Tue 27th 2217 Just been to bog. Solidity! Oddly pale looking solidity, but still, this is good news.
Not counting my chickens etc but still.
2240 No bedside lamp (have vague recollection there was one in other room on first visit but poss not). Am using the tiny USB lamp circuit board thing in charger second port, this works surprisingly well. Dunno if it risks burning out but suppose it ought to be OK and no point having it if I don't use it.
Wed 28th 0857 Slept pretty well. Woke 6ish feeling a bit dehydrated (? sort of hungover feeling but without having drunk alcohol).
Not out of woods yet. Had couple of non-solid dumps and a black coffee and a few (bought at local shop yday) bread+raising rolls have my stomach churning slightly. All the same I am feeling reasonably optimistic I'm on the mend. I am going to do a bit of trip prep in room (count money, review FAQ, tinker with shopping list) and then maybe have some more coffee and then maybe head out locallyish.
Dithering about getting hair cut. It isn't "bulging" anywhere, it's a smidge longer than I'd maybe like but it's not really necessary. Maybe I will play it by ear, if I see a super cheap barber maybe I'll go in and if not I'll leave it.
1343 Been out for walk and shop. Got most of my general supplies (eg bin bags, sealable "freezer" bags for paranoid water proofing) and got some bananas and have eaten a couple. Guts feeling slightly rough (less so after a lie down) but at least no sudden desperate toilet requirements and indeed a non-compelled visit produced only a tiny but solid result. I wish I felt better but I am not at least feeling terrible.
I spoke to at least three pharmacies and diarrhea tablets (incidentally I think at least two of the three did not understand me, maybe my pronunciation is off) appear to cost at least USD0.65 (approx; can't quite remember) each! Like, per tablet. Back home I'm sure they are like a quid for a pack of 6 or 8 or something. At a quid or so I'd just buy a box to be safe. At this price I really don't want to be buying loads if I don't need them - obviously I may regret not having them, but I think I'm gonna see how my guts behave over the next 24h-ish before deciding.
I also couldn't see even the 25% "best I found" DEET in supermercado Rey. One pharmacist had a 25% aerosol, but I really would prefer (and am sure I have seen) a simple liquid with atomiser. I do have a nearly full bottle of my 50% equiv saltidin spray. This DEET purchase is mainly for the supposedly malarial bits of Colombia at the other end and I *may* put off buying something until I am there. Worst case my 50% equiv spray is notionally good enough but with malaria (possibly - *no one* seems to mention this, eg I've been added to WA group for boat trip and they're sending out docs which rehash their faq and there's no mention of malaria) on the table I would prefer DEET. I just may pop out in the next hour or so to a different supermarket and see if I can get some 25% non-aerosol there as a fallback (albeit an annoyingly expensive fallback at potentially USD10+).
I asked (in Spanish, go me) and the employee restocking the spirits in Rey pointed out the sole rum they sell in a plastic bottle, so I got that - it's presumably cheap and cheerful, but at USD8ish for 750ml I'm happy, it will allow me to share etc as appropriate and plastic is lighter and safer in my bag and as it's in the original bottle it removes any niggling worries about customs etc looking askance at it.
I also wd another 250 (annoyingly missing the BAC machine round the corner which according to Liam *might* have let me wd >250, but never mind) in Rey following a count up this morning. Fingers crossed this gives me ample USD. (Oh, I also removed lower drawer of chest by bed in room so I can chain my backpack to the frame - not brilliant, but better than nothing.) And I paid for the USD30+ of shopping on credit card for once as it was a largish amount, cost nothing extra, helps preserve cash and although I generally prefer the privacy and fraud benefits of cash as a one-ish off this felt smart.
1738 Jeez. Just trogged down to Xtra, got a can of the aerosol 25% DEET spray out of desperation, 7.40 but then there's an extra 10% tax at til ffs. Paid on aqua.
