Tue 0744 just paid 370 for seat. Bus only had about four seats left, I couldn't get a solo seat but I did at least get an aisle.
0758 just been and got 2 conchas from a bakery. Back home only eat at night but here my diet is so poor that I am dubious about my ability to comfortably go without food all morning. Yes j have the cakey thing but rather not touch it.
At least 4 cats/kittens playing in rubbley garden area behind this mini terminal.
Feeling a bit hot and vaguely edgy about bus but should be fine. Didn't sleep super well but not terribly. Can't believe the new hostel is going to be social but then I am just assuming and you never know what is going to turn up plus tbh it would be good if I could have quiet evening in with private room and so a few chores (nails, book flight seat, book train ticket for visiting family when I get back).
I fly back three weeks today. Still quite a lot of time and as I said yesterday mixed feelings about going back.
Also some chickens scratching around next door, presumably they dont have trouble with the cats.
Well overdue for laundry due to being in dorms and not eg getting chance to ask if I could've wash plus I knew it would be hard to dry anything in the climate her|, tho there were clothes out on balcony so maybe it would have worked - but it was only two nights and the first evening I didn't see the staff guy again to ask. May be able to get a bit done in Oaxaca, private room help a with drying but it is a shared bathroom and may be a very small hoatel so perhaps more scrutiny and of course there is always the possibility the sink is held on with chewing gum whether you have a shared or private bathroom.
I just may take some clothes in to a laundry tomorrow but we will see. If I am only staying two nights - it could well be more, but still only booked for two right now - picking stuff up before I go might be a smidge stressy.
0816 on bus. Seat not too bad, is aisle at least and legroom not awful. Clear hints of Aircon. Guy sitting next to me is male half of a couple taking a slightly tearful farewell as we were waiting. They seem Spanish speaking. He seems a smidge upset which is kind of touching actually, for all my mixed emotions of sympathy and jealousy at seeing them in terminal (which is just a shed/roof). I had been assuming she was a tourist and he was some local she had got off with. Of course there are a billion possibilities etc. This may also just be a parting of a few days and they are milking it. Etc etc
I am in the front-most passenger row.
Jesus, I really would like to get my nails cut. One has been snagging in beg the last two nights but the file is buried in the tube cube in locker and never got round to digging it out. I need to make these sort of things more accessible.
0821 we're off.
0825 driver is playing mushy type Spanish language songs and I suspect it isn't helping the chap. Maybe my imagination. I actually do feel quite sorry for him.
Eg "me vas a hechar (sic) de menos" playing now.
Squeezed out a tiny and possibly illicit piss in not V nice little bog at terminal before getting on bus.
1020 beetlejuice is on. Not really watching it, if nothing else screen is right overhead and it is a bit uncomfortable to look at (and my left arm is also a bit sore from sitting funny) and it oddly reminds me of going to see a Superman film with grandad and his friend David when I was very small and sitting in the front row and it hurting my neck.
Feeling a tiny bit intermittently stressy. Not too bad overall. Eg stupid but I wonder if not having AC in oaxaca is going to be awful. Even though I got by fairly happily without or even a fan on last visit.
Very little mobile reception en route. This semi explains perhaps why starlonk is used in zipolite, though of course mobile data isn't same as cabled access.
I am also needing to remind myself (generally, not wrt heat) that eg last night I was feeling fine, so any minor wobbles today are just transit stuff and buses and maybe chap next to me making me think about some stuff.
Put sunblock on back at hostel as though not out in sun this morning I expect to be on sunny streets in oaxaca also may help soothe back of neck, though tbh it doesn't feel noticeably burned so probably fine anyway. (It may be red, I haven't looked, but overall not been doing too bad wrt sunburn.)
Not sure if actually true but some of the irregular chequerboard floors in BJ are reminding me of Steppenwolf.
Macarthur park sequence in BJ is a bit weird.
1049 throat keeps feeling a bit dry. I think it must be the (not over fierce, tbh, but still OK) aircon.
Film just finished. I guess I kind of sort of watched it enough to get the gist. It is dubbed in Spanish of course.
Organic maps estimates 1h22m to Oaxaca. That would indeed be about 4h total. Fingers crossed. I don't feel too bad but it would be nice to get off the bus all the same.
"Promethea" might be name of new film. Even less interested and probably won't have time to see it all anyway.
1158 getting close. Bloke next to me has headphnes on and intermittently air drumming and sort of dancing in his seat. My sympathy has mostly disappeared. :-)
1219 bum hurts a bit. Film - something about boveda (arch?) Hunting - seems to be maybe nearly finished but not been paying much attention.
1220 just realised I can have an ice cream in oaxaca! Not that I couldn't and indeed didn't in Zipolite and environs, but still.
Eli Roth film. Maybe something to do with computer game borderlands. Which makes me think of Shamus Young.
1223 pulling into lineas unidas terminal.
