Quepos, Sunday

Sun 5th 1438 In open air kitchen bit of new accom. All OK. Will write up last night and today in a bit but want to do some rough planning - not necessarily to follow, but to kind of check times. I am toying with staying here an extra night subject to availability (I have free cancellation on next booking til end of tomorrow, so could presumably nudge it along one day) but really this is valuable even if I don't.

Date are check in/out.

Sun 5th-Thu 9th Quepos, with extra night
Thu 9th-Sun 11th Uvita
Sun 11th-Tue 14th Sierpe (probably utterly unnecessary, apparently not much there)
Tue 14th-Sat 18th Bahia Drake (4 nights)
Sat 18th-Sun 19th Sierpe (playing it safe, as I spoke to a couple last night who had been down to Osa peninsula and I think you have to transit Sierpe to cross it - not nec any need to overnight there though)
Sun 19th-Thu 23rd Puerto Jimenez (4 nights)
Thu 23rd-Sun 26th Golfito
Sun 26th-Wed 29th Palmar Norte (really winging it from here, some of these places may not be worth visiting really or not that big a deal)
Wed 29th-Sat 1st Buenos Aires
Sat 1st-Tue 4th - San Isidro

I fly back on 7th and would also have liked to squeeze in Cartago (which is I think a natural stopping point before hitting/transiting San Jose) and I probably want to be in Alajuela for the last day or two (and maybe have a crack at Poas as an easy thing to fill the day with, and if it falls through/is cloudy there's always another time).

This probably over allocates time in Sierpe. Based on speaking to that couple last night you can book tours in Bahia Drake from places further north (inc prob Uvita) and it's good to book 2-3 days in advance but while writing the above I threw in a stay in Sierpe and I gather it's basically somewhere you get on/off the boat. If we include the Sierpe time allocation anyway, the above schedule has 13 days for the Osa peninsula. I just checked and as I posted yday guide book says 5-7 days is about right for a leisurely exploration of the peninsula, and the above schedule allows nearly double that. So if I want to I can easily throw in another day or two in some place, but given I am not intending to attempt to do everything going - I might come back and if I don't it won't be a deathbed regret, you can't possibly see *everything* - even if I have the odd day lost to slackness or just extending because a hostel/town feels comfortable friendly despite nominally nothing to do there, the above schedule is still quite generous with time allowed and I would therefore quite probably end up following that itinerary very roughly with time to spend 3-4 days in Cartago and a day or two in Alajuela.

Current gut feeling is I'm not going to try to visit San Jose itself properly, although if my various safety margins etc mean I am arriving around Cartago/San Jose/Alajuela with a few extra days in hand I may do, either staying in the city or "commuting" in to do my touristing by day (some people say SJ is "OK" but no one raves about it and I get the impression it's not super safe to be out after dark) from Cartago or Alajuela.

1504 OK, I've just made a free cancellation booking here for one night on booking.com. I think based on speaking to a guy here (been here about a week, longest resident I think) that during the week it's fairly quiet but this is effectively a free option. As with the existing Uvita booking I can cancel up to end of tomorrow, so I can see how I sleep etc and then tomorrow morning I can either cancel the booking for the extra night here or I can try to bump the cancellable booking in Uvita along one night.

I am kind of inspired by Katie and "the Syrian guy" (I was going ask his name when we said goodbye, but he had to rush off, and Katie didn't know either - don't think either of us forget, we just nenver knew) and their "if it feels nice somewhere stay on" approach, although this isn't something totally alien to me anyway, and although I am still kind of jealous of the open timeframes some people seem to have (while remembering I'm still doing pretty nicely, and do have non-nuclear options to have more freedom myself) I am trying to ensure that as I come near (hardly "close" , yet) to the end of the trip I don't rush myself unnecessarily.

So last night I popped out about 5 to get floss at supermarket as it's been running low for ages and I suspected it might be hard/expensive to buy some here (it's a few km from where I was before, but the ferry and the vague "edginess" of parts of the area make it feel more remote) and had been meaning to get some for ages I decided I'd better do it.