Walked back up next street, tried two cheap restaurants but both closed (for food) or closing. Obviously eating at 5 is not the done thing. I had seen some up past local ms but could only find one open. Bwahaha. Fonda Doble Fuerte if I can read the sign (have photo). Seemed OK tho only me in there (I *think* it was busier earlier). USD4 for piece of pollo asado, rice and lentils and chilled tap water (which I am effectively drinking here). The fucking rice - which was from a series of containers on staff side of counter, not cooked to order - was half raw, all crunchy. So presumably it's been served like this all day!? (If it had been cooked to order, maybe they just paid no attention this once when cooking mine.) Maybe this is my gazpacho soup moment, but I've knocked round Latin America a bit and been in Panama for several weeks and I've never had rice like this. The chicken and lentils were nice and tasted OK. Fingers crossed I'm not getting food poisoning from this. Still, I did eat - even if not much, given the big wodge of rice was inedible and I had to leave some lentils as they were on top of the rice. (I declined salad after eventually managing to find out via questioning it had vinegar on.)
I got two beers and (paranoically suspecting a surge in demand tomorrow) a gallon container of water for trip from local ms. I am probably going to go have a shower and do some laundry in there, then I may go have a beer.
(Wrote the above in wrong file due to prev noted inconvenience of working on multiple files with dropbox and its text editor on phone. Massive faff moving it as scrolling screen lost selection so had to do it in chunks via another app.)
1748 Had another banana and will have the last three slices of the pan integral from David.
1926 Called parents (bit of an ungrateful git tbh, not too bad), washed tops in shower, had shower, cut fingernails (toenails not due according to my notes and I'm not gratuitously fiddling with them pre-trip, shorter might be nicer but they're short enough - I'm thinking re stubbing toe on rocks and splitting them, not looks :-) - but with my really deliberately cheap and near useless (one quality notch higher next time, maybe) clippers the chances of me causing some kind of nasty chip or tear are high enough I'm leaving well alone.
I think I'm gonna go drink some of a bottle of (non-diet; the sugar might be no bad thing in my state) coke I put in fridge earlier. If I can get into chat with anyone that's great, if not no harm. I may have a beer later.
Increasingly feeling I'm not going to Casco Viejo. A minor shame but dashing over there tomorrow is going to be shit, esp as (given early start day after) I really would like to be packing tomorrow afternoon while there's still time to dash out for any last minute supplies. I am focussing on CV but it's not as if there's all sorts of cool stuff I couldn't re-see from 2010. And I will probably be back here eventually and maybe (given you apparently need to taxi in and out for safety; some hint you can walk to CdM metro in daytime but not sure and I'm reluctant to chance it at least tomorrow) next time I will stay *in* CV for a couple of nights, since I won't have the boat trip ties to this hostel/area. (Fwiw I could imagine not staying in CV on arrival in PC via air, so as to avoid the faff of getting a taxi in there but getting into city without paying 30 or more for a axi from airport - i might stay somewhere metro accessible, perhaps even here, for a night or two then a night or two in CV, or perhaps do a night or two in CV before flying out.)
1938 Sat at table "near" pool. Three poss-german speaking guys by pool, few people eating and a couple sitting quietly at other table in this little gravelled "aisle" of two. No obvious sign of chat etc. I know from WA group some (British - +44 prefix on phone numbers) girls are here and/or coming here tonight. I don't intend to blatantly force my way in to any chat re trip but if a "groupish" physical chat forms I may try to join. Obv post meeting tomorrow we will (in theory) recognise each other by sight and saying "hi" may be easier, tho if the group is the max 30ish (no idea) I may not remember everyone.
Will go easyish on coke given still feeling way with stomach/guts but I feel mostly OK. Haven't wanted or needed or kind of been able (to force myself) to use toilet for anything except piss. Fingers crossed.
Think couple "behind" me at the gravelled area table I "normally" sit at are Dutch. Don't think they are super young fwiw.