1300 at hostel. All ok, they are cleaning room but had a piss. There is a pissy sign in bathroom saying water is scarce and they will charge a penalty if you wash clothes in the aink. Because of course washing clothes in the sink uses far more water than a washing machine.
There is a tiny dog (Chihuahua?) Here. Quite nice but seems a tiny bit scared of me. I am not sure if I should go out or hang around. I don't want to look stroppy - check in is not til 2 - but unless the room is practically ready I might as well go out and come back in a bit.
Plan for today is to wander round and eat and unless something comes in my way (unlikely on a ruesday I suspect) I will come back and eg hanf around on roof terrace a bit sunsetish and see if any chance of chat and otherwise just try to get a few chores done and enjoy some private space.
It is warm here in Oazaxa but not boiling, especially in the shade.
I may take some laundry in somewhere tonight if there is somewhere local open after my sunset ish shower, otherwise maybe first thing tomorrow. If I sleep well I may see about extending another night here. Maybe tonight need to try to flesh out draft itinerary for rest of trip. I am toying with a self guised trip to montealban tomorrow but have to check up on details later.
1836 So, I went out and I gorge myself stupid at Los Sabores de la Chef. The menu didn't seem quite as good buffet Oh, it is west-west. Yeah, it's west-west, west-west, west-west.selection that is as the other day but it wasn't too bad and I had quite a few of these sort of vaguely pizza but get type things. I had three glasses of different flavour juice. It didn't seem to be any coffee. Anyway, it was hot as well and I thought I'd eaten quite a lot but when I left I realised I was absolutely be stuffed and felt almost sick.
So I came back to hostel and lay down for maybe an hour or two. Feels a bit wasteful but OTOH I really had no major plans and it was good to maybe over eat semi healthy food and SL on.
I went out about 1730 and has a bit of a wander and tried to find nearby laundry but no luck, though I did discover @ little square up some steps with lots of ice cream places, though I ended up eating at la Michoacana anyway even though it wasn't that hot by this time and I briefly wrestled with ideas of not having anything went to check put a bia to montealban I has seen before and found it though slightly disappointingly the first bus isn't til 9am. There are probably multiple options though. I did have some isea of getting up ans trying to get an 8am bus to help beat the heat. Will have to look into this later but 9am isn't terrible.
Found a street with lots of small local bars as wandering back but probably not breave enough to go alone. One offering 3 caguamas for 150. Also while it is kind of tempting to go out and maybe eg have a drink in the main square (the protestor tents seem to have gone compared to last time a few days ago, but mahbe I just went down wrong street) I think it would be good to have a day off the beer, if only on appreciating it grounds rather than health.
Chihuahua is female BTW, if is obvious now ice had a better look at her.
Room has no wndow and is a tiny bit stuffy but not big deal.
Got a coke zero on way back and was and an going to go up to terrace with it but they were cleaning steps up so temporarily put it on fridge. A woman has turned up and is checking in slowly, we have exchanged a few words on practical stuff, no idea if there will be any chat opportunities.
There is also a hairless dog here, have a bad photo. C seems to be getting reasonably friendly with me, not see hairless one much so far.
May ask about extending tomorrow but we will) see. Need to sketch out draft itinerary. Even if I stay in oaxaxa longer, which is quite possible, it may be best on cost and social grounds to try somewhere else.
C is called Cata, new woman just asked I should have done really and nearly did earlier. And it is a chihuhahua, she asked that too.
1854 up on terrace. Saw a bloke briefly, possibly staff, not sure. Bit of a breeze which is kind of nice but may be wearing after too long. I will have my coke and then maybe go have a shower and perhaps come back up here.
Not absolutely ruling out going for a walk or to buy eg more coke tonight but gut feeling is I won't. Sign up here says you can't smoke marijuana.
I waited about 40-50 mins when checked in before I got room not complaining as I could have asked and tbh it was kind of nice to sit in relatively cool shade of reception and read.
Do wonder if sabores de la chef has two nearby locations or something, the layout was different to last time and I had to pay at a kiosk with a window on the way in.
Occasional flashes of sheetish lightning, sky is quite cloudy.
Feelong a bit bnm generally but I can't make people to talk to materialise out of nowhere. As I say, maybe I am making excuses but in general it does feel like there are not people around to be talked to, rather than me just lacking social skills or youth or whatever.
Half wish I had booked three nights and half glad I didn't. There was no strong motive beyond the usual "try not to over commit" in booking for only 2 nights to start with. Rightly or wrongly I just have a feeling it may be hard to extend here at a decent price if at all
I feel a strong disinclination to deal with shit like booking flight seats and train tickets and faffing with onward plans. I don't know if this is laziness or procrastination or trying not to think about the trip ending or having to make decisions or what.
I am about halfway down the coke. Nothing stops me going out for albeit probably overpriced coffee eg on the main square, but tbh it would be kind of nice to have an early and or quiet night in given I have got the private room. I will probably try to put in some time on terrace post shower just to be around in case there is any chance of chat but not overoptimistic.
