Thu 7th Mar 1454 Back at hotel. Power seems to be out so no ac or lights but have just done bit more washing. I will prob go back out and have a juice or two in park down by river (Sinu) in a minute.
Woke up a bit in night, not much. Prob got up 9ish. Dithered around a bit but not finding anything promising nearer, I booked a hostel (v cheap private with bathroom) in Medellin and walked over to bus terminal partly to see the town and partly to check out buses. Saw a barber 10 mins into walk and got no 1 all over for 12k, made it 14k with tip.
V hot. Terminal maybe 45 mins walk. Guys in pink shirts clogging entrance, I suspect they are motorcycle taxi touts/drivers.
Went in, eventually found Medellin booths. Expreso Brasilio have one 9h bus at midday for iirc 120k. Transportes Luz have a bus every hour from iirc 6am costing 130k and taking 8h. I decided not to buy a ticket as I vaguely hope to get there early but don't like to commit, given I could have bought a ticket from EB at 1145 for the bus in 15 mins I will take a chance it's not all going to sell out.
Had two empanadas and a nice jugo de sapote en leche at place in terminal, then walked back "into" town along a different route (calle 29 vs I think going to terminal along 41), passed a semi open air buffet with lots of locals eating and despite some glitches I got a pretty decent meal (chicken soup - sopa de mondongo ie tripe was one of the options btw - with pork and onions, rice with noodles, lentils and a small maybe-papaya juice (it was orange)) for 10k! Makes bus terminal feel a rip off but 3k for each empanada wasn't bad and maybe 8k for the juice was OK.
Then kept walking over to river, which was bigger than I expected. Some pleasant shade and breeze there. Went to Ara and got a can of Azteca beer (1.7k) and a 1.5l bottle brisa manzana diet drink (3.9k??) and went and drank them sitting peacefully in a sort of "square" (not square tho) in park, then came back here. Was going to do laundry, de-bloat from drinks and enjoy ac and then go have a juice near there later. As it is I may go and have a juice there now since there is no ac here and I've done the laundry.
While damn hot and a tiny bit "gritty" over towards terminal, Monteria does seem quite nice down by the river etc. I won't say this is likely to be a highlight of the trip but I don't think I regret coming here for a couple of nights. This morning on checking on washing and staff woman not making any fuss about me being there I found myself warming to this hotel in a strange way too.
1508 OK, I was just dithering about what to do when the power seems to have come back on. So I'm gonna hang around in my room til maybe 4ish and then go out for juice. Should prob write up more of SBA trip but going to watch some YT.
1848 Back. Been a bit of a whiny git TBH.
Anyway, I went out about 1700. Had a very nice and large jugo de lulo en leche (7k) at the first place down by the river, admiring view and enjoying cool breeze, then spotting the (as it turns out) palancos (from memory - I have a photo) crossing the river I dithered and decided on regret minimisation basis to go have a ride on one - 1.1k and quietly enjoyable. Was going to get a different one back but as it happened they were all on the other side by then so I decided I'd walk up to the bridge at calle 41. Found an Ara and went in for coke (pepsi zero as it turns out) but they appear not to sell water except 600ml bottles, go figure, which pissed me off a bit as otherwise I'd need to trog further south past hotel to one of supermarkets here on av 2. But I have a bit of water left in room and a litre in desk fridge. Anyway, walked up and across bridge in twilight, quite cool really, then back here and dropped off one of my two litre bottles of pz with reception and asked (massive trouble, me saying "quiero ir al terminal de transporte" appeared to be incomprehensible, what am I doing wrong?) about taxis and it is safe to get one in street, they don't know price and didn't understand me or couldn't say if it's taximeter or negotiate with driver but they can call me one tomorrow even if it's early. So that's semi-sorted too. Vague plan is to get up 6-7ish if I can and get on bus asap.
