eng guy, loads of people coming up now and think they know him - anyway, I don't want to run away but I was planning to go back to room soonish anyway so will probably hang on here reading and then go back to room in a bit.

2112 OK, he is still on phone and I think his mates are gonna play cards. I am probably going to go in a minute, sick of sitting here. I wouldn't mind going to bed etc but will snack first.

I asked and tap water is supposedly potable here. I may slog down to kitchen and fill my bottles there just in case bathroom water is not the same somehow.

2118 In room, did go down to kitchen, brief pip-pip with hostel staff cleaning out fridge.

In some ways I find it hard to believe I am in Bogota/a big city, despite the terrible traffic last half hour of bus ride in and approx 1h30 fucking round on TM to get here. Maybe it just feels different here in Chapinero (or wherever it really is, I wonder if hostel flatters itself by saying it is in Chapinero) or it's just because it isn't quite the same as when I first arrived and was in LC or it's because I have been in smallish towns.

Not actually that bothered but a thought to maybe analyse: wrt mild "jealousy" of youngish Eng guy maybe having a better time than me, even putting age aside, it is perhaps easier if you're travelling with friends as it is less intimidating to eg go out at night to bars/clubs etc. I shouldn't make excuses, and I haven't done *too* badly overall, but I also maybe shouldn't beat myself up over an apples to oranges comparison. Of course (age aside) in principle I could meet people to travel with/go out with in hostels etc but again quite often it has felt like the hostels I've been in just weren't that lively/friendly, rather than it seeming like their was a lively social scene I just wasn't invited/able/confident enough to join in with. Meh. Just an observation.

2204 I feel a bit bloated. Vaguely down, prob end of trip blues and some reflections on my social situation etc. I maybe will make an effort to attend the near-ish lang exchange tomorrow - it slightly "clashes" with seeing G/J at 3pm, but I think it *starts* at 5 but runs fairly late and is not something you have to attend the whole of.

Going to go clean teeth and go to toilet and then to bed I think. I plan to be up for the (apparently meagre, but whatever) free breakfast tomorrow and I will try to get to a supermarket and buy some panela and ideally some novel-ish sweets for nephew and niece and then that's sorted. I will also try to eat before meeting G/J so if I want I can go on to lang exch without eating. I just double checked and my flight is 23xx on 27th, I prob need to do online checkin at some point but given I paid for a seat this isn't critical and it's something I could likely do (I don't know when it will open, I rather suspect Avianca will e-mail me) on Wednesday and then go (even tho I don't need a printout) to a net cafe type place to get it printed.

No harm in doing a "social" post-mortem on trip once I'm back home (as I also will do - this is nothing fancy, just musing and writing - on the more practical/technical aspects of packing and tools and techniques and so forth) but no point getting hung up on it now, when my mind is naturally a bit clouded by end of trip blues and the minor stresses of getting back home etc.

I will make the observation - sadly I have no system for "remembering" these later - that in terms of improving my Spanish, it may be that the kind of travel I'm doing is not "optimal" , as I am mostly speaking tourist kind of stuff with the odd "flourish" and interacting mostly with non-Spanish-speaking tourists. I am sure it does some good and there is the hearing it being spoken in colloquial form a bit aspect, but if I really wanted to push higher some combination of an actual Spanish school or something immersive with more contact with native speakers would probably be better. This is not my only goal with travelling, of course.

2229 FWIW the shower here (earlier, not just now), against my initial expectations, was genuinely hot. Maybe wussy but after getting mildly soaked it was nice. To be fair Combi also had hot-ish water in moderation. In some ways Combi was a nice hostel - they had curtains on the bunks, for a start - but the super-crinkly plastic mattresses and the lack of anywhere to *chain* my bag to (given you were supposed to store it in a kind of wooden frame) and the super low privacy dorm shower etc situation spoiled it. (They were also super unhelpful re my request for a lower bunk, even though I asked days ahead it was all "depends on availability" rather than saying "yes, we have reserved one for you" - I did get one FWIW anyway.)

2233 Right, bed. Have set an alarm for 8 and we'll see what happens.

Salento, Sunday and Paramillo del Quindio hike (part 1)

Sun 24th 0846 At Molinero (sp?! and also from mem as no sign inside) with choc croissant and a white coffee. Didn't sleep super well, new hostel dorm is sort of nice (curtained off bed/cubicle) but the mattress is plastic-wrapped and makes crinkling noises (mine and other people's) and my little toes were perhaps hurting a bit after trek etc. Who really knows why didn't sleep well tho. Kept waking up in night, didn't feel too bad, finally got up 730 as didn't seem much point hanging on in bed just for sake of it, tho didn't leave till 0830ish as was eg adding photos to album on GP and having huge dump.

Brought K1 out and left O6 in locker, the idea being that today is mostly about bumming round, eating junk and some non-junk and drinking coffee and the only major "job" being to buy a few souvenirs. So I figured I can risk not having internet on the go (and a lot of places will have wifi) and I can gradually write up last few days as I go.

0853 Think I didn't sleep super well night before trek, or rather slept OKish but kept waking up.

Met guide at appointed time (can't remember, 6ish, think I wrote it down before) and gave him my plastic bag of stuff to store and he stashed it away. Gave him the other 400k too so it couldn't get lost on trip.

We walked into town and got on a jeep - he rode on the back but I sat inside. He told me if anyone asked we were just going for a walk in the valley, which seemed odd but whatever. Guide was Nico(las) BTW, if didn't already say - youngish, early-mid 20s? Unlike everyone else we paid when we got there - 5k. I was feeling vaguely edgy at this point but it gradually diminished over time.

0911 At bus terminal, happened to be passing so popped in to ask. First bus to Armenia tomorrow is at 6, there's one every 15 mins and it takes an hour.

1003 At Cafe Danubio for a pintado. Shopped round for keyrings and fridge magnets and probably overpaid for tat but in any case I have a fridge magnet (8k) and two leather keyrings (sadly not the same) for 8k each, got magnet in one shop and keyrings in another. But this is at least a baseline set of tat for nephew and niece and if I see anything half decent here or in Bogota I might buy that as well.

So we got off the jeep and iirc walked off and a bit later I had to pay 6k to enter Sendero Finca El Porton (it's written on the wristband). We then walked on, at some point we did some stretching exercises (iirc by a green painted caravan I photographed) and walked on further. Gonna be vague about this kind of stuff. Had a piss at side of  path there. For whatever reason I didn't need to take much in the way of dumps during the whole trek, I squeezed a tiny bit out at the finca we stayed at a couple of times but very little.

Didn't always take photos as we were moving quite a lot and I did my best not to ask for extra rests/water stops etc. Guide on first day only quite insistent on me drinking water with the suero hidratante "diarrhea rehydration" stuff in, but on subsequent days he never mentioned it and so I only used it on first day and still have two of the sachets left.

I took about 7 bananas with me, IIRC had one or two on first day, two on second day after lunch and ate four partly just to finish the now slightly manky remaining ones off on day three - the very last back at Atardecer de Salento (hostel for first two nights in Salento and where guide lives) before heading off to new hostel.

I did feel a little bit headachey at one point but mentioned it and guide told me to drink more of the hydration solution stuff and it wasn't a big deal.

Guide shared some food (brownie, tin of tuna and crackers) with me during walk. We saw Morrogacho (sp) and he said he had camped up there a lot with friends, esp at full moon. Apparently it was (?) a "templo universal" for the natives, and as a general note he seemed to be quite a spiritual-y sort of person.

We crossed Cerro La Virgen at IIRC 3800m. The rain mostly held off, it started to drizzle a bit round about there and put rain jacket on. Had worn fleece in morning but guide said it was important to sweat as little as possible to minimise dehydration and I took it off round about the green caravan point. I didn't wear waterproof overtrousers at any point but he did ask if I had them and I did and I think this justifies having brought them with me. I will say now we got lucky with the weather generally, except for this drizzle for the last few km into Finca La Playa (where we stayed the two nights) and the jeep ride and walking from old to new accom it was mostly dry and the second day at least was pretty bright.

