Wed 1428 on hostel terrace, voice typing this, er, I just had jumped forward a bit. I have no idea whether I actually could have got a wet Wednesday ticket, but as I think I waffled about last night, on reflection it's like, not a good idea. I mean, for what it's worth, it's not like everyone goes, like the 20-something guy, Ariel, that I met on Monday at the pool thing. He's like doing the Sam Blass tour, he's had a few heavy days, he's not doing wet Wednesday. It's not like it's a must-do. I'm really, I'm thinking like, even if we assumed I could have got a ticket, if I went today, I would have either, like, not been able to throw myself into it at all, because I'm worried about tomorrow morning, or I'd have been doing it and it would have maybe gone well, and then I have to leave and throw that away, or I might have been tempted to stay and screw tomorrow over, and I'm not staying on site. I mean, this hostel is not that far away, but, you know, it's, I could do it, but it's not ideal. It's like, I'm old now, but I'm not going to be significantly older in practical terms in a year or two, so if I was going to do it, I think the thing to do would be to come back, make sure you booked in advance, have nothing planned the next day, feel able to just go mildly wild and not worry about it and treat it like that. You know, as it is, the kite surfing is the priority, I'm feeling a bit tired as it is, I've had a couple of nights out, it's like, vague regrets and FOMO and shit, but really, for my current situation, even ignoring my age, quite frankly, given the kite surfing is the priority and I'm pushed for time and it's not just the cost of lessons, I'm also primarily dithering at this point about the marginal spending of more time on lessons, so the last thing I want to do is not have a lesson tomorrow. I've already agreed to have one, but I could have said no tomorrow or maybe I could cancel it, but that wastes a day, right, and time with respect to the kite surfing is the most precious bottlenecked commodity at the moment. The actual cost isn't negligible, but the marginal cost isn't a huge deal. Okay, so that's that. I do feel a bit bad, but, sodd it, I'm going to have a quiet afternoon, go back to Maria's for dinner, you know, whatever.
Just to be clear on this marginal time thing, like it's about spending time on the island so I can have lessons. You know, technically if I didn't have a lesson tomorrow, that's not spending time on lessons, but the bottleneck is time available on the trip, and how much other stuff has to be compressed to allow me to spend time here having lessons. So if I were to have tomorrow off because I expected to be massively hungover or something, that's a day that's been burned, not having lessons, so to speak. It's probably fairly obvious, but what the hell?
The lesson was actually quite good today, a bit strenuous. I did manage to ride more, I talked on the beach with the instructor about the foot positioning and stuff for the board and I've kind of got my head round to some extent the fact that you have to twist and make the board follow the direction of the kite by twisting your moving your right leg or twisting your belly sort of thing. That bloody core strength again, not that that was what we talked about. It wasn't brilliant but I did kind of sort of ride, I don't know how far it was but you know maybe 10-15 meters more than I've done before and with a bit more feeling of control even though it wasn't perfect. So I think yesterday felt a bit maybe dubious on the progress but today definitely felt like progress. I had a chat with the instructor about more lessons, it's all a bit waffly but my current thinking is that I could very well end up staying up to an including Sunday in part just because although it's probably fine with a private shuttle I really don't think leaving on Sunday is a great idea so I probably either leave on Saturday or I leave on Monday and although the cost isn't negligible if I stay on Sunday I probably might as well have a lesson. Anyway so it's probably between two and four, leaving on Monday is maybe a bit compressed for us the trip but it can be done and I think this is the most important point and I spoke to the instructor well of course he's not giving any guarantees. I'm kind of getting him, I said two more lessons to him I didn't want to say four and give him ideas, it feels like there's a fair possibility of me getting sort of a controlled semi-repeatable not falling off ride within the next two lessons so you know it feels like that's something that would cap this whole kitesurfing session off nicely whether I resume in future or not be a lot more satisfying than well I was on the cusp of riding and it didn't seem like it was impossible for me but I just had no time or I thought I'd better clear off on the off chance something more fun happened so that's where we are my current thinking is I will probably book somewhere to stay another two nights maybe here maybe somewhere else I will take it from there and then maybe do another one or two lessons on top of that probably unless things are really really on the cusp of some sort of breakthrough or I'm feeling really down about not having broken through probably I am leaving on Monday at the latest anyway that's that's the current set-up there
At the end of the lesson, I crashed the kite after a, not in a terrible way, the instructor didn't seem to upset, but it was not working at this point, I don't think I was too bad about it, but I was a bit worried. The instructor did explain, roughly speaking, that, you know, every so many crashes the kite gives out and has to be patched up in some way that I don't understand, didn't ask about, and, like, it's just one of those luck things, because, you know, we might have packed it up if it hadn't crashed at that time, we were practically at the end of the lesson, we might have packed it up, and then the next person to fly it, they crash it, and it collapses, so it didn't feel too bad, what was a bit worse, although I don't really see that it was my fault, was earlier on in the lesson, my leash just disappeared, it had been clipped onto the kite at the start of a session, you know, when we'd gone up to the far end of the beach, the right end, no, to the left end, because we always talk about it from being out at water looking onto the beach, and I'd clipped it on just like normal, and then by the time I finished all the riding attempts and stuff, and got to the other end, the instructor came to meet me, and he was going to take the kite back, he was just about to start taking the kite and riding back, and I said, hold on, hold on, hold on, I haven't got a leash, and it just disappeared, no one made a big fuss about it, he went and got one, I happened to speak to the school owner, Jeremy, afterwards, and he was like, oh, I'm a bit sad about the leash, but not in an acuity, and he was like, I don't want to use the tree way, I didn't offer to pay for it, because I didn't want to stir things up, to my mind, I mean, if they asked me to pay, I didn't pay today, you know, I asked, and he said, no, no, we'll let it ride another day, so if it comes up when we're paying, I may be offered to pay half, or if they say something, if they insist, I just pay the lot, according to quick web search, it's about $60 for one, so it's not the end of the world, we don't really have any formal agreements, I don't think there's any insurance in place for this sort of thing, but to my mind, it's like, I didn't do anything wrong, I didn't do anything wrong, I didn't do anything wrong, I didn't do anything wrong, I didn't do anything wrong, I didn't do anything wrong, I didn't do anything wrong, I didn't I'm using their gear under the supervision of their instructor, it's just one of those things, and I'm not volunteering to eat the cost, in case it sets a bad precedent or something, the owner was chatting to me about rebuilding a pump, and he virtually didn't actually shake my hand, because he showed me his palm was all dirty, but we did a sort of fist bump at the end, I don't think I'm in the shit for it, I mean, I may be on the hook for the cost, but I'm not volunteering, I said I was casually socially sorry, and I had no idea what happened, which is true, I've had a bit of a chat with Grok, but it's not particularly clear to me, how I would have lost the leash, I didn't pull the emergency release, nothing that bad was happening on a timescale, I could possibly have done that, and it wouldn't have been the right thing to do, of course, because you don't pull that release, hardly ever, like the first instructor told me in six years, he'd pulled it once, the other release, on the power lines themselves, is a bit more commonly used, but I've never done that on purpose either, so far, anyway, and even if I'd pulled that lever, there would be bits of the two halves of the cord, I don't know how it works, but the leash would release, but not be lost, so I don't know what happened, I don't think it's my fault, if it was an accident, it's not entirely clear to me that I should be on the hook, but I'm not going to get too worked up about it.
Just renewed for tonight for 350.
Looking at booking for next two nights, zopilote only has a private on hostelworld at silly price. Nowhere novel and potentially tiall social reallhas any availability.
So after the lesson I tried to have a coffee at them what's it but they were shut because reasons I guess so I went and got some cash out, a Barclaycard not working but you
know even though I topped it up yesterday it just said insufficient funds so fuck that I had to get $400 out on the chase which slightly increases the per dollar fee but can't be helped and I got some coke and a Tonya Michelada and a packet of Chicharon and went and had that at the beach and a long call with mom and then I went and had a coffee at Maria's and picked up my laundry and then I came over here picking up a big Tonya not big 473mm at the little shop just outside the private road leading down that shop has a name but pleasingly also signed an English that just says small store on it which had seen before that's kind of cool that was 50 for the Tonya so I had that on the terrace here and I did a quick check on my flight seat booking which as far as I can tell is fine and I'm sitting here voice typing this and as I say I've just extended so that's kind of where we are at the moment
So looking on both booking and hostel world it's like there's certainly rooms available I'm almost sorry I could go to Maria's or Santa Cruz for example, there are options but nothing, Raindance has no availability I'm not sure I want to go anyway but they have no availability for two nights starting tomorrow night, the only mildly potentially social place is SES Mitiera and Balgue but like it's a private room which is nice but it's like 11 quid a night or something it's not terrible by any means but it's like a really long walk it's an extra half hours walk every morning I know it's only two days but it's not like it would be mega socializer I don't think based on the reviews it's more that there is there's a terrace and it's just mixing things up a bit but I'm not overly desperate
Poking around, it's like if we assume I stay somewhere else Thursday night, if I look for availability Friday and Saturday nights, which is already maybe overbooking my stay, like I could get into rain down, so they don't have a huge selection, they have like two dorm beds across the whole hostel, and I've no idea, it's probably not the same kind of dorm I've been in, but I guess they all have the mosquito net, or I could get into zapulotti in a cheap dorm, or that one in Balgue, although I probably don't want to, or Maria or Santa Cruz, bit torn, bit torn, I mean of course if I don't book these soon they're not going to go anywhere, it would be nice in a way if I'm here to go to the pizza night at zapulotti for the fourth time on Saturday, but then again if I'm here on Saturday and potentially staying at rain dance, which I'm not sure I do want to do, I could maybe go to their Latino night on Saturday, which might be a bit of a party, on the other hand of course I've still, if I'm here on Saturday I probably have a lesson or a ferry the next morning, very early, so I don't want to go crazy, but I don't think their Saturday night thing is that big, to be honest I seem to think when I came out of zapulotti on Saturday last night, rain dance didn't look like it was particularly heaving or busy, and that was at 10 o'clock or whatever, so you would really expect any kind of party to still be going on. I need to make a decision now in the next hour or so, but let me mull it over a bit now I've talked to myself about it like that.
