Sun 15th 0847 Black coffee on deserted terrace. Didn't sleep too badly at all, though woke up a bit maybe 6-7ish feeling a bit disoriented. Got up about 8 (thinking "oh, missed the optimal bus" but I was never aiming for it and tbh I don't take what the guy told me about that too seriously).
It is pretty nice actually here with the sun on the garden.
I am trying and moderately succeeding to view today etc as all part of the trip, AI am still abroad, it is a mild adventure, etc. I feel stupidly short of time (I am 3 weeks 2 days in and am mentally rounding it up to 4 already) but it is fine really. Every day is sort of cool in its own way with a not overly rose tinted view, getting the boat will be cool, finally getting to the hostel in Leon and having a beer will be cool,. I am stupidly dreadinng my first cash machine use in Nicaragua (how much to withdraw, which machine, which card, fees) and ditto having to sort out a local sim (handing my phone over to some random guy on the shop or kiosk) but these are really utter trivialities.
Nose continues to be sort of bunged up but the pseudo cold may be kind of going away a bit, particularly once I have been upright and put of bed for a bit.
All that said and without wasting time, it would be good to get some "I am here for 3+ days and while I want to do stuff I so not have to change rooms or hostels or towns tomorrow" vibes in. I think to some extent this will be natural, it is just that cap Morgan naturally didn't really need two days, before that at santa ana I was sort of somewhere I had been for ages mostly to do the volcano and wait to get into cap Morgan and then since then I have has travel days and places I am staying more out of convenience than to visit because I am in route to nicaragua. (Yes there is likely cool stuff to see/do here if I want, eg you can hike to top of volcano and if it is the right blend of challenging or solo or quiet that night be interesting, but I don't have infinite time and in particular if I do want to do that the time is on the return leg, not right now.)
I've just cranked the transformer llm setting all the way to the max following a random web comment I just read and let's see how that goes.
As always the raging sport tops have dried really well. I guess the material demands of socks are different but it would be so cool if I could find socks that would dry this quickly.
I am fwiw coughing a bit and was last night, in a sort of annoying but not all that deep way. This had definitely gone away for ages. Maybe part of a mid-ish cold?
I am feeling - nothing to do with illness - mildly warm and sticky here on covered over terrace but it is slightly nice and I also feel it is good acclimatisation. It is possible the fact I am wearing a water only washed top adds to this feeling, but maybe not.
If I didn't say I asked a woman in the back with some sheets yesterday morning I'd they had a laundry service here and she said something i comprehension and i should have said i didn't understand (small not novel lesson) bug I took to mean no. This is fine. I am borderline ok for clean clothes (yesterdays were genuine machine washed clean and I still have one full such set including trousers), the water only washes here the last two nights give me a lot more runway and with luck the laundry service at the hostel in leon will be acceptably cheap and/or I will be able to use a sink in private to do some of my own washing - I will at least have a bit of time in hand, and even if I somehow end up changing hostels it is likely I will be in leon for 3+ days so I won't be in the case of checking out to go hundreds of miles away and worrying about my laundry coming back from the wash in time, worst case there would be trogginf across town to pick it up after I checkout and move elsewhere.
0924 pretty solid dump this morning pre coffee, fwiw, suggestive of generally decent digestion and diet.
I feel lightly edgy about getting out of here but I don't expect major problems getting a bus (famous last words?) And even if there is an hour or two delay, I cannot check in all that early in La union anyway so I think leaving here between 10 and 11 is fine, and having thos second coffee is semi relaxing and may also have a second dump inducing effect.
1015 just packed. Checked checkout is 11. Had a big second dump btw. Having a last (third) coffee and will go. Just a tiny bit edgy there will be no bus which I think is irrational. The possibly German couple who maybe going to La union for the boat too based on what dutch woman told me are still around, which is reassuring. Could eat at that little reataurant but not mega hungry and I think I will eat in La Union.
