Tue 2128 screen has been glitching a bit. But in the browser and it is generally still much better. Fuck knows. Writing this seems fine. I also just turned the screen sensitivity down now there is no screen protector to compensate for and maybe that needs a reset or something to kock in. Just have to wait and hope. This does still feel like it is so much better than Iit was that I cannot see how the screen protector was not the primary cause.
2136 I rebooted, it does not feel right but it does feel much better. I am half wondering if this horizontal strip 2/3 down the screen has been iffy for absolutely ages - it is sort of not always noticeable (and I may have developed odd habits because of the iffiness over last few days and longer term things to work around the screen protector) and am only noticing it now and it is exacerbated by my having lost feeling for how to use the phone because of all the recent glitxhing. I dunno. Bottom line is I suspect the phone is knackered but it may not be new and while sucky it may not be a huge deal in practice. And typing this is basically fine, or as fine as an osk get,a, but the problem is not the screen responsiveness. The number and preddictd word rows were often dead (roughly where the 2/3 down bit is) before hut now they seem to work fine despite the slightly iffy scroll and drag behaviour and the way the touch app still shows that seadness.
Anyway it is what it is, it is more usable than it was and there is a slim chance it is fine or that the remaining adhesive or whatever rubbing off over time or getting an alxogol wipe on the go would fix it EV|n if it is not fine.
But not too upset, as I say it is mostly usable at least for typing and we don't seem to be getting phantom touches in general. Bed anyway.
Wed 0842 as now usual didn't sleep that great but not terribly. Eyes feel a bit bleary. Typing this on p7 osk and it feels fine, I suspect somehow the Deadish strip across the screen is real but mostly manifests itself in slightly shitty and 80% unnoticeable ways during some Swiprs and scrolls and I continue to suspec tit has been there for months and was (and is) not quite bad enough to really be sure it existed and wasn't just general shittiness of design or the screen protector wearing sensitivity generally. This does raise the annoying spectre the problem justnight have been there long enough that it could have been claimed under the 12 month refurb warranty but maybe not and in any case I missed it. Lesson there is perhaps just to play with a touch detector app intermittently or if things feel a bit off as a sanity check.
While sucky the keyboard is totaly usable (as much as an osk ever is) although it is possible the glitchiness would kill swipe typing, which I don't use but maybe would as maybe this glitch was what was killing it when I tried it but I haven't experimented just now and this is borderline ok.
The now known glitch is annoying and mainly manifests when swiping between home and app overview and app list but while slightly shitty I suspect I will rapidly train myself to swipe on the bits of the screen that do work and almost stop noticing this. I am not exactly happy but by the same token the phone is legit 95% usable for stuff like blog writing etc and photography and to repeat I am not happy and not claiming otherwise but although well see how things go over the next few days and weeks I suspect this is a fault at the level of mild annoyance which I can live with without feeling comellled to buy a replacement or risk repair bills or hone surgery on without it being a massive "why the fuck do I put IP with this" level of crap.
I am vaguely nervy about the lesson but not too bad. It does feel like a lot of money and it also feels like a slightly waate of time to have been hanging around here for it but really a) this is exactly why I like having long ish if not epic trips, so as not to be at the mercy of random no ones fault glitches b) worthwhile r potentially worthwhile things are worth waiting and paying for as appropriate in moderation C) I did in fact have a half decent if low key day yesterday and it has eg opened up the possibility of a low key but to someone with my 10 mins of cumulative experience potentially both fun and long term beneficial kayaking experience.
But let's get dressed and have breakfast, probably at the hostel.
0917 at breakfast quite a few people about (oh and Noam outside room on terrace, had quick chat), antipodean woman waved at me she seems to be brrakfastinf with some blokes and there are three to four possible Germans (three guys and a woman in a hammock), I did speak to two German guys briefly yesterday on returning to dorm and possibly part of this group. Ordered gallo pinto, hostel guy asked me if they could clean my room and I said yes and mangled the Spanish really badly there are some socks and uw hanging over the shower rail but they are mostly dry and I honestly can't see them getting upset. (Actually looks like the hammock woman at least somewhat knows the antipodean woman and or her friend, rather than being part of the group with the three probably German guys.)
As if any of these details matter but I am also trying to keep some sort of eye on general social dynamics for educational/confidence building type purposes.
Ftr on a practical point I noticed Noam had a coffer and asked if he made it himself, he said you can ask for hot water, but I think that is about it. I asked and the cup is his own, so in practice I will not be making ny own coffee, I am not desperate but wouldn't be averse to buying some instant but I don't have a cup and don't really want to start lugging one round with me (and even the most compact lightweight clever yravel version bought in advance of a trip but be very unlikely to justify itself in general, even right now the idea is no more than an "it would be slightly nice to be able to make my own coffee")
Oh and btw during brief chat yesterday antipodean woman said she had done the volcano top camping at La Union and she also said there is a restaurant etc and it sounds cool and not too scary (she also drove up there, the road sounds very much like a shorter version of that one on the Boquete volcano) and I do fairly strongly intend to look onto this when I pass back through la union now someone else has turned me about jt. She didn't see a lit of soldiers up there though, just fwiw.
0928 just dashed back to room thinking I had left a shitty white plastic cattier bag with the 160 USD for kitsurfing lying around and the cleaner might toss it. I found it safely inside my black day-pack but I couldn't quite remember where it was and was a bit jittery. I explained to her (she had been quite reassuring about not throwing anything out) and I don't think it looked like I had been worried about her stealing it (I primarily wasn't, I suppose the risk existsed, but I was more thinking "there is USD 160 in an innocuous non transparent plastic bag maybe looking like rubbish in a pile of other bags").
I hardly need coffee now I've had my morning jolt like this.
AP woman is doing kitsurfing today based on overhearing but I think she is at least moderately experienced(ie she may be basically competent or she may be world class, but it is something she can do solo) and would just be doing it as an activity not as a lesson so I am unlikely to have to worry about her being around all day, and it is a one on one lesson anyway.
0938 breakfast as yesterday not bad. No coffee yet and I suspect they have forgotten but in many ways this is fine as it will likely be nicer to drink the coffee hot after the food. I will go chase it up in a minute or two. I nearly asked about it when the guy brought food and then a minute or two later the knife and fork but didn't want to appear over demanding or impatient.
I think the three German guys have a big 4wd thing, I noticed yesterday a sign in window saying "fake taxi, 3 bros no hos" made out of cardboard.
I have noticed today is 25th 5x5 which may if I feel superstitious be a promising coincidence for first lesson.
Probably already said but if as the syllabus leads me to expect there will be no actual water contact today, that means the scope for absolutely hating it is limited - yes I may despise the instructor or whatever but probably won't, I may find the concepts of wind and kite beyond me (but fingers crossed this is fine) etc, but what it was thinking might make me say "omfg never again" was some sensation (making this up as I obviously have no idea what it is really like either as a complete beginner or a skilled kitesurfrr) of smashing into the water or feeling like I am drowning despite the life jacket because of lack of breath or whatever. I don't strongly anticipate these happening but they (or some analogus awfulness) clearly could, which is why I've been saying it will probably be at least three days but may not if something really bad shows up. But if the first day has no water contact, it feels like most of this potentially interest killing stuff won't come up until day two anyway.
1010 if I didn't say yesterday, by walking down to that cafe on the shore near La Serenita, I did effectively walk across the neck of the island (the narrow bit between the two volcano lobes), given I was at santa cruz beach that morning. And I did touch the water at the cafe beach fwiw.
Feel slightly lonely sitting here on own but also really don't want to talk to anyone ahead of lesson.
1032 back in room. Had chat with couple of hostel guys when paid for breakfast. Sunset at el pital is supposed to be good, also playa mango (but that is even further than I walked yesterday down towards merida), also el defin (azul?) In balgue. I asked about safety, guy said it is safe to walk at any time but I clarified I meant dogs not people and he said it would probably be fine, carrying a torch helps and that is also good so traffic aees you (and indeed as prob noted I did this on my walk over to local beach last night). I may or may not so this but I might. I did ask about taxis and he said there aren't many. Still while not perfect my spabish wasn't too bad here and it is all practice.
The right ball of foot big toe think yesterday which I forgot to mention seems to have been an improbably tiny amount of sand under the insole of the shoe. I still hurts a little but very much less and that may be the aftermath.
1113 mostly ready to go out. For the record my left foot heel feels a bit odd (probably just all the walking) and my left knee feels very slightly sort of "twisted", without me having done any unusual exercise or activities. Bit nervous but not massively so. Just need to try to keep a positive attitude and do my best to actually learn stuff instead of feeling shit about not knowing how to do it. There is no fundamental reason I shouldn't be able to learn this stuff of course, which also isn't to say it will be easy.
1536 back. That was actually pretty good. I have booked another class probably early tomorrow as wind is dying early tonorrow, fingers crossed. I checked booking and it looks like the private room here is 25 USD tonorrow even with the genius diacount but I don't believe they are seriously busy and I went and asked at reception with a 20 in my hand (minor psychological ploy on offchance it is helpful) and asked and (as usual) the guy phoned someone and they said yes and no price was mentioned so I just assumed it was the usual 19 and that's what I paid.