WiFi appears not to reach up here which is a mixed blessing.
Quite a neat sort of model (life size) of a man sitting on a seat up here made of straw or wire or something.
Misc minor irritations to "solve" if possible which have been meaning to make a note about for a while:
- the way stuff like nail clippers or (though lately it is in fleece pocket) headphones are often buried away in locker and getting at them is so much FAFF I often don't bother (they are usually in tube cube and I often put eg passport and money in there ans put it in my locker in a dorm while chaining backpack next to my bed so I can get to most of my stuff without constantly going into locksr while protecting the most valuable stuff) - on some sense solving this is as trivial as keeping eg nail clippers in a plastic bag in lid under pocket of my backpack instead of tube cube
- although I think carrying toilet paper is sensible, I have ot in a ziploc type bag in a knee pocket and it is quite bulky and possibly also inhibits breathability.
- likewise I have my hanky in that tpocket, back home I keep it in phone pocket and that works fine but on trip maybe cos it is hot or cos pocket is somehow together or Cos of zip the hanky tends to get in the way or keep coming out and this doesn't seem practical, so I have it in that knee pocket where it adds bulk and makes unwanted insulation
1922 OK that was nice, woman (Andrea) came up and asked if I was volunteering here and we talked quite a bit. She recommended San Marcos (near San Jose) where you can do like a 12km self guided hike (possibly to San Jose) and get a colectivo back at end and there is a hosfel there. This is unfortunately like half way back to mazunte. But it is a possibility. This is in the mountains and it is cold. And depending on buses etc (presumably there is a direct one if she came from there today - she is doing a months long yoga instructor? Course in Mazunte and is just up for a week) going back halfway wouldn't be the end of the world. Or if not then maybe for another trip.
She also did temezcal at San joss which sounds kind of cool but also not my thing, though she said she was feeling a bit "trapped" during first round which I could identify with. But she was with friends. Also I am not big on this whole mother earth religion local culture Respect type wank. But I did actually ask and she said doing the hikes (and there might well be people to meet in hostel to do them with, or might meet people on the hike) would be worth it even if you didn't do the other stuff.
I think she is on a 4.5ish month trip overall but is clearly not rushing round (which I agree with/respect etc; I do feel I am maybe slightly rushing round but since ibdont have a major goal like eg studying Spanish in a school or learning to surf it is a bit hard to judge what is "right").
Anyway, that little bit of conversationwas definitely welcome.
Nearly finished coke so I will go have a shower and cut nails and then maybe come back up here, though if there is no internet that makes it less practical.
She did say she felt proud of herself for doing the temezcal afterwards and I could totally see that. I very much doubt I am going to even try even if I do go to San Marcos though.
2034 Had shower - gave uw a water only wash as it is most critical (though I still had maybe 2ish never worn pairs from the wash back in palenque, as been reusing a smaller subset and washing those) if I can't find a laundry handy tomorrow or my travel plans don't allow loitering to collect. Though tbh I suspect all else being equal I might as well hang around to thu on offchanxe of lang exchange, tho some are shit ime of course.
Also cut finger and toenails. Left big toe is a little messy looking but not really hurting any more BTW. Looks basically like the nail is partly cracked across the middle but presumably this will just grow out, and there is maybe some slight bruising under it.
Feeling really kind of torn about going out, if only for a snack or coffee or wander, but tbh probably shouldn't. I have had a quick look for trains to visit family when i return which is at least a tiny step towards getting that chore done.
I also had a shave fwiw. No hot water in shower but not huge deal. (In zipolite hosfel it was just a cold water pipe, but it's hot enough there a cold shower is not a problem and the water is actually warmish anyway.)
I am going to take a bottle of water and both phones up to roof but may not stay there long.
2045 on roof. One bloke up here playing with his phone. Ah, Andrea just come up after me and also sat on her own. Sort of makes me feel better about doing the same.
2118 just me and bloke. Doesn't feel awkward but obviously not matey. Neither phone can get WiFi up here. I could use my data but rather conserve it.
Been poking at guise book and trying to sketch out a rough itinerary. I need to be careful and not over stretch myself.
Gut feeling is that I will try to be in San cris *next* weekend, as there may be social activities at hostel and failing that I can go to eg el paliacate for live music solo at a push. Since there is some chance of social axtivity and at least solo going out, I am probably not going to overweight the prospect of being here in oaxaca city for the weekend.
I may have got the name san Marcos wrong. However guide bookbsoes got on about San Jose del Pacifico and I am thinking subject to accom etc it may make sense to go down there for say 2-3 nights when I leave here. Even if I don't or can't hike much the area sounds cool. Say thu/Fri/sat night. I might then come back to oaxaca for sun/Mon night and then an overnight bus back to San cris.
The problem there is that I maybe get to San cris too early. I am toying with going to comitan and exploring round there, but I maybe don't want to be blippong back and forth between comitan and San cris to be in sc for the weekend. Maybe it is OK, it might only be an hour or two.
