Orosi-San José

Mon 3rd 0839 On train. I think we've just had a glancing collision with a white van.

Didn't sleep brilliantly but not terribly. Got up a whisker before 6, had two cinnamon buns and finished milk.

Right now my eyes keep wanting to close. I did get some sleep and am sure it will be fine, I can always go to bed earlyish of course if i really want.

(The train service is infrequent enough and maybe also for budgetary reasons - it probably crosses a *lot* of roads in towns, like a tram track, certainly does in Cartago - there are no gates on the level crossings.)

0842 Moving again.

Yawning. Since being in San Isidro I have a feeling I've seen more people (still a minority) wearing masks. Maybe I'm imagining it. If I'm not, don't know if this is geographical or mask wearing just happened to ramp up across the whole country around that time.

0923 At hostel, all OK - seems rather nice really. Too early to check in but my bag just squeezes into a locker and I've dumped my passport in there and will put K1 in there before going out, but just having a coffee first.

Had to phone to get in as gate shut and couldn't see a bell, but not a problem. Really they couldn't have been nicer about letting me use facilities early etc.

0954 Second coffee, had shit so that's all good. Nice cat called Clea here. Will have this coffee and go out for some touristing, check in is 2.

Have extracted last hidden CR note - a 20k as all hidden ones were. I have maybe 30k (not counted) in my binder clip wallet and if push comes to shove I have USD in hidden belt. Not averse to withdrawing more if I need to, but seems to best and yet slightly scary to run down these somewhat heavily folded reserve notes first. As I say, the fact I have USD in reserve means I don't really need to feel too vulnerable to losing my wallet or a bill being more than I expected and not having enough money.

Dithering but I think I'll shove fleece in locker when I put K1 in there before heading out.

I asked about lower bunk as they let me in and was told it's all single beds anyway - I thought this, but makes their response earlier via booking.com messages seem a little unhelpful. Maybe I misinterpreted it. I hope they *do* have my reservation, they didn't take my name... Well, it still shows as confirmed on booking.com so probably OK. Nearly finished second coffee, it's 1015, so let's wash up etc and head out. Have had bit of poke at guide book on K1 so have some vague plans, but no major pressure - this is supposed to be fun!

1728 On hostel terrace with couple of coffees. Feeling bit more chilled but slightly shitty day. Probably me being slightly whiny.

Will write slowly and guzzle biscuits as I go.

So I went out. Thought I'd go and have gallo at Los Gemelos in mercado central. I *thought* (remember I didn't want to get phone out) I'd found it, but couldn't find LG and people asking me what I was looking for started to make me feel self conscious so I left. In hindsight [just had brief chat with a US 26yo - Brendon - who is part of a group of volunteers working in different CR high schools] after accidentally stumbling into MC this afternoon, I may have gone into a different market this morning - both are slightly not-quite-grid structured and confusing when you're not concentrating - I didn't see LG this afternoon either, but I wasn't trying to find it and I suspect it was there, it felt more how I remembered.

So although I wasn't really hungry I didn't eat this morning.

1903 Been speaking to those three Peace Corp (!) volunteers, they just went off to dinner with a friend who lives here. Having beer (710ml IO) in TV lounge, was sitting outside.

Feeling a bit better anyway. I am half wondering if tomorrow I might engage in a quest to locate a "Leyendas del Costa Rica" mug in a market as a personal souvenir - they have one here in hostel.

I went to Iglesia de la Merced, felt a smidge sketchy round there but fine-ish, went in and as there seemed to be a service starting didn't stay long.

Set out aiming to go to Museo de Oro (part of bank museum complex) and - not looking at map on phone remember - got the wrong square and ended up going into cathedral and standing at back watching a service in there (much reference to that "the poor will always be with you" and Mary (?) using the oil on Jesus instead of selling it and giving money to poor incident). I then ended up being forced to look at map on phone and realised I had wrong square and went over to bank museum, though it being underground kind of made it hard to find.

USD16 entrance which is 8.6k and charged 9.6k (it's written on ticket, woman didn't pocket the extra 1k) which pisses me off a bit. Also so many people wearing masks I actually asked if it was compulsory before I paid. Was also asked to wash hands on entry, tho not such a big deal in itself, and if I forgot to say the guard at entrance to national museum on my day trip here the other day did spray some gel on my hands.

I tried to stay positive during visit. Also a pseudo-milking thing where altho I wasn't ultra-enjoying myself I was trying to force myself to appreciate it instead of rushing round in a bad-ish temper. Also felt oddly a bit hungry which didn't help.

Gold exhibits moderately cool, to be honest for me the standout thing was a big model (diorama?) of an indigenous village about 800AD. It didn't say "in region X" but I spotted some model lithic spheres so maybe it was meant to be Diquis (sp). It just felt almost lovingly detailed, eg there was a red snake in some water at the edge of the forest, perhaps hundreds of people, etc. Not at first but as I had a last look on leaving the lower level I was also suddenly reminded of the model town in Paul Auster's "The Music of Chance" .