I could and might move hostel and or move into a dorm here but while I am cost sensitive this is all relatively minor and tbh it feels better to avoid psychological or practical disruption (especially if the lesson tonorrow is very early) by doing so.
Gonna loosely sort stuff out and (definitely not kayaking today, I realised prob this morning that by time lesson was over it would be rushed) go get probably more sunblock and have a beer from ocean market on the beach and then some food.
1643 not had food yet unlss you count 400g of plantain crisps on beach. I have come back to hostel to sit on terrace with a 600ml coke zero, Noam is in hammock and two girls are chatting, I do wonder if one is the antipodean but not 100% sure. I said hey and feel a bit BNM but at least I am neither hiding away nor forcing myself in.
I am dithering but I may go to el pital for sunset in about half an hour. It is about half an hours walk and slightly edgy about getting back (but on that balgue road not too worried and it may be pricey or just not let me in but we will see what happens. Tbh I always wonder if I need to eat in a comedor before but I also suspect I could eat something at one of the conedors like restaurant relax fairly easily as late as 8pm or whatever, it isn't like I will be utterly out of options.
I don't necessarily intend to write the kite surfing lesson up in massive details, I might save the syllabus off the site for reference. Instructor was a tall dutch guy called rudi who was heavily tattooed and probably about late 20s but was actually really nice guy.
We did as expected do a bit of stuff on beach and I felt a bit awkward but not too bad but we then did go into the water (just not with a board) to do the kite flying practice. I was getting quite knocked around by the waves and at times later on eg was actually managing to fly the kite while getting knocked off my feet and sort of floating intermittently. I asked and this is normal, not just because I am too short.
On the whole I don't think I did too badly, not amazingly but not too bad at all.
There was a dead turtle on the beach which I almost trod on when coming back from my beach site just now. It was about two size 9 shoeblong.
The two girls and the antipodean girls gay friend are having a mildly stupid conversation about dating and what is attractive but it isn't actually too annoying but also it makes me feel better about not being in the conversation as it feels more group of mates.
While not super helpful it is interesting to hear her saying stiff like this guy was so hot with his perm but without his perm he was ugly. The idea that that might make so much of a difference is kind of odd. Not that I take it too seriously but still. (X was hot but had a shit personality or was so boring is not new and makes sense. But somehow this relatively minor personal appearance tweak tipping things completely feels odd.)
1 737 at el pital on niceiah table on over water platform. Ordered a kombucha which is in menu u for 100, actually costs 150 (I queried this politely and was told it now comes in a bottle!?) And has tax on top making it 165. But wth. Quite a nice area and borderline affordable and cool to have come etc and maybe a way to mark the special ish day (first lesson).
Far from sure p7 is good but it is borderline usable and can't do anything and need to avoid committing foolish economies on basis of this.
Ditto actually he private room and my mullings re what to do if I couldn't eztent at 19 USD. Yes there are valid considerations of economy and social stuff about dorma and different hostels but for the sake of a few dollars a day over a few days it is silly to rock the mental and practical boat when I am spending all this money on the kite surf lessons.
The straw is a hollowed out green plant stem which is kind of cool but I'd rather it were cheaper. :-)
The chat group on balcony left just before I intended to head over here so no issues here. I don't feel I did anything wrong or shy there.
Although it was mostly action and getting pounded by waves etc, the lesson did have brief lulls when I noticed there were two fucking volcano (one, the one I can see from hostel balcony, a touch more iconmically volcano shaped than the other) on opposite sides of horizon and it did feel a pretty fucking cool place to be having a lesson. I think I said but they gave me a very loose hooded (didn't have hood up) lyrcra long sleeve top to wear so o didn't need to wear my red tshirt or waste sunblock on my arms (though I had). I was soaked but I wasn't really noticeable significantly cold despite maybe 2h in the water.
The place eis slightly fancy and the prices a slight piss take but not as bad as I expected and they do have a sign for "jungle dorms" and I think it is a hostel, albeit a perhaps pricey one, and while I probably have other things to try first (and therefore not neck doing it on this visit) it is vaguely possible the slightly higher pricing (I assume) might skew the xliebtele slightly older than in other dorms, but pure guesswork.
The usual disclaimer type stiff to sign before the lesson gave me slight pause as well as it saying kitsurfing was an extreme sport. Maybe it is. But it feels to me like an extreme sport is something like base jumping or parkour or xliff diving. Like I am sure you can get hurt kite surfing especially if you ate an expert/pro and pushing yourself, but it does feel like things of different types are being limped into the same classification. I obviously don't know.I don't feel this is to flatter the xliebtele, not in the waiver. It did have something about "I am an open water swimmer" which makes me think of 4 miles swims in reservoirs with a buoy tied to your ankle, bug I really wasn't and aren't worried in pracite here - as I discussed with that woman the other day (who did remember me when I saw her today) the realistic case here is you are wearing a life jacket thing (whatever the technical term is - and I was floating up the huge eaves and off my feet at times) and it's a few hundred metres offshore with the wind at your back.
Incidentally a random query about something else yesterday suggests there are technically bull shakrs in the lake but the last attack was in 1940 and they have been overfished massively and you would almost count yourself lucky to see one. No one even mentioned this at the kite surf place. I suspect they like deep water anyway.
About half the tables here are empty. So I am not going to feel guilty occupying space and just having a kombucha. I am a smidge worried about the walk back and getting food but neither need be a major deal and I may have a coffee or something before I go, we will see.
1757 ftr the photo I just took looks insanely more orange on phone than real life. The actual sky is very pale blue with greyish clouds which practically hide the volcano almost completely. The lit from below loose clouds were orsngey earlier but they are not now.
1821 actually mildly cold in all the wind. I think the volcano is the hill on the right not the one of the left. Doh. No harm done, hard to tell with the cloud but also kind of obvious in hindsight
1825 going to go. Finished drink a while ago, no one is hassling me, but the sky is going to just get darker and we already have volcano and cloud silhouettes with no detail and I don't think it is that different now to what have seen previous nights and I do have the walk home.
Fairly cool to have been here all the same and depending on length of stay may come back another day.
1857 at Maria's for food. Surprising number of people seem to be here in a hostel quality, she seems very interesting and a character and probably quite nice but it would make me nervous she remembered me though and said my sslad like yesterday when I asked
Walk back fine, used phone as torch and certainly helpful in simple steetches (and to make myself visible to traffic) but not absolutely essential shocked and impressed by a big toad (?) Hopping in the dark side road up from el what's it to the main road. Must be the life version of those I have seen squ@hed by the main road.
Will probably go get beer at local mini market and have it (sllo or otherwise) on terrace outside room after this then an earlyish bed.
1930 back at hostel, solo on terrace with a beer a few people hanging round in main xommon area and I accidentally seemed to say hola to one of them when I was actually acknowledging the dog I was citting past and the guy replied, but I think they were like a group of friends and it would have been inappropriate for me to try to join them and I suppose in theory I could have sat at another table out there but I hasn't been intending to so out of inertia if nothing else I didn't.
Genuinely surprised how many people seem to be staying at Maria's as guests.
Actually you know if may go have my beer on that main terrace. I just came back to drop something off right? I don't expect chat but as an experiment and not being intimidated etc.
1934 I queried surf lesson time as hadn't heard anything and they said 9am. Fingers crossed that does give time for a 3h lesson but anyway while slightly early not absolutely insane, I may even have time to have breakfast a thousand, I'd not I have some rather smashed up by now raisin bread cake stuff.
2108 back in room. I asked and breakfast starts at 7 so if I want to I can eat before the lesson.
I think I will do a quick wash of two tops, have a shower and maybe a shave and then go to bed.
2114 oh, I took a bad photo of it, but with the A06, I don't know if it'll come out, but on the walk over to the school this morning I did see a price list in the sort of blackboard of the other school and they want $190 for 3 hours. It's possible that their sort of bulk packages were cheaper than the school I'm at, but basically it feels like I got cheaper the two, no idea which is best but I felt pretty satisfied today tbh. It also had something like $25 for 2 hours rental of equipment or something, so while I don't want to get ahead of myself, it does kind of feel like there's potential, you know, if I can get the basics down, that in the future this isn't such an insanely expensive activity to do intermittently, you know, when you're not paying for instruction.
I have no idea what happens if you're on your own, I mean this is one of the things I was hoping to talk to that Antipodean woman about, I haven't had the chance, because she went kitesurfing this morning based on talking to her yesterday and overhearing her at breakfast, and it's like she's with friends, but it's not particularly obvious that they're kitesurfers, so like can you do it on your own? I know the instructor today was saying in certain ways it's not good to do that, but if there's like a surf school there and you're hiring your gear, can you do it on your own and they provide sort of basic support and help you launch and stuff like that, I don't know. Anyway, just an aside.