1037 Back at hostel. I had left alarm on on the o6, ffs. No one seems too upset but bit embarrassing all the same. I normally set alarms on the o6 instead of k1 precisely because the k1 stays behind while o6 goes with me but got tripped up by taking k1 out today. (I do set alarms on k1 but either earlyish ones which will almost certainly go off when I am in bed or when it's super critical or when I am travelling and will both phones with me.)

k1 being super laggy.

Have shaved with my new blade and it has of course drawn blood, albeit only one "significant" cut, so I'm just loitering round now waiting for it to stop bleeding before I go out.

1137 At El Rincon de Los Recuerdos - got a granizado de cafe (12k) which isn't bad. Took a while to prepare. Bit fancier than Juan Valdez with cream and what looks like choc sauce on top, which looks cool but is perhaps not so easy to drink.

I am not certain my guide was official. all the other guides seemed to know him which gave me confidence, but things like him telling me to say we were just going walking in the valley (it never came up) and the fact eg the sign at the (apparently closed) office type hut at what was probably the entrance to PNN said stuff like "min groups of 3" vaguely suggests otherwise. TBF things like this may be winked at with locals who obviously come into the park a lot etc.

1143 Sitting on balcony ("lucky" as would have sat lower down inside had it not been so busy) and some sort of parade (prob related to semana santa) is passing/has passed in main square. Videoed quite a bit of it, there wasn't that much more after I stopped. (But for all I knew there was going to be a long stream of people and I couldn't record forever.)

I had an oblea (4k - I picked "simple" with just arequipe, not 8k with literally four or five other syrups on, I think it was all of them not a choice) before coming here, quite nice if a bit sticky.

Anyway, when we got to Finca La Playa it all felt a bit chaotic and I was standing round like a spare part to some extent but not a huge deal. They gave us cups of warm agua panela and in some order we had lunch (sitting on the raised bit in the cosy and warm but a tiny bit smoky kitchen area, eating off our knees - lunch was soup and then roughly speaking rice with meat) and I was shown to a 4 bed dorm (super low top bunks, I picked a lower one and I had to be careful with my head against top bunk getting in/out) and ended up sharing with a couple from Munich (Daniel and Pia IIRC, though spelling is a guess) who we had periodically leapfrogged on the walk in - spoke to them a moderate amount over the three days, they were there to go up Tolima (I think - the one with the glacier crossing) and even had their own ice axes with them. They were suffering differently from altitude sickness (and he at least wasn't a believer in masking symptoms), though (jumping ahead) they did feel better the next day (when they had an acclimatisation hike up to 4x00m) and they did attempt the summit of Tolima but had to turn back becaue of altitude sickness. Obviously kudos to them for giving it a go and they didn't seem too upset, Daniel said he had mainly wanted to see the paramo (the region between iirc 2600 and 3200m where nothing iirc is over 3m and in practice at least round there was much lower - Nico said a lot of the frailejones which grow only 1cm a year had died or been cut back or something a while ago due to cultivation and as they grow so slowly the paramo was absolutely heaving with tiny ones which were still probably 100ish years old).

We got to FLP at about 1445 and after dinner and sorting out bed I was mostly left to my own devices. I was a bit cold at times and at one point I was sitting in "corridor" and they invited me to sit in kitchen for a bit. Did iirc at this point have a bit of a chat with some poss French people staying at another  finca 2km off and one of them - who I did half recognise - recognised me and he was one of the guys (not the coffee semi-business German guy or his Colombian friend) I'd met at the hostel in Villa de Leyva. Small world etc etc.

I really wish I could recognise people like that, I do need to work on it.

I did watch a saved video on my phone while lying on bed at some point during afternoon - I had taken my headphones and I'm glad I did. It was possible to charge phones there, they had solar power and there was a socket strip to plug chargers in. I also left my phone charging on bunk off power bank and it did work but I am 95% sure my long USB C cable is getting iffy and even when it is connected properly it is probably high resistance and charges slowly.

I did have a shower and change clothes after dinner. The shower had afaict two outlets, one of cold water and the other of "chill taken off" tepid water from a gas boiler gadget prob running off bottled gas. The cubicle was from from wind tight and I left bulk of clean and dirty clothes on chair outside with an opening in the wall to the outside and while not *terrible* it was probably character building, and I didn't spend ages under the tepid water stream and didn't use the other one at all. The water temperature itself wouldn't necessarily have been bad but in the generally rather chilly and damp (I might guess air temps in the 10Cish region, but I really don't know - except it was clearly not getting down towards 0 as my water bottle did not freeze overnight and the water was generally running not freezing etc). (I assume the water came from a small stream running under the property - there were some planks across it outside - as for eg the only hand/tooth washing sink was outside (a bit chilly for morning/night tooth cleaning but I was diligent and even flossed at night) and the tap was perpetually running with a trickle even when turned off, and presumably the only reason they didn't care about this was that they effectively had an infinite free water supply from this stream instead of eg relying on rainwater collection).

1209 Finished granizado a bit ago - ate the cream etc with the cut end of the (pleasingly plastic) straw, which I assume is the point. Will prob go see if Rincon de Lucy has their menu del dia on (they didn't 4-5pmish last night when I was feeling a bit desperate and maybe low blood sugar irritable) in a minute.

FWIW lots of tourists about, as think said before Salento feels v touristy but in quite a nice way. I do have a feeling that at least last night/today the majority of the tourists are Colombian - I might guess during the week foreigners predominate, as for >1 week trip people who travelled a long way (including I guess a smallish group of Colombians on holiday, but mostly people from outside Colombia, be they from europe/US or other LA countries or whatever) to get here weekends aren't that important, whereas at weekends localish people from "not too far away" can come in as they have time off work and they then predominate. (eg perhaps people from Medellin or Bogota, both of which are probably 6ish hours away by bus and maybe less by private car - Cali is probably even closer)

I did go into quite a few souvenir places and had a little chat with the owners earlier. As I say I suspect I overpaid as a lot of places were doing stuff at 6k (and one place even 5k iirc) but it is what it is.

1224 at rincon de lucy.

1301 Now at Restaurante Bar Casas Viejas on plaza. Getting tres cordilleras rosa to try it (9k). Had same as pre-trek at RdL, went down pretty well.

Yes, this is pretty nice, does definitely have a frutiness even to my limited palate. I might try one of the others after this, tho don't intend to drink a lot right now.

Dinner on day 1 was also pretty good, soup and then prob rice and a chicken drumstick and a piece of homemade choc cake. generally given agua panela to drink tho did get given a cup of black (prob instant) coffee during afternoon when talking to the guy from VdL and his friends.

Most of the chat over dinner IIRC in Spanish, though I think the two Germans from my dorm were there, and I did have a bit of a chat with a Spanish guy called iirc Felix and his Colombian friend who were going to go up Tolima (and spoiler they made it and I chatted with them at breakfast on day 3 and he showed me photos which were both impressive and scary of him on the glacier with the holes in it and he said you could hear the ice cracking underneath and the sunrise was very impressive). I didn't say that much in general and a lot of the very local slangy and rapid chat went over my head but got gist, even if slightly disappointing (and not for first time I do feel my Spanish is rather lumbering when I speak).

Made my excuses after and went to bed, having checked when I should get up and told iirc breakfast at 0530.

1311 TV here is showing stock type footage (no sound - "Wake me up before you gogo" is playing) of blue seas and green islands and rocky coasts and stuff and it reminds me (perhaps it *is* the same footage/YT channel/whatever) of the stuff on the TV in the Bogota hostel at the start of the trip.

Flashdance playing now...

Feel vaguely sad to have to leave but it's all good, as usual better than being glad and while it will be a little "rushed" (2 nights Bog, 1 night on plane, 1 night London then train up to visit family for easter) it will also be nice to get home and (after the family visit) try to resume "normal" life except (aspirations etc) not wasting so much time and being slightly more productive.

Perhaps its just the v scratched screen protector but despite putting brightness up to full the K1 screen seems v hard to see in bright sunlight compared to the o6.

1316 "Never gonna give you up" playing :-)

I don't think it was expected but I left a 3k tip on top of 17k bill at RdL. I didn't tip last time. And I took two folded 50k notes out of zipped belt while back at hostel earlier (and replaced them with my two folded USD20 bills from Panama part of trip - in a pinch, better to have USD than nothing) and I used one of those to pay at RdL to use it up rather than (not that I seriously expect a problem) being unable to pay for the bus when time is of the essence tomorrow morning because they don't like my creased 50k bills.

