Sat 0746 erm, sort of just got up, I think I did fall asleep fairly quickly, it felt quite good to be in bed, it was reasonably comfortable, absolutely fine with just the sheet and the fan on, I even turned the fan off at about 6 in the morning maybe, I woke up a couple of times in the night very briefly, I think about 10 or 11, felt like a few seconds and a bit, maybe 2, 3ish, but that wasn't for very long. Getting on for about 6-7 I started to wake up more and I was a bit confused at various points, like imagining I was in my bed at home and I could see the bedside table and obviously I couldn't. I didn't sleep too badly, it was a bit less relaxed and comfortable, 6-7ish, I feel a bit achy from the travel probably, I think I've got a bit of a sweat rash on my feet, on the top somehow, probably from wearing the socks the whole long trip out. Nothing major.
There's been kind of hotel-y noises, you know, staff bustling around from about 6ish, it's fine, it's not like it woke me up and I've been semi-awaking bed and I was reading semi-pleasantly and there was a kind of, oh I don't actually have to get up in a rush, sort of a vibe. It's fine, I'm not feeling bad, I'm not feeling homesick, I'm not feeling super energised either but then maybe I never would in the morning. I probably am up now, I'm probably not going to rush to get out but I'll probably start making moves towards going out and maybe getting some breakfast and wandering round and perhaps having a bit of a mull over what to do next, over a coffee somewhere, that sort of thing. I really do need to take it, not easy in the sense of not exerting myself but I need to not get worked up about what am I going to do and oh I'm wasting time, rush rush rush. Just spending the day here puttering round is absolutely fine, it's an experience etc etc, especially if it helps me think things through but even if it doesn't, so anyway.
It looks like my photos did manage to upload to my own server overnight despite having those really big video files from the plane.
I'm yawning. I think I had plenty of sleep, I am just not a super morning person but I really don't want to go back to bed either, and it is probably a good sort of time to be getting up in the absence of events or activities or hangovers suggesting otherwise. And it is likely to be cooler now so if I really wanted to come back to the hotel and take advantage of having a private room for a few hours if it is really hot later - not saying I will - the sooner I get out the better. I don't think I am going to rush out but if I shave etc now and putter round a bit I am likely to be naturally leaving 830-9ish. I will probably take the P7 out today, yea it is relatively expensive but it is insured and it doesn't feel dangerous and there is not point having a nice phone with (in particular) a nice camera if I just leave it in my room all the time. The basic plan continues to be P7 during the day at A06 at night (for eg Uber and also as it s cheaper if I am mugged or drunkenly lose the phone or something, but of course losing it would still be a pisser, no pun intended.) I am onscreen keyboard typing here, it sucks but it sucks differently than the voice typing and I feel for this "I don't have tonnes of stuff to get written down which is mostly factual records" stuff it is perhaps easier for me to express myself and it helps my thinking right now to be writing about it and having a sort of conversation with myself.
0818 Have shaved, new blade has been christened with blood as required by tradition. Waiting for the cuts to stop bleeding.
0822 Had a look on web for language exchanges or similar. Meetup.com has no physical events at all here today. I am reluctant to sign up for couchsurfing just to see but maybe I should. A general web search wasn't confidence inspiring but couldn't really see anything.
1103 okay, so I'm at Plaza Furtura. I was looking around the web and I found a walk that was supposed to be starting here. You were supposed to check on Telegram but Telegram doesn't work for me. I did quickly try to sign up before I left but the Wi-Fi is downloading the app super slow and there's technicalities with my setup and anyway I'm here there's nothing going on I'm not too upset I've walked over to El Escalón effectively so I've seen some of the city and I've had some exercise and I'll give it another five or ten minutes and now I'll just go and walk around a bit.
2301 back at hotel, been here maybe 30-60 mins. Just washed a pair of socks in the sink.
I could have sworn that I dictated, no I didn't dictate but wrote something brief when I was in Juan Valdez this afternoon but maybe I didn't anyway it seems to be gone if I did and I probably didn't so let's after that little tiny spoiler let's just go back and fill the details in.
so after I left Plaza Fatura I sort of went for a walk I was vaguely looking for somewhere to go and eat but it was a bit early anyway long and short of it is I walked slightly south and did a long loop back along a parallel road to the one I'd walked out on so that was about another hour an hour and ten minutes whatever I must admit by the time I got back into Centro Historico my legs were killing me sort of the upper thighs didn't really expect that after just two and a bit I was walking with a break in the middle but maybe the flight didn't help anyway I spotted the Juan Valdez that I'd seen yesterday and I went in there and had a granizado which was very nice and very welcome and it was cold and air-conditioned but it was $4.95 anyway.