Comacalco and Tabasco in general would have to wait for another trip.
I think tbh if I can fly back from Tuxtla or Villahermosa to xancun I do have time to spend nearly a week around comitan after spending weekend after next in San cris, but it is maybe cutting it a bit fine if I am bussing it.
While I don't see myself all that likely to go back to zipolite or mazunte on a future trip, I am reasonably likely to come through Oaxaca especially if I have flown in via Cancun. So I could prioritise comitan now and say that san Jose and environs would be a naturalish side trip from Oaxaca in future, as (say) I pass through towards Puebla or Cuernavaca or whatever.
So maybe| instead I should so whatever (and I have some separate rough notes) hikingish and other day trips I want to do from here in oaxaca, then move on to San cris via a night bua and depending on the time of the week perhaps go down to comitan first rather than putting up at the hosfel in San cris straight away.
If comitan is somehow a bust I would probably have time to cut my losses and go not too hurriedly by bus through Tabasco and Campeche city etc.
I probably need to check some bus travel times and so on (eg push comes to shove, can I get a bus from say tuxtla to Cancun and how painful is it?) This is not feeling quite like a plan but it is maybe vaguely starting to come together.
It does feel like since there are other hiking possibilities (albeit nothing too "epic" and I do somehow wonder If I've lost physical condition compared to eg paramillo last year, but I have to assume not), with less than three weeks to go by the time I get there and needing to get back to Cancun, putting in maybe 3-4 nights in San jose del Pacifico and environs may not be a great idea. If I had say 5 weeks it would be fine but as it is it feels like I am going to feel a little bit harried there which in turn is probably going to make it harder for me to have the confidence to relax and do hikes etc and I'd be constantly thinking about getting back for the flight.
Comitan and nearby towns (which I might hope to stay in overnight, and I probably wouldn't do them all either as don't want to over stretch myself) are probably coolish. If I end up in tabasco it is probably warm away from the coast, but at least I'd have had some mountain time first after my recent coastal jaunt and with a return home in a week or two on the cards there might be some pleasantness in even excessive warmth at that point.
I do kind of wish I'd made the trip longer but all of my "2.5" reasons to keep it short were reasonably sensible and I had to decide and I can't say I was actually wrong to go with 8 weeks. There have been just enough homesick wobbles, for example, that maybe a longer trip would have felt even more overwhelming earlier on.
I have some vague hopes I might find a cheap flight to come back via Cancun for a month or so in autumn. But let's not get ahead of ourselves or write off the remaining three weeks yet!
2138 OK, I think I will go down to room and just maybe slack off a bit and maybe look at some rough bus timetables. It is just me up here and I see little chance of chaf and albeit it was only 5 minsish with Andrea earlier that was still a nice little break in the no chat streak.
I may well extend here in oaxaca for a couple of days to do some nearby stuff so quite likely to be here for lang exchange thu anyaay, but I am unlikely to hang around specifically for that. It could be good, it would probably be at least OK, but there is enough chance it sucks that I won't burn a day *just* for it.
Plan tomorrow is still probably to get 9am bus to montealban and spend 3ish hours there, then maybe in afternoon I will do a museum or two and decide what I might do the day after and if I want to extend (be it at this hostel or another).
2152 Okay, super quick look on the web suggests that there is in fact multiple bus services from San Christabelle, direct to Cancun, although it takes about 22 to 24 hours. There also seems to be a 15-hour service from Tuxtler to Cancun, and that's only an hour or two away from San Christabelle. So, although I don't particularly want to do it, I could essentially be hanging around in And the San Christobao, Komitan kind of region, until a few days before the flight and still get back without too much trouble. There is also the Tren maya as well, potentially from some parts of that region.
There's also a service from San Cristobal to Campeche in something like 14 or 15 hours, although it gets there about 3 a.m. in the morning, which is a bit awkward. And then from Campeche to Cancun, you can get the train, I think, but it's also about 7 or 8 hours by bus.
So I think basically it is reasonable to sort of not too hastily finish up here in Wahaka, do some day trips, side trips, hiking trips for the next day, two, three days, however long feels appropriate. Then move on to the Saint-Christavale comitan region via a night bus from here. Don't overdo time at the Saint-Christavale hospital, but you know, see if I can enjoy myself there and get some sort of social life and nightlife in. But you know, that still gives me, and then I've got a week or two around that to do comitan or maybe some other things there because obviously I could choose to head over to Villahermosa or Campeche earlier. Probably be fairly flexible without too much pain the last few days, you know, and I do still have three weeks, so I think there's a rough plan emerging there.day 354 bed. Dwiw there is free water here but I think the kitchen where the dispenser is located is locked 2200-0800ish. Not a huge deal.
Feel OK. Not omfg wow amazing living the dream, but OK. Am slightly tired and be good to go to bed. Shame it is a slightly early start tomorrow but nothing too bad, and a say trip out is not as stressful as having to actually move somewhere new as I did today.