My completely unofficial self-inferred way to distinguish a frailejon (which appearently collect water from mist and feed the underground springs and contribute to n rivers which provide water to large proportion of the country) from a wax palm is that a frailejon has that kind of lumpy bumpy "trunk" all the way down to the ground, while a wax palm has the lumpy bumpy bit up near the crown and the trunk is relatively slender and smooth for almost its whole length.

And while I remember in the photos of the trek the guide is probably the one wearing the biggest backpack - on day 2 he was the only one of four of us with a "full-sized" pack.

1343 Completely unable to attract attention of either waiter, short of (which I haven't tried yet) vigorous and probably insulting arm waving. If this wasn't just my second beer I'd have some niggling suspicion they didn't want to serve me.

Still, it's not as if I'm in a huge rush and I'm occupying their table (not that they are scarce) for free. Last night I managed to be invisible for at least 20 minutes at Kafe del Alma, despite being served with a drink someone else had ordered almost as soon as I got there. (Again, I didn't go out of my way to indulge in perhaps excessive attempts to attract staff attention, but I was hardly hiding, and there I didn't even have a drink on the table as I'd just arrived.)

I never know what to do in these situations. Once a modest arm wave and a "disculpe" has been ignored once, it feels vaguely undignified to keep trying. I have been trying to make a bit of eye contact but it doesn't seem to help. There is a waiter standing right behind me but he has ignored me at least twice and is intermittently drinking a coke and might for all I know be on his break.

I'm gonna experimentally put my empty beer bottle across the far end of this four person table and see if that makes a difference.

1352 It is a bit annoying I'm probably going to be expected by them and/or compelled personally to tip 10% for service when I appear to be almost deliberately being ignored.

1354 Actually I will go up to the counter and order. This feels slightly like saying "actually you know, I would like some service and this is evidently the only way I am gonna get it" and will also mean I actually get my drink.

1355 Got my 3C mestiza. Guy didn't seem to find it odd I went up to order (perhaps sadly), but anyway.

Just seen group of 3-4 cyclists in matching kit on plaza, and seen similar (either on bikes or in cafes) earlier today. I assume these are local cycling club types or the like.

1402 Prob went to bed about 8ish on day 1. There was a huge stack of maybe 4 blankets on the bunk, I put two of them on (the top an oddly fetching childish cow design which I photographed) and felt reasonably warm.

Woke up at 520ish on alarm and manfully got up despite it being cold and dark (there was some suggestion the sunrise would be good, but it was cloudy and TBH we seemed to be kind of without great views to the west anyway, tho clouds prob big problem). Went for piss and after a few mins Nico appeared and it seemed breakfast would be a while but I asked about dogs and he said they'd be fine (and they were) so I went out and cleaned my teeth and ended up outside watching sunrise-ish with German couple and chatting to them a bit and Pia (who is apparently quite the photographer) took a photo of me and I took one of them together.

Inside for breakfast which was roughly scrambled eggs-ish (poss with added veg) and maybe some rice type stuff and prob some crackers with the (quite nice but don't know name of) very common white slightly rubbery cheese they have here.

Maybe 730-8ish (but photo timestamps would be definitive) set off out with Nico, Natty (20ish woman who may be one of the family and live there, but not sure - full name prob Natalia) and a guy who might have been caled Alon but not sure. (Just poss "Ash" but if I had to choose I'd go with Alon.) I got the vague impression Alon kind of knew the area but wasn't a guide as such (and Nico definitely seemed to take the lead) and that Natty knew the area a bit but if I understood some chat correctly had tried to go where we were going but had gone off down a different track at some point.

They were all chatting together in Spanish which I mostly followed. I felt a tiny bit awkward given they all knew each other but it wasn't too bad, and I generally do feel a bit awkward with groups and it probably wouldn't have made much difference if they'd all been native English speakers.

I'll observe here while I remember that I had terrible trouble knowing whether to use tu or usted and was flip-flopping horribly. To be scrupulously fair I am fairly sure eg Nico had been addressing me as "tu" at some point before we started so I'd try to remember to use tu, then during the day 1 walk with the two of us when I was in front (as he wanted me to set a pace I felt comfortable with) and we'd come to a fork and I'd ask him if it was this (gesturing) way or similar, he'd reply "si, señor" in an apparently deadpan way and so I'd try switching to usted, etc. And this is before we get on to the fact that I'm a lot less used to speaking to people using usted anyway, except I've been trying to default to it over here so I've got a sort of rusty clunky default usted going too. This is hardly the biggest problem with my Spanish but it probably contributed to some of the lumbering feeling when I spoke.

On a random note, I will say that based not just on my visit this morning but on walking past a few times, contrary to gb's prob outdated opinion that Cafe Danubio is "every LA fantasy" or something like that, I'd say that shop-cum-bar I had a couple of beers in when arriving in Guatape (?) after walking over from Barichara was *way* more stereotypically but apparently authenically LA in a cool kind of way.

Oh, on day 1 shortly after leaving the "office" bit in the park I realised I'd lost my vaseline tin out of my pocket. I went back to bench by "office" to check but no dice. And as I'd switched to my spare tin post SBA trip as the original tin had somehow gone kind of rusty and manky I hadn't brought the manky spare with me, so I was a bit stuck. Not utterly devastated by this but was a bit concerned. Serious lesson learned: esp now I don't keep change there and have small bills in another pocket, *even if I don't fear pickpockets*, I should make a point of keeping rh upper pocket zipped.

Been meaning to make a note on pocket use during trip for future ref. I have got into habit of:
- bit toilet paper in a plastic back in back left pocket
- loose coins in back right pocket (it zips, and the absolutely value is low if I am pickpocketed, and this keeps them accessible easily to try to make it easier to spend them, and avoids the annoying weight in a lower pocket as my legs move while walking)
- phone (and nothing else - would normally have hanky in here, but perhaps due to flip belt being in same region inside pocket I found hanky and phone getting vaguely entangled) in front left pocket - sometimes zipped but often not as it's awkward to pull phone out to take photo (zipped really only if I particularly fear pickpockets or something else shaking phone loose)
- binder clip wallet with bigish bills, misc tin and vaseline tin in front right pocket
- smallish bills in left leg above-knee pocket - these are my go-to for eg street food purchases along with coins in back right, and make it more practical to keep upper right pocket zipped if I want
- hanky, maybe some spare tissue and any random receipts etc in right leg above-knee pocket.

Obviously this is massively nerdy to write up but since it took me time to form these habits (my travel needs, habits and the quantity of pockets - I normally only have/use the two "standard" upper pockets back home) it might be useful to refer back to for a future trip.

I will say at this point that the zips I sewed in myself just cos these trousers had none in "main" upper pockets have worked well. The left pocket zip on black pair has come loose but I could have done repairs had I prioritised it/been less lazy/not had such a long dorm stretch in Panama, and I was sewing them all up a bit against the clock pre-trip and could prob have reinforced them more.

The extra zip I put in towards the bottom of the rh pocket (which is non-standard and would not be in a pair bought with zips on all the pockets like the Karrimor Panther trousers) has not in practice been that useful and I prob wouldn't bother putting it in on a new pair - a few times I zipped enough cash to pay hostel bill in there when travelling between places, but in reality the flip belt is easy enough to get to that since quite some time ago I just flip that out at reception to get cash out to pay on arrival. To be fair, altho I've got out of habit of using it, now I've stopped keeping loose change in there (loose change inevitably makes it hard to put stuff in/take stuff out of bottom part as it wants to fall in there) that bottom of pocket bit might be a bit more useful but I haven't felt any real need to use it anyway.

IIRC that "bottom of rh pocket" zip was also pretty fiddly to put in and took a disproportionate amount of time. It might possibly have been helpful to put "bottom of pocket" zip into one or both of the knee pockets, to allow something light and infrequently accessed to be stashed at the bottom of one of those pockets while leaving top free for other stuff, but I'm not sure I'd have found it all that useful - just not ruling it out right now.