Must remember that this kind of slightly anxious waiting and transiting and stuff is all part of the travel experience. Not quite type 2 fun but sort of.
1035 final check round in room, had coffee, been to bog, lets just go.
1104 just got to terminal and straight on a 324 to La Union for a bit under a dollar (maybe 90 cents). No rack for bag but have a double seag for moment. Sucky but not end of wld if I end up with bag in knee for an hour, although it is a bit big.
Left arm feels oddly numb!
Btw generally not putting headphones on on buses, as they are shortish and feel localish and there is stuff to see even if only listening to people tlak. I did wear headphones in the more Coachy bus from San Salvador to here though, curtains were drawn etc, it just felt less worth paying attention
1106 pulling out
1242 in room at accom, no problem.
For the record the WhatsApp contact for boat shuttle is Gekko Trails Explorer, so that is probably the right name for the company.
1342 wandered down to migration office where we have to meet and on to the sports ground and the beach. A few people in dirty water looking like they were sort of fishing with buckets but v unclear. There is a La neveria so will have a kn iced coffee later but at pupuseria marthita which is not AC but is big and shady ish and have ordered 4 pupusas (all maize I really so need to try the rice ones at some point) and a tamarind juice.
Fwiw accom is sort of rooms off a slightly xluttered courtyard with a small family home, room is nice enough, totally fine but doubt will even want to sit out tonight. The last place was a sort of hotel but sis have a hostel courtyard vibe even if fairly quiet.
It doesn't look like there is a lot to do or are here but I have had a little wander already and will do some more. I don't wasn't spending the say here, it was semi unavoidable but in any case it is still seeing stuff and so on and I have now been up close to the sea for the first time on the trip. I didn't touch it as the shore was sort of rocky and the sea looked every polluted with floating crap.
A bird crapped on my cap-clad head as I was walking to the accom. Is this supposed to be lucky? I was deeply unsure what had happened at first. I wiped it off with a bit of tissue. At the accom I also rinsed cap in sink just to be safe and the amount of browny grot I squeezed out of it was a bit shocking (probably mostly dust but doubtless yes some lingering ancient sweat) and definitely not primarily from the wiped off bird droppings. I really will have to see if I can find a lightweight breathable and washable cap for another trip - like most mine (though not ultra cheap) has I think cardboard inside the brim and a full on wash would destroy it.
This may just possibly be the first time in my life a bird has actually crapped on me.
Tamarind juice is nice, quite an intense flavour. Not had it in ages.
I checked and tomorrow morning I can just leave the keys on the room door lock.
1646 been back at room for 15ish mins. Did a bit of exercise, hand washed today's top with soap (not doing uw as it won't dry in time, likewise since I have nothing else absolutely dirty - all tops have been at least water only washed - and don't want to have damp tops knocking around I just did today's), cut fingernails and having the last of the second aguardiente bottle with some coke zerobi brought back. Will take the unopened third aguardiente bottle with me to nicaragua.
Had a fair old wander round, lots of La neverias, had a frappe in one. Saw old railways station (not much there but it does look plausibly stationy) and went into cemetery (which is maze like and since I wasn't desperate I didn't penetrate right into the heart of it as I didn't really want to walk over anyone's grave, but saw enough and was just passing time) and got a bottle of Pepsi light at selectos and then this biggest coke zero to bring back to room. I plan to go out 6ish and have some fried chicken. I don't have any snacks for tomorrow, I don't actively expect to need any (and I probably so have some extra strong mints from home at a push plus chances are people will be selling stuff at various points) but if I get the chance to buy something suitable ly compact (I didn't see any Mani garapinado in either supermarket but maybe I wasn't looking properly) tonight I might.
It is hot but not unbearably so. But yes, hot. One street had quite a few bars which looked semi disreptuable or at least localbut also tempting but ivresisted on grounds of not wanting to feel muzzy etc and maybe on slight risk. Have seen a handful of other tourists in streets, all presumably bound for Nicaragua.