Going to have some rum and pepsi now, prob shouldn't, have got into a drinking and snacking rut with the various disruptions of late, but it's fine. i will prob put what is left of rum in 600ml soft drink bottle I got today, as then I can squash that better into bag and hopefully it won't leak gently as the bottle seems to when not upright (eg in bus rack or on boats), though I was keeping it in a plastic bag against just this eventuality so didn't do too much harm.
clothes out on line dry-ish but will prob give them another few hours. snapped a few photos over the edge of the roof terrace area, quite cool.
the palancos things seem to be powered by the tide+a fixed rudder the "driver" moves once or twice per passage - they are held in place along the river by ropes high above the river and are tethered to that by a sliding rope, so I guess this keeps them in place along current and the flowing water acts to push them slowly across. Very badly described there and mostly guesswork. Point is no motor nor is the "driver" punting across etc except maybe at start to get going.
2056 Semi-packed. Felt oddly tired and almost drunk before I had any rum+coke. Prob won't write more of trip tonight except to note that there was a very small island with about three wind-blown palms on just off the first island we stopped at, and someone (Mira??) said as we arrived that "that was the sad island" and that stuck in my head, while you could easily reinterpret it there *was* something sad about this island, and I did snap a photo of it while I was on the island we actually stopped on, it is not all that "obvious" as it's smallish and on the horizon (no optical zoom) but if you know what you're looking for it is easyish to see.
While I think it's been nice to be here - the boat ride tonight was a nice little random extra - I don't think longer would be sensible. But I suspect I am feeling a bit dislocated by moving on again tomorrow. It will be nice to get four nights and three full days solid somewhere, and depending on how things go I am very open to spending 1 week+ in Medellin (poss in same accom or poss moving, maybe even to different area) - though I am not intending to do Spanish classes on this trip, esp with relatively limited time available to me, but I will look into lang exchanges in evening as they are good practice and social.
2105 Just been down to recept and got my second coke and my litre water from yday. I also handed over all my (intact) black bin bags to the woman and think I managed to communicate they were clean (I said about using them on San Blas boat) and that I was giving them to her so she could maybe use them as it seemed a shame to just throw them out. I did check them all for stray contents before handing them over, I do of course still have nagging doubts something of value will have been in them but they are (esp when "opened" and not in their store-bought flat folded form) bulkyish and I don't need them - if I did I'd have been travelling with some from home, and I did and presumably still do (tho have no idea where they are) have a couple of blue rubble sacks with me - and I did need to get rid of them at some point. I still have all the smaller sandwich type plastic bags (except the few dirty ones I have discarded) which are not quite so bulky, though I just may get rid of these at some point - but if I can get them home they will probably come in on another trip etc.
Will prob have a shower now (as feel sober-ish) then maybe bit more rum+coke and then hopefully an early-ish night.
2152 Sitting in armchair and yes had a bit of rum but interestingly the room is featureless enough from certain angles the mirror on the wall looks (in a Doom-esque twist) a bit more like a hole looking through into an adjacent similar room than a mirror.
2253 Incidentally it wouldn't surprise me if I am either the only guest or one of about two or three.
2335 Should prob go to bed soon. I am however delighted - given I discovered "muerte en hawaii" and "ya no se baila como antes" consecutively at that cafe in Tunja - to discover rupatrupa (it sounds like the same guy and surely is not just a coincidence of names) has done a cover of the former song.
Fri 8th 0018 Perhaps up too late. Had a bit to drink but hardlt shitfaced and also can obv sleep on bus. Meh. Moving towards bed. TBH feel fairly good, albeit mildly stressed about arrival and getting to hostel etc.
Have the tiniest bit of rum left but have packed it. TBH don't feel that drunk, it isn't ideal I have drunk so much lately but I suspect the bad is more cumulative, I have not actually been significantly drunk any particular day including to a fair extent even the not-yet-written-up mild excesses during SBA trip.
0033 Wish I knew where cable for headphones without usb was, I suspect it isn't lost but no idea where it has got to and not ripping stuff apart to find it. anyway, in bed. have alarm set for 6, maybe optimistic but otoh when i have to i do and i can sleep on the bus and getting up early will be rewarded by not trogging round medellin after dark. we'll see I guess, and will send this now.