1610 okay, being really trying to decide, and poking around with accommodation, and the high demand, the relative limited selection, and the fact that it's not super clear when I'm leaving because it kind of depends on how the surfing goes, is all really confusing. Basically, I'm not sure this is for the best, and part of this is just booking, because I could. I've booked for Saturday and Sunday nights at Zopilote with free cancellation up until the end of tomorrow, so at least I've got something locked in there. To be honest, it's feeling quite likely I'm going to be here till Monday, but we'll see how it goes, that gives me an option. I've booked rain dance, not cancellable, for Friday night. It's virtually certain I'm going to do at least two more lessons, and therefore won't be leaving until Saturday morning. Even if tomorrow's lesson goes astonishingly well, I would want another lesson to try to muscle memory, build it up, and enjoy myself. So, no harm booking that for Friday. There's some limited social possibility, maybe I'll just be bold and sit at the bar and chat, and there's also the Playa Mango's tour. I could take my swimming gear this time, perhaps, and then the casino night, maybe, if it happens. I've also booked an air-conditioned dorm. It was an extra three quid, and I figured it'd be an experiment. I haven't booked anything for tomorrow night yet. I'm staying here tonight at Wayitas. For tomorrow night, I'm thinking, there is a camping thing just down the road, this is the next place down from this, you walk past it to get here. But it's like 16-odd quid for the one night, and my gut feeling is that I could probably stay here, but I probably won't, although I've not decided yet. I could just go back to Santa Cruz. It would be cool to go back there. I could have one night there. I'm sure I could just walk over there now, even if I wanted and ask them about a room for tomorrow night. Or I could wing it, they generally seem to have space. I could also go to Maria's, but she did say something, I'd just smile because I'd been surprised. It's like, oh, you stayed here one night and then you left me or something, but I'm not really sure. Anyway, so I don't actually have anything booked for tomorrow night yet, but I think there are options. Raindance is not doable tomorrow night, otherwise I probably would have done it. Zopilotti is doable tomorrow, but they only have a super expensive cabin, and for that matter, based on a sign of reception, they might have some really remote rooms that you can only book at their reception, but I don't particularly want to do that. I would probably have done raindance for two nights if I could, but it's fine. Umm...
I think as of right now I could get into rain down to Saturday and Sunday nights if I wanted but it's not cancelable and there is a chance that I won't be here also while they have their Latin night and Saturday it might even be open to the public, I don't think it's like Wednesday and I'm not sure it suits me but it might do but technically speaking I could be at Zoppolotti and go across probably to their Latin night although I must admit my gut feeling is unless Friday night there goes really well I'd rather do the pizza night at Zoppolotti but so I could at least at this moment I think it cancels up a lotty and booking at raindance on Saturday and Sunday nights but I think to be honest it's better to keep the flexibles up a lotty, I would like to go and stay back there a bit as well, and it would be nice to be staying on site for the Saturday night if I do their pizza but it's not a big deal, anyway, it's 16.17 now, I haven't showered a change, I'm a bit sweaty but it's fine, I think I'm going to go into town, maybe have a coke on the beach, eat at Maria's, just maybe speak to Santa Cruz, although probably not, I'll probably wing it, and then I'll come back and maybe have a go. I don't think I'm going to be able to go for a walk, I'm going to go for a walk. watch a bit of YouTube or something. Okay, anyway, I'm gonna go.
1903 back at the hostel, so I did go out, wandered down to the beach via Ocean Market where I broke a 20 and got a Tonya Limonizal and a bottle of Big Cola, something local, because there was no sugar free anyway. They don't seem to replenish the Coke Zero supplies all that often. I went and sat on the beach wall where I normally sit, and it was fine. I went to eat at Maria's, which was surprisingly busy. A couple of tables of fairly young people, one of them. I was listening to the conversation. To be fair, they all seemed alright. I mean, I can only assume they're all here for wet Wednesday and that people don't go for the three o'clock stuff so much. I did see it a bit this afternoon as I was walking past at various points. I think I saw some people playing beer pong, and it looked moderately lively on the walk back just now. I'm just joking and it's probably a Woodhouse thing that he says all the time but I was looking in a little bit like Perry at the Gates of Paradise there was some bloke hanging around I don't know if he was checking wristbands or something but he made it kind of awkward for me to really have a good look it looked okay but it didn't look like oh my god absolutely amazing but of course it's all about the experience anyway so yeah I it was I was sweating in Maria's it just felt really hot I hadn't had a shower so I the ginger kittens trying to play with me which is nice so I went I was sweating like crazy and I came back and I had a shower first to take my towel in but not the end of the world and had a shave and then I popped back out after dark just to the end of this path to the small shop which I think is miscellaneous Diego but I'm not sure and I got a 473 Miltonia and somewhat different local cola just a small bottle for an extra bonus I mean it's already gone seven so I'll probably go to bed about nine there was another guy in the dorm at the lockers when I went in just now we said hi I don't think it was the Newcastle guy we exchanged so few words it was hard to clock the accent but he had a vaguely Germany sounding English voice yeah I think that's that so I'm gonna have this beer now I haven't booked any accommodation for tomorrow night yet but I'm not too worried about that as I said everything else is booked from earlier
hey it's FOMO or what but it's like oh I should have gone to the party or I should have done this or I shouldn't have spent so much time kitesurfing and such money I should have done more but you can't do everything it's not I have to save my energy and you know I think the kitesurfing is cool and fingers crossed it will work out okay and you know it is what it is I'm just noting it the the owner type chap here asked me earlier just casually it was chatting to me a little bit he says are you going to the party and I said told him about the kitesurfing and being up early and having to prioritize that it is vaguely interesting that he didn't look at me and think oh this guy's too old to obviously go you know so anyway just to note I'm sitting here trying to finish the first chapter of Cien Anjos de Solitude which would be a bit of a milestone
1925 centipede, about 2 inches long, just sort of zoomed up near my feet. I mean, I've taken a photo of it, there's no scale on that, that's what I'm saying, it's about 2 inches. It's just sitting there, I've got my feet in the air, it's like I'm not actively scared of it, but I don't want to run it on my leg, do I? I don't know if it's dangerous or capable of giving me a painful bite or something. Anyway, maybe the cattle will come and hunt it at some point. There's a few sort of gecko things running around on the wall. Anyway, just a quick note.
1940 just finished the first chapter, I'm gonna stop it there. Erm, the guy, buendia, is it, has just touched the ice with the giant guarding it, I think that's the end of the first chapter. The centipede went away, the cat is round, it's hunting something, there's quite a lot of sort of flies and vague, mosquito-y things around. It's not that late, obviously, but to be honest, I'm still drinking my beer that I picked up, but I might move towards bed before 9. I mean, it's fine, don't get me wrong. Er, I'm not super tired, but I am a bit tired, I mean, I don't know whether it's cumulative or whatever, but er, you know, anyway, it is what it is.
1943 class at 8.15, not absolutely amazing, but what can you do?
1956 been hearing some familiar music, and I think just some applause, and there is a fire show at Wednesday, and I'm fairly sure that's what's happening now, because I recognise this music from the guys who perform at, er, whatchamacallit, bloody hell, the pizza thing at Zoppilotti. No, that's quite cool, not a problem, I'm just saying that, yeah, I'm fairly sure it's the same music.
2031 ok, I am moving towards bed. I probably need to be up at fucking 6, 615 at latest, given I need to pack (not a huge job but a few mins) and maybe check about leaving bag here or whether I should take it with me to santa Cruz for breakfast and risk having to leave it in kite school kit room during lesson if they have no rooms (but I would rather ask directly than go via booking com or whatever now, also lets me sleep on the decision as to where to stay) plus these little chats will eat into time as well and I always seem tkbe just a tiny bit tight.