I got an email saying I am approved to enter Nicaragua, j hadn't realised the ticket number or whatever that I got after doing the form yesterday was not itself approval. But still, good news, even if in reality no one probably cares as this whole form is irrelevant for tourists.
I would have slightly preferred not to drink today but this tiny bit of aguardiente is haddly a massive overindulgence. They do sell Toño beer in the supermarkets here BTW. Not sure of I have had it before (far from implausible I have drunk it once or twice in Guatemala, for example) but I assume it will be common in Nicaragua. To be clear I didn't buy any here today.
2210 been watching some YT and intermittently repacking bag and doing some very minor putting stuff in plastic bats for the boat (nothing like the San Blas trip!)
I went out for fried chicken about 1800, didn't go via the deserted (has been all day) mercado municipal right between accom and main square as I thought one of the dogs there might get stroppy at night.
Don pollo I went to was shutting (door open but chap told me they were finished) but after going into selectos for some nuts for boat and some tortilla chips for tonight jic (stupidly long queue as usual) I found after wandering around feeling mildly annoyed another Don pollo which I had seen today but wasn't on OM and they were open so I got a leg and a breast there and sat on atreet and ate them. I wasn't going to drink tonight but om way back I saw a small convenience store and decided to buy a can of Pilsener and can of Fresca so I had them back in room while watching YT.
Afaik no free drinking water here but with all these soft drinks I think I am fine and haven't needed to break out my as yet unused chlorine dioxide tablets or buy any water.
I should probably move towards bed so will send this now. Mildly apprehensive about tomorrow but notmassively so. In some sense once I get on the boat I should mostly be being shepherded along all the way to the Leon hostel.
I suspect that in Nicaragua just as to some extent in El Salvador I have/will done mainly backpacker trail type obvious stuff, but since it is my first visit to both countries and I don't claim to be novel that is fine. I just don't need to do backpacker trail stuff that I don't fancy and be open to semi -independent sidetracks (eg spending time in San Salvador is maybe sort of there) when they do appeal.
But let's send this and go to bed.
It is pretty nice actually here with the sun on the garden.
I am trying and moderately succeeding to view today etc as all part of the trip, AI am still abroad, it is a mild adventure, etc. I feel stupidly short of time (I am 3 weeks 2 days in and am mentally rounding it up to 4 already) but it is fine really. Every day is sort of cool in its own way with a not overly rose tinted view, getting the boat will be cool, finally getting to the hostel in Leon and having a beer will be cool,. I am stupidly dreadinng my first cash machine use in Nicaragua (how much to withdraw, which machine, which card, fees) and ditto having to sort out a local sim (handing my phone over to some random guy on the shop or kiosk) but these are really utter trivialities.
Nose continues to be sort of bunged up but the pseudo cold may be kind of going away a bit, particularly once I have been upright and put of bed for a bit.
All that said and without wasting time, it would be good to get some "I am here for 3+ days and while I want to do stuff I so not have to change rooms or hostels or towns tomorrow" vibes in. I think to some extent this will be natural, it is just that cap Morgan naturally didn't really need two days, before that at santa ana I was sort of somewhere I had been for ages mostly to do the volcano and wait to get into cap Morgan and then since then I have has travel days and places I am staying more out of convenience than to visit because I am in route to nicaragua. (Yes there is likely cool stuff to see/do here if I want, eg you can hike to top of volcano and if it is the right blend of challenging or solo or quiet that night be interesting, but I don't have infinite time and in particular if I do want to do that the time is on the return leg, not right now.)
I've just cranked the transformer llm setting all the way to the max following a random web comment I just read and let's see how that goes.
As always the raging sport tops have dried really well. I guess the material demands of socks are different but it would be so cool if I could find socks that would dry this quickly.
I am fwiw coughing a bit and was last night, in a sort of annoying but not all that deep way. This had definitely gone away for ages. Maybe part of a mid-ish cold?