FTR while it would be nice-ish to chat to someone and esp someone from trip group, I am not desperate and I don't feel particularly BNM right now given the other people around and their distribution.
It's warm out but pleasantly so, v light breeze. Wearing flip flops round hostel partly for comfort/convenience but also partly to allow me to stretch out wear on a single pair of socks, given I would like to embark on the trip with as many clean clothes as possible. Dunno what I'll wear during trip but even if I just wear same "swimming" clothes for three days straight it would be good to have plenty in hand and not have to do laundry asap on arrival.
1949 Of course a) not everyone on trip will stay here b) to whatever extent they do, it may be most will only come to stay here tomorrow.
Realise what a fussbudget/actually prepared person I am because on the chat these BGs are asking about withdrawing cash and getting photocopies of passports and changing money to pesos. I'd be freaking out if I had none of this done. I'll prob freak out if and when it turns out there is something I've forgotten. Obviously there is "all day" (sort of "all afternoon" ) to sort stuff out tomorrow, esp if you're 100% healthy, so it's not massively unprepared to have none of this sorted but I suspect I'm regarding the trip as more of an "ordeal" (not quite the right word) than at least some and perhaps most of the others are. Esp with the border crossing aspect and no cash machines, the scope for fuckery feels large and thus feel the need to prep as well as possible to reduce chances of problems.
It would be oddly cool if my group for the trip turned out to be more mixed in age than I am expecting.
Incidentally my plan - need to force myself to think through packing etc in general tho - wrt phones etc during boat trip is to [ffs i think one of the dogs has had a shit somewhere near me, it stinks] start with both phones and power bank fully charged if poss. I will put the UK SIM temporarily in the O6 during the trip and leave the K1 permanently powered down barring some of emergency. I'll stick the O6 in aeroplane mode unless I want to very occasionally check on the offchance of a mobile signal and leave it in battery saving mode and try to only use it as a camera and alarm. I hope the O6 will last out on that basis (I'm just going to have to hope I'm tired enough to sleep without reading on one of phones, tho K1 will be available at a push) and I can use the power bank to top it up if necessary. I'm then not depending on the super tenuous prospect of a "solar panel with a plug" , but if I do get a chance and I've used some power from it I can top up the powerbank.
Another solo guy - two in fact - fiddling with their phones at a nearby table and at the bar. Aren't we all a sociable bunch? :-)
I'm gonna deliberately put phone down and stare into space by way of an experiment.
2003 Harder than I'd expected. :-)
Anyway, I am not intending to write running reports during trip. I will perhaps make brief memory aid notes on o6 eg each night, then (assuming - touch wood - I feel OK) when I get to Capurgana I will have to bash out the whole trip in a few sessions relatively quickly. So it won't be "live" , but it will at least be relatively recent and fresh in my memory as I write it up.
Random notes:
- not so much of late, but earlier in Panama trip I would intermittently think of Daniel Dennett's "Q-Balber" (something to do with intentionality? but it's a long time since I read the book) on seeing local currency
- I occasionally find myself (eg on drinking a Balboa beer) thinking of that PG Wodehouse story (intro to one of his books?) where he referred to (prob quoting a poem?) Cortez on a peak in Darien and someone writes in to say "you big stiff, it wasn't Cortez, it was Balboa"
2301 Responded to message on WA group and spent evening chatting with three other English speaking boat trip people (one Derbyshire, one Glasgow, one California). Had most (shared some) of 1.5l non-diet coke and one can Balboa. Feel a little bloated but broadly OK and that's not surprising.
May try to send a postcard tomorrow morning. I also said I'd be up for sharing a taxi to CV for an hour or two if anyone is up for it, so we'll see what happens - I'd sort of rather "just" pack, but we'll play it by ear and given the chance it seemed like I shouldn't pass the chance up. One of the guys said he had been to CV and although it sounds like more of it is restored and gentrified-ish than when I was there, he said it still has this part slum part gorgeous quality. Gonna send this now anyway.