0758 just been and got 2 conchas from a bakery. Back home only eat at night but here my diet is so poor that I am dubious about my ability to comfortably go without food all morning. Yes j have the cakey thing but rather not touch it.
At least 4 cats/kittens playing in rubbley garden area behind this mini terminal.
Feeling a bit hot and vaguely edgy about bus but should be fine. Didn't sleep super well but not terribly. Can't believe the new hostel is going to be social but then I am just assuming and you never know what is going to turn up plus tbh it would be good if I could have quiet evening in with private room and so a few chores (nails, book flight seat, book train ticket for visiting family when I get back).
I fly back three weeks today. Still quite a lot of time and as I said yesterday mixed feelings about going back.
Also some chickens scratching around next door, presumably they dont have trouble with the cats.
Well overdue for laundry due to being in dorms and not eg getting chance to ask if I could've wash plus I knew it would be hard to dry anything in the climate her|, tho there were clothes out on balcony so maybe it would have worked - but it was only two nights and the first evening I didn't see the staff guy again to ask. May be able to get a bit done in Oaxaca, private room help a with drying but it is a shared bathroom and may be a very small hoatel so perhaps more scrutiny and of course there is always the possibility the sink is held on with chewing gum whether you have a shared or private bathroom.
I just may take some clothes in to a laundry tomorrow but we will see. If I am only staying two nights - it could well be more, but still only booked for two right now - picking stuff up before I go might be a smidge stressy.
0816 on bus. Seat not too bad, is aisle at least and legroom not awful. Clear hints of Aircon. Guy sitting next to me is male half of a couple taking a slightly tearful farewell as we were waiting. They seem Spanish speaking. He seems a smidge upset which is kind of touching actually, for all my mixed emotions of sympathy and jealousy at seeing them in terminal (which is just a shed/roof). I had been assuming she was a tourist and he was some local she had got off with. Of course there are a billion possibilities etc. This may also just be a parting of a few days and they are milking it. Etc etc
I am in the front-most passenger row.
Jesus, I really would like to get my nails cut. One has been snagging in beg the last two nights but the file is buried in the tube cube in locker and never got round to digging it out. I need to make these sort of things more accessible.
0821 we're off.
0825 driver is playing mushy type Spanish language songs and I suspect it isn't helping the chap. Maybe my imagination. I actually do feel quite sorry for him.
Eg "me vas a hechar (sic) de menos" playing now.
Squeezed out a tiny and possibly illicit piss in not V nice little bog at terminal before getting on bus.
1020 beetlejuice is on. Not really watching it, if nothing else screen is right overhead and it is a bit uncomfortable to look at (and my left arm is also a bit sore from sitting funny) and it oddly reminds me of going to see a Superman film with grandad and his friend David when I was very small and sitting in the front row and it hurting my neck.
Feeling a tiny bit intermittently stressy. Not too bad overall. Eg stupid but I wonder if not having AC in oaxaca is going to be awful. Even though I got by fairly happily without or even a fan on last visit.
Very little mobile reception en route. This semi explains perhaps why starlonk is used in zipolite, though of course mobile data isn't same as cabled access.
I am also needing to remind myself (generally, not wrt heat) that eg last night I was feeling fine, so any minor wobbles today are just transit stuff and buses and maybe chap next to me making me think about some stuff.
Put sunblock on back at hostel as though not out in sun this morning I expect to be on sunny streets in oaxaca also may help soothe back of neck, though tbh it doesn't feel noticeably burned so probably fine anyway. (It may be red, I haven't looked, but overall not been doing too bad wrt sunburn.)
Not sure if actually true but some of the irregular chequerboard floors in BJ are reminding me of Steppenwolf.
Macarthur park sequence in BJ is a bit weird.
1049 throat keeps feeling a bit dry. I think it must be the (not over fierce, tbh, but still OK) aircon.
Film just finished. I guess I kind of sort of watched it enough to get the gist. It is dubbed in Spanish of course.
Organic maps estimates 1h22m to Oaxaca. That would indeed be about 4h total. Fingers crossed. I don't feel too bad but it would be nice to get off the bus all the same.
"Promethea" might be name of new film. Even less interested and probably won't have time to see it all anyway.
1158 getting close. Bloke next to me has headphnes on and intermittently air drumming and sort of dancing in his seat. My sympathy has mostly disappeared. :-)
1219 bum hurts a bit. Film - something about boveda (arch?) Hunting - seems to be maybe nearly finished but not been paying much attention.
1220 just realised I can have an ice cream in oaxaca! Not that I couldn't and indeed didn't in Zipolite and environs, but still.
Eli Roth film. Maybe something to do with computer game borderlands. Which makes me think of Shamus Young.
1223 pulling into lineas unidas terminal.
1300 at hostel. All ok, they are cleaning room but had a piss. There is a pissy sign in bathroom saying water is scarce and they will charge a penalty if you wash clothes in the aink. Because of course washing clothes in the sink uses far more water than a washing machine.
