Bahía Drake-Puerto Jiménez

Fri 17th 0704 Sitting at table outside new hostel. All gone very smoothly although there's no sign of anyone here and there's a locked gate across building entrance. Mild need for bog but not too critical, so haven't tried to ring a (maybe) attention bell (it's a bit removed from the gate and a bit dubious it isn't something else) or contact via WA or anything.

PJ seems nice, quite clean and neat after BD (paved streets etc). Walked past a tour office, lots of stuff in window including multi-day hikes in Corcovado. Half wonder if I should have come here first, *but*:

- it was kind of cool to get boat to BD
- it was kind of cool to see/be in BD
- for all I know these tours are just as sold out as the single day La Sirena etc tours were in BD (where multi-day stuff doesn't seem to be really advertised)
- I probably won't even ask about these, as I have been to Corcovado and I'm not that desperate.

I just might ask about eg a one day tour to Matopalo though frankly I am going to be hiking for three-ish days in "hiking place" in Dos Brazos and I would also kind of like to go to bed and not wake up to an alarm tomorrow. (Shark-like, I must keep writing, otherwise the auto-word-delete caused by phantom keyboard touches kicks in a starts deleting what I've written.)






Got up at 3 feeling mildly shit, I still felt stuffed with all the junk I'd eaten. Put sunblock on (as for tour the other day, feels damn weird doing this when it's dark out), cleaned teeth, tried to use toilet but didn't really need to go. Huge frog/toad on steps down from upstairs at accom, sort of cool but also slightly disconcerting and I could have seen myself treading on it by accident.

Used proper torch instead of phones on walk up "steps" to main road, no street lighting there, absolutely no issues with dogs despite having heard some barking before I left. Street lights on main road, also a group of guys talking in a corner but not really threatening.

I was first at Heladeria Popis but nicely the lights on their outside area was on so I sat there and gradually people turned up, some 415ish so I guess they know the bus really runs a bit later? Wasn't too edgy about it not coming a a) people were gradually turning up b) I had at least made it out to the stop, so while a pisser if hadn't worked out I had at least tried.

Maybe 6 of us as we left BD - bus a large minibus thing, 2+1 seats with fold down (not used) seats to sort of make it 4 per row, maybe 7ish rows. Gradually filled up from picking people up en route, maybe full at about 20 when we got there.

6k, didn't pay til near end. It was quite cool sitting in the bus in the dark listening to fragments of some woman's Spanish conversation - I got a bit of that "womb" feeling I sometimes get where it feels safe and easy being in the vehicle and I kind of don't want it to end.

Quite nice sunrise views as we came towards LP. Was "conductor" on bus as well as driver, she asked where we were going etc towards end and some people got off at Rincon just before LP to connect with buses to Neily/San Jose/prob other places. We got into LP just as the bus to PJ (confusingly only showing "Escondido" on front? this is the other end of its route) pulled in behind us so got on that straight away (1.9k)

As I say, all gone pretty smoothly really. It would be good to get access to a bog and to be able to drop my bag here so I can wander into town and eg maybe send a postcard or talk to a tour agency or two, but not critical yet.

1831 Minor disappointment tonight, let's write this up before going back.

Saw sign earlier for live music 6:30-8:30 at Los Delfines on Fridays. Decided I'd try to go to this. Had seen LD during morning walk so headed over, got slightly edgy on darkening waterfront and checked OSM and it shows LD at top of calle 2 nowhere near there. However, I had a think and remembered where I'd seen it and did find LD on waterfront. Quite a few people there but no *obvious* sign (eg posters, instruments on a pseudo-stage) of live music that night. So turned back - and incidentally the bit between waterfront and the "main" bit of town is extremely badly lit and a little bit sketchy looking, though probably totally safe. Went to top of calle 2 (checking OSM with GPS) and no way is there a Bar Disco Los Delfines there. I also decided that having seen the bit between waterfront and main town after dark I wasn't going back through it to LD on waterfront *and* returning through it at 9ish.

I came back home - bit disappointing but fine, I had said I was going to have some abstemious days - and passed place I'd seen poster and confirmed it didn't bother to give an address. So for all I know there is live music on right now at LD on waterfront, or this poster could be years out of date and refers to LD on waterfront or the LD on C2. Meh.

Did feel bit edgy on streets but really fine both wrt people and dogs. Guess I am just not that used to being out after dark.

Going back to earlier, guy who turned out to be owner turned up about 8 - chance? I had said 6 on booking.com - and let me in tho initially said I couldn't use bog as it was in dorm and he didn't want to wake people up, but he looked and dorm was empty so he showed me my bed (a lower bunk, with a curtain - the "single bed" in dorm looks nicer in more of a cubicle with own fan, but even if *could* have picked that and didn't not end of world) and didn't take money but said manager (my word) would be along later. He did turn up and seems a nice enough chap and I (after checking - there's a *really* shitty exchange rate posted on blackboard, but they aren't using it) paid a fair CRC23k for my three nights.

