Tue 2144 ok, sent last entry. Feel broadly ok but vaguely woozy (not quite right). Not too worried. Bed I think.
2147 checking phones before bed and this hostel WhatsApp group has a message about safety at Bigfoot hostel beach party, so that must be what people have meant. Just ftr.
Wed 0643 just left dorm. Bag is bulging due to shoes being in it but it just fits. I could perhaps have optinised this better and a stretch goal for next trip might be to make this fit more comfortable for the rare occasions I want to do it.
Didn't sleep great but not too bad. Eyes bit bleary but feel much better than last night. Woke briefly at midnight, 3 and more so at 6ish, been semi awke for a while. About 3 some woman was shouting "max!" And in ny head she was calling a hostel staff member to help her friend, but I have no idea. Probably just put in my head by beach party warning email. Pickup nominally 715-8. Let me go my teeth.
0706 had fairly big dump. Hoping to get coffee. Vaguely edgy but all should be fine. Done my absolute best to ensure I have everything. Checked passport and loose slip of paper from immigration. Tbh bit more edgy about volcano prep tonight, especially finding the damn bus details. But focus on the day, which to be fair is mainly about sitting on mildly uncomfortable seats (but with aircon, perhaps not super effective, on the bus and breeze at seat) and a bit of bureaucracy which ought to be fairly smooth.
0712 just been up on to small upper terrace I saw last night and hadn't otherwise visited and there is a lovely fluffy and friendly ginger and white cat up there.
0746 seen a bit more of xat which came down. Loitering edgily. There is a poss German guy also waiting for it and I spoke to him brekflh, kudos. He also has a friend at another hostel who is still waiting.
Found interesting "general travel advice for LatAm" book in book collection here, took photo so can maybe find it online or something, it is Read This First Central & South America by I think Lonely Planet this sort of general advice is always interesting and perhaps useful, even if (perhaps especially) it is a bit dated. Like skimming this so far it is a slightly less personal and more corporate F3W but with some flavour.
Guy told me shuttle is at his friends hostel now so should be here very shortly. Sad to be leaving in all respecra and half wish had had an extra day here but you can't so everything and trade offs and better to be sad than happy etc. And insofar as the journey is mildly stressful and unconfortable I am looking at it as getting me home too.
Looking at hostel activity marketing board there is so much I haven't done but then I have done quite a lot and you can't so everything etc etc. I don't really feel I have been massively slack and where I have it was semi fin and semi juatifiable (eg the nominal 2h lesson and nothing elaese big days on Ometepe, but of course I did have my little semi nice routine and there was
On shuttle. Put back in back, name on list, snagged solo seat by door, maybe greedy but fuck it.
But there was hostel changing and things like pizza night and some small stuff etc.
Anyway, let me stop writing this as I will make myself car sick. Aircon feels ok but it is still pretty early.
0810 jeez. Driver just asked (in aspanish only) if we all have our three passport copies. I do (in my bag in the back) but it still makes me nervous.
2.5h drive to Potosi he says, we can ask for a stop if we want etc. 8 feel vaguely generally trip jittery but I am fine, the aircon is good, the seat is as comfortable as a minibus gets and I have plenty of legroom and am not crammed in with my main bag and I had a fairly big dump this morning and some nervy nothing coming out pisses too and I don't think one cup of coffee should have too much effect.
0918 stopped at a Pronto. Didng need a piss but had a tiny one anyway, destroyer tactics etc. Had some Mani garapinado on bus earlier, tempted to buy something here but didn't, have more snacks with me and water too.
Feeling a tiny bit more sanguine about volcano. First off I can only try, secondly it is probably annoyingly expensive but not insane (10-20 dollars at a guess) to get a taxi out there from La Union if I can't get a bus or an Uber. And likewise on way back and I just may be able to get a lift or something on way back.
We are moving, we are just north of Chinandega near El Viejo.