I feel sweaty even out here in short sleeve t shirt and flip flops and trousers and suspec tit will be hot in room even with poorly placed fan.
But yes, let's move towards bed, not really any point staying up.
Thu 1325 voice typing this. So, I got up about six. I did have a quick look online to see if Santa Cruz had any rooms and they did, but the privates were like 900 even when I was signed into booking. I thought I'd leave it. There was no one around and I didn't want to make a fuss, so there was another guy in the dorm, by the way, and someone coming about half one. I suspect there was another guy in the next door dorm as well, so not a big deal, but I felt a bit guilty, inevitably banging in and out and checking the locker and forgetting this, that and the other stuff. But basically I did get up about ten past six and I packed. I got sweaty as fuck all over my back. The dorm was perfectly nice, but the fan just really wasn't cutting it anyway. I didn't have a shower because of all the logistic problems and the time, so I went out onto the terrace and the kitten was there being really playful and it was playing with my shoelaces and everything. And there was no staff around and I didn't want to make a fuss, so I just put everything in my locker and I left maybe 6.45ish. I figured no one would make a fuss. I could see they had loads of space on booking.com and they seemed pretty chilled and it's not like I was occupying the bed or stopping them renting it out or anything. and you know.
The lesson wasn't too bad at all actually, pretty good to be honest, I was a bit edgy at first, the instructor did make a point of making me clip my line onto the loop on the harness whenever I wasn't using the kite. I don't, no one made a fuss and I was at the end of the lesson chatting pretty amicably with the owner and he didn't say anything and I paid up for today and yesterday so I don't think they're going to try and charge me for it and I do feel a bit guilty but then again, I was under supervision. I still don't, I mean even if I didn't clip it onto the hook on the belt after I gave the instructor the kite to ride it back, that was like 10 or 15 seconds before I noticed it had gone and by that point I wasn't tumbling so I find it hard to believe it fell off at the other end but who knows, I'm not making a big deal of it if they're not. I did mostly manage to ride after most of the water starts, I mean I would fall over but some of them were relatively long, I mean the instructor said that one must have been 10 metres so maybe I've accidentally exaggerated some of the previous ones but I was generally falling off and some of the falling off was a bit chaotic because I was going over forwards but nonetheless most of the water starts I did manage to ride a bit maybe 5 to 10 metres and there were times when it did feel like I was riding and controlling the kite albeit very very imperfectly. I think it went perfectly before it went wrong so I think definite progress. To be honest, I'm almost certainly stopping till Sunday, probably having lessons all those days but at school I've been saying tomorrow and we'll take it from there. I'm going to stop before the voice typing screws up but that's that.
So I went and was going to have a coffee at M.Watsit but they didn't have any coffee again so I went and got a beer and a bottle of Coke Zero and some snacks, some corn, snack things like I think I had in Santa Ana one of my first nights and I went and sat on the beach and I had a little bit of a mall. I phoned mom as well for quite a long call and I had a bit of a mall over what to do. I mean I've been kind of tempted to stay at the place last night just because of the kitten but I figured it's not much fun sitting out there with the bugs around not like worrying about spiders just the flies and stuff and the cat might not even be around and you know I'm not going to see it forever obviously and I thought it would be nice to come back to Santa Cruz you know to sort of cap off that part of the trip with a bit of pseudo symmetry even though it's not the last night and so after I'd sat on the beach I came over and I chatted to them and I said have you got a room and I was thinking if they say they haven't got a private or if the private is more than the $19 I paid last time it was probably something close to $25 about 900 quarter buzz on booking even when I was logged in I would ask about their dorm which seems quite full not saying there's any social prospects here but you never know and it turned out they had a room at 20 which was fine and I'm in room one this time I was in room two before this room is much nicer actually much bigger it's got a double and a single the bathroom is much larger seems just a little bit less shabby so to speak and when I got in the room I thought yeah that was the right decision so I wandered over to way us and I picked up my bag the owner type chap was sitting out the front talking to a mate and I said I've just come back to get my bag he's like a cool man or something and I went in I packed up the stuff in the locker and I left and I waved at him and said thanks very much bye and he was no worries man safe travels something so that was all cool so I came back here and I had a shower although I wasn't sure if I should but I have probably best to get the lake wash off even if I'm not super consistent about it I really don't know quite what to do with the rest of the day but let me just say it said do this before the voice tapping messes up and the power has just gone out not a huge deal but the power has just gone out
Ok, the power came back fairly quickly, so I was basically thinking, well I mean I'm drinking again today, not to excess, but every day then it's always something a little bit old last day and it's fine, it's fine, so I had that beer at the beach. I was kind of thinking I might go and get a Coke and perhaps a beer or something from the mini market near here, not the main one, not the ocean mark, and have it on the terrace and then go out for dinner, not dinner, go out for a wander maybe and watch the sunset from here, I think that's the key thing. And if there's anyone around chat and if not, absolutely fine, pop out to dinner, because I'm having breakfast here every day, I don't really want to eat dinner here, and then come back and have a beer or two on the terrace and if anyone's around, great, and if not then I'm just here like I was last time. I'm a bit tempted to go to Raindance to eat maybe a pizza, I mean I'm there tomorrow night, but tomorrow night I'll have the pizza on Saturday and it'd be nicer not to have pizzas two nights in a row, but then if I go to Raindance tonight and I may be going to be tempted to stay rather than having the night here, I mean I suppose as long as I have the sunset here and I don't stay at Raindance all night solo, which is the most likely, well I'm not likely to meet someone is what I'm saying, it's not necessarily a big deal. I could go to Maria's but I ate there last night, I'd rather not eat there two days in a row and I could go there Sunday on my last day, you know, or anyway, I don't know what to do, so the power's back on as I said, so I think I'll probably go out and, you know, get something and just sit on the terrace for a bit and play it by ear.
1421 bit of last minute faffing with copying photos onto and off SD cards in between the phones so that I can do an upload. Everything's fine, I'm going to pop out and get something at the local market after this. And yeah, it's fine, I mean to some extent even this is just enjoying having the private room. And it's fine, it's fine, it's not like I have big plans. Anyway, just saying, oh I did some cold water only washes of a bit of underwear on the top. I'm more or less fine and once I get to Zopilotti I can do some decent hand washing. So that will probably save me having to take another load into Maria's, although I could. And anyway, I probably will just prefer to do the hand wash at Zopilotti. Anyway, just saying.
1730 in Hamlet Con, Hostel Terrace, just outside room watching the sunset. I haven't got a beer, which is strategic, so let's just recap. I did go out to the mini supermarket, just opposite the hostel mini supermarket Santa Cruz, and I got a 10% 473ml bamboo watermelon that I'd seen in other places and hadn't tried yet, and a litre of Diet Coke, sorry Coke Zero, and I had those sit on the main Hostel Terrace. It was just me there, but it was actually feeling really nice. The bamboo didn't taste strong, what I knew it was, and although I was poking around semilaterally at Hostel's in Leon for Monday and looking into the transport possibilities and talking to LLMs about both of this, mainly Grok, it was quite enjoyable actually, and it felt quite good, and I think I was just about the right kind of drunk. And then it was getting on towards sunset, and I thought I would head down to the beach, have a quick look, and then come back and actually watch the sunset from here. And when I walked out onto the main road from the hostel, Mini Super Santa Cruz was playing la quinta estacion el Sol no regresa and it was like, I've not heard it in a while, not that long ago, a while, and it was like bam, straight back to Mexico 2006, which obviously is nearly 20 years ago now, but still. I think I was, was, and maybe still am just about the right kind of drunk. Let me stop talking and let the voice typing catch up.