So I was dithering about another meet-up tonight, and after the failure this morning, I originally wasn't going to go, it's like I thought, well I've made an effort already today and this will probably be crap, then I decided I would go, so I wanted to be there about 5, there was some confusion at the location, and I was like, oh I've got to get something to eat, and I was wandering round after the Juan Valdez visit, which was probably about 2ish when I was in there, and I just couldn't really see anywhere to eat, and I was half open to get a pupusa, and I couldn't see the cheap place I'd done yesterday, Anyway, in the end I spotted a sort of street stall with tables and a few people sitting there. It wasn't reasonably busy and I saw they were doing hamburgers and I entered into negotiations for a burger without any sauce and despite some mild, I think, amusement from one of the adjacent tables, maybe it's because there was some confusion over Pechuga versus LeChuga or maybe it was my request, I did get it and I had that and it was really nice, fingers crossed it's not going to hurt me but the burger was piping hot and there were quite a few people eating there and I had some sort of great drink and then I came back to the hotel, I got here about four maybe. Burger and drink 2.50 but made it 3 with tip as paid with 3 dollar coons and just said keep change.
So I came back to the hotel and I had a shower and I got changed and I'd been toying about walking over to the meetup But a it was a bit late and be the location wasn't where I thought it was and it was gonna be like an hour and a half So I really decided not to so I got an uber and that worked out surprisingly Well, the driver didn't talk to me at all. I didn't make an effort to talk to him either I wasn't sure what I should do, but it was fine Under $5 and I got to the place more or less five and it was actually surprisingly good I got chatting to people. I mean, there were maybe about 10-15 people there in total not quite so many at the start and I exchanged a few numbers with people and I've got some kind of tips on where to go next.
so I might be back in San Salvador next weekend and I've since I got back tonight I've done a bit of fiddling around and I booked a free cancellation hotel just down the road from this one this one is major expensive I don't know why they even seem to have taxes and charges that weren't on I think when I booked but I booked another one just down the road which is relatively cheap and it's free cancellation I need to decide what I'm doing but at least that's something locked in based on speaking to some chap tonight I may meet him in another guy in Santa Ana on Monday he's told me a hostel he's gonna send me the whatsapp to go there this is about roots de las flores apparently the transport's really weird here because up until recently even the locals couldn't really travel because it was so dangerous and they just don't have the roots but so you have you have to go to Santa Ana or Sosunante to do the rutas de las flores and now he was saying no you won't really be rushed to get back here for the thingy on that weekend I do feel it might be a bit rushed on the other hand it feels like I've kind of fallen into a little orbit here and I've probably got enough time to go along with it so it might best to follow that even if I am maybe a bit rushed on the ruta de las flores.
The same chap however and some chap he asked or I asked at his suggestion they were both like no you can't get a boat from El Salvador to Nicaragua there's like bad relations between the government it'd be really dangerous there's no direct flights either and why would you even want to go to Nicaragua and this guy was like Argentinian he lives here now semi-officially and he's obviously been around a bit he's like no no no these Central American countries they're not like like Colombia or Argentina I mean I have been to Guatemala I mean and then you know Samuel was in Nicaragua last year so I'm not taking everything he says too seriously anyway since I got back I have looked and there is at least one tour company doing a boat between El Salvador and Nicaragua so as to whether you should go or not I don't know although my inclination is I still want to but I think there is a boat so take it with a pinch of salt but who knows.