There was the usual smug preachy liberalism in a lot of the accompanying text around the museum and it undeniably annoyed me.

Modern art exhibit had some mildly cool stuff, eg a big wall covered with small paper images of fingers which rippled interestingly in the breeze from a fan. Numismatic exhibit on highest level OK but not exactly my bag these days. The small exhibit on piggy banks outside was oddly cool, although I find something a bit sickening about a central bank going on about how good it is to save.

I was told I was allowed to wear my cap, but only backwards! I just fastened it on my belt as annoying to wear backwards. Presumably security cameras everywhere. I also had to go through a metal detector on entry. Is this just paranoia or is it because of these valuable gold exhibits? There were a few of the metate stone grinding tables and those were quite cool, though not as good as the ones in national museum.

Afterwards I went and had a casado at Ave 2 - usual weird confusion there about asking for no dressing on the salad, but it wasn't dressed anyway.

About 1450 after I'd eaten so came back to hostel and checked in - got change in dollars, which felt a bit of a shame somehow, but is good really as small denomination USD always good to accumulate even if I already have a fair bit. *Wasn't* shown to dorm and left feeling a bit peeved (guy who checked me in handed me off to another guy who in turn was eating and as he didn't offer I didn't like to ask) as if I didn't have a secure base yet. There is a bell on the gate actually, just a foot or so above my head and it's small and same colour as fence.

So I was walking round just trying to see the city a bit and feeling quietly hacked off. Walked through tiny chinatown, wandered a bit. Found myself in Mercado Central during this as already noted.

Crossing a street in a phalanx of people I was on the edge and a fucking aggressive driver was virtually driving into me - he'd been stopped but didn't like it, we hadn't all charged in front of moving traffic. Damn sure it wouldn't have been smart, but as I scuttled out of the way I found myself wishing I had a big fucking stone and I could just lob it right into the bastard's windscreen or something.

Anyway, came back to hostel and asked and told just to take any made up bed. And I got one in a corner of the slightly weird feeling dorm which is one huge very open room - some pseudo-walls - full of single beds so that's probably quite nice.

I got a couple of beers on way back, tried two supermarkets but mega queues so went to a mini supermarket and got them.

Oh, just before going into MC by accident I found a souvenir shop and went in to see about keyrings for nephew and niece. Over-pushy shop woman showed me a rack of plastic keyrings at 1700 each and didn't leave me in peace to browse so I said I'd come back. 1.7k felt insane, but no basis for comparison.

In MC thought I'd ask about keyrings and although not in sunniest mood I did find one stall where owner showed me some plastic-y ones for 1500+ but some wood ones with transfers on for 600 each. I negotiated - badly, but compared to my 1700 baseline every little helps - and got four for 2k. They are probably trash but it's not as if the plastic ones at 1.5kish are actually lovingly artisanally hand-crafted. Bit dubious as all four different and I don't need four and what if both kids want the same one but fuck it, at least I bought some so can semi-stop worrying about souvenirs now.

I was also going to buy some mani garapiñadas at a stall but after queuing up as they served v slowly it turned out you had to take a ticket with a number on - at a fucking market stall - and the woman was rude enough to just keep saying "number 3, number 3" when I tried to ask for what I wanted instead of, you know, maybe telling me I needed to take a number. So I huffed off - as I say, I wasn't feeling at my sunniest, not "good" but true.

So I think that's most of the day kind of written up. Don't feel overly tired now but will probably have this beer, I dunno about having the other beer but we'll see. Will prob go to bed earlyish. I might go have a shower and change clothes once I've had this beer then maybe have the other beer after if I feel like it.

PC group (two guys and a woman) were saying this area is pretty safe, but some (eg La California) are pretty sketchy and you eg shouldn't have your phone in your back pocket and it's close enough to just stumble into walking, but they assured me I'd notice even though I'm new to San Jose - so presumably this isn't just the very slight sketchiness (eg a couple of guys passed out on steps of La Merced) I've semi-felt at times today. Certainly a lot of places I've been locals have been openly using their phones, never mind having them in their back pockets, so they presumably don't fear crime too much.

Incidentally had feared this hostel would want USD20 key deposit and getting it back when I leave early would be an issue, but staff are here til 11pm and you only need key if you're out after that and I had/have no plans to go out after dark. Hostel guy (probably local) checking me in said there's nothing to do at night Mon/Tue *anyway*. So I didn't get a key and didn't have to pay a deposit.