1434 Finished second beer, gonna go pay and then get myself an ice cream and then prob go for a coffee and maybe a pastry.

1437 That worked out nicely. Paid 20k, got given 6k in change which was too much, so I was honest and pointed this out and handed 4k back. I wasn't going to tip unless they "defaulted" to it as genuinely prob not nec, but this way I have acted well towards them *and* I didn't have to tip for poorish service.

1458 It's hot out. Not insanely so but warm.

Had ice cream at the "old couple" place nearish bus terminal (3k there - I asked one place on street leading to old hostel which is way busier, went in in hope they had the more homemade style - which they didn't - and while they had more flavours they wanted 4k) - went for quesobocadillo - and now at Molwhatsit for pintado and a pastry which the woman keeps telling me something about that I don't understand, just maybe it's stale but she's serving it since I asked but I *really* don't know.

1509 Feeling hot.

On iirc first night of trek someone asked me what I thought of the finca/the kitchen and I said it was chevere and checked i'd used it correctly and that it was a v Colombian word and it is and I had (it means roughly "cosy/cool" aiui). Apparently you can also say "chimba" among friends although it is slightly rude and it means basically the same thing.

(If I didn't already note this in general I have overheard a lot of people saying "marrica" . I can't quite believe they mean this in the sense of "poof" as it just seems too common and it just doesn't feel like should come up as often as it does if that is the meaning, but I really don't know.)

While not ideal - esp given I feel sweaty now, tho didn't earlier - I am prob gonna wear these clothes inc uw (all clean on yday when had shower 4-5pmish) again tomorrow. That will *possibly* give me enough clean clothes for rest of trip without laundry, and at the very least should help eke things out so (subject to privacy of shared bathroom in Bogota hostel) I have a chance to do a final wash there to see me through the trip maybe tomorrow night.

Place is La Molienda, just seen it on back of MoS T-shirt.

I have noticed on some of the big cakes here and in large eg balloon letters in some shops/restaurants the text "Feliz dia" . I wonder if this is *meant* to be generic or if in practice it is a standard shorthand for something like "happy birthday" .

I haven't seen a "free stuff" box but I will ask reception at hostel and see if I can dump my nearly full can of pressurised aerosol 25% DEET repellent on them in case someone else can use it. It's bulky enough (and I don't know if it's allowed anyway) that I don't want to fly home with it, the space is better used on misc edible/drinkable souvenirs etc, it's not as if I'm likely to use it again as I prefer the saltidin repellent when it's not safety critical (and it may be fine even when it is) and if it is safety critical on a future trip I'd want to buy non-pressurised 50% DEET in a simple atomiser type spray before leaving home.

1546 6.9k, made it up to 10k as they do have a tip jar and I've been there quite a lot. Feel slightly guilty and turning back on oldish sounding woman calling "muchacho" (probably) at me as I was putting cash away on leaving, but what can you do? I also feel like this only happened because I had the cash in my hands and I'm not going to be guilt-tripped into a random donation just because I happened to come out before putting cash away.

1551 In supermarket, going to get chilled soft drink and have on street then go to BdlR for a pintado or two before going back to hostel for shower then head up to lookout points a bit ebfore sunset. Anyway, have a photo but I found some panela with instructions on how to make which I'm not sure is always there - 240ml water to 30g of panela.

1912 Back at hostel for second time. There is a nice (if slightly old-skinny looking) fluffy white and black cat here and it has let me stroke it a bit. It came running into dorm meowing and woman from desk explained it didn't want to go out - it's pissing it down - but it pees everywhere and it ran under the bed in corner and she had to fish it out with a broom (she called it señor when she got it out).

Changed plans earlier. Felt stuffed after soft drink so came back to hostel. Was watching bit of YT with curtain across and in short order two blokes and a woman (no idea if this is same woman spoke to briefly this morning re alarm, as well as speaking to one of staff women - I didn't really "see" the people this afternoon) came in and were asking each other if "that" was their locker and mentioned the alarm and I pulled curtain back and said it was mine and apologised and that was all OK, they were more curious than fussed.

I was on verge of going in shower and did so but I kind of ignored them and they kind of ignored me. I can't really blame them and I am not sure who "started" it and arguably they were being tactful but rightly or wrongly I felt a bit peeved/invisible at this three-way conversation going on as if I wasn't there - as I say, can't really blame them but I did feel a bit of a sad git etc.

Anyway, I went out to Recuerdos and had two pintados and then (getting rather irritated - prob off back of mild low mood induced by invisible bit - by the extremely thick and doddery crowd) up to the cross, brief look there, then across to the lookout over the valley. It was starting to rain as I headed up, I got a canelazo with aguardiente for 7k from the bloke there and watched (and videod badly) quite a cool thunder and lightning storm with both sheet and a few quite cool lightning bolts before (trying not to milk it) walking back through very light rain (and streets still busy) to come back here. I can here it is still pissing it down.

Partly came back as had left K1 charging in basket by bed and risk of loss was making me edgy, even tho seemed unlikely.

Oh, I handed woman at desk my insect repellent aerosol after a brief chat to see if they had a "free stuff" box (which they don't, but she's left it on the desk) - I hope it doesn't just get chucked out but I can't do much about it, obv could have waited til Bogota but I suspect the place there may not have one (on no major grounds, but it gives off a bit of a cheap hotel vibe).

Plan for tonight was to go out and have a couple of beers and then come back to go to bed 9-10ish to be up 6ish. I still may go out but we'll see what happens with the rain.

Bit edgy about getting to hostel in Bogota but I'm sure it will be fine and can only hope.

2127 Back at hostel heading towards bed. Went out, had stopped raining. Wandered street up to cross, went to place have forgotten name of but have photo, guy was playing guitar when I arrived but stopped soon after. Three Tres Cordilleras (27k, made it 30 with tip), two Mestiza and one Mulata (?). Everywhere v busy and lively when I came out but not the night to stay out.

Bit of a whiny git (even tho mostly over earlier annoyance re dorm conversation) to myself re trying to sort out Transmilenio stops etc re tomorrow.

Gut feeling is if I get to Bogota with plenty of daylight in hand I will prob walk to TM from bus terminal (gb makes out it is a pretty upscale area) and then take rather circuitous route on TM to Heroes where it is a short walk to new hostel and Chapinero is supposed to be pretty safe etc. This is nearly the inverse of route I will take to get to airport.

Don't think finished vaseline story re day 1. At dinner I took an empty sealable plastic bag with me and was going to and did ask for some cooking oil or grease at end - they asked why, I explained for lips and mentioned losing vaseline and they (Patricia I think, owner-ish woman/wife) generously gave me a pretty big "finger load" of vaseline, which I was really chuffed about and which got me out of a hole. (And since I have it I am still using it now, tho won't take that rather messy bag home, even tho I made an effort to clean up my SBA-rusted-ish tin at hostel middayish and do have it in pocket.)

Got a load of photos from Nico via WA, think I have them saved.

Felt tiny bit sad git BNM to be on own in that bar tonight but not a big deal.

Oh, press stud "brand tag" on PackTowl which had been hanging on by a thread happened to come off in this afternoon's shower (no fucking towel at this hostel, even tho IME most Colombian hostels give you one - fwiw no towel provided at Finca La Playa BTW). Not a massive deal as rarely used it and the whole PT is (surprisingly, doesn't feel like it's had huge amount of use) rather worn and holey and in need of replacement, but FWIW. have shoved loose tag in bag and if it makes it home it just may come in useful for sewing on to something I guess, or I can throw it out at home.

2220 Others come back, have curtain drawn. Anyway, bed.

Salento, Wednesday

Wed 20th 1734 At small bakery with K1.

Woke up maybe 7ish with vague trek dread. But I did sleep fairly well. Got up maybe 9-10ish. Clothes not very dry. Faffed around getting dressed etc feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Went out. Found owner in kitchen, he offered me coffee and some saltine type crackers (there is no breakfast included, dunno about coffee) and I chatted with him a tiny bit. I asked if I could hang my clothes on line in garden and he said yes and they should still be there and it was under cover so fingers crossed they will be fine.