So I had four beers, only like 330 ish mil cans and I ended up sharing an in-drive back with the German guy called Enso who I didn't actually swap numbers with I should have done but I didn't think about it. We were chatting a bit with the driver Patricia on the way back and that was nice and I walked back from the Centre of Historico and there were loads of people on the street and there was no trouble at all even though it was a bit quiet near the hotel. Everyone, everyone, everyone is like no it is so safe here it is so safe it's like I guess I just have to go with that and I guess although I don't want to die or anything I don't think it's gonna come to that maybe if I'm the one guy who actually does get mugged it will be the best story ever and everyone will be like wow I can't believe that I'm half joking but anyway it was fine because our hotels were in different places and so forth that's why we did that so anyway I think that's more or less the situation I feel a little bit discombobulated but at the same time it does feel like I got some valuable tips and it could be good to meet these people in Santa Ana and it might be a good way to do ruta de Las Flores even if it is a bit rushed and as I say I might be back here next weekend now so I need to decide about that and maybe book something but I think that's kind of a gist of everything.
And, assuming it all works out, um, if I end up doing routes to the Los Floros maybe a bit quick or it just takes less time than I thought, and then I'm back here for the weekend, I've still basically, I can then go on to Nicaragua and I've only been here a week, so I've got plenty of time and I won't be rushing round like crazy in Nicaragua. That's depending on how things go, of course. Oh well, to be fair, there might be some other follow-on stuff after this weekend, but even so, it's like, you know, if I want to go, and I still kind of do, and there is a boat, then I could probably be in Nicaragua within two, definitely within three weeks at the start of the trip, and that would be fine.
2325 I seem to have some mosquito bites on my back which might be from being in the garden at that thing tonight or from here but as usual I seem to have inexplicable quantities of what I have to assume are mosquito bites on my ankles despite wearing socks I'm gonna have to start putting spray on them not a big deal but there you go apparently there's no malaria here in El Salvador so it's just a comfort thing anyway I'm always taken aback by this I don't know why it happens all the time obviously must bite through the socks it just seems so crazy.
Sun 0001 Although some English spoken, spoke a lot of Spanish during the meetup tonight BTW. Going to do teeth and go to bed.
Oh, if I didn't say I had two pupusas at the meetup and they were really good, I even ate all the very maybe slightly vinegary/pickled cabbage-ish stuff and tried a tiny bit of the tomatoey sauce. But yes, assuming this is remotely typical, will be eating lots lots more of these. I had one of chorizo and one of chicharron but lots of options 1.50 each, beers 2 each, while night only cost 11 usd plus about 7 usd for the two rides.
I also had a USD0 30 polystyrene cup of black coffee from a small stall before I had that hamburger and drank it as I walked round. And I had a 1.99 almond sarita almond bar from a mini supermarket on the long walk back from plaza fortuna and broke a 50 (since there was no price and I figured I would since it was a biggish business and indeed they didn't make a fuss and that way if it turned out to be 3 or 4 dollars I'd get a service for my money).
Bed.
There's been kind of hotel-y noises, you know, staff bustling around from about 6ish, it's fine, it's not like it woke me up and I've been semi-awaking bed and I was reading semi-pleasantly and there was a kind of, oh I don't actually have to get up in a rush, sort of a vibe. It's fine, I'm not feeling bad, I'm not feeling homesick, I'm not feeling super energised either but then maybe I never would in the morning. I probably am up now, I'm probably not going to rush to get out but I'll probably start making moves towards going out and maybe getting some breakfast and wandering round and perhaps having a bit of a mull over what to do next, over a coffee somewhere, that sort of thing. I really do need to take it, not easy in the sense of not exerting myself but I need to not get worked up about what am I going to do and oh I'm wasting time, rush rush rush. Just spending the day here puttering round is absolutely fine, it's an experience etc etc, especially if it helps me think things through but even if it doesn't, so anyway.
It looks like my photos did manage to upload to my own server overnight despite having those really big video files from the plane.
I'm yawning. I think I had plenty of sleep, I am just not a super morning person but I really don't want to go back to bed either, and it is probably a good sort of time to be getting up in the absence of events or activities or hangovers suggesting otherwise. And it is likely to be cooler now so if I really wanted to come back to the hotel and take advantage of having a private room for a few hours if it is really hot later - not saying I will - the sooner I get out the better. I don't think I am going to rush out but if I shave etc now and putter round a bit I am likely to be naturally leaving 830-9ish. I will probably take the P7 out today, yea it is relatively expensive but it is insured and it doesn't feel dangerous and there is not point having a nice phone with (in particular) a nice camera if I just leave it in my room all the time. The basic plan continues to be P7 during the day at A06 at night (for eg Uber and also as it s cheaper if I am mugged or drunkenly lose the phone or something, but of course losing it would still be a pisser, no pun intended.) I am onscreen keyboard typing here, it sucks but it sucks differently than the voice typing and I feel for this "I don't have tonnes of stuff to get written down which is mostly factual records" stuff it is perhaps easier for me to express myself and it helps my thinking right now to be writing about it and having a sort of conversation with myself.