As I say I feel kind of OK now. Maybe slightly tired. For whatever reason - probably a lot of small things adding up, like early start and annoying glitches with hostel check in and not being shown dorm and feeling a bit awkward and vicious circle stuff like feeling on edge on street and so forth (I do think the not-badly-meant-but-still-nerve-inducing "what are you looking for?" enquiries in market this morning set me on a vague "don't feel quite safe/feel like an obvious tourist" edgy mood and that fed into things). It's fine. I did at least see those couple of churches, I semi-attended a service (taking advantage of serendipity etc), I engaged in minor haggling in Mercado Central, I saw the gold museum as I'd wanted to and I had a bonus half-decent conversation I didn't expect tonight etc.

Biggish cockroach on floor but the odd one isn't a terrible sign I think.

Tomorrow may well go into MC and try to have breakfast at LG and also see if anyone is selling mugs and if I can get a Leyendas one as a souvenir, and I may also try to have olla de carne somewhere for lunch (some places in MC do it) and I may go to some random museum (eg jade museum is nearby) but no need to put huge pressure on myself, and frankly museums here are pricey and arguably not worth it unless I am really quite keen.

I don't think there's anything here even approach "deathbed regret" levels and while far from certain it is entirely conceivable I will be back in CR at some point and now I know the place is not so utterly terrifying as I had imagined the idea of putting in 2-3 nights here and doing a little sightseeing would be on the cards.

Oh, one of PC guys mentioned Mark Zuckerberg and that reminds me that one of the wooden dolls in the religious museum had a real "uncanny valley" quality to its face and looked rather (insofar as I do remember what he looks like) like Zuck...

I will probably aim to be up 8ish tomorrow, that's hardly late but it would probably be a good time (comparable to my day visit) to go over to MC for breakfast and it's still a slight lie in but isn't so late that getting up at 6 (or whatever) to get Alajuela train on Wednesday is going to feel more painful than necessary.

2034 Had shower and changed clothes, forgot to shave but never mind. Had briefish chat with Canadian woman (50ish) in dorm afterwards and now come downstairs for second beer, perhaps not prudent but also not terrible, before probably earlyish night.

Oh, PC woman spoke highly of couchsurfing website, which as always I keep thinking I should check out and then utterly forget about - I don't generally consider it and chicken out, it just slips my mind.

My throat feels a smidge sore but I'm putting it down to talking and maybe being slightly dehydrated.

Having quick poke at Google Maps I do wonder if the market I visited this morning thinking it was MC was Mercado Borbón.

Looking at GM again, La California starts one block east of here - I did therefore just skirt its edge earlier as the mini supermarket I got beer in was on calle 21, but I didn't see anything too obviously iffy. Worth knowing though, now I know where it is I can avoid it more easily. Backpackers hostel appears to be on the fringe of this area as well, though probably not really an issue.

2059 Skimming guide book. Might go to Barrio Amon/Otoya tomorrow just to look at the architecture (free!), maybe also jade museum but not forcing myself.

Not going to try outlying suburbs like Escazu and/or museums here in SJ on this visit - I'm not that fussed and I have other stuff I can see centrally. Could vaguely see myself staying a few days or more in say Escazu (perhaps an airbnb with a family or even an apartment renal) at some point, but right now, no.

Feeling vaguely sad (melancholy, not loser) despite broadly also feeling much better than I did earlier etc. Meh. End of trip stuff. When will I return, if ever? etc. But you can't see everything, as ever it's better to be sad than glad, etc, etc, etc.

It's also I think reasonable for last few days of trip to be low key, and TBH I half look forward to maybe trying to find one of those cups in MC tomorrow and perhaps (despite my reluctance to give them business - yes, stupid as it may be, they have a system and I didn't follow it and I *was* in a slightly shitty frame of mind, but at the same time they were unnecessarily hidebound and rude) buying some mani garapinado (incidentally want these as I think they were the same things as were part of a mixed nut type snack the airbnb hosts in SI served me and they were very nice) from that stall.

I do wish my Spanish were better but can only keep slogging along and maybe (hah, but you never know) this will encourage me to make more effort of various kinds (eg to listen to more full speed native Spanish stuff, eg web radio stations or more YT) once back home.

I do also feel I allowed myself to feel excessively "vulnerable" after all that "what are you looking for?" helpfulness in whatever this morning's market was. I will try to be more confident tomorrow. I suspect a good night's sleep etc may help.

I do kind of wish I had 3-4 nights here in SJ so I could kind of settle in, but compromise in this kind of area is inevitable in last few days of trip and at least I actually came here, when I nearly didn't. I am *not* in love with SJ and as is prob obvious, although it's all irrational temporary today only stuff, feel a smidge less comfortable here tha I did after my day trip in from Cartago, but all the same I do feel the place is basically OK and has a certain interest and potential and perhaps even charm. Modulo taxi issues at night (tho Uber/Didi might be an answer, plus in theory I ought at some point to pit my wits and Spanish against a SJ taxi driver) I could vaguely imagine finding things on sites like meetup.com to attend here and try to meet locals/practice my Spanish, but obviously that is not happening on this visit. If I do come back and either fly into SJ or come here mid-trip, I should probably consider putting in a decent amount of open-ended time here.