2152 okay, done all that. There's a fairly small either spider or molted skin on the back of the door. I've taken a couple of photos. It is not green as it appears in those photos. It's a sort of dull grey black. It's not in good shape. If it's alive one, it's got five legs. I've not touched it obviously. I'm just gonna leave it there. It's fine, but just a quick note. So I've done all the stuff. I said I was going to do, you know, the laundry and everything and I think I'm more or less packed for tomorrow morning and I do feel a bit tired. Not too bad. I mean, I don't know if I'm gonna feel really beaten up tomorrow, but I mean the knee doesn't hurt like it did. That was just that random thing this morning and the foot's basically okay. So maybe I'll get a new load of aches and pains tomorrow after today's activities, but we'll see. So I'm more or less ready for tomorrow. I'll try and be up to have breakfast and we'll take it from there.
Thu 0727 didn't send this last night. Just ordered breakfast, a smidge late but I think ok. Didng sleep great but not terrible. Tiny bit nervous about class but sort of looking forward to it as well.
I did feel a bit achey about 4am but right now I am not actively aware of anything major.
P7 screen continues fucked but it is super unclear just how fucked and whether it mostly works, indeed it seems to be behaving itself now, if nay depend very precisely on the keyboard setup and height so the dodgy strip falls somewhere where it works ok by falling either side. There is also some iffiness re scrolling and dragging which affects more of the screen. Yet it is definitely better than with the screen protector in. I currently lean towards this being a relatively recent fault although who knows. I don't use the on screen keyboard that intensively when not travelling and maybe the screen protector got worse but the existing fault was there but just about tolerable and or felt like shitty design rather than a glitch for ages. Flip flopping.
It is not all that windrh right now and rather overcast, though not actively cold.
Of course I am not usually up quite this early here.
0800 back from breakfast. Did chat with antipodean woman, she said hi as I was paying for breakfast. (I do rexognise her but not confidently enough to have said anything.) Anyway I asked her about the kite surfing solo and she is on her own in that sense (no friends with her hlwho do it), she says people will generally help each other launch, sometimes there is a sort of gadget (a fake person to clip the kite onto) to help you launch yourself, and if you rent the gear they will usually include this kind of helping out in the rental. She said it is 60 dollars for 2 hours though, but still, this is potentially affordable as an intermittent holiday axfivity. And she said the last time she did it before the current 2-3 day streak was a year ago, for her it had been like riding a bike, she was a bit unsure about putting harness on at first but it came back. This is all reasonably promising and suggests things are possible and they don't refuse to let you rent if yo u are not 100% confisent and certain.
But let's get ready to go.
1826 just watching sunset on terrace (no one else here) bit heading out to dinner in a minute will write up day later but fwiw (not that I had any reason to doubt her) the other kite school didbindeed list 65 not 25 for 2h rental on looking this morning. I dunno what the price is at my school and it may be cheaper but still this does make the actual ibstruction feel better value, albeit mixing schools so not a fair comparison I am basically paying 110 or maybe slightly less pro rate with bulk discounts for 2h ibstruction so less than twice the pure rental fee.
1835 at marias. Hey, it's my ometepe place, they know me here.
The 5 legged or whatever spider on back of room door has gone, so it must have been live not a moult I guess.
1915 back on main terrace, Germanish group around, just having a coke zero from mini market outside hostel before going to room.
Will do write up in room using voice typing.
2009 bit of excitement. A snake a metre or two long just spotted off side of main terrace. Owner chap says not dangerous, it eats rats and stuff. I asked and he said it's a constrictor, and it is presumably not big enough to do anything to a human. Pretty cool watching it lift its head up and climb stairs etc.
But finished Coke, p7 keyboard and screen still shit and inconsistently so, but let's head back to room.
2027 found a scorpion in sink after (!) Cleaning teeth. Came out to tell staff and found them posing for photo with Germans with the snake. I did stroke it but no photo, felt very firm and cool (kind of as I would expect but still interesting). They say the scorpion might be dangerous and are going to look, not sure if they are there now or not.
2035 the two hostel chaps just came and discussed it and picked it up live in a tissue after doing something with a wooden stick. Had a bit of a chat with them, it is not lethal but would apparently have a very unpleasant sting, so I don't feel bad about getting them in to deal with it. I asked and the spiders aren't dangerous. I think I came across as reasonable and interested and not flapping., which to be fair I am not. Albeit I don't fancy a chance encounter with one of those scorpions!
2046 okay so I kind of want to go to bed but let's dictate this. So the lesson was basically okay it was emotionally a bit rocky to be honest I got a different instructor a Portuguese chap called Pietro I was a bit annoyed just at changing instructor full stop he seemed okay but I didn't feel quite as good and his sort of style was very much like not quite telling me off but it felt like that and it was I'd sort of fight down a certain amount of irritation and it didn't seem to be going all that well and it was a bit frustrating I mean it's very early days yet so don't get too worked up about it and I did kind of warm to him a bit towards the end anyway and anyway we'll see how it goes
The lesson was only two hours. I didn't query that when we were out in the water (we didn't actually do any boarding, the closest we got was a little bit of body drag which I wasn't doing very well but I did sort of kind of get it going right at the end of the lesson) so it was only two hours. I didn't query that when we were out there but when we got, I thought it might be about the weather or it might be some judgment they'd made on my competence or something. I wasn't acting upset and didn't feel that upset but when I got back I asked if I could do three hours tomorrow. Did I say weather because anyway. And they said yes but essentially it transpired that two hours is the normal and recommended amount and I'm not going to push that. It's just the way their pricing works in three hour packages and stuff confuse me a bit and the first lesson was three hours because there's a theory bit on the front. Anyway, it's fine and I think the way the pricing works is actually better than I thought and basically it's almost sort of a tiered structure and the more I pay the cheaper it gets and they just express it slightly confusingly as if you have to buy a bulk package of so many hours up front. Not that it's a huge deal because the discounts aren't massive but anyway I paid basically $110 for the two hours today.
So I've signed up for the two hours and I have a class at 8.30 tomorrow morning and I need to be there five or ten minutes early to get ready which is fine you know I should be able to have breakfast and if I can't I've got snacks I'm not too worried it is a bit early but just give me the rest of the day free anyway let's not jump ahead one of the things I was thinking about this is that having discovered that the basic thing is two hours and it's probably not smart to try pushing that although the total sort of training budget doesn't change the time budget and the associated accommodation budget does since I'm obviously only getting two hours of time in towards whatever competence qualification level is needed you know or giving up because I've given it a fair try and it's not working I'll need to be here longer to clock up any given number of hours I reflected on this a little bit I checked on booking I thought well I'm definitely staying tonight anyway and the price was $19 effectively on booking so I went to the reception and extended it and that's no problem oh by the way I also found out from talking to that woman this morning I saw already knew this from known but it wasn't quite clear they will actually give you a cup of hot water and a spoon so on the way back from the lesson I went and bought a packet of some cappuccino type coffee sachets and I got them to give me some water and I had one of those when I got back from the lesson so that's a small saving very very tangential that
So on reflection my inclination is I don't want I need to be careful not to go sunk cost fallacy and overdo it But you know I want to give the kitesurfing a fair shot. It is kind of nice to be here It's quite nice that this little sort of goal stroke project has organically arisen out of nothing You know I've not got anything specific I need to do or want to do except la union volcano not a big deal because it's right on the way back anyway And it will only take a day or two whatever and it's not absolutely bucket list of course. so I have four weeks left well maybe not right as I write this but basically four weeks I have time I can afford time budget wise to spend another two weeks here if I want it is kind of nice I'm starting to get into it. I may change to another hostel in a dorm or a private for some sort of social experimentation But I want to get the lessons at least a bit on the way first even if I carry them on after I change I Think it's fine. I mean also to some extent if you want to look at it as like future It's like I had nothing special to do It's much better if the story (even just for myself) for this trip is "oh Yeah, that's when I spent two weeks on omatepe learning to kite surf" rather than " oh well I was doing that but it seemed to be taking a bit too long so even though I had nothing else to do I cleared off so I could vaguely bumble around Nicaragua and maybe find a nice beach somewhere or maybe have some cool stuff happen That I didn't really know what I was looking for" and actually what I don't want to walk away from something Which has sort of dropped in my lap as a thing to do and a challenge and blah blah blah
So obviously with the lesson being relatively early at nine, I got back to the hostel and I've been thinking about renting a bike, a pedal bike, so I asked at reception after I'd had my cappuccino from the hot water and they said they recommended a place around the corner, I went there and there was no one there. I wondered up and down the road a bit and I was thinking I'd maybe wander towards Balgate and see if there was anywhere, because I was sure I'd seen somewhere with an actual sign which there wasn't at the mi ranchito place that the hostel recommended. The owner sort of chap from the current surfing school drove past on a moped and pulled up and said hi to me and I thought oh I'll ask him and he said the same mi rancheeta place and as I was planning to anyhow I went back and there was a guy there and I sort of grabbed him. Long story short I paid 180 cordobus for three hours of rental, he wanted me to leave an identity document with him but I would have been reluctant, it's not like I'm hiring a quad bike or a scooter but I gave him my photo copied and rather dog-eared and delaminating mini passport copy and he took it with a bit of hesitation, he asked which hostel I was in and stuff.