0818 Have shaved, new blade has been christened with blood as required by tradition. Waiting for the cuts to stop bleeding.
0822 Had a look on web for language exchanges or similar. Meetup.com has no physical events at all here today. I am reluctant to sign up for couchsurfing just to see but maybe I should. A general web search wasn't confidence inspiring but couldn't really see anything.
1103 okay, so I'm at Plaza Furtura. I was looking around the web and I found a walk that was supposed to be starting here. You were supposed to check on Telegram but Telegram doesn't work for me. I did quickly try to sign up before I left but the Wi-Fi is downloading the app super slow and there's technicalities with my setup and anyway I'm here there's nothing going on I'm not too upset I've walked over to El Escalón effectively so I've seen some of the city and I've had some exercise and I'll give it another five or ten minutes and now I'll just go and walk around a bit.
2301 back at hotel, been here maybe 30-60 mins. Just washed a pair of socks in the sink.
I could have sworn that I dictated, no I didn't dictate but wrote something brief when I was in Juan Valdez this afternoon but maybe I didn't anyway it seems to be gone if I did and I probably didn't so let's after that little tiny spoiler let's just go back and fill the details in.
so after I left Plaza Fatura I sort of went for a walk I was vaguely looking for somewhere to go and eat but it was a bit early anyway long and short of it is I walked slightly south and did a long loop back along a parallel road to the one I'd walked out on so that was about another hour an hour and ten minutes whatever I must admit by the time I got back into Centro Historico my legs were killing me sort of the upper thighs didn't really expect that after just two and a bit I was walking with a break in the middle but maybe the flight didn't help anyway I spotted the Juan Valdez that I'd seen yesterday and I went in there and had a granizado which was very nice and very welcome and it was cold and air-conditioned but it was $4.95 anyway.
So I was dithering about another meet-up tonight, and after the failure this morning, I originally wasn't going to go, it's like I thought, well I've made an effort already today and this will probably be crap, then I decided I would go, so I wanted to be there about 5, there was some confusion at the location, and I was like, oh I've got to get something to eat, and I was wandering round after the Juan Valdez visit, which was probably about 2ish when I was in there, and I just couldn't really see anywhere to eat, and I was half open to get a pupusa, and I couldn't see the cheap place I'd done yesterday, Anyway, in the end I spotted a sort of street stall with tables and a few people sitting there. It wasn't reasonably busy and I saw they were doing hamburgers and I entered into negotiations for a burger without any sauce and despite some mild, I think, amusement from one of the adjacent tables, maybe it's because there was some confusion over Pechuga versus LeChuga or maybe it was my request, I did get it and I had that and it was really nice, fingers crossed it's not going to hurt me but the burger was piping hot and there were quite a few people eating there and I had some sort of great drink and then I came back to the hotel, I got here about four maybe. Burger and drink 2.50 but made it 3 with tip as paid with 3 dollar coons and just said keep change.
So I came back to the hotel and I had a shower and I got changed and I'd been toying about walking over to the meetup But a it was a bit late and be the location wasn't where I thought it was and it was gonna be like an hour and a half So I really decided not to so I got an uber and that worked out surprisingly Well, the driver didn't talk to me at all. I didn't make an effort to talk to him either I wasn't sure what I should do, but it was fine Under $5 and I got to the place more or less five and it was actually surprisingly good I got chatting to people. I mean, there were maybe about 10-15 people there in total not quite so many at the start and I exchanged a few numbers with people and I've got some kind of tips on where to go next.
so I might be back in San Salvador next weekend and I've since I got back tonight I've done a bit of fiddling around and I booked a free cancellation hotel just down the road from this one this one is major expensive I don't know why they even seem to have taxes and charges that weren't on I think when I booked but I booked another one just down the road which is relatively cheap and it's free cancellation I need to decide what I'm doing but at least that's something locked in based on speaking to some chap tonight I may meet him in another guy in Santa Ana on Monday he's told me a hostel he's gonna send me the whatsapp to go there this is about roots de las flores apparently the transport's really weird here because up until recently even the locals couldn't really travel because it was so dangerous and they just don't have the roots but so you have you have to go to Santa Ana or Sosunante to do the rutas de las flores and now he was saying no you won't really be rushed to get back here for the thingy on that weekend I do feel it might be a bit rushed on the other hand it feels like I've kind of fallen into a little orbit here and I've probably got enough time to go along with it so it might best to follow that even if I am maybe a bit rushed on the ruta de las flores.