Not counting my chickens etc but still.
2240 No bedside lamp (have vague recollection there was one in other room on first visit but poss not). Am using the tiny USB lamp circuit board thing in charger second port, this works surprisingly well. Dunno if it risks burning out but suppose it ought to be OK and no point having it if I don't use it.
Wed 28th 0857 Slept pretty well. Woke 6ish feeling a bit dehydrated (? sort of hungover feeling but without having drunk alcohol).
Not out of woods yet. Had couple of non-solid dumps and a black coffee and a few (bought at local shop yday) bread+raising rolls have my stomach churning slightly. All the same I am feeling reasonably optimistic I'm on the mend. I am going to do a bit of trip prep in room (count money, review FAQ, tinker with shopping list) and then maybe have some more coffee and then maybe head out locallyish.
Dithering about getting hair cut. It isn't "bulging" anywhere, it's a smidge longer than I'd maybe like but it's not really necessary. Maybe I will play it by ear, if I see a super cheap barber maybe I'll go in and if not I'll leave it.
1343 Been out for walk and shop. Got most of my general supplies (eg bin bags, sealable "freezer" bags for paranoid water proofing) and got some bananas and have eaten a couple. Guts feeling slightly rough (less so after a lie down) but at least no sudden desperate toilet requirements and indeed a non-compelled visit produced only a tiny but solid result. I wish I felt better but I am not at least feeling terrible.
I spoke to at least three pharmacies and diarrhea tablets (incidentally I think at least two of the three did not understand me, maybe my pronunciation is off) appear to cost at least USD0.65 (approx; can't quite remember) each! Like, per tablet. Back home I'm sure they are like a quid for a pack of 6 or 8 or something. At a quid or so I'd just buy a box to be safe. At this price I really don't want to be buying loads if I don't need them - obviously I may regret not having them, but I think I'm gonna see how my guts behave over the next 24h-ish before deciding.
I also couldn't see even the 25% "best I found" DEET in supermercado Rey. One pharmacist had a 25% aerosol, but I really would prefer (and am sure I have seen) a simple liquid with atomiser. I do have a nearly full bottle of my 50% equiv saltidin spray. This DEET purchase is mainly for the supposedly malarial bits of Colombia at the other end and I *may* put off buying something until I am there. Worst case my 50% equiv spray is notionally good enough but with malaria (possibly - *no one* seems to mention this, eg I've been added to WA group for boat trip and they're sending out docs which rehash their faq and there's no mention of malaria) on the table I would prefer DEET. I just may pop out in the next hour or so to a different supermarket and see if I can get some 25% non-aerosol there as a fallback (albeit an annoyingly expensive fallback at potentially USD10+).
I asked (in Spanish, go me) and the employee restocking the spirits in Rey pointed out the sole rum they sell in a plastic bottle, so I got that - it's presumably cheap and cheerful, but at USD8ish for 750ml I'm happy, it will allow me to share etc as appropriate and plastic is lighter and safer in my bag and as it's in the original bottle it removes any niggling worries about customs etc looking askance at it.
I also wd another 250 (annoyingly missing the BAC machine round the corner which according to Liam *might* have let me wd >250, but never mind) in Rey following a count up this morning. Fingers crossed this gives me ample USD. (Oh, I also removed lower drawer of chest by bed in room so I can chain my backpack to the frame - not brilliant, but better than nothing.) And I paid for the USD30+ of shopping on credit card for once as it was a largish amount, cost nothing extra, helps preserve cash and although I generally prefer the privacy and fraud benefits of cash as a one-ish off this felt smart.
1738 Jeez. Just trogged down to Xtra, got a can of the aerosol 25% DEET spray out of desperation, 7.40 but then there's an extra 10% tax at til ffs. Paid on aqua.