The bike, not that I'm an expert, was not in super condition, it was some sort of basic mountain bike. I could not get the gears figured out and not that I'm terribly familiar with these two shifter derailleur types, but I'm not sure it was working, maybe it was. I bodged around and sort of clutched it into having a high and low and made do with that. I didn't have a helmet, didn't really want one, but I didn't have one or a puncture repair kit, not that I would have known how to use it. I basically cycled up through Balgate and just kept going and I was getting a bit knackered, but it was kind of fun and I think basically I got nearly to Potrerillos and I stopped at a mini market. It turned out I actually passed a few without noticing it, but this one was on Google Maps for some reason, so I stopped there and I bought, I was very thirsty, I'd stopped to have a bit of water on the way. I had like a 2 litre bottle of coke with sugar in and I drank about half of it there and I finished the rest off on the ride back. If there was very steep hills I got off and walked, I did do some moderate hills, bear in mind I don't know what I'm doing with the gears apart from the fitness, and I walked up more hills on the way back. I was a bit worried that I would crap out or that the bike would crap out or I wouldn't get back in time, but I think I did basically do according to organic maps, just looking at the route, 14 kilometres out and maybe that back, or maybe it's 12 kilometres out, I can't remember, I think it might be 14, but obviously you could look it on GPS route or whatever. I didn't do too badly considering obviously sweating like a bastard, I gave my trousers that I'd put on I think back last Sunday in Leon, I gave them a hand washing sink and I've switched to the laundry, the grey pair, I'll maybe keep those hand washed, is a proper washer, so I'll maybe keep those black trousers for activity for the next day or two because I'll probably hire a bike again at some point.
On a completely random note that I should have mentioned earlier, I had my prescription doggle sort of on around my neck during the kitesurfing today but I didn't actually put them on because they tend to hurt my eyes if I were wearing them for too long and it's not super convenient what with the helmet and the cap I'm wearing under it to shield the sun because the shirt is abetian and although that might account for the problems, to be honest it didn't feel like it was that big a deal, I didn't really feel that I needed perfect vision, I mean I had them there to put on if I did, so anyway that's just a buy the buy.
So when I was in Balgue which is nearly back and all the hills much further on than there, oh by the way once you get past Balgue a little bit it's like the road is even quieter and you stop even seeing tourists on scooters basically it's it's locals on scooters and a few trucks and buses and assuming I had some basic lesson like they were giving in the street out front of the Santa Ana Hostel I think on a practical level I wouldn't really have any qualms hiring a scooter and riding it on the roads here the traffic levels really are so low there are virtually no forks in the road most the time it's like it would be fine I don't think I would do that given all the myriad legal and general so on implications of motor vehicles and accidents and insurance and leaving your passport with the rental place and what if it gets stolen I mean like these things can happen with a pedal bike but it's a much lower stakes proposition right but nonetheless the traffic level it's like in Santa Ana it was not just nerves or practicalities about you know insurance and stuff the traffic levels like at least in the town would have been higher not necessarily a big deal but you know you'd have had to be going across intersections and stuff like that to get to and from the hostel whatever it was like out in the country whereas honestly here it's like I do feel it would not be actually particularly suicidal or dangerous for anyone else for me to be driving around cautiously on a scooter despite my general lack of driving experience.
Anyway, so when I was in Balgue, I think I pulled up outside someplace, but I was due of pulling up a lot to stop and rest and walk up hills and have a drink, and also the traffic gets a little bit thicker at Balgue and I would sometimes stop or whatever, but I pulled up outside this little, not quite shack, it was an icish little building, and there was a really nice chap there actually, and it said outside they were selling fresh coconuts, but it was all something out, Ilado Stolece, and I said, oh have you got them, and he said, yeah, yeah, yeah, and I said how much is it, and he said, oh it's ten cordobers, and I said, oh great, I'll have one then please, I mean probably taking a risk, but it was nice, and he just brought me this little plastic bag full of sort of frozen, I think it was strawberry and milk that had been blended up, and it was fairly solid, and I sort of tore a hole in the bag and sucked at it, and you know probably got all sorts of contamination off the bag, and I'm standing there eating it with the bike propped up, and he says, and he comes back and he says, oh no, no sorry, it's only five, and he gives me the five cordobers, I mean the ten was already nothing, and I gave him the bag afterwards, and he said, oh yeah, thank you, thank you, take that, because you know, to put him in the bin, and so a bit further down the road, I was having another rest and drinking my coke, and moped pulls up scooter, whatever it is, and I think he was French guy, the one I chatted to back in Rick's hostel, and then who turned up at the hostel the next day, he was there, he had a friend on the back of the bike, he didn't say anything, we were speaking in English, I don't know whether his friend was someone I met before, but he reminded me who he was, but I did recognise him after a little bit, we had a bit of a chat, and he said he'd maybe seen me crossing the Maxi Pali car park in Granada, where there was the chicken place, not necessarily that day, he wasn't sure, it could have been me, but he might not have seen me, anyway we didn't chat that much, but you know, that was that was nice, a couple of minutes chat at the side of the road, and a nice little coincidence.
Oh going back when I started off riding the bike I was like super cautious and like fortunate there's no forks in the road well there's one fork like by the hostel it was that was no not a big deal exactly yes I'm on the right side of the road literally and figuratively but I'm still feeling really kind of nervous and like I'm doing something wrong or something's gonna go badly wrong and I don't know how it happened but I think in hindsight I had the kickstand out because at one point about five minutes in maybe going through probably ten minutes in maybe going through Balgate some guy sort of shouts I think who is he going at me and I sort of ignore him and maybe he's just talking to a friend but I feel a bit guilty in case I've done something wrong and I think in hindsight he was trying to warn me about that because about 15 minutes later I'm on a much quiet stretch of road and there's a local woman on a moped and she calls at me and she tells me in maybe Spanish maybe English she said the word kick or something she points out that the thing is down and I go oh sorry and I put it up I didn't rip the end off or it wasn't abrading I think it was just down and maybe a bit unsafe or people just noticed and wanted to let me know don't know how I started off with it like that but you know for what it's worth I started to feel less nervous as time went on I mean I was a bit worried the bike would crap out or that I would crap out or I get puncture or something or that there'd be a dog but I want there was less traffic on the road and I was getting a bit more convinced cur confident and like I was probably overly riding on the brakes going down the hills because it was very gravelly and like it's not super steep but there's you know enough up and down it's like I'm not super confident I don't trust myself I don't trust the bike I'm not wearing a helmet so I was trying to keep it really slow and I was riding the brakes a lot you know but it's fine
So I got back and dropped the bike off fine, and I think I went and got myself a drink at Ocean Market and brought it back to the hostel. Yeah, I think I did, and I sat on the terrace a little bit, and then I went into my room and did the laundry and faffed around a bit. And then I went back out onto the terrace, which was deserted towards sunset, and I think that's where I already written up to. So that's probably the basic gist of the day, if I didn't miss anything.
I'm not super keen to go overloading every day with activity, but given the very early lesson tomorrow, if I feel basically okay, I'm a bit worried I'll be stiff after the bike ride, but I think it'll be fine. I had a shower if I didn't say when I got back and was in the hostel room before going out for the sunset. Tomorrow I'm thinking I might do the kayak thing, probably walk down to where it was, maybe WhatsApp the guy first, but it might be a bit awkward because my shorts will be wet from kitesurfing, but I might walk down to where I was the other day and have a kayak for an hour or two and maybe a coffee and then come back. I could get a bike, but I don't think I need it. And then I'm kind of thinking that maybe another day, perhaps the day after, depending on lessons and stuff, I might hire a bike and see if I can ride round to the track. I think it might be at San Ramon, which is a 40-minute hike because the guy I met who was on the moped, the guy I met at Santa Ana, he was telling me about this. There's a 40-minute hike up to the waterfalls, I think not to the lake at the top of the volcano. That's probably, although I need to research it a bit more involved. But there's a 40-minute hike up to some falls on the volcano, the eastern volcano, I think it begins with an M. And I could probably, having looked at organic maps, the ride I did today was probably about the same length, maybe the road's hillier, maybe it's not. The ride is about the same length to there. So in theory, like if I had a longer day and I hired the bike for longer or whatever, maybe it was a day when the lesson was cancelled, I could cycle to there, leave the bike at the bottom, do the hike up and cycle back. So, you know, compensating for not having a scooter or something. I have also thought that I could try and circumnavigate the volcano. That would be about twice the distance I did today because there wouldn't be the there and back, it would just be a circuit. And I think, you know, if I hired the bike for the whole day and I was prepped and I could buy some bits and pieces at some shops on the way, that might be quite cool. But I think it's probably a bad idea to mix that in with doing a volcano hike, you know, so not with the waterfall hike. So maybe that's the thing to look at first. And then if I have time, because I may be hanging around here for a week or more, you know, maybe then another time, I will consider doing the whole circuit around the volcano, the eastern volcano. There are the two, you know, I think it's the eastern one.
Okay, I'm sorry this is all just stream of consciousness, but it's the voice dictation. I want to bash it out. Obviously, if I really care in the future, cross-referencing some of this with the GPS logs might be instructive, assuming they survive, which they probably will. Anyway, I'm gonna send this now. I think I forgot to send it yesterday, so I'm gonna send this and then I'm gonna go to bed.