1740 okay, so I'm in the new Hostel Strike Hotel and I have been for a while. Everything's fine. The ceiling fan here seems extremely lethargic. I'm not sure the speed control makes any difference at all. It's just got one slow speed, but anyway, it's pretty hot here. I almost wonder if it's hotter than it was in lay-on, but maybe I wasn't out during the day in lay-on. It's fine. Obviously, I've been here before. There was no problem with the boat and the bus. The water was really flat and calm. Most people were sleeping on the boat. It was a bit dull, but not at all a problem. They seemed to do the baggage check in Nicaragua because they inspected the bags on the way out before he got on the boat and then they didn't get inspected in El Salvador. They took the passports as we were getting off the boat and eventually they brought them all back and took a group photo of us all for some sort of legal reason, not for memories. Just like they had on the way out and we were free to go. I got chatting to a nice, slightly older than me British couple, a retired French teacher and her husband. They were called. I have a note somewhere, so I won't make it up. Chatted to them quite a bit while we were hanging around at the Nicaraguan side and also a Swedish couple from, I think, Gothenburg to a lesser extent and a tiny bit, I think, to the guy from my hostel this morning. Anyway, so I got here. I checked in $24. That's what, well, $23 actually. That is what it said on the thing. It's a bit more than I thought I was paying, but I was being shown the price in Cordobus because I was in Nicaragua, so it's fine. I checked in. I paid. I asked about leaving my bag tomorrow. They'd also emailed me. Yes, I can do that. I asked where the bus goes and I maybe asked the wrong questions and I was asking how to get to Conchagua Town and the guy's sort of telling me about the four by four and there's two of them a day and I'm saying I want to walk up and there's a general reaction whenever I say these people, oh, that's a bit weird. Are you sure it's safe or something? But I don't really think it's not anyway. Let me just stop and watch the voice typing. Catch up!
The retired British couple were doing a four-week trip with a week in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and maybe Mexico and presumably, actually I'm not sure, but four a week in each of four countries, but I should be able to remember, shouldn't I? Just as a buy-the-buy. So I got checked in and I fiddled around my phone and I put just the El Salvador and Tigo sim in and took my home SD card, my home sim and my SD card out just in case. I went out, I had a cafe elado, chocolate at La Navera, there's one near the hostel, I bawled it on the way in, it's a bit expensive, but what the hell? And then I went into the Tigo shop and perhaps a slight touch of the boot scene in The Three Men on the Bumble, I said to this woman, I'll do you do Tigo top-ups here, but she waved me over to another woman and I paid $4 for an eight-day, five-gigabyte thing. That should, fingers crossed, comfortably see me through, including any time at Salvador Airport on next Wednesday. That's a lesson a week to go, which is a bit depressing, but there you go. I also asked her, the woman I actually topped up with, not the woman I originally asked, about the bus and then it turned into the three of them all having a conversation and one bloke called a friend or his brother or someone and I heard him say, oh, ask an IA, like AI, I should say. Anyway, and he told me some different bus and I think he's actually right, you want the bus to Amapolita. And anyway, so I then went to the big Papusa area place, I did dithering a bit and not sure, I saw a bus to Conchagua so I noted that down, but I don't think I want that one, it's not as good. So I went to that big Papusa place that I'd been in the last time I was here and I had four Papusas and a strawberry milkshake and I didn't ask them about the bus and then I wasn't sure what to do so I had a poke around on Google Maps and I thought I'd go and have a look by the police station, AKA the Dragon Restaurant, AKA the old train station, which are all in the same place. The different things and some website, some mentions on Google Maps and some reviews had mentioned and I went down there and I saw some buses going past and I had a look on Google Maps and there's a little yard around the corner where you can get some buses that go to Amapolita and some go a bit further to El Faro and there was a couple there even then, I didn't go and try and get on them but I'm thinking therefore they are fairly frequent. The bloke at the hostel had told me every half hour or something so these buses are regular buses for regular people and I don't think they run twice a day. So that's reasonably promising so I'm fairly confident I can go and get one of those buses over to the trailhead or somewhere very near it tomorrow. Let me let the voice typing catch up.