Walked back up next street, tried two cheap restaurants but both closed (for food) or closing. Obviously eating at 5 is not the done thing. I had seen some up past local ms but could only find one open. Bwahaha. Fonda Doble Fuerte if I can read the sign (have photo). Seemed OK tho only me in there (I *think* it was busier earlier). USD4 for piece of pollo asado, rice and lentils and chilled tap water (which I am effectively drinking here). The fucking rice - which was from a series of containers on staff side of counter, not cooked to order - was half raw, all crunchy. So presumably it's been served like this all day!? (If it had been cooked to order, maybe they just paid no attention this once when cooking mine.) Maybe this is my gazpacho soup moment, but I've knocked round Latin America a bit and been in Panama for several weeks and I've never had rice like this. The chicken and lentils were nice and tasted OK. Fingers crossed I'm not getting food poisoning from this. Still, I did eat - even if not much, given the big wodge of rice was inedible and I had to leave some lentils as they were on top of the rice. (I declined salad after eventually managing to find out via questioning it had vinegar on.)
I got two beers and (paranoically suspecting a surge in demand tomorrow) a gallon container of water for trip from local ms. I am probably going to go have a shower and do some laundry in there, then I may go have a beer.
(Wrote the above in wrong file due to prev noted inconvenience of working on multiple files with dropbox and its text editor on phone. Massive faff moving it as scrolling screen lost selection so had to do it in chunks via another app.)
1748 Had another banana and will have the last three slices of the pan integral from David.
1926 Called parents (bit of an ungrateful git tbh, not too bad), washed tops in shower, had shower, cut fingernails (toenails not due according to my notes and I'm not gratuitously fiddling with them pre-trip, shorter might be nicer but they're short enough - I'm thinking re stubbing toe on rocks and splitting them, not looks :-) - but with my really deliberately cheap and near useless (one quality notch higher next time, maybe) clippers the chances of me causing some kind of nasty chip or tear are high enough I'm leaving well alone.
I think I'm gonna go drink some of a bottle of (non-diet; the sugar might be no bad thing in my state) coke I put in fridge earlier. If I can get into chat with anyone that's great, if not no harm. I may have a beer later.
Increasingly feeling I'm not going to Casco Viejo. A minor shame but dashing over there tomorrow is going to be shit, esp as (given early start day after) I really would like to be packing tomorrow afternoon while there's still time to dash out for any last minute supplies. I am focussing on CV but it's not as if there's all sorts of cool stuff I couldn't re-see from 2010. And I will probably be back here eventually and maybe (given you apparently need to taxi in and out for safety; some hint you can walk to CdM metro in daytime but not sure and I'm reluctant to chance it at least tomorrow) next time I will stay *in* CV for a couple of nights, since I won't have the boat trip ties to this hostel/area. (Fwiw I could imagine not staying in CV on arrival in PC via air, so as to avoid the faff of getting a taxi in there but getting into city without paying 30 or more for a axi from airport - i might stay somewhere metro accessible, perhaps even here, for a night or two then a night or two in CV, or perhaps do a night or two in CV before flying out.)
1938 Sat at table "near" pool. Three poss-german speaking guys by pool, few people eating and a couple sitting quietly at other table in this little gravelled "aisle" of two. No obvious sign of chat etc. I know from WA group some (British - +44 prefix on phone numbers) girls are here and/or coming here tonight. I don't intend to blatantly force my way in to any chat re trip but if a "groupish" physical chat forms I may try to join. Obv post meeting tomorrow we will (in theory) recognise each other by sight and saying "hi" may be easier, tho if the group is the max 30ish (no idea) I may not remember everyone.
Will go easyish on coke given still feeling way with stomach/guts but I feel mostly OK. Haven't wanted or needed or kind of been able (to force myself) to use toilet for anything except piss. Fingers crossed.
Think couple "behind" me at the gravelled area table I "normally" sit at are Dutch. Don't think they are super young fwiw.