Went out, El Balcon de Los Recuerdos has been closed all day. Had pintado and cake here first thing, wandered, went to supermarket and bought bin bags (1.5k) and found a pharmacy and bought those suero things (don't have the note here as it's on O6, a constant niggle when writing this up) at chemist, got 3 at 2k each, turns out they are each a sachet for making a hydration solution from a litre of water.

Wandered across yellow bridge. Randomly found signs for hand of god lookout. It looked naff on poster but wandered over. Didn't go in, turned back to town - just doing light walk and killing time. Wondered if I should go - it was only 5k on poster, a quid. Turned back. Went in, chap says it's open, I say 5k? and he says 10k. I say thanks and turn and walk off. Not in a rage, just not doing it. they have a poster *right outside* their property with 5k printed on it. If they can't be arsed to fix this I'm not cooperating. Also had it been 6k I might have though what the fuck, I'll do it. But double the price for a naff-looking novelty (it isn't even clear from poster if it sticks out over a cliff or just rises from flat-ish ground), meh, forget it.

Came back into town, wandered, had another pintado and a pastry thing at a little bakery coffee shop place with a fluffy ginger and white cat.

Wandered round to Esomething (in guide book) on offchance of curry (oh, had checked for place yday but either couldn't find it but I think i did and it was just shut) but it wasn't open, so had surprisingly good menu del dia "casado" (my term, hence quotes) at El Rincon de Lucy for 17k, which included a surprisingly big and welcome jug of juice. I had chorizo as the meat. Felt a bit sickly full towards end but I think it was just overindulgence in junk. It also started to piss it down (vaguely ominous re trek) and tho it had slowed to drizzle when I came out given I felt ill and wanted to relax a bit went back to hostel and ended up spending maybe too long back there.

Came out about an hour ago, weather sunny, different singer on at bar by hostel tonight but will prob not go given trek. "Needed" to buy bananas and eventually got 7ish (2lb?) for 3.5k at little fruit shop opp this bakery, and having a nut toffee swiss roll thing and a pintado here and then will go back to hotel and force myself to pack (ie empty main bag out completely and put what i want for trek back in and everything else in a plastic bag to leave here).

Have found possible hostel with private room in Chapineiro but not booked yet as hoping to get answer re cost of (says additional charge) luggage storage, if I don't i may risk it and book tonight anyway. I may also book at post-trek hostel for Sun night and then I'm probably potentially sorted for bookings.

Vaguely dreading and vaguely looking forward to trek. Really didn't and don't want to pack. Saw guide briefly at "breakfast" but not since. Guess I need to ask him what time we are starting tomorrow.

Oh, I have two squashed up litre disposable bottles for water and fearing that might not be enough (esp as prob hard to fill with 1l given squashiness) I bought another litre bottle at supermarket tonight. Not looking forward to lugging three litres of water but I guess it's good to have the capacity even if I don't actually carry them full etc.

Had two big dumps today which is unusual, hope I am OK with this on trek and ideally can avoid shitting in the woods.

1750 Finished coffee. Vague "ought to make the most of this night" feelings, but reality is I will have Sat night and all day Sun (albeit with an early start Mon) here as well, and I do have one beer in hotel fridge if it hasn't been lost and it would be good to "pack" (really ought to have done it this afternoon, but lazy/didn't want to think about it) before it is definitely too late to rush out for extra supplies.

2013 Having beer on hostel terrace. Guide came to room earlier and said we will meet 615. He seemed oddly "oh, if you think that's enough" when I said I had bought three of those hydration sachets and equally when I said I had 7 bananas and two packets of peanuts (pretty big ones btw, maybe he thinks tiny) for the walk out and (it turns out) the walk back, tho we will breakfast at finca on last day and yes it's a long walk but apparently if we do well we will be back at middayish and if we do ok it will be 2-3 and how much does he really think i eat? Anyway, I saw him in kitchen when getting my beer out of fridge and he seemed more cheerful. Toyed with dashing out to try to buy more food but the reality is I didn't buy more cos I don't want the weight.

My clothes from line are still not dry. I've taken them into room now. Because they are still not dry I have not absolutely finished packing but figured I'd have this beer anyway.

I have booked Sun night at the hostel with dorm as for Sat. I may risk booking the hostel private in Bog Mon/Tue without getting answer to question re luggage storage, I suspect worst case I could trog over to another hostel and eg book a night I am not going to use just to get bag storage or just offer to pay them, and I suspect the storage fee is not going to be huge.

Feel a bit on edge but it should be fine.

Definitely getting a bit of that end of trip funk. I still have over a week until I fly and I need to make the most of it. And I kind of am, and esp if we can get back middayish on Sat and I am only moderately knackered and can have a shower etc i can spend Sat afternoon/evening and Sun except with minor worries about getting up super early for bus on Mon bumming around Salento and drinking coffee and having a few beers and eating pastries and feeling relatively relaxed and maybe getting a pizza and/or a curry if Ewhatsit is open.

Definitely a bit of a moody whiny bitch earlier, and tho mostly to self it did come out a bit in call to parents.

I am gonna wear today's clothes inc uw again tomorrow, they didn't get excessive wear today. And I am gonna take two more tops and two sets uw and my plan will be to change when we get to the base (finca) every evening and I can (presumably) have a shower. I am only taking this one pair of trousers, I will leave the completely clean pair here so I can change into them post hike once I get to new hostel. I then won't strictly need to wash them before I get home, but I may wash the hike pair either at dorm hostel or Bogota hostel so I have a compeltely clean pair for the final day and the flight home (tho by end of day hanging around before flight I am not gonna be super fresh).

I may take the slightly damp clothes with me if I can, though one is short sleeved so maybe not. That will at least reduce scope for mustiness in bag stored here.

Will shave tonight and not gonna taking shaving stuff. Weight is tiny but straw weighs heavy etc. I didn't shave during the SBA thing and it was fine, I wouldn't expect to be getting into serious itchiness (it isn't normally *that* big a deal anyway) during this hike.

It isn't new but the long USB C charger cable (I hope) is getting a bit unreliable. (I hope it isn't the phone(s).) It is probably going to be just about OK for the rest of the trip anyway, and I do at a push (if it is the cable) have the short one. Plan for hike is to do my level best to ensure power bank and O6 full by morning, leave K1 here and put O6 in aeroplane mode with battery saver and use it lightly as a camera and GPS logger. I *will* take the USB charger and the long cable as there just might be power at the finca. No one has told me and I didn't (perhaps should have) asked. Actually you know I might not take them - straw etc, and in reality the power bank should last for two full charges of O6 in the hopefully unlikely event it does drain badly.

Told at "breakfast" the black and white cat here (have photo) is male and called Simon (pron Spanish style). It let me stroke it again quite nicely. There is also a black-ish cat which I only saw tonight after dark and have a v poor photo of. Stroked it v briefly.

If I remember I will put the UK SIM in the O6 as second SIM instead of leaving it in the K1 as normal.

I can just about hear the music guy playing guitar and singing at "last night's" bar from here. Not really relaxing with this beer (packing worries I guess) but it's fine. Trek will be a couple of days off the beer and then I will indulge moderately on the remaining days of trip, modulo getting up etc concerns.

I do want to go to bed earlyish but there is no point going insanely early as I just won't sleep.

2048 Fuckadoodlewank. Power cut.

I just finished shaving and (nothing to do with power cut) the probably better of my two razor heads leaped off the handle and dived into the bin full of dirty toilet paper. Small consolation that at least it wasn't brand new. Had to shave with the probably older one.

FFS, I guess I'm gonna have to try packing by torchlight. I also really really need to be charging O6 and power bank so I hope this comes back soon.

2118 This bites - O6 is at 30% ish and I have no guarantee the unreliable charging cable will "just work" when/if power comes back on, and I haven't booked Bogota hostel and wifi is down and rather not touch O6 - but I just have to make the best of it. Loads of stuff (damp clothes, toiletries) I need to pack (in either bag to take or bag to leave) in morning. I am going to go to bed and (I think) the light switches are still on so if/when power comes back it might wake me and I can maybe do some stuff then (eg, despite minor uncertainty, book Bogota hostel).

I don't feel tired but maybe a tiny bit and going to bed is probably best of a poor set of options.