It is also, speaking more generally, probably true that using airbnb (or couchsurfing) might, while perhaps a bit stressful, have given me more opportunity to chat to locals and improve my Spanish.

Incidentally, and not slagging them off, although the Canadian father of the pair I met in Cartago had evidently travelled a lot, I do wonder if they were either on a hair-trigger alert for being ripped off or were somehow advertising their tourist status (despite them agreeing with my clothes strategy, mentioning it unprovoked), because in the short time I was with them they claimed to have been screwed over by a taxi driver in SJ, had someone distract them so they could be overcharged in a cafe somewhere else and got ripped off at a soda the morning they left Cartago. Maybe they were just unlucky of course. Touch wood I have been a little fucked around but not IIRC (maybe blog will reveal this as rose-tinted specs) like that. I think my Spanish is better than his, but he did seem fairly fluent, albeit with a very odd pronunciation at times.

Bit jealous of PC volunteers who I am sure will be super fluent (including "multiple locals chatting together" stuff) after two years here. But I also would kind of hate to do what they're doing, and in principle I could try to replicate this "integration immersion" kind of strategy in my own way, plus albeit more slowly I will maybe get there in the end. While I'm acutely aware of problems when I speak which need work, the listening aspect of things is also in principle very open to improvement by listening to (ideally non-contrived) recordings/videos of native speakers, as previously mentioned.

2125 Owner? is being a bit patronising with staff guy about not answering bell. The staff guy in question is someone I have blown hot and cold about, but on the whole he seems a decent chap and owner feels a bit arsey here, if technically in the right.

2130 Feel slightly pissed and need a piss, prob risk leaving not empty beer to have one. Finished skimming SJ in guide book, obviously lots I could see and for multiple reasons these days I seldom bother with the nightlife, but hey, I don't feel too bad about it. I've done fairly well with the time I've had, I think, both with respect to SJ and CR as a whole.

One of PC guys asked me how long I'd spent in Latin America in total. Initial semi-quick response was 2 years in last 10-15, then that seemed too much and I said maybe a year. Didn't nerd out trying to be precise then, but let me try now. Since 2006: 3 months in Mexico (non-contiguous, in month chunks) studying Spanish, 5ish months (broken arm terminated) in 2010(?), 6 weeks 2012ish, 3 months 2014ish (the 3 months after Christmas - before was Asia), 2 months 2018,   3 months 2019, 5 weeks 2020 (cut short by pandemic crap), 11 week 2023. So that's 3+5+3+2+3 months and 6+5+11 weeks, that is 22 weeks so let's call it 4 months so 20 months total. I probably miscounted - I am slightly pissed and this is not laid out for legibility - so two years was not utterly insane, and far closer to two than one. Of course, this is over a (somewhat scary, I feel old, etc etc, notwithstanding one of PC guys probably politely said I looked 36 when I said I was 46) 17 year period. Still, despite work and pandemics and so forth, I have spent about 10% of the last 17 years in Latin America, which is sort of cool.

I do want to be up early-ish tomorrow and probably will be, but it will also be nice to have a day without needing to worry about check in/out or transport crap. Today while hardly ultra-stressful (it all went to plan) was probably "worst" transport day left in trip - Alajuela from here is a bit of a pain with infrequent trains, but it is just one train, and on day of flight I should have free airport transfer and likely worst case is I spend hours killing time at airport etc and at least I don't have to be up super early.

To reiterate, I really do need to up my Spanish learning game when I get back home. It doesn't even have to be hard work, just forcing myself to listen and try hard to understand more "complex" stuff would likely pay dividends, and the increased familiarity would probably improve my speaking too.

I have been a bit slack with classes during my trip, but I did ask teacher once and she was busy, and it *is* kind of hard while travelling (if only cos I am in same time zone, whereas back home the difference works in my favour), and heavy use of dorms (while kind of good and financially savvy and personal-demon-busting) does genuinely impact privacy semi-needed for having classes during travel.

Just waffling of course. Will move to bed pretty soon.

As prob already said, after beers (prob) and misc conversations earlier do feel less fish out of water and more comfortable here. Not like I know everyone, but not such an utter stranger. Think PC guys leaving tomorrow (and don't delude myself we're best buds or anything, for all it was nice to chat with them) but still. And eg after that little witnessed passage with owner? I feel on the whole well disposed to that staff guy etc.

Am perhaps a smidge drunker (nothing insane - it's like 3 pints or so, prob less) than absolutely ideal but at this closing stage of trip nothing tremendously bad about it.

2207 In bed.