Woke up a bit in night, not much. Prob got up 9ish. Dithered around a bit but not finding anything promising nearer, I booked a hostel (v cheap private with bathroom) in Medellin and walked over to bus terminal partly to see the town and partly to check out buses. Saw a barber 10 mins into walk and got no 1 all over for 12k, made it 14k with tip.
V hot. Terminal maybe 45 mins walk. Guys in pink shirts clogging entrance, I suspect they are motorcycle taxi touts/drivers.
Went in, eventually found Medellin booths. Expreso Brasilio have one 9h bus at midday for iirc 120k. Transportes Luz have a bus every hour from iirc 6am costing 130k and taking 8h. I decided not to buy a ticket as I vaguely hope to get there early but don't like to commit, given I could have bought a ticket from EB at 1145 for the bus in 15 mins I will take a chance it's not all going to sell out.
Had two empanadas and a nice jugo de sapote en leche at place in terminal, then walked back "into" town along a different route (calle 29 vs I think going to terminal along 41), passed a semi open air buffet with lots of locals eating and despite some glitches I got a pretty decent meal (chicken soup - sopa de mondongo ie tripe was one of the options btw - with pork and onions, rice with noodles, lentils and a small maybe-papaya juice (it was orange)) for 10k! Makes bus terminal feel a rip off but 3k for each empanada wasn't bad and maybe 8k for the juice was OK.
Then kept walking over to river, which was bigger than I expected. Some pleasant shade and breeze there. Went to Ara and got a can of Azteca beer (1.7k) and a 1.5l bottle brisa manzana diet drink (3.9k??) and went and drank them sitting peacefully in a sort of "square" (not square tho) in park, then came back here. Was going to do laundry, de-bloat from drinks and enjoy ac and then go have a juice near there later. As it is I may go and have a juice there now since there is no ac here and I've done the laundry.
While damn hot and a tiny bit "gritty" over towards terminal, Monteria does seem quite nice down by the river etc. I won't say this is likely to be a highlight of the trip but I don't think I regret coming here for a couple of nights. This morning on checking on washing and staff woman not making any fuss about me being there I found myself warming to this hotel in a strange way too.
1508 OK, I was just dithering about what to do when the power seems to have come back on. So I'm gonna hang around in my room til maybe 4ish and then go out for juice. Should prob write up more of SBA trip but going to watch some YT.
1848 Back. Been a bit of a whiny git TBH.
Anyway, I went out about 1700. Had a very nice and large jugo de lulo en leche (7k) at the first place down by the river, admiring view and enjoying cool breeze, then spotting the (as it turns out) palancos (from memory - I have a photo) crossing the river I dithered and decided on regret minimisation basis to go have a ride on one - 1.1k and quietly enjoyable. Was going to get a different one back but as it happened they were all on the other side by then so I decided I'd walk up to the bridge at calle 41. Found an Ara and went in for coke (pepsi zero as it turns out) but they appear not to sell water except 600ml bottles, go figure, which pissed me off a bit as otherwise I'd need to trog further south past hotel to one of supermarkets here on av 2. But I have a bit of water left in room and a litre in desk fridge. Anyway, walked up and across bridge in twilight, quite cool really, then back here and dropped off one of my two litre bottles of pz with reception and asked (massive trouble, me saying "quiero ir al terminal de transporte" appeared to be incomprehensible, what am I doing wrong?) about taxis and it is safe to get one in street, they don't know price and didn't understand me or couldn't say if it's taximeter or negotiate with driver but they can call me one tomorrow even if it's early. So that's semi-sorted too. Vague plan is to get up 6-7ish if I can and get on bus asap.
