Cartago, Tuesday

Tue 28th 1932 In room. Everything is technically OK and I achieved my notional goals for today but I feel kind of vaguely shitty. Maybe it's end of trip malaise, maybe it's overdoing the sugary baked snacks the last few days, maybe it's fear of going to San Jose tomorrow.

Got up about 0930 (snoozed 10 mins on alarm) but with one thing and another - I tried a cash machine in hope of getting some dollars - it was probably getting on for 1030 by the time I was at the bus stop for Paraíso. Was a bus waiting (it's very frequent service), I asked driver to drop me near Jardin Botanico Lankester (named after an English guy, apparently) and he said yes and I paid (prob) 390 and got on. I was watching on OSM on phone so rang the bell to stop myself instead of hoping driver would remember.

As expected minor slog down (500m) to JBL from stop but no trouble. USD10+2% (weird) to get in, I asked in CRC and they said 5500 which was pretty fair (I had checked on web just before going in) so I paid in CRC.

Gardens actually quite nice. Initially a bit put off by going into the orchid "house" (whatever it's called) and feeling utterly overwhelmed - as a non-biologist without even a "hobby" interest in flower - by the sheer quantity of different orchid species (hundreds?) on display and feeling "I've got no real idea what I'm looking at, they are vaguely pretty but I am going to miss out on a 'wow' experience here because I'm just drowning in orchids". Anyway, I escaped from there and set off on the round trip walk of the grounds. That, although I again probably missed all sorts of gems, was pretty cool - I liked the Japanese garden, but the other areas of the walk were very enjoyable too and I did sit on a seat and vaguely get lost in thought at one point.

Undeniable that I was feeling some mixed pulls to "get out and get lunch/get home" vs "stay and enjoy it" vs "don't feel obliged to stay and end up milking it and ruining the experience" . In hindsight I could maybe have stayed half an hour or so longer but I was kind of ready to leave anyway. After doing the loop walk I went back into the Japanese garden for a bit and then nerved myself to zoom round the "orchid house" again just for completeness.

I had pretty much decided I would walk back, which maybe influenced my "got to get out to get home" as it was approx 6km to accom, but in reality I had plenty of time. Walk a bit urban but not bad and it's all "seeing the real CR" type stuff. I had hoped to find a nice local soda en route but it didn't happen.

I popped into a bakery and got a couple of slightly overpriced (600 each) "bun" type pastries (which I ate back at accom when got back - quite nice actually, especially the cheesy one) on the walk, which ended by basilica so popped in and saw a few people going up aisle on their knees and I went up to the altar and had a look but didn't see this image/statue and for all I know it's buried in some side niche or in the confessional type area which I didn't stray into. It's fine.

Tried another cash machine nearby after then went for lunch. Yday's soda was shut so went into nearby Rincon Italiano. Minor linguistic issues but got a casado de chuleta OK, although it was the most basic one I've had yet (it was cooked vegetables *or* salad, not both) albeit only 2500, plus 700 IIRC for a natural (cas). Disappointingly the rice wasn't properly cooked (it was kind of hard/"crunchy" in that undercooked way) but it was edible - now knowing after airbnb chat that I am not obliged to leave a tip I certainly didn't for this one. Still, it was OK and it was cheap.

OSM seems to be completely wrong about cash machines here but after that I walked through centre and after considering but not buying some overpriced biscuit things in one bakery I eventually found a BCR which had 7ish cash machines one of which (there was a sign, which I saw after trying about 4 of them) gave dollars, so I got another 160 out and came back to accom (bit of a walk of course) via panaderia de la catedral nearby where I got some rather smashed up biscuity things for 1k.

I had been trying to buy my baked snacks from bakery following good experience with the ones I got in PJ the day I got the bus, but TBH not super impressed (except for those buns) with the biscuity stuff at the bakeries here, would be better buying in supermarket where the price is clearly marked and you can pick and choose. To be fair the more "serious" looking baked goods (big sticky and/or chocolatey pastry things etc) might well be nicer and/or cheaper in bakery than supermarket, but for the more biscuity stuff I am not as I say impressed.

Fingers hurting so take a break.

1955 So got back to accom maybe 1600, perhaps "too early" but meh. Mildly thirsty (had taken bag with me with some water but not loads and didn't want to drink too much and end up busting for piss) and if there'd been a shop anywhere near accom I'd prob have splurged on a diet coke or something but I knew I just needed water really and there was no shop of course.

Back at accom indulged in eating all the bakery stuff - mildly unsatisfying - and watching YT.

I went to pay for extra night tomorrow and used that as a pretext to get some advice. Woman v helpful, gave me small discount (tho I will have to check tomorrow she's told booking.com I showed up, and I wonder if she may revoke my discount then, but who knows), I asked about laundry and she showed me how to use washing machine and gave me soap powder for free and I've washed nearly everything and it's hanging up now tho nearly dry already. I asked about train - forgot to say I popped into Cartago station on way back to accom and huge queue of people waiting to get on train and I also asked about tickets and a woman told me there was a ticket window but no one was there now - and the woman here at accom told me you can buy on train (as I think airbnb told me), there is no fine etc, I also asked and altho I am not sure she got the timescale right (important as no trains middle of day) she didn't seem to think Orosi-Cartago-SJ-Alajuela is an insane journey/way to get to Alajuela.