There is a tiny dog (Chihuahua?) Here. Quite nice but seems a tiny bit scared of me. I am not sure if I should go out or hang around. I don't want to look stroppy - check in is not til 2 - but unless the room is practically ready I might as well go out and come back in a bit.
Plan for today is to wander round and eat and unless something comes in my way (unlikely on a ruesday I suspect) I will come back and eg hanf around on roof terrace a bit sunsetish and see if any chance of chat and otherwise just try to get a few chores done and enjoy some private space.
It is warm here in Oazaxa but not boiling, especially in the shade.
I may take some laundry in somewhere tonight if there is somewhere local open after my sunset ish shower, otherwise maybe first thing tomorrow. If I sleep well I may see about extending another night here. Maybe tonight need to try to flesh out draft itinerary for rest of trip. I am toying with a self guised trip to montealban tomorrow but have to check up on details later.
1836 So, I went out and I gorge myself stupid at Los Sabores de la Chef. The menu didn't seem quite as good buffet Oh, it is west-west. Yeah, it's west-west, west-west, west-west.selection that is as the other day but it wasn't too bad and I had quite a few of these sort of vaguely pizza but get type things. I had three glasses of different flavour juice. It didn't seem to be any coffee. Anyway, it was hot as well and I thought I'd eaten quite a lot but when I left I realised I was absolutely be stuffed and felt almost sick.
So I came back to hostel and lay down for maybe an hour or two. Feels a bit wasteful but OTOH I really had no major plans and it was good to maybe over eat semi healthy food and SL on.
I went out about 1730 and has a bit of a wander and tried to find nearby laundry but no luck, though I did discover @ little square up some steps with lots of ice cream places, though I ended up eating at la Michoacana anyway even though it wasn't that hot by this time and I briefly wrestled with ideas of not having anything went to check put a bia to montealban I has seen before and found it though slightly disappointingly the first bus isn't til 9am. There are probably multiple options though. I did have some isea of getting up ans trying to get an 8am bus to help beat the heat. Will have to look into this later but 9am isn't terrible.
Found a street with lots of small local bars as wandering back but probably not breave enough to go alone. One offering 3 caguamas for 150. Also while it is kind of tempting to go out and maybe eg have a drink in the main square (the protestor tents seem to have gone compared to last time a few days ago, but mahbe I just went down wrong street) I think it would be good to have a day off the beer, if only on appreciating it grounds rather than health.
Chihuahua is female BTW, if is obvious now ice had a better look at her.
Room has no wndow and is a tiny bit stuffy but not big deal.
Got a coke zero on way back and was and an going to go up to terrace with it but they were cleaning steps up so temporarily put it on fridge. A woman has turned up and is checking in slowly, we have exchanged a few words on practical stuff, no idea if there will be any chat opportunities.
There is also a hairless dog here, have a bad photo. C seems to be getting reasonably friendly with me, not see hairless one much so far.
May ask about extending tomorrow but we will) see. Need to sketch out draft itinerary. Even if I stay in oaxaxa longer, which is quite possible, it may be best on cost and social grounds to try somewhere else.
C is called Cata, new woman just asked I should have done really and nearly did earlier. And it is a chihuhahua, she asked that too.
1854 up on terrace. Saw a bloke briefly, possibly staff, not sure. Bit of a breeze which is kind of nice but may be wearing after too long. I will have my coke and then maybe go have a shower and perhaps come back up here.
Not absolutely ruling out going for a walk or to buy eg more coke tonight but gut feeling is I won't. Sign up here says you can't smoke marijuana.
I waited about 40-50 mins when checked in before I got room not complaining as I could have asked and tbh it was kind of nice to sit in relatively cool shade of reception and read.
Do wonder if sabores de la chef has two nearby locations or something, the layout was different to last time and I had to pay at a kiosk with a window on the way in.
Occasional flashes of sheetish lightning, sky is quite cloudy.
Feelong a bit bnm generally but I can't make people to talk to materialise out of nowhere. As I say, maybe I am making excuses but in general it does feel like there are not people around to be talked to, rather than me just lacking social skills or youth or whatever.
Half wish I had booked three nights and half glad I didn't. There was no strong motive beyond the usual "try not to over commit" in booking for only 2 nights to start with. Rightly or wrongly I just have a feeling it may be hard to extend here at a decent price if at all
I feel a strong disinclination to deal with shit like booking flight seats and train tickets and faffing with onward plans. I don't know if this is laziness or procrastination or trying not to think about the trip ending or having to make decisions or what.
I am about halfway down the coke. Nothing stops me going out for albeit probably overpriced coffee eg on the main square, but tbh it would be kind of nice to have an early and or quiet night in given I have got the private room. I will probably try to put in some time on terrace post shower just to be around in case there is any chance of chat but not overoptimistic.
WiFi appears not to reach up here which is a mixed blessing.