I am feeling - nothing to do with illness - mildly warm and sticky here on covered over terrace but it is slightly nice and I also feel it is good acclimatisation. It is possible the fact I am wearing a water only washed top adds to this feeling, but maybe not.
If I didn't say I asked a woman in the back with some sheets yesterday morning I'd they had a laundry service here and she said something i comprehension and i should have said i didn't understand (small not novel lesson) bug I took to mean no. This is fine. I am borderline ok for clean clothes (yesterdays were genuine machine washed clean and I still have one full such set including trousers), the water only washes here the last two nights give me a lot more runway and with luck the laundry service at the hostel in leon will be acceptably cheap and/or I will be able to use a sink in private to do some of my own washing - I will at least have a bit of time in hand, and even if I somehow end up changing hostels it is likely I will be in leon for 3+ days so I won't be in the case of checking out to go hundreds of miles away and worrying about my laundry coming back from the wash in time, worst case there would be trogginf across town to pick it up after I checkout and move elsewhere.
0924 pretty solid dump this morning pre coffee, fwiw, suggestive of generally decent digestion and diet.
I feel lightly edgy about getting out of here but I don't expect major problems getting a bus (famous last words?) And even if there is an hour or two delay, I cannot check in all that early in La union anyway so I think leaving here between 10 and 11 is fine, and having thos second coffee is semi relaxing and may also have a second dump inducing effect.
1015 just packed. Checked checkout is 11. Had a big second dump btw. Having a last (third) coffee and will go. Just a tiny bit edgy there will be no bus which I think is irrational. The possibly German couple who maybe going to La union for the boat too based on what dutch woman told me are still around, which is reassuring. Could eat at that little reataurant but not mega hungry and I think I will eat in La Union.
Must remember that this kind of slightly anxious waiting and transiting and stuff is all part of the travel experience. Not quite type 2 fun but sort of.
1035 final check round in room, had coffee, been to bog, lets just go.
1104 just got to terminal and straight on a 324 to La Union for a bit under a dollar (maybe 90 cents). No rack for bag but have a double seag for moment. Sucky but not end of wld if I end up with bag in knee for an hour, although it is a bit big.
Left arm feels oddly numb!
Btw generally not putting headphones on on buses, as they are shortish and feel localish and there is stuff to see even if only listening to people tlak. I did wear headphones in the more Coachy bus from San Salvador to here though, curtains were drawn etc, it just felt less worth paying attention
1106 pulling out
1242 in room at accom, no problem.
For the record the WhatsApp contact for boat shuttle is Gekko Trails Explorer, so that is probably the right name for the company.
1342 wandered down to migration office where we have to meet and on to the sports ground and the beach. A few people in dirty water looking like they were sort of fishing with buckets but v unclear. There is a La neveria so will have a kn iced coffee later but at pupuseria marthita which is not AC but is big and shady ish and have ordered 4 pupusas (all maize I really so need to try the rice ones at some point) and a tamarind juice.
Fwiw accom is sort of rooms off a slightly xluttered courtyard with a small family home, room is nice enough, totally fine but doubt will even want to sit out tonight. The last place was a sort of hotel but sis have a hostel courtyard vibe even if fairly quiet.
It doesn't look like there is a lot to do or are here but I have had a little wander already and will do some more. I don't wasn't spending the say here, it was semi unavoidable but in any case it is still seeing stuff and so on and I have now been up close to the sea for the first time on the trip. I didn't touch it as the shore was sort of rocky and the sea looked every polluted with floating crap.
A bird crapped on my cap-clad head as I was walking to the accom. Is this supposed to be lucky? I was deeply unsure what had happened at first. I wiped it off with a bit of tissue. At the accom I also rinsed cap in sink just to be safe and the amount of browny grot I squeezed out of it was a bit shocking (probably mostly dust but doubtless yes some lingering ancient sweat) and definitely not primarily from the wiped off bird droppings. I really will have to see if I can find a lightweight breathable and washable cap for another trip - like most mine (though not ultra cheap) has I think cardboard inside the brim and a full on wash would destroy it.