She asked if I'd gone to volcano and I said I'd prob just get tour (yay for auto delete) from Orosi and she seemed vaguely "unimpressed" which maybe contributes to my slight low feeling. But even she said, when I asked, there is one bus a day. *She* knows where it goes from. I find it only too easy to imagine that I buy my fucking reservation the night before and fail to find the bus stop where the one bus a day goes from. Then there's the worry about missing the one bus a day back. Anyway, sod it - if I'd been an ultra-efficient tourist I *could* have done this the first morning (but then I'd have missed out on chatting with those Canadians) and still had walk round and seen ruins/basilica in afternoon, but even so I have hardly been wasting my time here - it wouldn't have fitted super well, tho doable I guess, with JBL today - and tomorrow I am going to try San Jose by train, partly as a dry run with lower stakes (no bag, not even daypack) for subsequent visits and partly as I do want to see SJ to some extent.

Orosi accom replied rather tersely saying lower bunk depends on availability. No idea why this accom and Alajuela accom have to be so fucking arsey about this.

While I remember, airbnb hosts in SI told me you have to reserve months in advance to go up Chirripo. So that took that off the table as something to worry about trying to do. AFAICS it is comparable in altitude to Acatenango in Guatemala but something down to geography/laws/customs here means going up Chirripo seems to be treated as requiring near-Everest levels of planning (even though I believe it is "just" a walk, albeit a stiff, steep on, not a climb) whereas everywhere in Antigua is selling trips up Acatenango with a night near the top. No idea why, but still - fact is/was that Chirripo was not an option for me, for better or worse.

Fingers still hurting. Need to do modest research re SJ and check train times and prob an annoyingly early start tomorrow too.

2007 Turned off "physical keyboard gestures" on K1 and we'll see if that helps with the fucking auto delete. Seems an obvious workaround so no idea why I haven't tried it before, unless I did and it didn't help.

2017 Yay. The *last* morning train to San Jose leaves here at 0855. FFS. It's cheap as chips (CRC705) but still. This does make me think the Orosi-Alajuela route might only really be feasible in the afternoon (first train out of Cartago in afternoon is 1547, tho this may see me arrive in Alajuela after dark - incidentally accom owner woman said it is the same station in SJ for Cartago and Alajuela, so I wouldn't need to leave it to change trains) but let's not worry about that right now. (It would mean trying to hang on in Orosi til 1300ish, when I'm prob going to be kicked out of hostel 11 or 12ish, and still perhaps involve an hour or so hanging around in Cartago.)

OK, Alajuela also has a really limited train service - most trains only go as far as Heredia. This doesn't completely nobble the idea of the Orosi-Alajuela transfer by train or the idea of commuting into SJ from Alajuela to do a bit of sightseeing, but it is a bit crappy.

Given the apparent shittiness (taxi/walk out to west of town and then try to get a bus on Interamericana) of buses Cartago-SJ the train may well still be the best bet, but perhaps *if* (and it is very much an if) the bus from Cartago into SJ goes to the same terminal I'd get a bus onto Alajuela from (so no need to leave terminal/be at mercy of taxi drivers while I have my backpack with me) maybe a bus-based transfer would be easier overall.

I suppose it may also be worth considering the possibility of slightly less crappy trains to Heredia and getting a bus on from there (hopefully not such a bear pit as SJ) to Alajuela.

I am emptying camera memory card tonight not because it's full but because this will minimise losses if I am mugged in SJ tomorrow, assuming I even make it. Fingers crossed during the day it is not really going to be that bad, but it just makes me edgy.

Incidentally guide book on SJ mercado central happens to say cas is a "sweet sour pale fruit" , without saying it's guava. Fuck knows.

Right, I've skimmed central SJ section of guidebook. Some of the museums sound cool but I'm just going to play it by ear tomorrow, assuming I even make it there. Not putting too much pressure on myself. I potentially have another two or even three full days there if I really want, and I *might* (depending partly how I feel about it after seeing it for myself, and partly on location considerations) stay there a couple of nights (if there's a cheap hostel near the train station and it's not too sketchy, doing Orosi-Cartago-SJ one day on check in and SJ-Alajuela another day on check out may be more comfortable than trying to do the whole thing in one day).

And of course if I really wanted to, if I feel the place has some appeal for me, I could put in some more significant time there on a future trip.

2054 I'm not exactly tired but not not tired, I've set an alarm for 7am and will aim to get 815 train with the (last) at 855 as a backstop. Let's move towards bed. Not feeling quite as down as I was earlier but still not exactly chilled, I have vague irrational feelings that I'm not "doing it right" and that I'm not making the most of my time blah blah.

Out of perhaps an excess of paranoia I've taken all my dollars out of my usual hidden belt and am going to leave them locked up in room for tomorrow. I can't do this when transiting SJ in whatever form with all my belongings and touch wood not only will I not get mugged but if I did the mugger may well not "find" the hidden belt, but still, for tomorrow I'll gamble on leaving them here and having them stolen out of my room instead.

It isn't as if I haven't visited large Latin American cities before, FFS. Though all the Central American ones do seem to get a particularly bad press, albeit SJ is probably one of the better ones within CA. Just have to see how it goes etc etc etc.

I do think an element of time pressure is maybe contributing to my vague unease.

But FFS, bed.