FTR while it would be nice-ish to chat to someone and esp someone from trip group, I am not desperate and I don't feel particularly BNM right now given the other people around and their distribution.
It's warm out but pleasantly so, v light breeze. Wearing flip flops round hostel partly for comfort/convenience but also partly to allow me to stretch out wear on a single pair of socks, given I would like to embark on the trip with as many clean clothes as possible. Dunno what I'll wear during trip but even if I just wear same "swimming" clothes for three days straight it would be good to have plenty in hand and not have to do laundry asap on arrival.
1949 Of course a) not everyone on trip will stay here b) to whatever extent they do, it may be most will only come to stay here tomorrow.
Realise what a fussbudget/actually prepared person I am because on the chat these BGs are asking about withdrawing cash and getting photocopies of passports and changing money to pesos. I'd be freaking out if I had none of this done. I'll prob freak out if and when it turns out there is something I've forgotten. Obviously there is "all day" (sort of "all afternoon" ) to sort stuff out tomorrow, esp if you're 100% healthy, so it's not massively unprepared to have none of this sorted but I suspect I'm regarding the trip as more of an "ordeal" (not quite the right word) than at least some and perhaps most of the others are. Esp with the border crossing aspect and no cash machines, the scope for fuckery feels large and thus feel the need to prep as well as possible to reduce chances of problems.
It would be oddly cool if my group for the trip turned out to be more mixed in age than I am expecting.
Incidentally my plan - need to force myself to think through packing etc in general tho - wrt phones etc during boat trip is to [ffs i think one of the dogs has had a shit somewhere near me, it stinks] start with both phones and power bank fully charged if poss. I will put the UK SIM temporarily in the O6 during the trip and leave the K1 permanently powered down barring some of emergency. I'll stick the O6 in aeroplane mode unless I want to very occasionally check on the offchance of a mobile signal and leave it in battery saving mode and try to only use it as a camera and alarm. I hope the O6 will last out on that basis (I'm just going to have to hope I'm tired enough to sleep without reading on one of phones, tho K1 will be available at a push) and I can use the power bank to top it up if necessary. I'm then not depending on the super tenuous prospect of a "solar panel with a plug" , but if I do get a chance and I've used some power from it I can top up the powerbank.
Another solo guy - two in fact - fiddling with their phones at a nearby table and at the bar. Aren't we all a sociable bunch? :-)
I'm gonna deliberately put phone down and stare into space by way of an experiment.
2003 Harder than I'd expected. :-)
Anyway, I am not intending to write running reports during trip. I will perhaps make brief memory aid notes on o6 eg each night, then (assuming - touch wood - I feel OK) when I get to Capurgana I will have to bash out the whole trip in a few sessions relatively quickly. So it won't be "live" , but it will at least be relatively recent and fresh in my memory as I write it up.
Random notes:
- not so much of late, but earlier in Panama trip I would intermittently think of Daniel Dennett's "Q-Balber" (something to do with intentionality? but it's a long time since I read the book) on seeing local currency
- I occasionally find myself (eg on drinking a Balboa beer) thinking of that PG Wodehouse story (intro to one of his books?) where he referred to (prob quoting a poem?) Cortez on a peak in Darien and someone writes in to say "you big stiff, it wasn't Cortez, it was Balboa"
2301 Responded to message on WA group and spent evening chatting with three other English speaking boat trip people (one Derbyshire, one Glasgow, one California). Had most (shared some) of 1.5l non-diet coke and one can Balboa. Feel a little bloated but broadly OK and that's not surprising.
May try to send a postcard tomorrow morning. I also said I'd be up for sharing a taxi to CV for an hour or two if anyone is up for it, so we'll see what happens - I'd sort of rather "just" pack, but we'll play it by ear and given the chance it seemed like I shouldn't pass the chance up. One of the guys said he had been to CV and although it sounds like more of it is restored and gentrified-ish than when I was there, he said it still has this part slum part gorgeous quality. Gonna send this now anyway.
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