Quite a neat sort of model (life size) of a man sitting on a seat up here made of straw or wire or something.
Misc minor irritations to "solve" if possible which have been meaning to make a note about for a while:
- the way stuff like nail clippers or (though lately it is in fleece pocket) headphones are often buried away in locker and getting at them is so much FAFF I often don't bother (they are usually in tube cube and I often put eg passport and money in there ans put it in my locker in a dorm while chaining backpack next to my bed so I can get to most of my stuff without constantly going into locksr while protecting the most valuable stuff) - on some sense solving this is as trivial as keeping eg nail clippers in a plastic bag in lid under pocket of my backpack instead of tube cube
- although I think carrying toilet paper is sensible, I have ot in a ziploc type bag in a knee pocket and it is quite bulky and possibly also inhibits breathability.
- likewise I have my hanky in that tpocket, back home I keep it in phone pocket and that works fine but on trip maybe cos it is hot or cos pocket is somehow together or Cos of zip the hanky tends to get in the way or keep coming out and this doesn't seem practical, so I have it in that knee pocket where it adds bulk and makes unwanted insulation
1922 OK that was nice, woman (Andrea) came up and asked if I was volunteering here and we talked quite a bit. She recommended San Marcos (near San Jose) where you can do like a 12km self guided hike (possibly to San Jose) and get a colectivo back at end and there is a hosfel there. This is unfortunately like half way back to mazunte. But it is a possibility. This is in the mountains and it is cold. And depending on buses etc (presumably there is a direct one if she came from there today - she is doing a months long yoga instructor? Course in Mazunte and is just up for a week) going back halfway wouldn't be the end of the world. Or if not then maybe for another trip.
She also did temezcal at San joss which sounds kind of cool but also not my thing, though she said she was feeling a bit "trapped" during first round which I could identify with. But she was with friends. Also I am not big on this whole mother earth religion local culture Respect type wank. But I did actually ask and she said doing the hikes (and there might well be people to meet in hostel to do them with, or might meet people on the hike) would be worth it even if you didn't do the other stuff.
I think she is on a 4.5ish month trip overall but is clearly not rushing round (which I agree with/respect etc; I do feel I am maybe slightly rushing round but since ibdont have a major goal like eg studying Spanish in a school or learning to surf it is a bit hard to judge what is "right").
Anyway, that little bit of conversationwas definitely welcome.
Nearly finished coke so I will go have a shower and cut nails and then maybe come back up here, though if there is no internet that makes it less practical.
She did say she felt proud of herself for doing the temezcal afterwards and I could totally see that. I very much doubt I am going to even try even if I do go to San Marcos though.
2034 Had shower - gave uw a water only wash as it is most critical (though I still had maybe 2ish never worn pairs from the wash back in palenque, as been reusing a smaller subset and washing those) if I can't find a laundry handy tomorrow or my travel plans don't allow loitering to collect. Though tbh I suspect all else being equal I might as well hang around to thu on offchanxe of lang exchange, tho some are shit ime of course.
Also cut finger and toenails. Left big toe is a little messy looking but not really hurting any more BTW. Looks basically like the nail is partly cracked across the middle but presumably this will just grow out, and there is maybe some slight bruising under it.
Feeling really kind of torn about going out, if only for a snack or coffee or wander, but tbh probably shouldn't. I have had a quick look for trains to visit family when i return which is at least a tiny step towards getting that chore done.
I also had a shave fwiw. No hot water in shower but not huge deal. (In zipolite hosfel it was just a cold water pipe, but it's hot enough there a cold shower is not a problem and the water is actually warmish anyway.)
I am going to take a bottle of water and both phones up to roof but may not stay there long.
2045 on roof. One bloke up here playing with his phone. Ah, Andrea just come up after me and also sat on her own. Sort of makes me feel better about doing the same.
2118 just me and bloke. Doesn't feel awkward but obviously not matey. Neither phone can get WiFi up here. I could use my data but rather conserve it.
Been poking at guise book and trying to sketch out a rough itinerary. I need to be careful and not over stretch myself.
Gut feeling is that I will try to be in San cris *next* weekend, as there may be social activities at hostel and failing that I can go to eg el paliacate for live music solo at a push. Since there is some chance of social axtivity and at least solo going out, I am probably not going to overweight the prospect of being here in oaxaca city for the weekend.
I may have got the name san Marcos wrong. However guide bookbsoes got on about San Jose del Pacifico and I am thinking subject to accom etc it may make sense to go down there for say 2-3 nights when I leave here. Even if I don't or can't hike much the area sounds cool. Say thu/Fri/sat night. I might then come back to oaxaca for sun/Mon night and then an overnight bus back to San cris.
The problem there is that I maybe get to San cris too early. I am toying with going to comitan and exploring round there, but I maybe don't want to be blippong back and forth between comitan and San cris to be in sc for the weekend. Maybe it is OK, it might only be an hour or two.