2126 In bed.

2128 Power just came on. O6 seems to be charging so won't touch it.

I think the main thing to maybe do is book the Bogota hostel. Let me have a poke and maybe be bold.

2149 OK, booked for a double with shared bathroom in a hostel in Chapineiro - the point being it's probably safe to go out at night (with caution) if I want to and/or if I am arriving after dark despite my best efforts. Maybe it will be sociable but obviously no guarantees. It is close-ish to a TM stop which given poor connection of main bus terminal to TM may be of no use on arrival but should help with getting to airport and may also be of use if I want to eg pop down to LC during the day.

Let's go back to bed. O6 is prob charging tho still only at 42%. Luckily power bank is pretty much if not perfectly full.

I haven't put UK SIM in O6; this isn't just laziness, it isn't critical (and if I did - touch wood - get some iffy id theft type texts, what am I going to do without wifi or mobile data etc? and I am "only" away two nights) and I'd rather not have both sims in the one phone in case it gets lost.

Thunder rumbling etc. Meh, can't do anything about it. Will send this now and go to bed.

Manizales-Salento

Tue 19th 0925 On minibus waiting to leave for Pereira (18k).

Didn't sleep that well. As discussed at breakfast yday the matresses are plastic coated and they make vague farting sounds as you move around - I don't think I noticed so much when it was just me but with another person in dorm I started to notice it from Marco and for myself.

Got up feeling shit about 720 and did have breakfast (with Pieter and Marco and Antonio) about 735. Incidentally Pieter apparently getting bus to Santa Rosa (halfway to Pereira) today for thermal baths, worth bearing this in mind just in case. Bumped into Pieter again at terminal actually, I said hi (kudos to Steve). He is 61 BTW. Very friendly and likeable chap though hard to talk to in "detail" in English. (Flemish speaking natively I think, and I asked and he doesn't speak much Spanish.)

Bit of trouble finding bus but asked again and didn't flip out too much. Am sitting in back row and can see main bag in boot as a result. Have daypack with me with water, no headphones as figure just a short trip. Just given 800ish (all my loose change) to some kind of beggar chap, not sure why but the impulse too me.

Slightly tempted to visit heladeria la nina on way to cable terminal but felt a bad idea and luckily they were only just opening.

Bit warm and sticky but not terrible.

Tried starling in CS on way to cable car, same as yday. Go figure.

Feel broadly OK. Not looking forward to trying to sort out trek etc but it's fine. If I make a modest effort that's all that matters, if it happens or doesn't happen that is outside my control.

1111 Sitting at terminal in Pereira (which seems quite a big town/city), paid 11.5k for bus ticket to Salento at 1140 and can see my bus (reg no on ticket) outside but no point sitting on it earlier than nec. Boarding 1130 I think.

Got here maybe 1050, had expensive small piss at 1.5k (but got interesting pack of toilet paper). Had one of those lumpy ball snacks have been seeing all over the place - 3.5k, I got a carne one, quite nice but shredded meat a tendency to fall out.

Felt slightly "sick" in bus on way over, prob just heat and/or my somewhat poor diet meaning I was feeling hungry despite having only eaten a few hours ago. Breakfast OK, sort of fried eggs with red pepper (?) and ham (? I was asked if I ate it and said yes, but didn't notice much of it) fried in, and a couple of slices of a nice purpleish juice and two slices of sweet toast and the usual two cups white coffee.

Perhaps feeling vague tension re getting to accom and sorting out this damn trek etc. Need to chill. It is what it is and it's not that big a deal. I half want to just take things super easy for the rest of the trip but I really ought to (on experience and health grounds) make a bit of an effort to do some hiking/walking, tho day hikes are fine too. Not looking forward to being in Bogota esp last day when I will prob be "homeless" but my flight isn't til super late and I'm likely at best to be heading to airport from centre about 6pm as starts to get dark and potentially at airport from 7-730 waiting for my flight which I think is after 11. But it is what it is, not the end of the world and I need to not worry about that right now.

My GP photo backup seems to have switched to "full quality" not "storage saver" and I've left it like that since I do have loads of space relative to my needs now but I suspect it's badly slowing down uploads.

1127 Yay. Just got on bus and all the seats are full, despite guy who sold me the ticket circling the "puesto 10" bit. I'm squatting on the cushiony bit next to driver. There is a free seat up front, maybe I'll get that.

1810 On hostel terrace with view over town and in theory sunset (though it is heavily overcast) and a lukewarm 473ml can Poker (3.5k at supermarket)

Sat in front of bus, quite cool. Drowsed a bit as semi-usual.

Bit whiny to self on arrival in Salento for no massively obvious reason. Route out of bus terminal towards town is a bit obscured by a few kiosks. I was also feeling a bit hacked off with the idea of trekking and was as I walked through little park by bus terminal toying with the idea of just forgetting it and enjoying myself. :-)

Snapped a couple of whiteboard for tour agencies on walk to hostel, both showing one multi-day thing (have photo, paramillo de qusomething I *think*) and lots of other 5-12h type tours that utterly don't appeal (there's something so tiring and stressful about jumping on and off a bus all day) for COP800k and it was 2/3 days.

Got to hostel which is quite nice in a run down kind of way. Checked in no fuss despite it being early, COP63k no fuss with tax etc. Room has double and a single bed and ensuite, it is rough and "gritty clean" , so to speak.

I asked about bag storage and guy checking me in took me up to speak to (perhaps) his son, who is a guide. Speaking through half an open door which felt awkward, we discoursed at length in Spanish - in hindsight while not perfect I did pretty well. (I do not know if the guide speaks English and I'd rather not ask as it would spoil things. :-) )

Long story short, we discussed the prospect of a private (no tour agency, just me) four day trek to a >5km volcano involving a glacier crossing for some time. 1000k for guide, maybe 300-500k for extras. I was genuinely torn but ultimately I felt that (after discussion) I didn't have the right layers (esp technical underwear and decent gloves and also maybe my fleece+waterproof gear is not "serious" grade) and I didn't want to be doing something this "scary" at the last minute and dashing round tomorrow spending even more money buying or hiring gear. I think the actual technicalities of the hike would have been fine, guy (who I am not naming right now out of vague and indistinct privacy concerns) showed me harness and the glacier is just an hour or two and the harness etc is in case there's a crevasse (?! grieta he said iirc), it is not a technical climbing/mountaineering deal.

Anyway, I apologised for taking up his time and he then sketched out an alternative which (long story short) I went out and meditated on over an ice cream, a "casado" (15k, very decent) and three white coffees and have taken up. 800k fee to him, 300k extra should cover my expenses and this is three days/two nights going to just under 4k at some pass or other, taking in the park and a lake (not otun, i think) and involving a circular-ish walk which doesn't double back. 21km ish first day, maybe 6km second and third, 21kmish back fourth. I gave him the 400k deposit this afternoon. We are going on Thursday, so I did another cancellable booking.com reservation here for tomorrow night - unfortunately we will get back Sat so it's nearly double the price here so have booked a cancellable dorm elsewhere for Sat. I just may stay here Sun, we will see. Need to book at least Mon/Tue in Bogota soon. Guide said there are lots of buses (and r2r says hourly), inc Sun, from Armenia (a short bus ride away) to Bogota and iirc r2r says 7hish so I can probably leave here early Sun/Mon and get to Bogota accom before dark, or if not early evening (and I may well stay outside LC).

Finger break.

1824 Salento is very touristy but in quite a nice way, and there as (as per above) some cheap and decent little restaurants (and despite some fancier coffee places, I had those - as I found out they are called - pintados at El Balcon de los Recuerdos on corner of main square made by nice chap using a scary but cool semi-antique looking coffee steam gadget for 3k pintadito and 4k pintado). A v nearby restaurant/var has a live singer at 8 so I may go there.

I got cash out at a Banco Agrario machine after coffees and WAing guide, all fine except it offered me a shit conversion to GBP in a corrupt screen with strange but readable font and no "press X to accept, Y to decline text" and a mouse pointer visible - I waited in hope some buttons would appear and it eventually just dispensed and I briefly flipped out in case it defaulted to accept but both the receipt and notification in Starling app on getting home suggest I am being charged in COP as I wanted.