2136 I rebooted, it does not feel right but it does feel much better. I am half wondering if this horizontal strip 2/3 down the screen has been iffy for absolutely ages - it is sort of not always noticeable (and I may have developed odd habits because of the iffiness over last few days and longer term things to work around the screen protector) and am only noticing it now and it is exacerbated by my having lost feeling for how to use the phone because of all the recent glitxhing. I dunno. Bottom line is I suspect the phone is knackered but it may not be new and while sucky it may not be a huge deal in practice. And typing this is basically fine, or as fine as an osk get,a, but the problem is not the screen responsiveness. The number and preddictd word rows were often dead (roughly where the 2/3 down bit is) before hut now they seem to work fine despite the slightly iffy scroll and drag behaviour and the way the touch app still shows that seadness.
Anyway it is what it is, it is more usable than it was and there is a slim chance it is fine or that the remaining adhesive or whatever rubbing off over time or getting an alxogol wipe on the go would fix it EV|n if it is not fine.
But not too upset, as I say it is mostly usable at least for typing and we don't seem to be getting phantom touches in general. Bed anyway.
Wed 0842 as now usual didn't sleep that great but not terribly. Eyes feel a bit bleary. Typing this on p7 osk and it feels fine, I suspect somehow the Deadish strip across the screen is real but mostly manifests itself in slightly shitty and 80% unnoticeable ways during some Swiprs and scrolls and I continue to suspec tit has been there for months and was (and is) not quite bad enough to really be sure it existed and wasn't just general shittiness of design or the screen protector wearing sensitivity generally. This does raise the annoying spectre the problem justnight have been there long enough that it could have been claimed under the 12 month refurb warranty but maybe not and in any case I missed it. Lesson there is perhaps just to play with a touch detector app intermittently or if things feel a bit off as a sanity check.
While sucky the keyboard is totaly usable (as much as an osk ever is) although it is possible the glitchiness would kill swipe typing, which I don't use but maybe would as maybe this glitch was what was killing it when I tried it but I haven't experimented just now and this is borderline ok.
The now known glitch is annoying and mainly manifests when swiping between home and app overview and app list but while slightly shitty I suspect I will rapidly train myself to swipe on the bits of the screen that do work and almost stop noticing this. I am not exactly happy but by the same token the phone is legit 95% usable for stuff like blog writing etc and photography and to repeat I am not happy and not claiming otherwise but although well see how things go over the next few days and weeks I suspect this is a fault at the level of mild annoyance which I can live with without feeling comellled to buy a replacement or risk repair bills or hone surgery on without it being a massive "why the fuck do I put IP with this" level of crap.
I am vaguely nervy about the lesson but not too bad. It does feel like a lot of money and it also feels like a slightly waate of time to have been hanging around here for it but really a) this is exactly why I like having long ish if not epic trips, so as not to be at the mercy of random no ones fault glitches b) worthwhile r potentially worthwhile things are worth waiting and paying for as appropriate in moderation C) I did in fact have a half decent if low key day yesterday and it has eg opened up the possibility of a low key but to someone with my 10 mins of cumulative experience potentially both fun and long term beneficial kayaking experience.
But let's get dressed and have breakfast, probably at the hostel.
0917 at breakfast quite a few people about (oh and Noam outside room on terrace, had quick chat), antipodean woman waved at me she seems to be brrakfastinf with some blokes and there are three to four possible Germans (three guys and a woman in a hammock), I did speak to two German guys briefly yesterday on returning to dorm and possibly part of this group. Ordered gallo pinto, hostel guy asked me if they could clean my room and I said yes and mangled the Spanish really badly there are some socks and uw hanging over the shower rail but they are mostly dry and I honestly can't see them getting upset. (Actually looks like the hammock woman at least somewhat knows the antipodean woman and or her friend, rather than being part of the group with the three probably German guys.)
As if any of these details matter but I am also trying to keep some sort of eye on general social dynamics for educational/confidence building type purposes.
Ftr on a practical point I noticed Noam had a coffer and asked if he made it himself, he said you can ask for hot water, but I think that is about it. I asked and the cup is his own, so in practice I will not be making ny own coffee, I am not desperate but wouldn't be averse to buying some instant but I don't have a cup and don't really want to start lugging one round with me (and even the most compact lightweight clever yravel version bought in advance of a trip but be very unlikely to justify itself in general, even right now the idea is no more than an "it would be slightly nice to be able to make my own coffee")
Oh and btw during brief chat yesterday antipodean woman said she had done the volcano top camping at La Union and she also said there is a restaurant etc and it sounds cool and not too scary (she also drove up there, the road sounds very much like a shorter version of that one on the Boquete volcano) and I do fairly strongly intend to look onto this when I pass back through la union now someone else has turned me about jt. She didn't see a lit of soldiers up there though, just fwiw.
0928 just dashed back to room thinking I had left a shitty white plastic cattier bag with the 160 USD for kitsurfing lying around and the cleaner might toss it. I found it safely inside my black day-pack but I couldn't quite remember where it was and was a bit jittery. I explained to her (she had been quite reassuring about not throwing anything out) and I don't think it looked like I had been worried about her stealing it (I primarily wasn't, I suppose the risk existsed, but I was more thinking "there is USD 160 in an innocuous non transparent plastic bag maybe looking like rubbish in a pile of other bags").
I hardly need coffee now I've had my morning jolt like this.
AP woman is doing kitsurfing today based on overhearing but I think she is at least moderately experienced(ie she may be basically competent or she may be world class, but it is something she can do solo) and would just be doing it as an activity not as a lesson so I am unlikely to have to worry about her being around all day, and it is a one on one lesson anyway.
0938 breakfast as yesterday not bad. No coffee yet and I suspect they have forgotten but in many ways this is fine as it will likely be nicer to drink the coffee hot after the food. I will go chase it up in a minute or two. I nearly asked about it when the guy brought food and then a minute or two later the knife and fork but didn't want to appear over demanding or impatient.
I think the three German guys have a big 4wd thing, I noticed yesterday a sign in window saying "fake taxi, 3 bros no hos" made out of cardboard.
I have noticed today is 25th 5x5 which may if I feel superstitious be a promising coincidence for first lesson.
Probably already said but if as the syllabus leads me to expect there will be no actual water contact today, that means the scope for absolutely hating it is limited - yes I may despise the instructor or whatever but probably won't, I may find the concepts of wind and kite beyond me (but fingers crossed this is fine) etc, but what it was thinking might make me say "omfg never again" was some sensation (making this up as I obviously have no idea what it is really like either as a complete beginner or a skilled kitesurfrr) of smashing into the water or feeling like I am drowning despite the life jacket because of lack of breath or whatever. I don't strongly anticipate these happening but they (or some analogus awfulness) clearly could, which is why I've been saying it will probably be at least three days but may not if something really bad shows up. But if the first day has no water contact, it feels like most of this potentially interest killing stuff won't come up until day two anyway.
1010 if I didn't say yesterday, by walking down to that cafe on the shore near La Serenita, I did effectively walk across the neck of the island (the narrow bit between the two volcano lobes), given I was at santa cruz beach that morning. And I did touch the water at the cafe beach fwiw.
Feel slightly lonely sitting here on own but also really don't want to talk to anyone ahead of lesson.
1032 back in room. Had chat with couple of hostel guys when paid for breakfast. Sunset at el pital is supposed to be good, also playa mango (but that is even further than I walked yesterday down towards merida), also el defin (azul?) In balgue. I asked about safety, guy said it is safe to walk at any time but I clarified I meant dogs not people and he said it would probably be fine, carrying a torch helps and that is also good so traffic aees you (and indeed as prob noted I did this on my walk over to local beach last night). I may or may not so this but I might. I did ask about taxis and he said there aren't many. Still while not perfect my spabish wasn't too bad here and it is all practice.
The right ball of foot big toe think yesterday which I forgot to mention seems to have been an improbably tiny amount of sand under the insole of the shoe. I still hurts a little but very much less and that may be the aftermath.
1113 mostly ready to go out. For the record my left foot heel feels a bit odd (probably just all the walking) and my left knee feels very slightly sort of "twisted", without me having done any unusual exercise or activities. Bit nervous but not massively so. Just need to try to keep a positive attitude and do my best to actually learn stuff instead of feeling shit about not knowing how to do it. There is no fundamental reason I shouldn't be able to learn this stuff of course, which also isn't to say it will be easy.
1536 back. That was actually pretty good. I have booked another class probably early tomorrow as wind is dying early tonorrow, fingers crossed. I checked booking and it looks like the private room here is 25 USD tonorrow even with the genius diacount but I don't believe they are seriously busy and I went and asked at reception with a 20 in my hand (minor psychological ploy on offchance it is helpful) and asked and (as usual) the guy phoned someone and they said yes and no price was mentioned so I just assumed it was the usual 19 and that's what I paid.