So I think I went into a super selectors and picked up a few miscellaneous supplies on the way down to where those buses were and where I discovered that yard on Google Maps and I went into the Spencer Familiar and got some bottles of water, I don't think there's any free water for guests here by the way, I got three litres, that was all they had in the cheapest bottles and I do want the cheap ones because I want the thinnest plastic for maximum compressibility and lightness. But some of this will do me for tonight and maybe tomorrow I'll get some cold and maybe whatever, because the thing is what I'm thinking is some of the Google Maps reviews are like, of course they all mix up things like going by 4x4 or not, some of the ones on the bus stop are clearer but some of the ones on the campsite are not, some of them are very uncomplimentary about the equipment at the campsite but it's never too clear whether it's provided by their tour company or stuff up there, to be honest I'm not expecting it to be brilliant but if I can get some what the hell it's one night, I kind of wish I had the sleep sack with me but this would be the first time I've ever used it so I'd I've stopped carrying it and it is what it is, I don't know how disgusting it is sharing a sleeping bag but we just have to see, I keep all my clothes on probably anyway. I'm kind of thinking, if I go up, I can check out here is it 11, so if I get up about half 9 or 10, go and have a coffee to loosen my bowels, maybe have some breakfast, some pupusas or something, have a drink, come back here, check out at 11, leave my bag, which probably won't be my main bag or my daypack, it'll probably be a bin bag or something, but I've not packed yet, I'm going to do that tonight, I'm going to repack everything tonight and then I head out about 11, maybe buy a bottle of cold water to top up my supply and then at least I've got a bit of cold for the way up, for the first bit, if it doesn't stay cold, not the end of the world, get the bus and trogg up, so there's no point hanging around after 11, it's because of the warmer part of the day, it's even warmer in the afternoon, there's no point getting up at 6 and having to stay around up there all day, that would be a little bit overdoing it. So I'll probably start to leave, I'll leave the hostel about checkout time and I'll probably be up there, some of the things say it's about 2 hours walk, an hour even if you fit, I mean some are saying 2 to 3, lots of confusion, I'm moderately optimistic about it to be honest in that sense, so even with a bit of slowness on the buses, the chances are if I leave the hostel at 11, I could be on the bus by 12, I could be at the trailhead well before 1, I'm probably up there about 3, 4 at the very latest, we've already got loads of slack here, and that's probably at least half an hour before most people get there, and probably an hour or two if you take that slack out, so I should be okay to get a tent and if not I'll just have to walk back down, so that's what it is, yeah it could be hot on the way up, but I don't think there's much I can do about it really.
It was a bit odd when we were all at the immigration here at El Salvador, and the woman from the tour company that organises the shuttle and boat is asking people where they're going, and nearly everyone, probably some of this through her company, but some of them are like, oh I'm going onto El Tonco, or oh I'm going to San Salvador, loads of people going onto El Tonco, I mean like yeah, they're all young and everything, but I'm kind of one, well not all of them to be fair, because there was that, I don't know where that couple were going, but they're hiring their own cars most of the time, because they're on a tight schedule with their one week per country, but there were some other old people talking to them that I didn't really I don't have time to go there, I don't think I'd fit in in all sorts of ways, not just age, I'm not particularly interested, maybe another trip I'll go but, you know, it makes a lot of sense, it makes a lot of sense. I'm thinking, as I say, I might, but perhaps even the same place I got last time, because I seem to think it was free cancellation. I seem to think it was free cancellation up until you arrive, but maybe somewhere with air conditioning in San Miguel, I think that's where it is, the place an hour from here where you change for the main buses to San Salvador, and then maybe when I come down the volcano, fingers crossed, on Friday morning, I will pick up my bag, perhaps see if I can beg or pay for a shower here, but if not people on the bus for an hour will just have to put up with me. Go over to San Miguel where it's also very hot, and relax around there for the day, rather than hanging around in La Union for another day, because, you know, I've had this afternoon here and it's all right, but I don't think it's necessarily the nicest and most interesting place, it was fine, but you know, that would at least be halfway to, not halfway, but you know, a quarter of the way to San Salvador if that's where I want to go for the last few days, or at least somewhere in that direction, I could have air come for the night and I've got half of that part of that leg done, I might have a look at that later, basically as I say, I've already had something to eat and I've got some supplies in, there's a sort of pseudo curfew here at night and I don't plan to be out late, but I did ask when I checked in what time they shut the gate to the courtyard, that's fine, I'm going to have maybe my first of two showers, I've done a water only wash at the top for today, I'll perhaps put the t-shirt on after the first shower, and then when I come back I'll probably do a water only wash at the underwear and fingers crossed, they'll be good for tomorrow, I've been wearing flip flops all day so no socks today, obviously I want socks tomorrow, I haven't been fixing some typos and some of the above, like Leon is fairly obviously the town in Nicaragua, anyway look, just do the best you can in future me, so I'm going to go out once, I've had this first shower and it's dark and a bit cooler and I'll probably go and get some fried chicken and I might have a bottle of coke or something, I'll bring some back and I might have another frappe if the place is open or whatever, and then I'll come back here probably 7.8 ish and I'll do the repack, which hopefully won't be too involved, but I do want to be careful obviously because En largo Camino, Paja Pesa, but I do want to also not leave anything too delicate or valuable here, so you know I'll take my passport with me and stuff just in case, it should be okay, look we can only try, so that's the plan, that's where we are and I think that's more or less, oh the Nicaragua exit fee is only three dollars, I'm sure I've been told ten, they do seem to want it in dollars but then luckily I managed to dredge three dollar bills out of my pack and I got four back this afternoon for change, I couldn't remember whether they were scarce in El Salvador or not because they do use dollar coins here a lot, but I've got more to replace them so I can put them in my stash for long-term border crossings and some people did pay with that twenty dollar bill and get 17 dollars apparently in change in dollars back, so but it was a bit odd, not a big deal just making a note.