Going to have some rum and pepsi now, prob shouldn't, have got into a drinking and snacking rut with the various disruptions of late, but it's fine. i will prob put what is left of rum in 600ml soft drink bottle I got today, as then I can squash that better into bag and hopefully it won't leak gently as the bottle seems to when not upright (eg in bus rack or on boats), though I was keeping it in a plastic bag against just this eventuality so didn't do too much harm.
clothes out on line dry-ish but will prob give them another few hours. snapped a few photos over the edge of the roof terrace area, quite cool.
the palancos things seem to be powered by the tide+a fixed rudder the "driver" moves once or twice per passage - they are held in place along the river by ropes high above the river and are tethered to that by a sliding rope, so I guess this keeps them in place along current and the flowing water acts to push them slowly across. Very badly described there and mostly guesswork. Point is no motor nor is the "driver" punting across etc except maybe at start to get going.
2056 Semi-packed. Felt oddly tired and almost drunk before I had any rum+coke. Prob won't write more of trip tonight except to note that there was a very small island with about three wind-blown palms on just off the first island we stopped at, and someone (Mira??) said as we arrived that "that was the sad island" and that stuck in my head, while you could easily reinterpret it there *was* something sad about this island, and I did snap a photo of it while I was on the island we actually stopped on, it is not all that "obvious" as it's smallish and on the horizon (no optical zoom) but if you know what you're looking for it is easyish to see.
While I think it's been nice to be here - the boat ride tonight was a nice little random extra - I don't think longer would be sensible. But I suspect I am feeling a bit dislocated by moving on again tomorrow. It will be nice to get four nights and three full days solid somewhere, and depending on how things go I am very open to spending 1 week+ in Medellin (poss in same accom or poss moving, maybe even to different area) - though I am not intending to do Spanish classes on this trip, esp with relatively limited time available to me, but I will look into lang exchanges in evening as they are good practice and social.
2105 Just been down to recept and got my second coke and my litre water from yday. I also handed over all my (intact) black bin bags to the woman and think I managed to communicate they were clean (I said about using them on San Blas boat) and that I was giving them to her so she could maybe use them as it seemed a shame to just throw them out. I did check them all for stray contents before handing them over, I do of course still have nagging doubts something of value will have been in them but they are (esp when "opened" and not in their store-bought flat folded form) bulkyish and I don't need them - if I did I'd have been travelling with some from home, and I did and presumably still do (tho have no idea where they are) have a couple of blue rubble sacks with me - and I did need to get rid of them at some point. I still have all the smaller sandwich type plastic bags (except the few dirty ones I have discarded) which are not quite so bulky, though I just may get rid of these at some point - but if I can get them home they will probably come in on another trip etc.
Will prob have a shower now (as feel sober-ish) then maybe bit more rum+coke and then hopefully an early-ish night.
2152 Sitting in armchair and yes had a bit of rum but interestingly the room is featureless enough from certain angles the mirror on the wall looks (in a Doom-esque twist) a bit more like a hole looking through into an adjacent similar room than a mirror.
2253 Incidentally it wouldn't surprise me if I am either the only guest or one of about two or three.
2335 Should prob go to bed soon. I am however delighted - given I discovered "muerte en hawaii" and "ya no se baila como antes" consecutively at that cafe in Tunja - to discover rupatrupa (it sounds like the same guy and surely is not just a coincidence of names) has done a cover of the former song.
Fri 8th 0018 Perhaps up too late. Had a bit to drink but hardlt shitfaced and also can obv sleep on bus. Meh. Moving towards bed. TBH feel fairly good, albeit mildly stressed about arrival and getting to hostel etc.
Have the tiniest bit of rum left but have packed it. TBH don't feel that drunk, it isn't ideal I have drunk so much lately but I suspect the bad is more cumulative, I have not actually been significantly drunk any particular day including to a fair extent even the not-yet-written-up mild excesses during SBA trip.
0033 Wish I knew where cable for headphones without usb was, I suspect it isn't lost but no idea where it has got to and not ripping stuff apart to find it. anyway, in bed. have alarm set for 6, maybe optimistic but otoh when i have to i do and i can sleep on the bus and getting up early will be rewarded by not trogging round medellin after dark. we'll see I guess, and will send this now.
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