I could and might move hostel and or move into a dorm here but while I am cost sensitive this is all relatively minor and tbh it feels better to avoid psychological or practical disruption (especially if the lesson tonorrow is very early) by doing so.
Gonna loosely sort stuff out and (definitely not kayaking today, I realised prob this morning that by time lesson was over it would be rushed) go get probably more sunblock and have a beer from ocean market on the beach and then some food.
1643 not had food yet unlss you count 400g of plantain crisps on beach. I have come back to hostel to sit on terrace with a 600ml coke zero, Noam is in hammock and two girls are chatting, I do wonder if one is the antipodean but not 100% sure. I said hey and feel a bit BNM but at least I am neither hiding away nor forcing myself in.
I am dithering but I may go to el pital for sunset in about half an hour. It is about half an hours walk and slightly edgy about getting back (but on that balgue road not too worried and it may be pricey or just not let me in but we will see what happens. Tbh I always wonder if I need to eat in a comedor before but I also suspect I could eat something at one of the conedors like restaurant relax fairly easily as late as 8pm or whatever, it isn't like I will be utterly out of options.
I don't necessarily intend to write the kite surfing lesson up in massive details, I might save the syllabus off the site for reference. Instructor was a tall dutch guy called rudi who was heavily tattooed and probably about late 20s but was actually really nice guy.
We did as expected do a bit of stuff on beach and I felt a bit awkward but not too bad but we then did go into the water (just not with a board) to do the kite flying practice. I was getting quite knocked around by the waves and at times later on eg was actually managing to fly the kite while getting knocked off my feet and sort of floating intermittently. I asked and this is normal, not just because I am too short.
On the whole I don't think I did too badly, not amazingly but not too bad at all.
There was a dead turtle on the beach which I almost trod on when coming back from my beach site just now. It was about two size 9 shoeblong.
The two girls and the antipodean girls gay friend are having a mildly stupid conversation about dating and what is attractive but it isn't actually too annoying but also it makes me feel better about not being in the conversation as it feels more group of mates.
While not super helpful it is interesting to hear her saying stiff like this guy was so hot with his perm but without his perm he was ugly. The idea that that might make so much of a difference is kind of odd. Not that I take it too seriously but still. (X was hot but had a shit personality or was so boring is not new and makes sense. But somehow this relatively minor personal appearance tweak tipping things completely feels odd.)
1 737 at el pital on niceiah table on over water platform. Ordered a kombucha which is in menu u for 100, actually costs 150 (I queried this politely and was told it now comes in a bottle!?) And has tax on top making it 165. But wth. Quite a nice area and borderline affordable and cool to have come etc and maybe a way to mark the special ish day (first lesson).
Far from sure p7 is good but it is borderline usable and can't do anything and need to avoid committing foolish economies on basis of this.
Ditto actually he private room and my mullings re what to do if I couldn't eztent at 19 USD. Yes there are valid considerations of economy and social stuff about dorma and different hostels but for the sake of a few dollars a day over a few days it is silly to rock the mental and practical boat when I am spending all this money on the kite surf lessons.
The straw is a hollowed out green plant stem which is kind of cool but I'd rather it were cheaper. :-)
The chat group on balcony left just before I intended to head over here so no issues here. I don't feel I did anything wrong or shy there.
Although it was mostly action and getting pounded by waves etc, the lesson did have brief lulls when I noticed there were two fucking volcano (one, the one I can see from hostel balcony, a touch more iconmically volcano shaped than the other) on opposite sides of horizon and it did feel a pretty fucking cool place to be having a lesson. I think I said but they gave me a very loose hooded (didn't have hood up) lyrcra long sleeve top to wear so o didn't need to wear my red tshirt or waste sunblock on my arms (though I had). I was soaked but I wasn't really noticeable significantly cold despite maybe 2h in the water.
The place eis slightly fancy and the prices a slight piss take but not as bad as I expected and they do have a sign for "jungle dorms" and I think it is a hostel, albeit a perhaps pricey one, and while I probably have other things to try first (and therefore not neck doing it on this visit) it is vaguely possible the slightly higher pricing (I assume) might skew the xliebtele slightly older than in other dorms, but pure guesswork.
The usual disclaimer type stiff to sign before the lesson gave me slight pause as well as it saying kitsurfing was an extreme sport. Maybe it is. But it feels to me like an extreme sport is something like base jumping or parkour or xliff diving. Like I am sure you can get hurt kite surfing especially if you ate an expert/pro and pushing yourself, but it does feel like things of different types are being limped into the same classification. I obviously don't know.I don't feel this is to flatter the xliebtele, not in the waiver. It did have something about "I am an open water swimmer" which makes me think of 4 miles swims in reservoirs with a buoy tied to your ankle, bug I really wasn't and aren't worried in pracite here - as I discussed with that woman the other day (who did remember me when I saw her today) the realistic case here is you are wearing a life jacket thing (whatever the technical term is - and I was floating up the huge eaves and off my feet at times) and it's a few hundred metres offshore with the wind at your back.
Incidentally a random query about something else yesterday suggests there are technically bull shakrs in the lake but the last attack was in 1940 and they have been overfished massively and you would almost count yourself lucky to see one. No one even mentioned this at the kite surf place. I suspect they like deep water anyway.
About half the tables here are empty. So I am not going to feel guilty occupying space and just having a kombucha. I am a smidge worried about the walk back and getting food but neither need be a major deal and I may have a coffee or something before I go, we will see.
1757 ftr the photo I just took looks insanely more orange on phone than real life. The actual sky is very pale blue with greyish clouds which practically hide the volcano almost completely. The lit from below loose clouds were orsngey earlier but they are not now.
1821 actually mildly cold in all the wind. I think the volcano is the hill on the right not the one of the left. Doh. No harm done, hard to tell with the cloud but also kind of obvious in hindsight
1825 going to go. Finished drink a while ago, no one is hassling me, but the sky is going to just get darker and we already have volcano and cloud silhouettes with no detail and I don't think it is that different now to what have seen previous nights and I do have the walk home.
Fairly cool to have been here all the same and depending on length of stay may come back another day.
1857 at Maria's for food. Surprising number of people seem to be here in a hostel quality, she seems very interesting and a character and probably quite nice but it would make me nervous she remembered me though and said my sslad like yesterday when I asked
Walk back fine, used phone as torch and certainly helpful in simple steetches (and to make myself visible to traffic) but not absolutely essential shocked and impressed by a big toad (?) Hopping in the dark side road up from el what's it to the main road. Must be the life version of those I have seen squ@hed by the main road.
Will probably go get beer at local mini market and have it (sllo or otherwise) on terrace outside room after this then an earlyish bed.
1930 back at hostel, solo on terrace with a beer a few people hanging round in main xommon area and I accidentally seemed to say hola to one of them when I was actually acknowledging the dog I was citting past and the guy replied, but I think they were like a group of friends and it would have been inappropriate for me to try to join them and I suppose in theory I could have sat at another table out there but I hasn't been intending to so out of inertia if nothing else I didn't.
Genuinely surprised how many people seem to be staying at Maria's as guests.
Actually you know if may go have my beer on that main terrace. I just came back to drop something off right? I don't expect chat but as an experiment and not being intimidated etc.
1934 I queried surf lesson time as hadn't heard anything and they said 9am. Fingers crossed that does give time for a 3h lesson but anyway while slightly early not absolutely insane, I may even have time to have breakfast a thousand, I'd not I have some rather smashed up by now raisin bread cake stuff.
2108 back in room. I asked and breakfast starts at 7 so if I want to I can eat before the lesson.
I think I will do a quick wash of two tops, have a shower and maybe a shave and then go to bed.
2114 oh, I took a bad photo of it, but with the A06, I don't know if it'll come out, but on the walk over to the school this morning I did see a price list in the sort of blackboard of the other school and they want $190 for 3 hours. It's possible that their sort of bulk packages were cheaper than the school I'm at, but basically it feels like I got cheaper the two, no idea which is best but I felt pretty satisfied today tbh. It also had something like $25 for 2 hours rental of equipment or something, so while I don't want to get ahead of myself, it does kind of feel like there's potential, you know, if I can get the basics down, that in the future this isn't such an insanely expensive activity to do intermittently, you know, when you're not paying for instruction.
I have no idea what happens if you're on your own, I mean this is one of the things I was hoping to talk to that Antipodean woman about, I haven't had the chance, because she went kitesurfing this morning based on talking to her yesterday and overhearing her at breakfast, and it's like she's with friends, but it's not particularly obvious that they're kitesurfers, so like can you do it on your own? I know the instructor today was saying in certain ways it's not good to do that, but if there's like a surf school there and you're hiring your gear, can you do it on your own and they provide sort of basic support and help you launch and stuff like that, I don't know. Anyway, just an aside.