This may just possibly be the first time in my life a bird has actually crapped on me.
Tamarind juice is nice, quite an intense flavour. Not had it in ages.
I checked and tomorrow morning I can just leave the keys on the room door lock.
1646 been back at room for 15ish mins. Did a bit of exercise, hand washed today's top with soap (not doing uw as it won't dry in time, likewise since I have nothing else absolutely dirty - all tops have been at least water only washed - and don't want to have damp tops knocking around I just did today's), cut fingernails and having the last of the second aguardiente bottle with some coke zerobi brought back. Will take the unopened third aguardiente bottle with me to nicaragua.
Had a fair old wander round, lots of La neverias, had a frappe in one. Saw old railways station (not much there but it does look plausibly stationy) and went into cemetery (which is maze like and since I wasn't desperate I didn't penetrate right into the heart of it as I didn't really want to walk over anyone's grave, but saw enough and was just passing time) and got a bottle of Pepsi light at selectos and then this biggest coke zero to bring back to room. I plan to go out 6ish and have some fried chicken. I don't have any snacks for tomorrow, I don't actively expect to need any (and I probably so have some extra strong mints from home at a push plus chances are people will be selling stuff at various points) but if I get the chance to buy something suitable ly compact (I didn't see any Mani garapinado in either supermarket but maybe I wasn't looking properly) tonight I might.
It is hot but not unbearably so. But yes, hot. One street had quite a few bars which looked semi disreptuable or at least localbut also tempting but ivresisted on grounds of not wanting to feel muzzy etc and maybe on slight risk. Have seen a handful of other tourists in streets, all presumably bound for Nicaragua.
I got an email saying I am approved to enter Nicaragua, j hadn't realised the ticket number or whatever that I got after doing the form yesterday was not itself approval. But still, good news, even if in reality no one probably cares as this whole form is irrelevant for tourists.
I would have slightly preferred not to drink today but this tiny bit of aguardiente is haddly a massive overindulgence. They do sell Toño beer in the supermarkets here BTW. Not sure of I have had it before (far from implausible I have drunk it once or twice in Guatemala, for example) but I assume it will be common in Nicaragua. To be clear I didn't buy any here today.
2210 been watching some YT and intermittently repacking bag and doing some very minor putting stuff in plastic bats for the boat (nothing like the San Blas trip!)
I went out for fried chicken about 1800, didn't go via the deserted (has been all day) mercado municipal right between accom and main square as I thought one of the dogs there might get stroppy at night.
Don pollo I went to was shutting (door open but chap told me they were finished) but after going into selectos for some nuts for boat and some tortilla chips for tonight jic (stupidly long queue as usual) I found after wandering around feeling mildly annoyed another Don pollo which I had seen today but wasn't on OM and they were open so I got a leg and a breast there and sat on atreet and ate them. I wasn't going to drink tonight but om way back I saw a small convenience store and decided to buy a can of Pilsener and can of Fresca so I had them back in room while watching YT.
Afaik no free drinking water here but with all these soft drinks I think I am fine and haven't needed to break out my as yet unused chlorine dioxide tablets or buy any water.
I should probably move towards bed so will send this now. Mildly apprehensive about tomorrow but notmassively so. In some sense once I get on the boat I should mostly be being shepherded along all the way to the Leon hostel.
I suspect that in Nicaragua just as to some extent in El Salvador I have/will done mainly backpacker trail type obvious stuff, but since it is my first visit to both countries and I don't claim to be novel that is fine. I just don't need to do backpacker trail stuff that I don't fancy and be open to semi -independent sidetracks (eg spending time in San Salvador is maybe sort of there) when they do appeal.
But let's send this and go to bed.
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