1816 just had a shower and I've had a shave with some shaving, a small tube of shaving cream, not, not aerosol, just a squeezy one and one of three shit crazes that I got, one of super select us probably, I can't remember, erm, that's good enough that they'll see me through the rest of the trip but don't intend to use all three of those razors so I've thrown away the other remaining disposables I did throw one away the other night. I've still got the broken part of the shaving oil, it's not, if it's leaked it's leaked and just might have a few dregs on that just might come in handy, I could throw it away really. A hiccuping maybe because I did eat a bit but I'm probably going to get dressed and go out as I say in a little bit and then I'll come back and look at packing. I mean I hope it's not going to be too involved because there's nothing else, I don't want to be massively having to repack before I can get on a bus to move on or something but anyway we'll see how it goes. Erm, the cut on the back of my right hand has scabbed up quite nicely, it does get slightly knocked but it's basically okay. The cut on my left thumb is er, I'm keeping a plaster on it so I am actually using the plasters for once and the germoline on it as well. Erm, it's not scabbed up yet, I hope it will soon but putting the plasters on it to stop the sort of weird material that's building up there from getting knocked about and scraped and scraped and stuff. The plaster came off earlier and accidentally jammed it on the tap when I was doing that cold water wash on the top and it was a little bit painful. Nothing major but you know, so hopefully it will scab up soon but it does look like it's basically heaving up, it just hasn't got to a scab yet.
Couple were Carol and Andrew, from Hertfordshire.
2343 okay so I did go out I got two pieces of fried chicken don't really know why I did that but it was all right I had to wait for the leg I think but it was fine I had only fried chicken ages and I have been eating lots of proper Commodore type food and I'm a tepi and stuff and I went and got some milk actually and three cans I couldn't find a big bottle of coke which is perhaps not too much but I came back and I drank the milk and then over time while I was doing the repacking I had the cans felt slightly bloated I had a shower and cut my toenails and fingernails I was lying on the bed reading a bit and at one point I'm thinking where am I I really do not know and it took me I'm not joking it took me a minute or so to think oh yeah I'm in low and young and I got out the volcanoes tomorrow I don't think I need to be up super early as I've already said I'm gonna head to bed but I think the plan remains to just double check the booking date which I'm sure is fine and then try and get up nine ish so I can go out and have breakfast and stuff and maybe buy something else to top my supplies up and then come back and maybe have another shower before I head out and leave that bag with the people here about 11 maybe 10 30 we'll see I booked a hostel with free cancellation right up to the last minute in San Salvador I may go straight over there Friday we'll see if I can have a shower here or what's happening or how knackered I feel it's just an option right since it is free cancellation but after all it wasn't like it was super friendly at that hostel in San Miguel and well maybe I could get aircon I can't get free cancellation on that hostel and aircon isn't so necessary in San Salvador anyway that's just an option. so I'm gonna start moving towards bed I need to clean my teeth I own your wig
2353 yes, apparently, I do own your wig. I have no idea what that was meant to say. Anyway, I've cleaned my teeth, so I'm going to go to bed. Tiny bit edgy, but things should be fine. The ceiling fan really is pretty slow and it's a bit annoying, but it's not the end of the world. And Lisa letting me leave my stuff here. So, yeah, I'm sure there was something else I was going to say, but it is what it is. Okay, I'll send this now. I can always add some new stuff later on. A lot of voice typing here, but I hope it's broadly intelligible and you've got to bash it out somehow. The bag is heavy-ish, but remember it does have three litres of water at the moment and quite a bit of snacky sort of food. I think you're supposed to buy some stuff there and there's even a restaurant for an hour, but obviously you've got to play it cautiously to some extent. Anyway, like, let's just let this type up and I can send it and go to bed.