2152 okay, done all that. There's a fairly small either spider or molted skin on the back of the door. I've taken a couple of photos. It is not green as it appears in those photos. It's a sort of dull grey black. It's not in good shape. If it's alive one, it's got five legs. I've not touched it obviously. I'm just gonna leave it there. It's fine, but just a quick note. So I've done all the stuff. I said I was going to do, you know, the laundry and everything and I think I'm more or less packed for tomorrow morning and I do feel a bit tired. Not too bad. I mean, I don't know if I'm gonna feel really beaten up tomorrow, but I mean the knee doesn't hurt like it did. That was just that random thing this morning and the foot's basically okay. So maybe I'll get a new load of aches and pains tomorrow after today's activities, but we'll see. So I'm more or less ready for tomorrow. I'll try and be up to have breakfast and we'll take it from there.
Thu 0727 didn't send this last night. Just ordered breakfast, a smidge late but I think ok. Didng sleep great but not terrible. Tiny bit nervous about class but sort of looking forward to it as well.
I did feel a bit achey about 4am but right now I am not actively aware of anything major.
P7 screen continues fucked but it is super unclear just how fucked and whether it mostly works, indeed it seems to be behaving itself now, if nay depend very precisely on the keyboard setup and height so the dodgy strip falls somewhere where it works ok by falling either side. There is also some iffiness re scrolling and dragging which affects more of the screen. Yet it is definitely better than with the screen protector in. I currently lean towards this being a relatively recent fault although who knows. I don't use the on screen keyboard that intensively when not travelling and maybe the screen protector got worse but the existing fault was there but just about tolerable and or felt like shitty design rather than a glitch for ages. Flip flopping.
It is not all that windrh right now and rather overcast, though not actively cold.
Of course I am not usually up quite this early here.
0800 back from breakfast. Did chat with antipodean woman, she said hi as I was paying for breakfast. (I do rexognise her but not confidently enough to have said anything.) Anyway I asked her about the kite surfing solo and she is on her own in that sense (no friends with her hlwho do it), she says people will generally help each other launch, sometimes there is a sort of gadget (a fake person to clip the kite onto) to help you launch yourself, and if you rent the gear they will usually include this kind of helping out in the rental. She said it is 60 dollars for 2 hours though, but still, this is potentially affordable as an intermittent holiday axfivity. And she said the last time she did it before the current 2-3 day streak was a year ago, for her it had been like riding a bike, she was a bit unsure about putting harness on at first but it came back. This is all reasonably promising and suggests things are possible and they don't refuse to let you rent if yo u are not 100% confisent and certain.
But let's get ready to go.
1826 just watching sunset on terrace (no one else here) bit heading out to dinner in a minute will write up day later but fwiw (not that I had any reason to doubt her) the other kite school didbindeed list 65 not 25 for 2h rental on looking this morning. I dunno what the price is at my school and it may be cheaper but still this does make the actual ibstruction feel better value, albeit mixing schools so not a fair comparison I am basically paying 110 or maybe slightly less pro rate with bulk discounts for 2h ibstruction so less than twice the pure rental fee.
1835 at marias. Hey, it's my ometepe place, they know me here.
The 5 legged or whatever spider on back of room door has gone, so it must have been live not a moult I guess.
1915 back on main terrace, Germanish group around, just having a coke zero from mini market outside hostel before going to room.
Will do write up in room using voice typing.
2009 bit of excitement. A snake a metre or two long just spotted off side of main terrace. Owner chap says not dangerous, it eats rats and stuff. I asked and he said it's a constrictor, and it is presumably not big enough to do anything to a human. Pretty cool watching it lift its head up and climb stairs etc.
But finished Coke, p7 keyboard and screen still shit and inconsistently so, but let's head back to room.
2027 found a scorpion in sink after (!) Cleaning teeth. Came out to tell staff and found them posing for photo with Germans with the snake. I did stroke it but no photo, felt very firm and cool (kind of as I would expect but still interesting). They say the scorpion might be dangerous and are going to look, not sure if they are there now or not.
2035 the two hostel chaps just came and discussed it and picked it up live in a tissue after doing something with a wooden stick. Had a bit of a chat with them, it is not lethal but would apparently have a very unpleasant sting, so I don't feel bad about getting them in to deal with it. I asked and the spiders aren't dangerous. I think I came across as reasonable and interested and not flapping., which to be fair I am not. Albeit I don't fancy a chance encounter with one of those scorpions!
2046 okay so I kind of want to go to bed but let's dictate this. So the lesson was basically okay it was emotionally a bit rocky to be honest I got a different instructor a Portuguese chap called Pietro I was a bit annoyed just at changing instructor full stop he seemed okay but I didn't feel quite as good and his sort of style was very much like not quite telling me off but it felt like that and it was I'd sort of fight down a certain amount of irritation and it didn't seem to be going all that well and it was a bit frustrating I mean it's very early days yet so don't get too worked up about it and I did kind of warm to him a bit towards the end anyway and anyway we'll see how it goes
The lesson was only two hours. I didn't query that when we were out in the water (we didn't actually do any boarding, the closest we got was a little bit of body drag which I wasn't doing very well but I did sort of kind of get it going right at the end of the lesson) so it was only two hours. I didn't query that when we were out there but when we got, I thought it might be about the weather or it might be some judgment they'd made on my competence or something. I wasn't acting upset and didn't feel that upset but when I got back I asked if I could do three hours tomorrow. Did I say weather because anyway. And they said yes but essentially it transpired that two hours is the normal and recommended amount and I'm not going to push that. It's just the way their pricing works in three hour packages and stuff confuse me a bit and the first lesson was three hours because there's a theory bit on the front. Anyway, it's fine and I think the way the pricing works is actually better than I thought and basically it's almost sort of a tiered structure and the more I pay the cheaper it gets and they just express it slightly confusingly as if you have to buy a bulk package of so many hours up front. Not that it's a huge deal because the discounts aren't massive but anyway I paid basically $110 for the two hours today.
So I've signed up for the two hours and I have a class at 8.30 tomorrow morning and I need to be there five or ten minutes early to get ready which is fine you know I should be able to have breakfast and if I can't I've got snacks I'm not too worried it is a bit early but just give me the rest of the day free anyway let's not jump ahead one of the things I was thinking about this is that having discovered that the basic thing is two hours and it's probably not smart to try pushing that although the total sort of training budget doesn't change the time budget and the associated accommodation budget does since I'm obviously only getting two hours of time in towards whatever competence qualification level is needed you know or giving up because I've given it a fair try and it's not working I'll need to be here longer to clock up any given number of hours I reflected on this a little bit I checked on booking I thought well I'm definitely staying tonight anyway and the price was $19 effectively on booking so I went to the reception and extended it and that's no problem oh by the way I also found out from talking to that woman this morning I saw already knew this from known but it wasn't quite clear they will actually give you a cup of hot water and a spoon so on the way back from the lesson I went and bought a packet of some cappuccino type coffee sachets and I got them to give me some water and I had one of those when I got back from the lesson so that's a small saving very very tangential that
So on reflection my inclination is I don't want I need to be careful not to go sunk cost fallacy and overdo it But you know I want to give the kitesurfing a fair shot. It is kind of nice to be here It's quite nice that this little sort of goal stroke project has organically arisen out of nothing You know I've not got anything specific I need to do or want to do except la union volcano not a big deal because it's right on the way back anyway And it will only take a day or two whatever and it's not absolutely bucket list of course. so I have four weeks left well maybe not right as I write this but basically four weeks I have time I can afford time budget wise to spend another two weeks here if I want it is kind of nice I'm starting to get into it. I may change to another hostel in a dorm or a private for some sort of social experimentation But I want to get the lessons at least a bit on the way first even if I carry them on after I change I Think it's fine. I mean also to some extent if you want to look at it as like future It's like I had nothing special to do It's much better if the story (even just for myself) for this trip is "oh Yeah, that's when I spent two weeks on omatepe learning to kite surf" rather than " oh well I was doing that but it seemed to be taking a bit too long so even though I had nothing else to do I cleared off so I could vaguely bumble around Nicaragua and maybe find a nice beach somewhere or maybe have some cool stuff happen That I didn't really know what I was looking for" and actually what I don't want to walk away from something Which has sort of dropped in my lap as a thing to do and a challenge and blah blah blah
So obviously with the lesson being relatively early at nine, I got back to the hostel and I've been thinking about renting a bike, a pedal bike, so I asked at reception after I'd had my cappuccino from the hot water and they said they recommended a place around the corner, I went there and there was no one there. I wondered up and down the road a bit and I was thinking I'd maybe wander towards Balgate and see if there was anywhere, because I was sure I'd seen somewhere with an actual sign which there wasn't at the mi ranchito place that the hostel recommended. The owner sort of chap from the current surfing school drove past on a moped and pulled up and said hi to me and I thought oh I'll ask him and he said the same mi rancheeta place and as I was planning to anyhow I went back and there was a guy there and I sort of grabbed him. Long story short I paid 180 cordobus for three hours of rental, he wanted me to leave an identity document with him but I would have been reluctant, it's not like I'm hiring a quad bike or a scooter but I gave him my photo copied and rather dog-eared and delaminating mini passport copy and he took it with a bit of hesitation, he asked which hostel I was in and stuff.