So anyway, I've booked a hostel with free cancellation up till not quite midnight tomorrow night in Leon for Monday and Tuesday nights It's always a bit of a social gamble, but I think I've got something that's half-decent It is a dorm which isn't ideal, but generally privates are expensive and I think it's okay and Also, if things do fall through at the last minute then a dorm is less to write off So yeah fingers crossed at least I've got that sorted because I've got no idea of things and maybe surging a little bit in business So I walked down to the beach. I went into Ocean Mart and I bought some Deodorant and toothpaste both of which I've nearly run out of. I pay about three quid. I managed to get fairly cheap ones Fairly decent brands as far as I'm aware not necessarily pure whitening toothpaste But I don't know that's really a thing and this is fine for the week or so I then went down to the beach and had a little wonder up it and I must admit again Maybe exactly the right kind of drunk and the music that I'd heard earlier And it's like wow, there's a fucking volcano there and I'm on the beach and there's a heron Oh by the way, I did think maybe they're not herons. They're maybe stalks or maybe there's something completely different It was just seeing one fly Sort of across the sky with its neck bent in a certain way that made me think all stereotypically stalk like but I have no idea so I wandered around a bit and I Came back to the hostel and I kind of decided I wouldn't get a beer to watch sunset with because I've had a couple earlier I'm probably going to go to rain dance after sunset and have a pizza there even though it's expensive And I'll just drink water with the pizza and then I'll maybe get a large beer after and sit at the bar If anything happens, then that's great. It's hardly worth Wasting that coming back here But if nothing happens as I expect then I will come back here and probably get a beer at the mini supermarket and have that on the Main terrace and again, if no one's around that's fine because it really has felt surprisingly cool to be here I've still got three days on the island. It feels kind of good to actually have Stuff more or less sorted out to travel back monday and to have semi-committed to the weekend Yes, it's maybe compressing the rest of it But it feels quite good to be here for maybe another three days of lessons and a night at rain downs and two days at zopilotti and you know, I can quietly enjoy the zopilotti site and everything and It feels kind of good It's a bit of a shame things are going to be a little bit tighter than I'd have liked on the return But I can probably still do the larynx on volcano hike Nothing else is critical. I'm going to be able to do that stone Thing in sense alvedor anyway, because I can do that on the buffet. I absolutely have to have before the flight Uh, yeah, i'm not going to go to belian and stuff, but it's fine You can't do everything and I think it's overall been pretty decent and i've made half decent choices Yes, I spent a lot of money on the kite surfing But it's probably been worth it for the experience and the memories even if I never do it again, you know and As I said, I spoke to the the shop the school owner earlier and he was like Yeah, some people do just come and do like one or two lessons just to try it I mean I queried him on this or like, you know, three days of lessons because most people are only here for like a week You get serious people coming to do it, you know do it is the reason they're here But you know those people they do a few days and they try it and then maybe they pick it up again somewhere else six Months later, you know, and that's that's fine. About 30 percent of people do something like that He said but I I did query and like basically no one gets it in that amount of time But you know, they've tried it and I guess they've this is me speaking now Not him they've felt the the kite tugging them and they've tried a bit of basic kite piloting If that's what you call it and maybe a bit of body drag and had some of those experiences Anyway, I'm just waffling, so let me let the voice typing catch up.
I'm not always reading what the voice typing writes, I'm taking it on trust, I just hope this isn't completely junk. What I will say is, just as a general note, is that sometimes, and this example isn't necessarily quite right, the voice typing will sometimes mistake a positive as a negative, like could will turn into couldn't, or vice versa. I sometimes fix it if I notice, but obviously I don't even always try to read in detail what it's written, or I don't have time because I feel rushed to go back and fix it. So, if the sense of the text at any point seems to be that something should be positive or negative, but the wording is literally the opposite, don't automatically assume, especially if it's voice typing, that what I wrote is correct, because I don't control what's written, I'm just making that note. There's a spider maybe two inches across with the legs on the wall in the room when I went in to get some water before I came to sit out here, and I'm going to just try and ignore it and hope it doesn't fuck with me, it looks a bit weird, but it's fine, I mean try and be brave and not worry about it. Everywhere's got this sort of stuff here, honestly that room seems quite nice, nicer than the other room, I'm just making the note, I did take a photo of it. Um, but, uh, yeah.
It hasn't been social here so far, I didn't particularly expect it to be, and if the night isn't social one way or another that's fine, I must admit it feels like kind of the right decision to come here, it is a shame not to see the kitten anymore, but it is really cool lying here in the hammock and looking at this volcano view that is cool, I mean you get a good view from the beach as well in other places, but this is nice, and peaceful, and I'm not sober but I'm not drunk, you know, in some water, and it just feels kind of right, and it ties back nicely to the earlier part of the trip, the I've been on the island forever and even beyond that, it feels like, even though it's only about 6 weeks ago, it feels like being back home was years ago, which I think is a good thing from a subjective life extension and experience kind of a point of view. And yeah, it feels pretty nice and I've still got a few days to go, maybe the relative satisfaction, I wasn't ecstatic, but the relative satisfaction of the lesson and feeling that I have kind of sort of achieved the goal I set for myself recently has also, with the lessons, also helped. But yeah, it's not like orgasmically fantastic or anything, but I think I am feeling really quietly, fairly satisfied, I hope sitting, really no mates at the bar at Rainedown's after a pizza doesn't rather overpriced pizza, but what the hell doesn't kill it, but I don't think it will, maybe something will happen, maybe it won't. As I say, I'm feeling fairly, quietly satisfied, it feels like the island time is coming to a close in a controlled way, I've gone about as long as I possibly could, even if things go shit with EG the kite surfing, I don't think I could really sensibly push it much more than Monday. And it feels like I'm going to get some nice time, you know, Zopulotti pizza and everything, I stayed until Monday, I think it's all coming together, maybe I'm kind of obviously retrospectively justifying things in my head, but it does feel fairly together. Someone could be listening to me, dictating this part of me, I'm a tiny bit pathetic, it's not insane, and they're probably not.
I'm almost certainly going to not book a shuttle for Monday, um, I've discussed this with Grok for what it's worth, but my own thoughts anyway were that, given the shuttle does not take responsibility for the shared taxi or the ferry crossing, the convenience factor is just shot anyway, it's also quite expensive at something like 30 odd dollars for the bigfoot shuttle, maybe more, actually, maybe more, like 35. Um, and I'm not sure it even saves that much time, and I think I'll get a tiny bit of, like, oh, that's a mild memory of the journey from just DIY-ing it. If the shuttle was like no stress, I'd probably do it, but it's not, because you have to do the ferry crossing and the shared taxi anyway, so I'm probably going to DIY it from here on Monday morning. Once I'm more convinced I'm going, you know, like, e.g. tomorrow, once I'm in at Zopodote, I might start putting feelers out about a shared taxi or ask at reception and let them put the feelers out to see what's appropriate, and that'll give it a day or two to come through. As I say, I'm almost certainly staying till Monday, and I think no matter what last minute temptation there is, I really don't want to be pushing it past Monday, so it's a fairly safe thing to book. Um, what else? Let me let the voice typing catch up and then say what I keep thinking I was going to say and don't say.
The lesson tomorrow is at 9.30pm, that combined with the private room which makes packing easier and the fact that this hostel is relatively close to the lessons and the fact that obviously I'll have breakfast straight here but right on site, that takes a bit of pressure off as well. I certainly don't intend to get off my face or anything tonight and I have been drinking cumulatively a lot, albeit not particularly drunk any given day lately. I think that's just going to have to be a thing and not worry about it till the end of the trip. So things feel relatively chilled in that sense, probably something else I was supposed to be mentioning but when you're rambling to the voice typing it's a bit weird, let me let it catch up again.
A minor annoyance at the place I was at last night and night before was that I asked one of the guys not the owner chap as I think of him and I think my instructor says he is but the other guy and actually it might have been one I've done I asked about drinking water and they said oh yeah just any tap you find use it it's all great maybe that's true but I was a bit dubious this morning and before I checked in I did wander over to the kitchen which actually looked quite nice and did have a fridge by the way so that's definitely a plus for the place even I didn't really need it or want it on this particular trip but yeah the the no filtered drinking water for free was a bit annoying but maybe it is safe to drink anyway I'm just making a note otherwise it was pretty decent as say a bit close and sticky in the dorm with the not very good fans you know it can be quite hot in other places too but yeah generally fine I did in fact break the pattern and move the pillow up to the end nearest the fan to get a bit more of a breeze in the night but it didn't really help that had a sort of slightly not massively disconcerting effect because everything was suddenly turned around 180 degrees compared to last night but you know that sort of thing it's just part of the experience in a minor strange way I wasn't particularly drunk I did wake up a bit in the night probably the night before maybe some other place is feeling just slightly discombobulated and panicky and oh what's happening and am I ever getting off this island and what's happening with the lessons but I mean I've had a little bit that during lessons as well worrying about this kind of meta stuff and like a bit of oh my god I'm drowning and I'm getting splashed and am I ever going to be allowed to quit these lessons even though I do want to do it and it generally is fun it's a bit stressful as well anyway those are just general ramblings not not particular problems
Just snapped a quick photo of the volcano and it looked cool but it looked nothing like what I've just seen with my eyes. The photo is all really orangey and looking at the volcano it's like a dark grey washed out silhouette against a sort of light grey, marginally blue sky. I'm not saying there isn't just a touch of orange down towards the horizon behind the trees but you know in the photo it looks really orange. It's fine I've already noted this sort of thing doesn't match but I'm just drawing this example. It is still pretty cool to be watching and the photos pretty cool they're just not the same thing.