2147 checking phones before bed and this hostel WhatsApp group has a message about safety at Bigfoot hostel beach party, so that must be what people have meant. Just ftr.
Wed 0643 just left dorm. Bag is bulging due to shoes being in it but it just fits. I could perhaps have optinised this better and a stretch goal for next trip might be to make this fit more comfortable for the rare occasions I want to do it.
Didn't sleep great but not too bad. Eyes bit bleary but feel much better than last night. Woke briefly at midnight, 3 and more so at 6ish, been semi awke for a while. About 3 some woman was shouting "max!" And in ny head she was calling a hostel staff member to help her friend, but I have no idea. Probably just put in my head by beach party warning email. Pickup nominally 715-8. Let me go my teeth.
0706 had fairly big dump. Hoping to get coffee. Vaguely edgy but all should be fine. Done my absolute best to ensure I have everything. Checked passport and loose slip of paper from immigration. Tbh bit more edgy about volcano prep tonight, especially finding the damn bus details. But focus on the day, which to be fair is mainly about sitting on mildly uncomfortable seats (but with aircon, perhaps not super effective, on the bus and breeze at seat) and a bit of bureaucracy which ought to be fairly smooth.
0712 just been up on to small upper terrace I saw last night and hadn't otherwise visited and there is a lovely fluffy and friendly ginger and white cat up there.
0746 seen a bit more of xat which came down. Loitering edgily. There is a poss German guy also waiting for it and I spoke to him brekflh, kudos. He also has a friend at another hostel who is still waiting.
Found interesting "general travel advice for LatAm" book in book collection here, took photo so can maybe find it online or something, it is Read This First Central & South America by I think Lonely Planet this sort of general advice is always interesting and perhaps useful, even if (perhaps especially) it is a bit dated. Like skimming this so far it is a slightly less personal and more corporate F3W but with some flavour.
Guy told me shuttle is at his friends hostel now so should be here very shortly. Sad to be leaving in all respecra and half wish had had an extra day here but you can't so everything and trade offs and better to be sad than happy etc. And insofar as the journey is mildly stressful and unconfortable I am looking at it as getting me home too.
Looking at hostel activity marketing board there is so much I haven't done but then I have done quite a lot and you can't so everything etc etc. I don't really feel I have been massively slack and where I have it was semi fin and semi juatifiable (eg the nominal 2h lesson and nothing elaese big days on Ometepe, but of course I did have my little semi nice routine and there was
On shuttle. Put back in back, name on list, snagged solo seat by door, maybe greedy but fuck it.
But there was hostel changing and things like pizza night and some small stuff etc.
Anyway, let me stop writing this as I will make myself car sick. Aircon feels ok but it is still pretty early.
0810 jeez. Driver just asked (in aspanish only) if we all have our three passport copies. I do (in my bag in the back) but it still makes me nervous.
2.5h drive to Potosi he says, we can ask for a stop if we want etc. 8 feel vaguely generally trip jittery but I am fine, the aircon is good, the seat is as comfortable as a minibus gets and I have plenty of legroom and am not crammed in with my main bag and I had a fairly big dump this morning and some nervy nothing coming out pisses too and I don't think one cup of coffee should have too much effect.
0918 stopped at a Pronto. Didng need a piss but had a tiny one anyway, destroyer tactics etc. Had some Mani garapinado on bus earlier, tempted to buy something here but didn't, have more snacks with me and water too.
Feeling a tiny bit more sanguine about volcano. First off I can only try, secondly it is probably annoyingly expensive but not insane (10-20 dollars at a guess) to get a taxi out there from La Union if I can't get a bus or an Uber. And likewise on way back and I just may be able to get a lift or something on way back.
We are moving, we are just north of Chinandega near El Viejo.