Then came back, whined a bit about sorting money out, gave guide 400k (and also asked and he said I should take both my bags, second day we are returning to same finca that night so a light bag for just water and rain gear is good and he said the tap water here is drinkable - oh, he had said earlier he has a filter for the trip) and then went out to look at the cross and the view from there and the nearby mirador over valle de corcora, which does look frankly stunning, and there were some cool formations of birds flying and I saw an eagle type thing fly v close in front of me and I had a canelazo (offered choice rum, brandy or aguardiente and picked last) for 7k from a bloke with a cart up there, then came down and got two beers at a supermarket and now back here.

Gonna have a (prob cold) shower after this beer and then try to do some laundry and then pop out for a few (restrained) beers either at that restaurant/bar with the live music (which prob won't start til 9) after.

Oh, I did ask guide here about 800k price, he suggested I ask one of those agencies and I did - basically it's 800k per person with a group of four if you do two days/one night. one person three days/two nights would have been something like 1300-1500k. He did offered to put a group together if poss but a) I was inclining to my hostel guide b) I am tight on time and if a group didn't come through I'd miss out c) in some ways it is a shame to do this privately just me and a guide but it could be good spanish practice and fun and at least it is not sprung on me last minute as on Santa Marta hike, and it sounds like if I *did* get a group to hook up with, there's a fair chance it would be 2 or 3 friends plus me or something like that, rather than a biggish group of strangers all coming together, so I'm maybe not missing out on the social angle all that much in practice either.

Plan for tomorrow is to get up earlyish but not go mad (10am??), do a little shopping for trip (some weird hydrating papers the guide recommended which are suspect are bollocks but ought to buy and food for breakfast/lunch on first day - I will just get peanuts and biscuits and bananas) and vaguely amble around town in a slack-ish kind of way.

1941 Cut finger and toenails, hate doing it (esp with the really - and too - crappy clippers I brought with me, of of fear of good ones beiong confiscated) but it's done. Nearby bar sounds way busy and I wonder if there will be room for me at the other one (slightly further) with the live music but we'll see.

Did laundry, uw and tops, and going to shave now. Washed the ss red top been wearing in the evenings, don't think it was particularly minging or anything but felt like a decent opportunity.

FWIW bus Manizales-Pereira was not particularly touristy - about 7-9 ppl on it and I was prob only tourist - but Pereira-Salento was prob 90%+ tourists, it suddenly hit me when we got off in Salento.

1959 Heading out. I may be back in 5 mins. :-)

2204 OK, back. I got a table and while I wasn't super close to woman peforming (singing with maybe a ukulele - I only physically saw her briefly) I could hear OKish despite large group talking (in Spanish) at nearby table. (Heard some French but no English or German, interestingly given tourist central nature of the place.) I thought she was doing her own songs at first and maybe she was but given she did covers of La Bamba, Vasos Vacios and at least one other song I recognised but couldn't name it may all have been covers. Have photo of name, possibly Diana Forfa but that is from mem.

All national beers 6k so was drinking Club Colombia negra at 4.7%, not a bad beer.

TBH got excessively annoyed when singer stopped and I put my empty beer bottle on the centre of my chair while went for a piss, struggled to find bathroom and walked round past chair (outside, nearly all outside) to see some c* (fucking self-censorship imposed by blog site) taking it off to sit down. It had been a couple of minutes. To be fair, he *did* seem to see me at that point and vaguely gesture to ask if it was OK but I didn't feel like contesting it and eg pissing him and/or his mates off. While massively unfair and asymmetrical (speaking generally) I always feel (while it fucking pisses me off) if I lose my seat/table it is fair game while on the other hand if I sit down and someone claims (often with zero evidence) it was their table I have no choice but to give it up.

I struggled to find bog and had to go back and ask again. And then I had to go find another seat which was a bit of a struggle, a waitress did ask if "that" (where I'd been sitting) was my table but I hardly felt able to say I'd lost it so I said I was going to change. I was excessively pissed off and internally whiny about the whole business, though I think it's reasonable to say it did suck.

I did find another table round the corner and as it happens it looks like singer wasn't coming back on (or if she did she had a v long break, and as the checkin was super fuzzy and I just took the key to padlock on room door but have never been given a street door key I was always edgy about getting back to hostel too late) so it hardly mattered, and I had a third beer and while killing time on offchance singer came back and feeling shitty about losing table etc, I was doing a bit of searching for accom in Bogota pre-flight.

Gut feeling is I am gonna stay here Sun night (tho not booked anything), travelling back Mon gives me all day Tue and in practice the day Wed in Bogota so this is already a decent buffer and it's not like there's anything pressing there to see and I will be back and while it might be nice to see G/J/Bruce it is not certain enough to be worth deliberately spending extra time there for on offchance.

Long story short, one fucking place turns out be a capsule hotel which would be fine except the description doesn't mention it, only the photos and the odd review give it away. Given my 11pm flight I "need" luggage storage and lots of places don't explicitly mention it, and the more apartment-y ones smack of shitty "owner rep turns up to check you in or out" stuff. LSS I didn't book anything, even tho I was deliberately only considering free cancellation. In many ways I *really* don't want a dorm before I fly home, but I may have to compromise given that opens things up so much and makes luggage storage (and maybe even eg a sneaky shower) way more likely/reliable. The hostel I was in at start of trip has spots and is nice and I trust it, but it was dead and maybe (esp if I end up in LC rather than say Chapineiro, tho otoh if I am doing a dorm I have better non-LC options) a hostel where I can actually maybe meet people for last couple of nights would be good, but none of the cheaper options seemed to be private room in hostel. (Despite some vague memories of a private room filter, at least on mobile site booking.com will let you filter for dozens of minor wanky options but (natch) not for luggage storage or a private room.)

I don't nec mind being in LC (tho maybe going to TM around 6pm just before dark to get flight is both mildly risky and involves a massive wait at airport) but the trouble with eg the hostel I started the trip in and poss others is that they are dead dead dead at night and in LC I really can't risk going out after dark so if there's no "life" in the hostel I just sit around and kill time. If it has to be thus then so be it, but it would be a bit sucky my last couple of nights of the trip.

Meh. I'll sleep on it. Gut feeling is I may settle for a dorm, my main reluctance pre-flight is desire to pack "comfortably" but not a huge deal. If only booking.com would allow sensible filtering I could search something private yet maybe lively or with luggage storage, but fuck me I guess. Only game in town, but still, as one twat on hackernews observed, hard to blame booking.com when I continue to use them despite them being shit. I should just use vaporbooking.com instead, and I have only myself to blame. Nobber.

Still excessively annoyed about losing table, just to be honest. It's just one of this fuckeries about being somewhere solo and while I've never liked it, somehow it just has got on my tits more than usual tonight. I was TBH feeling a little BNM when I turned up but (maybe) not hearing loads of English or German kind of cheered me up and despite non-ideal positioning to listen to the music with the beer and an effort to be positive i was enjoying it and feeling reasonably good. (There was a mild "chill" in the air but I mostly forgot it and I also reminded myself how I'd felt "sick" and wondered if it was heat related earlier and attempted to enjoy it by comparison with that etc.)

If I didn't say it was 6k for the beers, so 18k total. They added a 10% tip to the bill but I was gonna give 20k anyway (and I also put 6k - would have put 5k but only had 2k notes) so not a big deal.

2227 Yawning a bit. In fact quite a lot. I was thinking of maybe watching a little YT but I'll probably just move towards bed.

Wrt accom if I didn't have the ridiculously late flight that would make things a lot easier as I wouldn't be worked up about luggage storage. Almost the same thing is that if I wasn't at end of trip but for some reason had to be in Bogota a couple of nights, a couple of nights of solitary splendour in an apartment or similar with no chance of socialising would be less annoying.

In theory I could pay for an extra night just to not have to checkout midday 11h before flight, but that would suck, *and* at lot of these cheaper places where I don't believe (even if they say they have it) their 24h reception claims, I'd be dubious about my ability to check out at (say) 7pm.

(Despite having seen the odd person around earlier, I saw no one hanging round here at hostel at sunset and possibly one solo person as I came in tonight.)