2010 voice typing is a bit surreptitiously on the terrace, there's a staff at the bar reception area, and a probable guest lying in a hammock, but away off. Not a big deal. So I went over to Raindance, had a pepperoni pizza, I'm not being bitter or anything, I'm just saying, the atmosphere there, it was almost textbook. And they're actually quite pleasantly chilled environment, like people looking at their phones, actually reading books, maybe sitting around in twos, perhaps even couples. There was a group of three people behind me at one point who were, I think, talking about last night and how it was for them, but it really didn't feel remotely social. I'm not complaining, but because of that, I decided after I'd had the pizza, I would just come back here because I didn't want to waste alcohol budget and so forth hanging around there. However, that said, there were two women at the table next to me while I was eating, and this Scottish Irish bloke came over. Maybe he knew them, maybe from last night or something, but they said, oh, where are you from? Like, maybe they didn't know him from his accident, he explained about his dad being from Dublin and his mother from somewhere in Scotland, but he'd grown up in Glasgow or something like that. All that kind of stereotypical, oh my god, so Celtic, but complex sort of way. Anyway, and he just walked up to them and said, oh, this is really weird, but one of my best friends has just cheated on another, and I've posted it on Instagram, and I've linked to the wrong Michael, and they're all like, oh, wow, and then he's explaining, and I'm like, what the fuck? I mean, maybe it was some sort of weird, cold approach, or maybe he already knew them. Apart from that, however, it really did feel like it. I'm not complaining, it just felt like it was pretty clear to me that I was reading the room correctly, that nearly everyone I could see was really just quietly being there on their own. Not a problem, just making the observation. I'll say this guy, I think it was him, he did a handstand in the bar afterwards. I mean, maybe he's just a bit weird, maybe he was there as a performer last night or something. That's just by the by. So then I walked back home, I just had water with the pizza. The pizza was quite nice, but not amazing value, is it? It's not that huge. And I walked back, and I'd taken my torch with me, because I thought I might as well use it, and there was a tarantula walking across the road as I was coming back, and because I had the torch, I was able, according to some bit of web-search I'd done, I'd probably stressing it out by shining a torch on it, but anyway. I was able to take a photo of it, sadly only with the A06, they're not brilliant photo and video of this fairly big, perhaps not as big as some of the ones I've seen, tarantula. And so that was kind of cool, you know, and I didn't feel too freaked out, although I don't really want one in my room, if I can help it. Anyway, so I came back, I got a beer at the mini super just outside the place, and I drank that sitting here with the A06. I've just been back at the room, swapped over to the P7, that spider on the walls disappeared, God knows where it's gone, and I thought I'd write this up, and then I'll go and get myself another beer at the supermarket, and that'll probably do an early-ish night, or maybe a bit of YouTube or something. Well, we'll see how it goes, but anyway.
2024 just been out and got a can of Victoria this time, Mr. Tanya. I have a vague feeling that Victoria doesn't taste as good, but maybe I'm imagining it, but I thought I'd mix it up. It was the same price as well, so I attempted to get a can of piña colada, but I didn't. I could always go back out if they're open, but I don't want to massively overdo it, and it's already lated off. And this is, at this point, it's kind of quietly pleasant, not like massive, so anyway, just, it is what it is. Actually not that it's a big deal. I think the Victoria is 4.9% and the Tonya is something like 4.3 or something. I had seen that before but I've forgotten those numbers aren't trustworthy except the 4.9 because I've got the camera in front of me. But I still have a feeling that the Tonya tastes nicer. Anyway, maybe I'm imagining it.
Oh, just to be clear, unless I'm confused, the Zopilotti booking for Saturday Sunday is going to lock in in a few hours time, that's fine, I'm going to let it lock in, I think it makes a lot of sense, I don't know if I could get into rain down some Saturday night anymore if I wanted, but given I want to do the pizza and I'm going to be there at rain down some Friday and you know, and Zopilotti is kind of nice except for the slightly annoying eco stuff and the sodas, it's still kind of nice to be there for a few days I think. the site, got the Mirador again, you know, so I think that's fine, as we've established earlier, I'm pretty much definitely staying till Monday, even if there are no more lessons, which there probably will be, but even if there aren't, I'm pretty much staying till Monday. So, it makes sense to have that booking. Yeah, I did want to go back, it fits nicely with the Pizza Night, I could do it externally, but it's sort of nice to do it from on site. Yeah, anyway, it is where it is, I'm just making it clear that I am pretty much consciously letting that booking roll past the free cancellation point.
Oh, when I was talking to the school owner, Jeremie French guy, French spelling, I think he said he was surprised, impressed, he's maybe not quite the right word, but maybe sort of that, but I hadn't taken a day off, he said a lot of people would ask for a day off after 10 days or something. I just, I'm not saying I haven't felt tired, but I do wonder if other people would do that because they wanted to party or something, but anyway, I didn't, I mean obviously it's come up in kind of discussions I'd had with LLMs and stuff about all sorts of aspects of this, but it's just never really felt like it's been massively necessary and I have been taking it fairly easily otherwise for better or worse, but anyway, he did comment on that, which I thought was interesting. Fingers crossed I don't conk out in the next few days, I actually joked that to him and he said no, no, no, you'll be fine by this point, but anyway, for what it's worth.
There is quite a nice, cool-ish sort of breeze here, but even so, I mean, I'm not particularly drunk, I mean, but it's not super luxurious sitting here drinking the beer as such, and while it is nice to be here, especially towards the end of the trip and everything, it's not finding me in some pleasant, and I'm not worried about the lack of socialness. It's like it's late enough and I'm tired enough and I perhaps ought to take advantage of having a private room to relax a bit better and stuff like that, so I'll probably finish the beer, which is all quite a lot of, I'm not rushing off, and then go back to my room and clean my teeth and go to bed and perhaps read in bed or something like that, so you know, see what happens.
2052 ... just where it's worked, those two women who the guy went up to and started telling his Instagram story to, they seemed kind of interested, and then, I mean, they didn't seem a bit late, I was going like, oh, I get it now or something. Maybe he knew them, they didn't seem remotely non-plussed at him going up to them, so it just struck me from a third-party perspective, it was so fucking weird, maybe they didn't really know him despite asking him where he was from, but, yeah, just wanted to make that note, that they didn't seem like completely taken aback by it, I think it took them a while to understand, maybe they were just taking in their stride, and it was as weird to them as it was to me.
Just about finished this beer. To re-use my favourite phrase, I haven't used it for a while, I don't really think I want to milk it tonight. It's cool and breezy out here, it's not pleasant, but there's no enormous buzz, you know, and it is nice to have a private room. I'm only going to just use it to go to sleep in, so I'm probably not going to milk it and I'm going to go in shortly.
And to be clear, I don't regret leaving Raindance without hanging around for a beer. I mean, you know, if it had literally nothing else to do and I wasn't trying to have a night here for old times sake, for want of that word, I would have probably done it, but it didn't feel super promising. I wasn't super in the mood. I'm going to be there tomorrow, blah, blah, blah. Just saying.
2118 had quick shower. Bed.
Fri 1544 at the beach, voice typing with the P7, which I probably shouldn't be, given it has no screen protector, but sod it, I mean, who knows. Maybe the screen's getting better, I'm not sure, maybe it's a write-off, but whatever, I'm not, I'm going to take some care, and the AO6 is charging back at the hostel. Just to do a little bit of late admin before I go back over the day. I checked in at Raindance about 20 past 2, and there's no problem, and I managed to get a lower bunk, which does actually matter a bit, because the aircon dorm with 4 beds doesn't have mosquito nets, which is fine. It's nice, the guy said the room's tight enough that you don't need them because of the aircon, but that did, although I got a lower bed in all cases, the nice thing about having the mosquito cages was that an upper bunk wasn't such a big deal, because you didn't have to worry about the foam falling out of bed, because the mosquito cage would have stopped it. But anyway, as it happens that's fine. What's a bit annoying is that the Playa Mangos tour today was absolutely solidly booked up, all 15 slots were taken when I got there. It's not the end of the world I have been, but I was thinking I would go just for the social aspect, and I was also thinking maybe I would take my swimming stuff and not take too much other stuff, and then just maybe I could have swum there this time. But anyway, as it is, the things moved, and at least I did go once. There is apparently a casino night at 7.30, so I will attempt to do that, there's free punch apparently, so not making a big deal of it. It's not like I've had enormous social success lately, but after the pool tournament the other night I've felt a lot better, and I think I'm generally a bit more chilled, and if something happens tonight then great, and if not, not the end of the world. I also chatted with one of the bar staff, or staff or whatever, after I'd more or less checked in about whether I could arrange a taxi off a Monday morning through them, even though I wasn't going to be a guest that day. And he's like, we're talking in Spanish, because he started in Spanish, I don't know whether that was a good idea. Seemed to go right in that sense. And he's like, oh yeah, well send me a WhatsApp and we can see what happens, and it's like, I don't know whether he's just willing to sort me out a taxi, and to be fair their price seems to be at $20. So maybe it's the same as Opelotti, I'm not sure, but it's not entirely clear what would happen about sharing and who'd have to arrange it. What I'm actually thinking I might do, and I've got his WhatsApp details, it was a QR code, I had the P7 in my pocket so I couldn't scan it, scan it, but I photographed it. And I'm thinking, I might wait till I get to Raindance tomorrow, I might actually send a message tonight on the Hostelworld app, or the WhatsApp, the Opelotti group or something, and ask if anyone wants to share a taxi first thing on Monday. And if they do then we can arrange to book it, whoever's most convenient to book it, probably via Opelotti then. And if no one comes through then maybe I can speak to Raindance or something, but that might be a good first step. I mean I could even maybe say that I'm personally going through to LeonDIY, and if anyone wants to tag along they're welcome, but the main thing is sharing a taxi to the port. the port. Okay, let me see if the voice typing will do this.