1740 okay, so I'm in the new Hostel Strike Hotel and I have been for a while. Everything's fine. The ceiling fan here seems extremely lethargic. I'm not sure the speed control makes any difference at all. It's just got one slow speed, but anyway, it's pretty hot here. I almost wonder if it's hotter than it was in lay-on, but maybe I wasn't out during the day in lay-on. It's fine. Obviously, I've been here before. There was no problem with the boat and the bus. The water was really flat and calm. Most people were sleeping on the boat. It was a bit dull, but not at all a problem. They seemed to do the baggage check in Nicaragua because they inspected the bags on the way out before he got on the boat and then they didn't get inspected in El Salvador. They took the passports as we were getting off the boat and eventually they brought them all back and took a group photo of us all for some sort of legal reason, not for memories. Just like they had on the way out and we were free to go. I got chatting to a nice, slightly older than me British couple, a retired French teacher and her husband. They were called. I have a note somewhere, so I won't make it up. Chatted to them quite a bit while we were hanging around at the Nicaraguan side and also a Swedish couple from, I think, Gothenburg to a lesser extent and a tiny bit, I think, to the guy from my hostel this morning. Anyway, so I got here. I checked in $24. That's what, well, $23 actually. That is what it said on the thing. It's a bit more than I thought I was paying, but I was being shown the price in Cordobus because I was in Nicaragua, so it's fine. I checked in. I paid. I asked about leaving my bag tomorrow. They'd also emailed me. Yes, I can do that. I asked where the bus goes and I maybe asked the wrong questions and I was asking how to get to Conchagua Town and the guy's sort of telling me about the four by four and there's two of them a day and I'm saying I want to walk up and there's a general reaction whenever I say these people, oh, that's a bit weird. Are you sure it's safe or something? But I don't really think it's not anyway. Let me just stop and watch the voice typing. Catch up!
The retired British couple were doing a four-week trip with a week in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and maybe Mexico and presumably, actually I'm not sure, but four a week in each of four countries, but I should be able to remember, shouldn't I? Just as a buy-the-buy. So I got checked in and I fiddled around my phone and I put just the El Salvador and Tigo sim in and took my home SD card, my home sim and my SD card out just in case. I went out, I had a cafe elado, chocolate at La Navera, there's one near the hostel, I bawled it on the way in, it's a bit expensive, but what the hell? And then I went into the Tigo shop and perhaps a slight touch of the boot scene in The Three Men on the Bumble, I said to this woman, I'll do you do Tigo top-ups here, but she waved me over to another woman and I paid $4 for an eight-day, five-gigabyte thing. That should, fingers crossed, comfortably see me through, including any time at Salvador Airport on next Wednesday. That's a lesson a week to go, which is a bit depressing, but there you go. I also asked her, the woman I actually topped up with, not the woman I originally asked, about the bus and then it turned into the three of them all having a conversation and one bloke called a friend or his brother or someone and I heard him say, oh, ask an IA, like AI, I should say. Anyway, and he told me some different bus and I think he's actually right, you want the bus to Amapolita. And anyway, so I then went to the big Papusa area place, I did dithering a bit and not sure, I saw a bus to Conchagua so I noted that down, but I don't think I want that one, it's not as good. So I went to that big Papusa place that I'd been in the last time I was here and I had four Papusas and a strawberry milkshake and I didn't ask them about the bus and then I wasn't sure what to do so I had a poke around on Google Maps and I thought I'd go and have a look by the police station, AKA the Dragon Restaurant, AKA the old train station, which are all in the same place. The different things and some website, some mentions on Google Maps and some reviews had mentioned and I went down there and I saw some buses going past and I had a look on Google Maps and there's a little yard around the corner where you can get some buses that go to Amapolita and some go a bit further to El Faro and there was a couple there even then, I didn't go and try and get on them but I'm thinking therefore they are fairly frequent. The bloke at the hostel had told me every half hour or something so these buses are regular buses for regular people and I don't think they run twice a day. So that's reasonably promising so I'm fairly confident I can go and get one of those buses over to the trailhead or somewhere very near it tomorrow. Let me let the voice typing catch up.