Bumped into Syrian guy on street as I came back and he was going to watch sunset on seafront and I asked if he minded me tagging along. So we did and he told me a lot of stuff (we've already spoken a lot - incidentally I think he lived in Miami for years, lived in Cambridge UK for a bit and may live in Israel now, but not sure) about how good Mexico is even as of a few months ago (tempting me to give it another try) and moaning a bit about the sewage in the streets and how CR is not really as "eco friendly" as they like to make out and how everything is insanely expensive here and how he feels everyone saying "pura vida" all the time when they're living somewhere a bit polluted etc is a bit stupid (and that sometimes people might say it sarcastically or whatever).

Back to hostel, had shower, spoke to a South German couple who'd just come back from Osa peninsula and got tips informing the above, then ended up chatting most of the evening (I *hope* not too boringly - I think it was fine, though usual self-doubts after) with guy called Scott who lives in a beach community near LA and is a programmer or something similar and is taking a month off between jobs.

This morning woke up maybe 8ish, perhaps earlier. Had watermelon, coffee, milk (in coffee and on own, to finish), glass of coconut water (left rest for anyone who wants it - got a laugh, poss not entirely "not at me" , but not too mean-spirited, by asking genuine question if it had laxative properties, and it may do) and chatted a bit with Syrian guy and Katie who were both leaving today - him finally having decided to try to get up to Santa Elena in one day tho bus information contradictory, here for 20-25 days at an airbnb in San Isidro to work on an idea she had for a book (!). I was fiddling with my pack outside a shop round corner after had said bye to both (SG leaving first, then K and I checking out together) when the "Osa" couple came past and wished me a pleasant trip, which felt nice.

No major difficulty getting here. I had looked at map and found a "simpler" route through the very vaguely iffy neighbourhood to ferry. Multiple small boats doing the trip, I asked guy if it was 200 and he said 250 but meh, if the tourist premium is 50 colones who cares? I managed to use five of the ultra lightweight ultra fiddly 10 colon silver coins to make up the 50 anyway, so I almost feel like I diddled him as these coins are practically worthless and annoying to have in my pocket.

Three-ish youth types smoking weed and drinking beer on bench at the other side of river. A lot of more "decent" types around but also a guy wandering with beer can and it was 1115 while pickup arranged for 1130 so rather than hang around and risk hassle I walked semi-purposefully up the road and waited outside La Joya #1 supermarket. I texted the accom and although I wasn't exactly asking and I don't know if it's sarcastic the guy said it is "scary but no worries" at ferry platform and after seeming mildly peeved rearranged the taxi to pick me up where I was.

Bit edgy re taxi as he had two guys in back when he pulled up but he had to turn round at ferry area and taxi empty when he got back. I say taxi and it was - I had fairly decent chat with driver en route to accom - but I was worried as I had originally assume it would be someone related to this accom picking me up, rather than the local taxi driver (Don Alex).

Checked in fine, paid USD60+500ish colones for my three nights. Four dogs here and one was a bit snappy when I went to stroke it and owner fastened it up, but the others all seem amiable and guy I met in kitchen (and who is sleeping in hammock now) - Jack - said they're all fine and not too concerned.

The place is kind of like I imagined but maybe not quite - there are photos on booking.com but I hadn't studied them extensively. It's a big dusty-ish patch of land with a private stretch of beach (which I haven't been on yet) and some wooden shacks etc. It kind of feels like I imagine the mythical beach cabins in Asia I always read about in traveller advice web pages is like, although who knows if it is or not.

Had reasonable chat with Jack, went out to look nearby - just walk up and down one street - one loose dog sort of barked at me and came running up a bit but I didn't flap too much and as expected it was fine. Advised not to go out at night but safe during day - think this is wrt crime not dogs.

I found the mini supermarket (La Joya #2) and bought a tin of black beans and some tuna and an onion and came back and cooked with those and (although I brought my rice and coffee and smoked paprike from last hostel) some free eggs here and some whole rice and a bit of ginger and ate it and have subsequently been reading on phone and writing this.

I would like a cold (soft) drink but it's not end of world. There is a place nearer than LJ2 (which is about 7-ish mins walk) which sells cold beer, so I may get one or two just before sunset.

As I say I am toying with staying here. It feels like a quietly friendly sort of place, I *do* have a private room which is nice (in some ways USD20 for a shack feels ridiculous, but compare that to USD15 for a cheapish dorm bed and it's not so bad) no matter how "primitive" it is, and there's a sort of (not quite right way to put it) "playing at Robinson Crusoe" vibe which appeals. If I eat nothing but tinned tuna and rice for four days that's not the end of the world.