So I didn't sleep brilliantly, not too bad to be fair. That spider was on the wall, quite a flat one actually, it moved around quite a lot over the course of the hours, but I wasn't too fussed about it and disappeared later when I woke up in the middle of the night. Didn't sleep too badly, not brilliantly. I think I went to bed when I said I fell asleep fairly quickly. I woke up a bit in the night and I think I was more or less properly awake by 5, 6ish and I was just sort of reading in bed. I had a tiny tiny little sort of stab of not quite panic or homesickness about the lesson and drowning and the pressure to get stuff done and leaving the island and the trip going back home and all that usual kind of crap. The lesson was at 9.30pm, because I was at Santa Cruz and I popped out for breakfast before I packed and it was already quite late, the lesson I mean, breakfast was a bit more chill than usual and I also got a message through from the school saying 9.45pm instead, so that gave me a little bit of extra time. That was all quite nice. The school was really busy, there was a load of walk ups, I think more or less, you know, people seemed nice enough, but they were a lot of walk ups. So I started off not wearing the usual belt and the school owner helped me put it on and it was a bit uncomfortable. I was getting a bit antsy because I'd been wearing it for 15 minutes already and I was wondering if I should take it off for a rest and then when the instructor turned up from his previous class I took my usual belt back from that guy, so that was better. The top I was wearing was a bit on the tight side, but not a big deal because they've gone through their stock with all these people, but that's fine. The lesson itself was not bad at all, overall it was good, but like the first hour, not anyone's fault but mine, but the wind was a bit light at times by the way and we actually changed kite at some point during the lesson. To start the first hour I kept falling over really quickly and I think the instructor seemed fairly pleased, maybe it was just being encouraging, but it felt to me a bit worse than the previous days, although they maybe did feel a bit more technique to it. But the second half things sort of improved, maybe because we'd switched to the bigger kite and right at the end, I mean I did get one or two half decent rides in and right at the end the last ride was actually pretty long, I don't know how long, but you know, probably the longest I've done and I did fall off. So the instructor was pleased and I was pleased and he was acting like this was the last lesson as we had half discussed, but I talked to him after this and I said can I have lessons on Saturday and Sunday and he said yes. So we are doing that and I've been clear that I'm leaving on Monday, so however he wants to teach but he at least knows where we're going, let me just know I'm not going to let the voice type in catch up, let's just wing it. It was fairly good and if the next two lessons are crap I hope they're not going to be and I can cement things a bit further, but although it could have obviously been better, today was a pretty solid ride, as I've had semi-solid rides before to be honest, and it's like if I do know better than that, if I don't get anywhere at all in the next two lessons, I'll still be able to feel that I left having had a solid ride and I kind of know how it feels and blah blah blah. Alright, I'm going to do the voice typing now and let it catch up and fingers crossed.
For what it's worth I think with the kite we switched to today was a 13 Before that it might have been a 9 or a 10, but I'm not so sure doesn't really matter I guess so although There's never been one clear day. Well. There was that first ride day Well, you know I actually did get up on the board from water start briefly But I thought I was a bit dubious about words. It really wasn't achievement But there's not really been any absolutely super clear first ride or good ride thing after that But I did have an ice cream today. I went into that ice cream shop that I keep passing and that's not usually had anyone there Or he's shut and I had a dulce de leche Piletta stick thing and then I thought solid and I went back in and I got and it was only 50 So that's not too bad. Actually. I got a double cone with pistachio and rum and raisin And just jumping ahead just before I came over here. I went in there for reasons I'll come on to and I had another double cone with rum and raisin and mint So only a pound of time basically so way better. I think than L'Amico Arcana Anyway, so as I was on my screen, there's this very skinny looking street dog a bitch as it happens Looking up at me pitifully, and I'm like sorry sorry, and I did drop a bit of ice cream on the table So I flicked out the floor and she ate it. It was probably not very good for anyway And I felt quite bad for her, but obviously not much I could do So I thought I'd seen dog food on sale in ocean mark, so oh by the way I tried the cafe place for coffee again, and I walked in and the woman just goes no, sorry no coffee today They're getting used to me. It seems bizarre They're not making any coffee, but I almost wonder if it's a very casual half-hearted business, and it's really just their house But anyway, so I went to ocean mark, and I got a plastic bag full of some sort of dog chow Granule things and I got a mid-chilada. I was maybe gonna not drink But I'm gonna drink at rain dance, and I'm gonna drink at pizza night, and it's fine I'm not drinking huge amounts every day. It's just every day. I am drinking anyway, so I got myself a mid-chilada original and a bottle of coke and some plantain crispy things and Before I had them well the ice cream place is right opposite the beach access So I walked back up to the beach access and of course the starving looking dog had disappeared at this point I wandered around a bit, and I couldn't find it I went and sat on the beach and ate my stuff and drank my beer and had my coke I didn't call mum part because I didn't want to overdo it, but also my credits run out yesterday So I don't have any today and given I don't really need it especially now playa mangoes is not happening I'm gonna be on Wi-Fi pretty much all the time ditto tomorrow I'm thinking I'll probably top up with six days on Sunday, then I've got it for Monday, and that will very likely see me All the way out of Nicaragua. It's not just about economizing on the cost of the the credit, which is pretty negligible It's also about not having to top it up again before I leave because you know you have to find somewhere to do it And remember to do it and even if there's loads of places especially if you've got an early start. It's not always convenient Okay, let's let the voice talking do this fingers crossed
So I went to Santa Cruz and had a white coffee there which was mildly nice and I picked my bag up and I went over to rain dance and checked in which I already described a bit disappointed about the Playa Mangoes tour but can't be helped and I sort of unpacked a bit in the dorm and had a little wander round and hung my swimming gear up and I wasn't sure what to do but I thought I'd come out here and maybe have another ice cream oh and I still had the dog granule biscuit things and they were smelling a little bit in my bag not not it's quite a nice smell I think it's dry dog food but not exactly nice but it's got it's not horrible but I was starting to smell it in the dorm from my bag being there so I thought I really better get rid of this and that was another reason so I thought I'd come out here and do this voice typing on the beach and before I did I thought well I'll go back to the ice cream place because I might see that dog and I'll have an ice cream anyway and I did see the dog and there's people around and I feel a bit weird about feeding it on the street like maybe people get upset or something or it's in front of their house and they'll be upset probably wouldn't so I'm trying to there's a couple on a motorcycle or a scooter and I'm like beckoning the dog across the road and it does come and then another dog turns up and it didn't look that skinny so I'm thinking I didn't really want to give anything to this other dog and it's like then it can obviously smell the food given that you know the bag was just tied up with a loose knot and I could smell it in the dorm so I'm sure a dog could smell it especially if it's starving and so anyway long story short I went back across the road to the place next to the ice cream shop and by this point and there were these two dogs and I sort of got it out and I scattered it on the floor and one of the dogs kept looking at me like he wanted and I'm pointing it around the floor no it's on the floor there isn't any and I'm trying to make and they didn't fight actually to be honest and and then two more dogs to fair they probably are all street dogs but there's nothing I can do and they didn't fight and some of them kept looking at me like can I have some it's I know it's on the floor and they would eat it off the floor they weren't fighting with each other but anyway so the skinny one which I took some photos and videos of them all and I took a few extra photos the skinny one and I did talk to a bit and stroke it a little bit after I'd had my ice cream because I had the I had the plastic bag which was empty but I guess still smelled of the food in my hands and there was no bin there so I dumped it in the bin in the ice cream place and I don't know whether the woman was upset I don't think she would have been but so I bought them my ice cream which I was gonna buy anyway and I had that inside and then I went out and they'd eaten the food and obviously and the skinny dog was still there and I stroked it a bit and talked to it and wished it look and stuff because I'm stupid like that and then I came over here and started writing this so that's where we are let's talk about plans in a minute but again I'll just let the voice typing process this fingers crossed