The bike, not that I'm an expert, was not in super condition, it was some sort of basic mountain bike. I could not get the gears figured out and not that I'm terribly familiar with these two shifter derailleur types, but I'm not sure it was working, maybe it was. I bodged around and sort of clutched it into having a high and low and made do with that. I didn't have a helmet, didn't really want one, but I didn't have one or a puncture repair kit, not that I would have known how to use it. I basically cycled up through Balgate and just kept going and I was getting a bit knackered, but it was kind of fun and I think basically I got nearly to Potrerillos and I stopped at a mini market. It turned out I actually passed a few without noticing it, but this one was on Google Maps for some reason, so I stopped there and I bought, I was very thirsty, I'd stopped to have a bit of water on the way. I had like a 2 litre bottle of coke with sugar in and I drank about half of it there and I finished the rest off on the ride back. If there was very steep hills I got off and walked, I did do some moderate hills, bear in mind I don't know what I'm doing with the gears apart from the fitness, and I walked up more hills on the way back. I was a bit worried that I would crap out or that the bike would crap out or I wouldn't get back in time, but I think I did basically do according to organic maps, just looking at the route, 14 kilometres out and maybe that back, or maybe it's 12 kilometres out, I can't remember, I think it might be 14, but obviously you could look it on GPS route or whatever. I didn't do too badly considering obviously sweating like a bastard, I gave my trousers that I'd put on I think back last Sunday in Leon, I gave them a hand washing sink and I've switched to the laundry, the grey pair, I'll maybe keep those hand washed, is a proper washer, so I'll maybe keep those black trousers for activity for the next day or two because I'll probably hire a bike again at some point.
On a completely random note that I should have mentioned earlier, I had my prescription doggle sort of on around my neck during the kitesurfing today but I didn't actually put them on because they tend to hurt my eyes if I were wearing them for too long and it's not super convenient what with the helmet and the cap I'm wearing under it to shield the sun because the shirt is abetian and although that might account for the problems, to be honest it didn't feel like it was that big a deal, I didn't really feel that I needed perfect vision, I mean I had them there to put on if I did, so anyway that's just a buy the buy.
So when I was in Balgue which is nearly back and all the hills much further on than there, oh by the way once you get past Balgue a little bit it's like the road is even quieter and you stop even seeing tourists on scooters basically it's it's locals on scooters and a few trucks and buses and assuming I had some basic lesson like they were giving in the street out front of the Santa Ana Hostel I think on a practical level I wouldn't really have any qualms hiring a scooter and riding it on the roads here the traffic levels really are so low there are virtually no forks in the road most the time it's like it would be fine I don't think I would do that given all the myriad legal and general so on implications of motor vehicles and accidents and insurance and leaving your passport with the rental place and what if it gets stolen I mean like these things can happen with a pedal bike but it's a much lower stakes proposition right but nonetheless the traffic level it's like in Santa Ana it was not just nerves or practicalities about you know insurance and stuff the traffic levels like at least in the town would have been higher not necessarily a big deal but you know you'd have had to be going across intersections and stuff like that to get to and from the hostel whatever it was like out in the country whereas honestly here it's like I do feel it would not be actually particularly suicidal or dangerous for anyone else for me to be driving around cautiously on a scooter despite my general lack of driving experience.
Anyway, so when I was in Balgue, I think I pulled up outside someplace, but I was due of pulling up a lot to stop and rest and walk up hills and have a drink, and also the traffic gets a little bit thicker at Balgue and I would sometimes stop or whatever, but I pulled up outside this little, not quite shack, it was an icish little building, and there was a really nice chap there actually, and it said outside they were selling fresh coconuts, but it was all something out, Ilado Stolece, and I said, oh have you got them, and he said, yeah, yeah, yeah, and I said how much is it, and he said, oh it's ten cordobers, and I said, oh great, I'll have one then please, I mean probably taking a risk, but it was nice, and he just brought me this little plastic bag full of sort of frozen, I think it was strawberry and milk that had been blended up, and it was fairly solid, and I sort of tore a hole in the bag and sucked at it, and you know probably got all sorts of contamination off the bag, and I'm standing there eating it with the bike propped up, and he says, and he comes back and he says, oh no, no sorry, it's only five, and he gives me the five cordobers, I mean the ten was already nothing, and I gave him the bag afterwards, and he said, oh yeah, thank you, thank you, take that, because you know, to put him in the bin, and so a bit further down the road, I was having another rest and drinking my coke, and moped pulls up scooter, whatever it is, and I think he was French guy, the one I chatted to back in Rick's hostel, and then who turned up at the hostel the next day, he was there, he had a friend on the back of the bike, he didn't say anything, we were speaking in English, I don't know whether his friend was someone I met before, but he reminded me who he was, but I did recognise him after a little bit, we had a bit of a chat, and he said he'd maybe seen me crossing the Maxi Pali car park in Granada, where there was the chicken place, not necessarily that day, he wasn't sure, it could have been me, but he might not have seen me, anyway we didn't chat that much, but you know, that was that was nice, a couple of minutes chat at the side of the road, and a nice little coincidence.
Oh going back when I started off riding the bike I was like super cautious and like fortunate there's no forks in the road well there's one fork like by the hostel it was that was no not a big deal exactly yes I'm on the right side of the road literally and figuratively but I'm still feeling really kind of nervous and like I'm doing something wrong or something's gonna go badly wrong and I don't know how it happened but I think in hindsight I had the kickstand out because at one point about five minutes in maybe going through probably ten minutes in maybe going through Balgate some guy sort of shouts I think who is he going at me and I sort of ignore him and maybe he's just talking to a friend but I feel a bit guilty in case I've done something wrong and I think in hindsight he was trying to warn me about that because about 15 minutes later I'm on a much quiet stretch of road and there's a local woman on a moped and she calls at me and she tells me in maybe Spanish maybe English she said the word kick or something she points out that the thing is down and I go oh sorry and I put it up I didn't rip the end off or it wasn't abrading I think it was just down and maybe a bit unsafe or people just noticed and wanted to let me know don't know how I started off with it like that but you know for what it's worth I started to feel less nervous as time went on I mean I was a bit worried the bike would crap out or that I would crap out or I get puncture or something or that there'd be a dog but I want there was less traffic on the road and I was getting a bit more convinced cur confident and like I was probably overly riding on the brakes going down the hills because it was very gravelly and like it's not super steep but there's you know enough up and down it's like I'm not super confident I don't trust myself I don't trust the bike I'm not wearing a helmet so I was trying to keep it really slow and I was riding the brakes a lot you know but it's fine
So I got back and dropped the bike off fine, and I think I went and got myself a drink at Ocean Market and brought it back to the hostel. Yeah, I think I did, and I sat on the terrace a little bit, and then I went into my room and did the laundry and faffed around a bit. And then I went back out onto the terrace, which was deserted towards sunset, and I think that's where I already written up to. So that's probably the basic gist of the day, if I didn't miss anything.
I'm not super keen to go overloading every day with activity, but given the very early lesson tomorrow, if I feel basically okay, I'm a bit worried I'll be stiff after the bike ride, but I think it'll be fine. I had a shower if I didn't say when I got back and was in the hostel room before going out for the sunset. Tomorrow I'm thinking I might do the kayak thing, probably walk down to where it was, maybe WhatsApp the guy first, but it might be a bit awkward because my shorts will be wet from kitesurfing, but I might walk down to where I was the other day and have a kayak for an hour or two and maybe a coffee and then come back. I could get a bike, but I don't think I need it. And then I'm kind of thinking that maybe another day, perhaps the day after, depending on lessons and stuff, I might hire a bike and see if I can ride round to the track. I think it might be at San Ramon, which is a 40-minute hike because the guy I met who was on the moped, the guy I met at Santa Ana, he was telling me about this. There's a 40-minute hike up to the waterfalls, I think not to the lake at the top of the volcano. That's probably, although I need to research it a bit more involved. But there's a 40-minute hike up to some falls on the volcano, the eastern volcano, I think it begins with an M. And I could probably, having looked at organic maps, the ride I did today was probably about the same length, maybe the road's hillier, maybe it's not. The ride is about the same length to there. So in theory, like if I had a longer day and I hired the bike for longer or whatever, maybe it was a day when the lesson was cancelled, I could cycle to there, leave the bike at the bottom, do the hike up and cycle back. So, you know, compensating for not having a scooter or something. I have also thought that I could try and circumnavigate the volcano. That would be about twice the distance I did today because there wouldn't be the there and back, it would just be a circuit. And I think, you know, if I hired the bike for the whole day and I was prepped and I could buy some bits and pieces at some shops on the way, that might be quite cool. But I think it's probably a bad idea to mix that in with doing a volcano hike, you know, so not with the waterfall hike. So maybe that's the thing to look at first. And then if I have time, because I may be hanging around here for a week or more, you know, maybe then another time, I will consider doing the whole circuit around the volcano, the eastern volcano. There are the two, you know, I think it's the eastern one.
Okay, I'm sorry this is all just stream of consciousness, but it's the voice dictation. I want to bash it out. Obviously, if I really care in the future, cross-referencing some of this with the GPS logs might be instructive, assuming they survive, which they probably will. Anyway, I'm gonna send this now. I think I forgot to send it yesterday, so I'm gonna send this and then I'm gonna go to bed.