So I think I went into a super selectors and picked up a few miscellaneous supplies on the way down to where those buses were and where I discovered that yard on Google Maps and I went into the Spencer Familiar and got some bottles of water, I don't think there's any free water for guests here by the way, I got three litres, that was all they had in the cheapest bottles and I do want the cheap ones because I want the thinnest plastic for maximum compressibility and lightness. But some of this will do me for tonight and maybe tomorrow I'll get some cold and maybe whatever, because the thing is what I'm thinking is some of the Google Maps reviews are like, of course they all mix up things like going by 4x4 or not, some of the ones on the bus stop are clearer but some of the ones on the campsite are not, some of them are very uncomplimentary about the equipment at the campsite but it's never too clear whether it's provided by their tour company or stuff up there, to be honest I'm not expecting it to be brilliant but if I can get some what the hell it's one night, I kind of wish I had the sleep sack with me but this would be the first time I've ever used it so I'd I've stopped carrying it and it is what it is, I don't know how disgusting it is sharing a sleeping bag but we just have to see, I keep all my clothes on probably anyway. I'm kind of thinking, if I go up, I can check out here is it 11, so if I get up about half 9 or 10, go and have a coffee to loosen my bowels, maybe have some breakfast, some pupusas or something, have a drink, come back here, check out at 11, leave my bag, which probably won't be my main bag or my daypack, it'll probably be a bin bag or something, but I've not packed yet, I'm going to do that tonight, I'm going to repack everything tonight and then I head out about 11, maybe buy a bottle of cold water to top up my supply and then at least I've got a bit of cold for the way up, for the first bit, if it doesn't stay cold, not the end of the world, get the bus and trogg up, so there's no point hanging around after 11, it's because of the warmer part of the day, it's even warmer in the afternoon, there's no point getting up at 6 and having to stay around up there all day, that would be a little bit overdoing it. So I'll probably start to leave, I'll leave the hostel about checkout time and I'll probably be up there, some of the things say it's about 2 hours walk, an hour even if you fit, I mean some are saying 2 to 3, lots of confusion, I'm moderately optimistic about it to be honest in that sense, so even with a bit of slowness on the buses, the chances are if I leave the hostel at 11, I could be on the bus by 12, I could be at the trailhead well before 1, I'm probably up there about 3, 4 at the very latest, we've already got loads of slack here, and that's probably at least half an hour before most people get there, and probably an hour or two if you take that slack out, so I should be okay to get a tent and if not I'll just have to walk back down, so that's what it is, yeah it could be hot on the way up, but I don't think there's much I can do about it really.
It was a bit odd when we were all at the immigration here at El Salvador, and the woman from the tour company that organises the shuttle and boat is asking people where they're going, and nearly everyone, probably some of this through her company, but some of them are like, oh I'm going onto El Tonco, or oh I'm going to San Salvador, loads of people going onto El Tonco, I mean like yeah, they're all young and everything, but I'm kind of one, well not all of them to be fair, because there was that, I don't know where that couple were going, but they're hiring their own cars most of the time, because they're on a tight schedule with their one week per country, but there were some other old people talking to them that I didn't really I don't have time to go there, I don't think I'd fit in in all sorts of ways, not just age, I'm not particularly interested, maybe another trip I'll go but, you know, it makes a lot of sense, it makes a lot of sense. I'm thinking, as I say, I might, but perhaps even the same place I got last time, because I seem to think it was free cancellation. I seem to think it was free cancellation up until you arrive, but maybe somewhere with air conditioning in San Miguel, I think that's where it is, the place an hour from here where you change for the main buses to San Salvador, and then maybe when I come down the volcano, fingers crossed, on Friday morning, I will pick up my bag, perhaps see if I can beg or pay for a shower here, but if not people on the bus for an hour will just have to put up with me. Go over to San Miguel where it's also very hot, and relax around there for the day, rather than hanging around in La Union for another day, because, you know, I've had this afternoon here and it's all right, but I don't think it's necessarily the nicest and most interesting place, it was fine, but you know, that would at least be halfway to, not halfway, but you know, a quarter of the way to San Salvador if that's where I want to go for the last few days, or at least somewhere in that direction, I could have air come for the night and I've got half of that part of that leg done, I might have a look at that later, basically as I say, I've already had something to eat and I've got some supplies in, there's a sort of pseudo curfew here at night and I don't plan to be out late, but I did ask when I checked in what time they shut the gate to the courtyard, that's fine, I'm going to have maybe my first of two showers, I've done a water only wash at the top for today, I'll perhaps put the t-shirt on after the first shower, and then when I come back I'll probably do a water only wash at the underwear and fingers crossed, they'll be good for tomorrow, I've been wearing flip flops all day so no socks today, obviously I want socks tomorrow, I haven't been fixing some typos and some of the above, like Leon is fairly obviously the town in Nicaragua, anyway look, just do the best you can in future me, so I'm going to go out once, I've had this first shower and it's dark and a bit cooler and I'll probably go and get some fried chicken and I might have a bottle of coke or something, I'll bring some back and I might have another frappe if the place is open or whatever, and then I'll come back here probably 7.8 ish and I'll do the repack, which hopefully won't be too involved, but I do want to be careful obviously because En largo Camino, Paja Pesa, but I do want to also not leave anything too delicate or valuable here, so you know I'll take my passport with me and stuff just in case, it should be okay, look we can only try, so that's the plan, that's where we are and I think that's more or less, oh the Nicaragua exit fee is only three dollars, I'm sure I've been told ten, they do seem to want it in dollars but then luckily I managed to dredge three dollar bills out of my pack and I got four back this afternoon for change, I couldn't remember whether they were scarce in El Salvador or not because they do use dollar coins here a lot, but I've got more to replace them so I can put them in my stash for long-term border crossings and some people did pay with that twenty dollar bill and get 17 dollars apparently in change in dollars back, so but it was a bit odd, not a big deal just making a note.