Okay, that's all over the place because I keep kind of making little interjections and asides but the virtual hyphens don't come across either because I'm not speaking that clearly or because the voice dictation isn't that good. The key point is I fed the dogs. I had the plastic bag in my hand that smelled the food and so I think that's why some of them were looking at me rather than eating the food on the floor. So I went in for my ice cream, dropped the bag in, binned by the door on the way in and I left the dogs to it and presumably once I wasn't there with the food smelling bag they all just shared the food and it had gone when I went out and the skinny dog was there and that's when I stroked it and talked to it. I also had a chat with the school owner this morning while we were waiting for the instructor to finish his lesson. As I said, there was a slight delay because of the big crowd and everything and he said he knows the rain dance owners because the foreigners on the island pretty much all know each other and there's a British guy and I can't remember the other nationality. I don't know whether the British guy was that sticks that I sort of met the other night and anyway, apparently three years ago it was just a bar and then they started expanding it into accommodation and building the party up so if that's true it's not actually been around all that long. He asked me if I'd gone to the party and I said well no and I wasn't just trying to suck up or anything because it's true, right? No, because I didn't want to be hung over or waste a day but I also said I was maybe a bit old and he was like yeah, yeah, I mean I'd probably be the same, like even I'd be too old, he's probably younger than me but he still ought to be old enough to be their father and stuff but he didn't say it would be absolutely ridiculous to go you know, I think he probably would be reasonable if you went with the right attitude and didn't expect that it would be exactly the same as if you were 25 but anyway, he also seemed a bit surprised I was staying in dorms but we kind of conversation terminated because he had to go off at that point but I don't think he was being massively critical. Anyway, so that's that. I'm thinking I'm going to go back to, I mean I've got a lot of time to kill till the casino night at 7.30, it doesn't hurt to be around there. I'm thinking I'll eat there, I could go to Maria's but I'd probably rather eat at Maria's on Sunday now and that will be my final meal on the island. I'll probably see if I can get the curry that I had the other night at Raindance, it's a bit pricey but it was quite nice. So I'm going to eat there. I'll probably, given that the hostel is probably relatively empty with the people off on the Playa Mango's tour anyway, I'm not that desperate to swim but I might, given it's right on site and I want to have a shower anyway and stuff and I'll put some clean trousers on because then I'm fresh for tonight and relatively fresh for tomorrow night and I can do some laundry at Raindance at the slightly dirty pair I'm wearing, I'd do some laundry at Zopilotti I mean, sorry. So having a swim isn't a huge hassle and if I just go in the pool for 10 minutes, that's not a big deal, is it? And then at least I've used the facilities, I'm not gagging to do it but it would be nice enough and kill a bit of time. So I'll probably go back soonish, although that's just to leave me a lot of time to kill. I could always relax on the bed in the air come dorm I suppose but I do want to be visible, you know, and around anyway. So I'll go back, have a swim, change pretty much at sunset or whatever, though I'm not going to get too sweaty just wandering around the site or sitting in the bar but, you know, do my late change. Have the curry if I can get it and then I'll be there for the scene of night and whatever happens happens. So that's the rough plan, I think that's most of what I wanted to say. I mean, just hopping back to the lesson briefly, it's like, although it's still a bit of a pain and I still don't really like body dragging without the board when the waves are all splashing in my face, to the right, which is, I don't know if it's downwind or upwind to be honest, I think it's always upwind when you do it, but it doesn't matter. When the waves are splashing, I don't like it but I'm getting to be a bit more tolerant of it and while it's not trivial and it always feels a bit hit and miss as to whether I'm going to manage to grab the board when I've body dragged to the right and then back to the left to get it. I do actually seem to be getting it without too much fuss, so that's progress there as well as the riding right, there's a bit of control and stuff there. OK, so I think we've more or less said everything and let's let this catch up and then maybe we're done.
1705 ack at hostel, going to eat then swim.
Sat 0515 everything's okay, I'm voice typing out on the pavement in the middle of the hostel, but I'm feeling a bit stressed, irrationally so, just to breathe things up to date, what the hell? As I was, just as I'd written that more or less, I was in the dorm and getting ready to go and swim, and a very nice chap from New York, born in India and moved there when he was two, came in, a guy called Vans, V-A-M-S, I think I might have a photo on one of the phones, V-A-M-S, I think. A nice chap, we chatted quite a lot, he was very friendly, apparently he's about 27 based on speaking to him later, we chatted quite a lot, I went out for a swim, he went for dinner, I recommended Maria's to him, I met him later in the dorm when I was after the swim, I was swimming for about 15-20 minutes, that was quite nice, with it getting dark at that point, thanks to the delay in talking to him, and it was quite scenic really, and then I sat by the side of the pool, which I had my glasses on, my feet in the water, all fine. I went and had a beer in the thing, and he said he'd come and join me, and he did, and we chatted most of the night, which was quite nice, really quite nice, the casino night was just like five people playing with a home-type green-based cloth, we did wander over at one point, then we switched to poker at that point, it wasn't a very big event basically, so we didn't do it, and no big loss, it was much nicer to have a chap, all great. However, I got a text from the school, not a message on WhatsApp saying lesson at seven, I said that super early, but I can do it, because obviously if that's when the wind is, or they've got availability, especially the wind, I don't want to jeopardise everything, but it absolutely knocked me for six, I mean I'm exaggerating, let me just see if the voice typing will deal with this before I do more.
Okay, so anyway, we stayed in the bar till about 11. I had about 3 pints, effectively, so I'm not particularly drunk, got to bed about 11ish. Nice enough in the dorm, it's not brilliant, but it's fine, it's fine. I mean, there's no shelf, which is a bit annoying compared to the less super dorms. There's no shelf, which makes it a bit less awkward. It's coming in to put things. Oh, we saw a trencher on the path coming back and I snapped a photo of it. There was one in one of the shower blocks earlier, apparently, but I didn't see it. I wandered over and said, oh, is there a show, and they said it was there, but I didn't see it, and I had a shower in the next cubicle, and it didn't come to me. We got a shower in the dorm, but I thought I'd use that one, or someone was in it, or both. Anyway, I'm just a bit stressed out, because with the Lesson 7, I'm going to not check out here, because I checked and checked out, it's 11.30, so it's fine. But that's a little bit stressful in a different way. I won't be able to eat before the Lesson. I'm going to be getting a bit irrationally stressed out. I'm going to get that weird claustrophobic feeling I did with the harness yesterday. It's like, oh, am I going to miss the air conditioning? I've had it tonight. No, I'm not. I'm standing outside, and it's fine. Oh, there's not really air conditioning anywhere else, not even in Leon, and I'm going to be dying, and it's like I'm just getting massively worked up and spiraling. And it's like, oh, and also he mentioned some sort of pool, oh, how the ag were, and he said, and this has caught my attention somehow. It's like, oh, if you swim there, you're not supposed to age for 10 years. Obviously, it's not true, but I am sort of tempted to go, and I'm like, oh, I could go, so I might have to go there today. I do kind of want to go, but the trouble is, I need to get some money out, and I don't want to be getting money out and leaving it lying around at the pool. And I'm going to have to come back here to check out after the Lesson. I can't just go straight on there, so I'm going to be trogging back and forth, back and forth. It's probably about 50 minutes walk away. To be honest, I may not go. I'm just feeling stressed out as fuck. I've not come out here just to write. It's like I've been not sleeping very well. I've been asleep for an hour and waking up, feeling a bit trapped, and it's all just, I'm just getting worked up about this Lesson because it's at 7. I mean, it's over the time now. It's 20 past 5. I'm going to go back into the dorm again in a minute and lie down, but I'm not going to get any sleep, am I? I've had a reason I'm not asleep. It's not terrible. I've got a pain in my little finger. I think there's just a teeny tiny lump of pus somewhere, a teeny tiny bit, and it just hurts a bit. I'm getting worked up about that, and it's like, oh, I must have slept on my hand because it didn't hurt at all yesterday, so it's not the Lesson's. But my hand's a bit stiff, and I'm like, oh, and everything's just getting on top of me at the moment. And I think the stress of having to change the hostel combined with the last sort of second to last day and this, you know, the early Lesson and not being able to eat or check out and completely breaking my routine is just doing my head in. It's just, none of it is huge. Everything's basically fine. It's not this guy's fault either, except for the fact that you mentioned this whole day. He'd been really nice, really nice chatting to him. And anyway, there we go. I'm going to let this type, and I'm going to go back and lie down on the bed and see what happens.
I do feel a bit better having come out and talked about this with myself like this it's fine I'm just catastrophizing right obviously I'm not gonna feel awful during the lesson just because I haven't eaten I've got some peanuts which have been carrying around for a while you know I can eat afterwards I don't have to get worked up about this swimming thing at all do I it's fine so yeah anyway I'm gonna go back in I don't know my eyes also feel a bit sore but I think this is maybe like what that Dutch guy said The constant exposure to the lake water is doing something, but they don't feel sore most of the time, so I think it's also perhaps a bit of a sleeplessness thing. Anyway, I'm going to have to let this type, so I'm going to stop talking and go back in and I can always write more tomorrow.
0534 back in dorm and feeling a bit shitty and trapped again. Incidentally I ment I have a photo of hostel dorm whiteboard with vams name, not of him.