The same chap however and some chap he asked or I asked at his suggestion they were both like no you can't get a boat from El Salvador to Nicaragua there's like bad relations between the government it'd be really dangerous there's no direct flights either and why would you even want to go to Nicaragua and this guy was like Argentinian he lives here now semi-officially and he's obviously been around a bit he's like no no no these Central American countries they're not like like Colombia or Argentina I mean I have been to Guatemala I mean and then you know Samuel was in Nicaragua last year so I'm not taking everything he says too seriously anyway since I got back I have looked and there is at least one tour company doing a boat between El Salvador and Nicaragua so as to whether you should go or not I don't know although my inclination is I still want to but I think there is a boat so take it with a pinch of salt but who knows.
So I had four beers, only like 330 ish mil cans and I ended up sharing an in-drive back with the German guy called Enso who I didn't actually swap numbers with I should have done but I didn't think about it. We were chatting a bit with the driver Patricia on the way back and that was nice and I walked back from the Centre of Historico and there were loads of people on the street and there was no trouble at all even though it was a bit quiet near the hotel. Everyone, everyone, everyone is like no it is so safe here it is so safe it's like I guess I just have to go with that and I guess although I don't want to die or anything I don't think it's gonna come to that maybe if I'm the one guy who actually does get mugged it will be the best story ever and everyone will be like wow I can't believe that I'm half joking but anyway it was fine because our hotels were in different places and so forth that's why we did that so anyway I think that's more or less the situation I feel a little bit discombobulated but at the same time it does feel like I got some valuable tips and it could be good to meet these people in Santa Ana and it might be a good way to do ruta de Las Flores even if it is a bit rushed and as I say I might be back here next weekend now so I need to decide about that and maybe book something but I think that's kind of a gist of everything.
And, assuming it all works out, um, if I end up doing routes to the Los Floros maybe a bit quick or it just takes less time than I thought, and then I'm back here for the weekend, I've still basically, I can then go on to Nicaragua and I've only been here a week, so I've got plenty of time and I won't be rushing round like crazy in Nicaragua. That's depending on how things go, of course. Oh well, to be fair, there might be some other follow-on stuff after this weekend, but even so, it's like, you know, if I want to go, and I still kind of do, and there is a boat, then I could probably be in Nicaragua within two, definitely within three weeks at the start of the trip, and that would be fine.
2325 I seem to have some mosquito bites on my back which might be from being in the garden at that thing tonight or from here but as usual I seem to have inexplicable quantities of what I have to assume are mosquito bites on my ankles despite wearing socks I'm gonna have to start putting spray on them not a big deal but there you go apparently there's no malaria here in El Salvador so it's just a comfort thing anyway I'm always taken aback by this I don't know why it happens all the time obviously must bite through the socks it just seems so crazy.
Sun 0001 Although some English spoken, spoke a lot of Spanish during the meetup tonight BTW. Going to do teeth and go to bed.
Oh, if I didn't say I had two pupusas at the meetup and they were really good, I even ate all the very maybe slightly vinegary/pickled cabbage-ish stuff and tried a tiny bit of the tomatoey sauce. But yes, assuming this is remotely typical, will be eating lots lots more of these. I had one of chorizo and one of chicharron but lots of options 1.50 each, beers 2 each, while night only cost 11 usd plus about 7 usd for the two rides.
I also had a USD0 30 polystyrene cup of black coffee from a small stall before I had that hamburger and drank it as I walked round. And I had a 1.99 almond sarita almond bar from a mini supermarket on the long walk back from plaza fortuna and broke a 50 (since there was no price and I figured I would since it was a biggish business and indeed they didn't make a fuss and that way if it turned out to be 3 or 4 dollars I'd get a service for my money).
Bed.
No comments:
Post a Comment