Comacalco and Tabasco in general would have to wait for another trip.
I think tbh if I can fly back from Tuxtla or Villahermosa to xancun I do have time to spend nearly a week around comitan after spending weekend after next in San cris, but it is maybe cutting it a bit fine if I am bussing it.
While I don't see myself all that likely to go back to zipolite or mazunte on a future trip, I am reasonably likely to come through Oaxaca especially if I have flown in via Cancun. So I could prioritise comitan now and say that san Jose and environs would be a naturalish side trip from Oaxaca in future, as (say) I pass through towards Puebla or Cuernavaca or whatever.
So maybe| instead I should so whatever (and I have some separate rough notes) hikingish and other day trips I want to do from here in oaxaca, then move on to San cris via a night bua and depending on the time of the week perhaps go down to comitan first rather than putting up at the hosfel in San cris straight away.
If comitan is somehow a bust I would probably have time to cut my losses and go not too hurriedly by bus through Tabasco and Campeche city etc.
I probably need to check some bus travel times and so on (eg push comes to shove, can I get a bus from say tuxtla to Cancun and how painful is it?) This is not feeling quite like a plan but it is maybe vaguely starting to come together.
It does feel like since there are other hiking possibilities (albeit nothing too "epic" and I do somehow wonder If I've lost physical condition compared to eg paramillo last year, but I have to assume not), with less than three weeks to go by the time I get there and needing to get back to Cancun, putting in maybe 3-4 nights in San jose del Pacifico and environs may not be a great idea. If I had say 5 weeks it would be fine but as it is it feels like I am going to feel a little bit harried there which in turn is probably going to make it harder for me to have the confidence to relax and do hikes etc and I'd be constantly thinking about getting back for the flight.
Comitan and nearby towns (which I might hope to stay in overnight, and I probably wouldn't do them all either as don't want to over stretch myself) are probably coolish. If I end up in tabasco it is probably warm away from the coast, but at least I'd have had some mountain time first after my recent coastal jaunt and with a return home in a week or two on the cards there might be some pleasantness in even excessive warmth at that point.
I do kind of wish I'd made the trip longer but all of my "2.5" reasons to keep it short were reasonably sensible and I had to decide and I can't say I was actually wrong to go with 8 weeks. There have been just enough homesick wobbles, for example, that maybe a longer trip would have felt even more overwhelming earlier on.
I have some vague hopes I might find a cheap flight to come back via Cancun for a month or so in autumn. But let's not get ahead of ourselves or write off the remaining three weeks yet!
2138 OK, I think I will go down to room and just maybe slack off a bit and maybe look at some rough bus timetables. It is just me up here and I see little chance of chaf and albeit it was only 5 minsish with Andrea earlier that was still a nice little break in the no chat streak.
I may well extend here in oaxaca for a couple of days to do some nearby stuff so quite likely to be here for lang exchange thu anyaay, but I am unlikely to hang around specifically for that. It could be good, it would probably be at least OK, but there is enough chance it sucks that I won't burn a day *just* for it.
Plan tomorrow is still probably to get 9am bus to montealban and spend 3ish hours there, then maybe in afternoon I will do a museum or two and decide what I might do the day after and if I want to extend (be it at this hostel or another).
2152 Okay, super quick look on the web suggests that there is in fact multiple bus services from San Christabelle, direct to Cancun, although it takes about 22 to 24 hours. There also seems to be a 15-hour service from Tuxtler to Cancun, and that's only an hour or two away from San Christabelle. So, although I don't particularly want to do it, I could essentially be hanging around in And the San Christobao, Komitan kind of region, until a few days before the flight and still get back without too much trouble. There is also the Tren maya as well, potentially from some parts of that region.
There's also a service from San Cristobal to Campeche in something like 14 or 15 hours, although it gets there about 3 a.m. in the morning, which is a bit awkward. And then from Campeche to Cancun, you can get the train, I think, but it's also about 7 or 8 hours by bus.
So I think basically it is reasonable to sort of not too hastily finish up here in Wahaka, do some day trips, side trips, hiking trips for the next day, two, three days, however long feels appropriate. Then move on to the Saint-Christavale comitan region via a night bus from here. Don't overdo time at the Saint-Christavale hospital, but you know, see if I can enjoy myself there and get some sort of social life and nightlife in. But you know, that still gives me, and then I've got a week or two around that to do comitan or maybe some other things there because obviously I could choose to head over to Villahermosa or Campeche earlier. Probably be fairly flexible without too much pain the last few days, you know, and I do still have three weeks, so I think there's a rough plan emerging there.day 354 bed. Dwiw there is free water here but I think the kitchen where the dispenser is located is locked 2200-0800ish. Not a huge deal.
Feel OK. Not omfg wow amazing living the dream, but OK. Am slightly tired and be good to go to bed. Shame it is a slightly early start tomorrow but nothing too bad, and a say trip out is not as stressful as having to actually move somewhere new as I did today.
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