Clothes not looking super dry, I know it's early but given I did use the towel trick I have a nasty feeling the climate here is not congenial and I'm gonna end up shoving a load of damp clothes in a plastic bag during the three day trip and coming back to them all musty. Meh. Can only hope I guess, and let's see how they are in the morning. I could maybe risk leaving shutters (no glass) open all day to increase airflow.

2245 Bed. May watch some YT (on speaker - doubt anyone can hear) in bed a bit. Set alarms for 9ish.

Manizales, Monday

Mon 18th 0900 In dorm after breakfast and bit of tinkering on booking.com.

Didn't sleep super well, tho differently than other nights. Got up for breakfast at 730 as was half awake in bed anyway. Some chat with Belgian guy called Pieter (who was v friendly but whose English wasn't the best), an English chap I don't know the name of and Carlos and Antonio from last night.

I am writing this as a way of talking to myself.

I am really not in the mood for the thermal baths. I already wasn't but guide book says you have to get a bus from Av Kev whatsit and it sounds like a massive faff.

In some sense the sooner I get to Salento the better. I *could* go today. But if there are any multi-day trekking options there I do still have enough time to do them if I get there tomorrow and start asking straight away. It's not ideal but I could fit in even a 3 night/4 day trek starting as late as Thursday morning if I had to, and I suspect a 3 day trek is more likely if I can get anything at all, and if I am asking tomorrow and it's busy there is a chance of starting Wednesday. And if there's nothing doing there's nothing doing, this was a "would be nice to make a bit of an effort and do something 'big' at end of trip" idea, not a bucket list item.

I could go to Salento today. But even tho I'm likely to just wander round town here and not do that much and I'm not farting with the thermal baths (there are also some possibilities of these from Pereira, for a start, if I don't do a trek), I really quite like the idea of a relaxing-ish day wandering round here and not dashing off to Salento out of a sense of manic end of trip urgency.

So I am thinking I will extend here for one more night (ie tonight) and have a quiet-ish day, maybe pop in and out of hostel, perhaps knock up a little walking mileage round town, eat ice cream, etc. I've booked one night in a place with a private room in Salento - I suspect I might be the only one, but who knows - with free cancellation until 6pm tomorrow, they offer luggage storage so if I can get a trek for Wed morning I can prob store any luggage with them and book to stay there when I get back.

I just *might* try to sort out a trek to start Wed remotely from here, but frankly it's probably nicer to go into a tour agency in Salento and sort it out in person. I want to - and feel I am - making reasonable efforts to book some sort of trek, but I don't feel I need to go all out "fuck every other concern, work for this madly" on it.

So I think I'm going to go extend for tonight now. If I can't I may end up reconsidering.

English guy at breakfast did say Caja Social is free withdrawals BTW.

Trousers dried very well, were dry yday. I suspect they are fairly quick drying (it's mainly the socks that aren't, despite my best efforts) and rolling them in the packtowl really helped. The socks I washed yday and did towel dry are dampish but also pretty good considering was only last night, so I really should use this towel trick more often.

Ultimately I am not gonna have deathbed level regrets if I book here an extra night and then don't want it, right? I am also not going to book then instantly think of a really good reason why I should have gone to Salento today.

0921 OK, extended. Gonna head out and walk over to monumento a los *colonizadores* (not fundadores; seen that, it's nothing massively special and hence my confusion). No massive regrets yet. :-) Prob will drift in and out of hostel a bit today.

1232 Back at hostel finishing of H2Oh from first night. Walked up to malc, not bad actually - got there a bit before it opened at 10 so I wandered up to "mirador" just past it.

Walked back down to Juan Valdez in hope of a granizado but they were prepping and said 30 mins so trogged over to Fundadores, got a cherry ice cream thing at Heladeria La Niña and then mildly over ate (torta de chocolo, pandebono and an arepa con carne and a tinto) at Panchely (where went other day). Then went and had a look inside church on nearby square and also at Corredor de la (?) Polaca hoping to go up the tower but they are closed today and tomorrow so I just shoved my head in to have a look inside church (a service was on) and came back here for a little rest.

Feeling reasonably good about not having rushed over to Salento today. I may have a free coffee when I finish this toronchelo and then go over and have a granizado.

1837 On roof terrace (alone) with beer for post-sunset. Quite cool watching traffic run along dead straight Kr22 into the sunset.

Went out, tried going to museo del oro which it turns out is something (from memory, wrong) like banrepcol cultural centre and (I asked) does not have a gold exhibition despite signs still mentioning museo de oro inside - all I could find was a smallish art exhibition about gender and equality which I wasn't interested in. Still, it was free so no harm done. It was raining at this point too so nice to be off street.

I had another ice cream thing at HLN (was going to have limon but they didn't have it so got quesobocadillo) and wandered down side of cable car station to watch it operate a bit. I think I had an almost too hot buñuelo from a street stall at some point. Then down to JV where I had a granizado, called parents and milked it slightly and then sat by the fountains proper and "meditated" a bit and milked it a bit more but it was sort of cool (also vaguely sad to be leaving and end of trip etc etc) and then - guts feeling a little rough, perhaps not helped by all this junk - went and had arroz ranchero personal and an ok jugo de mora en leche at El Palador Paisa and came back to hostel and soap washed three tops and had a shower and shave and cleaned teeth myself and then watched a little YT on bed before coming up here just after sunset.

Not the most exciting day but the monument this morning was cool and while vaguely dull the general wandering round and snacking on localish treats was nice and while slightly milked it was cool to sit by the fountain etc.

Oh, I tried Starling card in Caja Social ATMs (twice, maybe an hour apart) and both times it just refused with an "invalid account/transaction" message. I also took my Barclaycard Rewards out and tried that with exactly same result. So maybe CS is having a bad day, or maybe they just don't like either of my cards.

I have done a partial count up of cash on hand and will finish it later and make a decision if I need to wd anything now and I just may try CS again tomorrow on way to bus terminal or something.

1912 Listening to music up here.

In that cultural centre there was a little exhibit of current banknotes (incl 100k which I haven't been given - prob luckily - but which I saw a bus driver pay a toll with on one trip) and a "what do you imagine the 200k note looking like?" question display. Inflation-tastic. ;-)

1925 Having black coffee with aa. Reminds me I ordered (rather confusing the waitress, obviously an odd combo, but she had actually understood me as we eventually clarified) a carajillo and french fries in Deleite just after leaving cultural centre. Both OK but neither terribly nice TBH; maybe I just wasn't in the right mood.

Just seen woman in street below in black T-shirt saying 1976 - snapped a photo, no idea if will come out. This isn't really remarkable but I don't think I've seen a shirt like that before somehow and it has tickled me.

Nothing from either of the tour agencies. I didn't chase them, just didn't feel worth it.

Marco from last night had been looking at a San Blas *Fronteras* tour of SB islands FWIW. antonio had done the same tour I had with SBA from Panama to Colombia tho his hosts were different.

2023 Been genuinely enjoying being up here listening to music and looking out at street but I'm starting to milk it a bit. I think I might move towards bed, maybe do a little admin (copy photos, count cash) unless Marco is asleep in dorm, maybe watch a little YT first. Plan is to try to have breakfast 730 (earliest time poss) tomorrow, I am not in a mad rush but the sooner I can get to Salento the sooner I can talk to some agencies and find where I stand re treks and then I can start to make some moderately solid plans for the rest of my trip.

Finished the bottle of AA in that coffee BTW.

2036 I have v approx 850k COP on me. I have about 9 days left. I am probably going to need to wd some more cash and within reason I don't mind going home with (say) a hundred quid's worth of COP. I think the key thing is that unless I do a small test wd at CS tomorrow just to see if it works, I have enough to just wing it and see how it goes before doing a big wd. Salento is not a cash machine desert. I'd perhaps rather avoid having to wd in Bogota but even that's prob OK during the day, and by the time I'm ready to go to Bogota I can probably reasonably estimate how much I will need for rest of trip and wd before I go there.

2140 Been watching bit of YT, cleaned teeth earlier, quick toilet visit then bed. Marco not around.

Not particularly tired but slightly bored, a tiny bit tired and as I say hope to be up earlyish.