The weird thing is I am the *only* guest. When I booked it was all "only one bed left" and when I asked about a lower bunk I was nicely told they'd try but would depend as dorm was full. Fuck knows. I am *still* the only guest, and there are AFAICT no resident staff. This does feel vaguely creepy but it's fine, and the town and hostel and its area don't feel tremendously dangerous or anything. Perhaps better this way than having just *one* other guest!

After checking in I was heading into town for a walk around not long after 8. Day has felt rather long given this super early start. I decided to send postcards but only place I could see selling them only had generic CR ones, but after wandering round town and not finding any I bought some, wrote them out back at hostel with free coffee and went and posted them just before post office shut for lunch at midday.

In that wander round town I went down to the beach and the pier (hoping to find people offering boats to Golfito, but no sign of any such activity at all - I will try to ask manager tomorrow, but it may be I just get a bus out, which would be mildly disappointing but not terrible). It all feels slightly run down but kind of nice, but amazingly un-busy considering this is Osa peninsula and it's supposedly high season.

After posting cards I tried to go talk to a tour agency (had also had brief go at 8:45ish but the staff guy was out and just his mate from Monge next door was in office) but the two in town I'd seen were shut and it was starting to spit so photoed details and did bit of back at hostel with more coffee and surfed web a bit and then went back out 3ish for quick chat with one of the tour offices - guy kept saying "pura vida" but otherwise helpful - basically it's USD125 for full day La Leona and US95 for near full day Matapalo (sp) and Reserva Golfo Dulce. He said Matapalo is similarish to San Pedrillo (sp) but RGD is primary jungle so quite different, about 4-5h walking, leaves 630 and returns 1500, including lunch. Apparently not all Matapalo tours include RGD, and I guess that explains price - I had seen USD45ish for Matapalo online during research earlier.

He said he could do me tomorrow (with an American I think couple who were being dealt with when I went in) but he said I could also do Sun. Gut feeling is I didn't want to do it tomorrow as want to sleep in, but although USD95 is bit more than I'd like to pay I may book tomorrow for Sunday. That will give me tomorrow afternoon to investigate where to get minibus to Dos Brazos etc and otherwise have a slack-ish day.

Think combination of tiredness and about six coffees and maybe also the solo aspect of hostel was making me a bit wired and inducing a vague feeling of paranoia.

Had decent casado con chuleta (3500 inc natural, made it 4k with tip - guy insisted on speaking English to me but fair play to him really) at Soda Los Dragones next door and came back to hostel and (since I *am* alone, except for cleaner watching TV in common area) took advantage to do some laundry in bathroom and then got ready to go out for my abortive beer+live music expedition as already noted.

So I think that's about everything. I am *not* having any more coffee, haven't had any since 3ish and I may well go to bed almost stupidly early. I feel vaguely tired and I have done a moderate amount of walking today on top of not that much sleep.

Live music is minor disappointment but not end of world, it may not have been on anyway and I also did not fancy the walk back through that dark area late-ish (albeit not that late) nor did I fancy my chances of getting a safe taxi (tho prob possible). To be fair, walking back at 1830 it felt like 2am, so my perception of time especially with darkness coming so early and perhaps not helped by the super early start and lack of sleep is a bit out of whack.

1941 Been watching some YT. Just cleaned my teeth and the Oral-B floss I brought from home - which I think was new - just ran out (exactly enough to do my teeth with tonight). I have a spare which I bought a few weeks back, just thought it was mildly interesting to see how long it lasted.

2052 OK, let's head to bed. Have set alarm for 10am as a sort of backstop, don't expect to sleep that long but we'll see. Vaguely "annoyed" (not quite right word) at feeling I "ought" to spend nearly a hundred dollars and put the effort in to the Matapalo+GDR tour, when I am then going to be at the hiking place in Dos Brazos for the following three days. I *will* probably do it but see how I feel tomorrow.

FWIW was vaguely tempted to get some snacks on walk home after aborted live music expedition, but I was strong - I massively overindulged last couple of days, plus I reminded myself of that kind of sick bloated feeling this morning.

On a vaguely similar note I could cook for myself here, but I think it's a good idea to go back to soda food when I can - it's more varied, there's slightly less of it (whereas I stuff myself silly when I cook myself, and unlike at home where I can mix a lot of veg in here it gets a lot more rice) which is probably good for vague weight loss (current feeling is I am probably slightly down compared to starting trip, but not massively so) and also for "experiencing" local food more and will make it more of a novelty to be cooking for myself again in DB.

But as I say, bed.