I think I might go have little wander now and see private beach etc and maybe get a feel for where a sunset beer might work.

2122 Moving towards bed. Going rather well. Went for brief (40 mins) walk on beach, the black and tan dog accompanied me. Costa Rican couple (Marco and Iliana) had met briefly earlier while first speaking to Jack invited me (not just me of course) to join them for some fish they'd bought after sunset. Went to bar nearly next door and got 4x350ml Pilsen at 1.5k each (won't do that again - as suspected and asked Jack, can get 1 litre bottle Imperial for 1.8k plus a one-off deposit at La Joya #2 - which reminds me if didn't already say I took my bottle back this morning but you can only buy a new full bottle without paying a deposit when you return, you can't just hand bottle in and get your deposit back - but even if I only buy one or two 1l bottles at LJ2 it's still better than paying bar price next door) - I didn't "need" that many but I wanted something to share if it worked out that way (it didn't, so I've drunk two and will have the other two at some point - I am experimenting with evaporative cooling with wet towel).

French couple (vaguely my age, smidge older) around during dinner, we all spoke to them a bit. Fairly chuffed to have *mostly* followed/contributed to Spanish conversation, though when owner/wife/child all there as well and talking to CR couple it got a bit frenetic and I didn't get everything. Two poss American youngish women turned up in kitchen just as we were leaving (dinner was quite a long and pleasantly social affair with Jack, Marco and Iliana - sp?, incidentally) but we didn't speak much.

They are going back to Cartago (with their dog Guafle (sp)) on motorbike tonight at about 2am as she has work at 6am (this is considered good, as you do 6-3ish and that gives you afternoon free - he is freelance home appliance repairman so not quite so constrained) so won't see them again tomorrow and while Jack seems a nice chap and the French couple speak a little English etc I don't necessarily expect it to be so matety tomorrow night, but all the same pleasant and I incline towards staying the extra night, but see how tonight goes.

I had a shower (in a cubicle thing in middle of compound with plants but no light - there is at least one with lights which I just used to clean teeth, but it was busy) after sunset so getting dark and used torch, but fine.

Bed has mosquito net, not sure if it's critical (*think* owner's wife who showed me round this morning said not such an issue this time of year) but will use it of course. Quite possibly first time I will have ever slept under a mosquito net. May be false confident but so far not been worrying about spiders, but I guess being under net - though it kind of drapes on the ground - may add a tiny bonus there.

Light in room is working (off central battery) but a tiny bit not exactly dim but as it's on wall illumination is bit uneven.

Can charge phone (or rather power bank in my case) in kitchen during daylight (only, presumably as there's excess solar power their single battery can't absorb - woman told me they used to have two but one is bust in some way I don't remember) but I haven't today as I came away with it fully charged and will top up phones from it in bed.

Was going to do semi-illicit (they have a sign near entrance saying laundry $5, presumably a load, which isn't too bad *if* you have a big load - *but* nothing saying you can't hand wash) spot of laundry in sink when cleaned teeth but forgot to take stuff with me. No rush, will try tomorrow.

May well want to add more later but I think that's about it. Oh, I said "realicé" and (given we'd been talking for ages I think it's nice they felt "able" to correct me) was told it should be "me di cuenta" , which I did kind of know, but maybe this will help me remember in practice.

Room not theoretically super private even with curtains drawn given the big gaps in the walls (it's all wood here) but in reality no one is going to be peering in.

I also found out (through conversation, mentioning my dad loves it but it's hard to get in UK - we were talking about "unusual" foods - and I remembered I'd seen huge quantities of it at the butcher counter where I bought steak the other day) that tripe is called "mondongo" - I had seen the word but not got round to looking it up. Dictionary has (and I originally used) "tripa" , but one of dictionary meanings is intestine and I think when I used the word it was interpreted as meaning intestine in the traditional sausage skin sense.

Nearly forgot to lock door with wooden rotating latch, although in practice prob not super necessary.

Jack told me this morning it can get quite cold in the night, but I'm not dressing for bed on that basis. Right now it's just on the pleasant side of warm and *very* slightly stickily humid. Can hear surf pounding which is kind of cool and there's something "making a tent with sheets" about being under the mosquito net.

Several holes in net but I guess it still helps.