I did also meet the pizza name taking guy from zopilote briefly at the bar last night, he knew my name from the pizza but obviously I sis t him, we spoke very briefly but he was chatting with i think the guy who does the bar at zop pizza nignlh
I need to not stress about Monday but I am. Worst case I just pay thereby dollars for a non shares taxi and splurge on a shuttle and take my changes. Well worst case is maybe slogging through the public buses feeling a bit stressed.
1525 if I was typing on my usual concrete wall on the beach, just as a brief note, we did actually do some start one of the return lengths down the beach, you know, sort of to put the kite up and then I took it back from practically the opposite where I'm sitting now, so I thought that might be lucky but it wasn't, anyway let's not jump ahead. I was in the bunk and I got up, it's like I started to feel stress again, it's like obviously I'm not going to sleep so I just got up. I had some peanuts in my bag that have been been knocked around there for ages, they're like 10% of the way to turning into peanut butter from having been smashed about and maybe sun heated so much but I ate those. I was fine, I was feeling a bit jittery when I got there and to be honest I made very clear that it wasn't his fault, you know, not like when I couldn't sleep before and stuff but I did tell the instructor because I was so jittery that I just felt really weird and over that I was a bit claustrophobic at putting harness on and we didn't put it on until we just started, we set the kite up without it and once I got it on it was fine and although I'm not saying I felt 100% I did feel more or less okay once I was out in the water. Skill-wise things didn't really seem to click today, I mean I might delude myself as a bit of sort of practice and just brain experimenting and muscle memory and different conditions sort of experience accumulated but not amazing. I did get up on the water start most times I think but I would often fall over probably after a meter or two but just is what it is. I also sort of, I mean I think it's just one of those luck things but I probably only had one or two times when I actually lost control of the kite enough that it hit the water but one of those times fairly early in the lesson it killed it basically and I don't know, the instructor seemed a bit pissed off, I didn't probe him, I don't know whether he was pissed off with me or annoyed about the kite going but I tried to avoid speaking to anything but anyway I mean it was fine, he gave me a little bit of extra time at the end, it's like this definitely wouldn't be going out on a high but you know yesterday was a good enough high and maybe tomorrow will be better, maybe I managed to get a bit better sleep tonight, anyway in part of the general fucking around sort of feeling of the day I left my swimming trunks at the kite surf school and I didn't realise until I got almost all the way back to Santa Cruz hostel where I was going to have breakfast afterwards and it would have been leisurely and it's like but I've also got to check out at rain dance at 11 30 and it's like so I had breakfast and I did text the school but they didn't respond and then I'm walking over to rain dance and I actually saw Billy and I think it was Pietro's girlfriend and they said hi and they said oh the school will be open so so I went back to rain dance and I packed with the air conditioning on just for a bit of a what the hell and I checked out nothing to pay of course I'm opening a tab and I left my bag there and then I trogged all the way back to the school and I threw a load of people chatting at one end and I sort of waved at them and I think Billy called out hi Steve so they probably know I got the stuff and the trunks were there and it's like so at least I've got those because if I hadn't got those I'd have had to spend the whole day herring around the island I don't know if there's anywhere within walking distance that would have sold me some swimming trunks I'm thinking about going to that Ojo Diago place tomorrow after the lesson because then I'm halfway there it would be a sort of nice wrap up I can't find anything on a quick web search about this keep your appearance for 10 years legend it just feels but anyway it might still be a cool thing to do and after the last lesson I don't have to worry so much and if the lesson will probably be fairly early tomorrow but I spoke to the owner a bit and he's like no no we won't we almost certainly won't do it quite so early tomorrow but I was clear that I understood you know the wind is the wind and stuff so I'm not done the Ojo Diago spot because I spent all this time herring around so once I got the swimming trunks I had an ice cream and I went to Ocean Mart and I got oh I took some money out as well I got five hundred dollars it's annoying to have to pay the six dollar fee when I'll be back on when if I was in Leon I could get money fee less but it's just not worth trying to optimise I could just about scrape through but I'd have to start digging into reserves in order to pay tomorrow's fare tomorrow's lesson and during the stressful enough day going to Leon on Monday it would be nice to feel I've got some cash on me I've been building up a supply of small bills and stuff for all the buses as well but push comes to shove it'd be nice to feel I've got some cash on me as long as I'm not getting mugged fingers crossed but and so then I went and had an ice cream and Ocean Mart and I got some coke and a chicharon and I couldn't finish the chicharon I finished it just sitting here now a minute ago I think it's because obviously I had breakfast like two hours later than I normally would so I wasn't as hungry even if I felt I was so then I went back over to rain dams and collected my bag and then I checked in at Zopilotti which caused me to 15 minute walk in I'm in the same dorm different bed but I got a lower bum because it's not a big deal and I did some laundry so I've washed loads of clothes I don't have enough clothes pegs but fingers crossed it will be all right and then I came back out and I went and had another ice cream and I got some coke and I finished the chicharon and I also got some mani garapinado and some Japanese peanuts just so I've got some snacks ready for tomorrow morning if it turns out the lesson is stupidly early again or more to the point I've got some snacks if I'm feeling shitty during Monday I expect to buy a bottle of sugar coke at one or two points but not too optimistic about the shared taxi I have put a message out on the Zopilotti group and no one really responded maybe it's too early I'm perhaps going to try and hold off until tomorrow to send another message but then if I'm over at the swimming place maybe it won't work I'm going to top put some credit on my sim tomorrow so I can use it for that while I'm out also annoyingly it's $20 for a shared taxi at Raindance it's $25 at Zopilotti so I'll probably have to try and it gets more if you're on a bigger taxi but I'll probably have to try and book it through Raindance anyway because I'm not paying extra $5 I'm even toying with just taking the public bus at 5.25 in the morning that's stupidly early but I'd probably be looking at the taxi at 5.45 anyway I just hope the voice typing works on this
1620 I was heading back to Zappilotti, and on a whim I've called in at Pandemama for a slightly overpriced latte. There's a nice black cat on the sleep, on the swing seat. It's 110, it's not too bad. I forgot to say I think that I also got a cold coconut from the place I've been meaning to try, and it was finally manned because it's, I guess, the Mercadito thing over by Ocean Mart today. You know, they have those stalls on the street. I got a cold coconut, it was 50, I was expecting 30, but it's fine, it's not super expensive. It was nice enough, it wasn't super cold, you know, sucking the coconut milk out of the coconut through a straw. The woman had sort of opened it with a machete, but there really wasn't all that much in there. It tasted okay, I don't know whether it was what sort of coconut juice it was. It felt like there was all the coconut flesh inside, like maybe a few mils thickness that went to waste. I ate the tiny bit that I could get to around the top, but I guess maybe you're not supposed to eat it, or they don't want to faff around opening it up for you and maybe it would have made me sick but anyway I did at least try it
Sun 2106 in bed. High spots and very low spots today. Need to catch up later. Tension headache. 520 taxi pickup and I hace to walk off site first. Have done my best to pack in fucking dark etc. Anyway let's see if we can sleep.
Mon 0000 okay, so I woke up a few minutes ago. I think I had sort of half a wake. Oh, where am I? What am I doing? What's next? I'm feeling... It's gonna say I feel great, but not like...
That dog just walked up to the, looked under the bottom of the very high door, and I said hello to it and it's gone off, which is a relief because I'm a bit worried. Biggest cross, touch one, about getting down the bloody path because it's basically gonna be dark all the way. The sun doesn't rise until a few minutes, around the taxi time, I chased it last night. I mean I've got to get off the island haven't I.
For what it's worth I can feel a certain warmth coming up the toilet and if you put your hand down the opening I think you can feel that as well. I've noticed it a few times. I don't know whether that's some sort of chemically sort of process going on or whether it's just retained heat from during the day or something like that.
As I say, I don't feel great, I'm a bit stressed, but I'm also thinking that, you know, fingers crossed if this taxi turns up okay and we get the ferry, while it's still maybe a somewhat gruelling day, overusing the word gruelling, but, you know, it's not necessarily too bad, and it's like, if I do manage to get over there on the 7 o'clock ferry, or even earlier, if we get some luck, then, you know, I could really be in Léon, not too late. This is not, like, everything's automatically brilliant, just because I'm in Léon. You know, the bad news is still there, but we are at least en route to home, and not that, I mean, I'd be keen to leave, but, you know, I have to get off the island, and the whole process of leaving is something I'm really not, as you can see, it's just a pain. I mean, of course, it's my own fault, in part, for going all the way to Léon, but, especially with having pushed it, probably reasonably enough to stay the weekend for the last lessons, it is what it is, but, you know, I really did not want to be breaking this journey midway, or, you know, going via Granada or something. Anyway, it is what it is, I suppose. So, let's maybe finish here, and then go back to bed, and with a bit of luck, we're going back to sleep.