1816 just had a shower and I've had a shave with some shaving, a small tube of shaving cream, not, not aerosol, just a squeezy one and one of three shit crazes that I got, one of super select us probably, I can't remember, erm, that's good enough that they'll see me through the rest of the trip but don't intend to use all three of those razors so I've thrown away the other remaining disposables I did throw one away the other night. I've still got the broken part of the shaving oil, it's not, if it's leaked it's leaked and just might have a few dregs on that just might come in handy, I could throw it away really. A hiccuping maybe because I did eat a bit but I'm probably going to get dressed and go out as I say in a little bit and then I'll come back and look at packing. I mean I hope it's not going to be too involved because there's nothing else, I don't want to be massively having to repack before I can get on a bus to move on or something but anyway we'll see how it goes. Erm, the cut on the back of my right hand has scabbed up quite nicely, it does get slightly knocked but it's basically okay. The cut on my left thumb is er, I'm keeping a plaster on it so I am actually using the plasters for once and the germoline on it as well. Erm, it's not scabbed up yet, I hope it will soon but putting the plasters on it to stop the sort of weird material that's building up there from getting knocked about and scraped and scraped and stuff. The plaster came off earlier and accidentally jammed it on the tap when I was doing that cold water wash on the top and it was a little bit painful. Nothing major but you know, so hopefully it will scab up soon but it does look like it's basically heaving up, it just hasn't got to a scab yet.
Couple were Carol and Andrew, from Hertfordshire.
2343 okay so I did go out I got two pieces of fried chicken don't really know why I did that but it was all right I had to wait for the leg I think but it was fine I had only fried chicken ages and I have been eating lots of proper Commodore type food and I'm a tepi and stuff and I went and got some milk actually and three cans I couldn't find a big bottle of coke which is perhaps not too much but I came back and I drank the milk and then over time while I was doing the repacking I had the cans felt slightly bloated I had a shower and cut my toenails and fingernails I was lying on the bed reading a bit and at one point I'm thinking where am I I really do not know and it took me I'm not joking it took me a minute or so to think oh yeah I'm in low and young and I got out the volcanoes tomorrow I don't think I need to be up super early as I've already said I'm gonna head to bed but I think the plan remains to just double check the booking date which I'm sure is fine and then try and get up nine ish so I can go out and have breakfast and stuff and maybe buy something else to top my supplies up and then come back and maybe have another shower before I head out and leave that bag with the people here about 11 maybe 10 30 we'll see I booked a hostel with free cancellation right up to the last minute in San Salvador I may go straight over there Friday we'll see if I can have a shower here or what's happening or how knackered I feel it's just an option right since it is free cancellation but after all it wasn't like it was super friendly at that hostel in San Miguel and well maybe I could get aircon I can't get free cancellation on that hostel and aircon isn't so necessary in San Salvador anyway that's just an option. so I'm gonna start moving towards bed I need to clean my teeth I own your wig
2353 yes, apparently, I do own your wig. I have no idea what that was meant to say. Anyway, I've cleaned my teeth, so I'm going to go to bed. Tiny bit edgy, but things should be fine. The ceiling fan really is pretty slow and it's a bit annoying, but it's not the end of the world. And Lisa letting me leave my stuff here. So, yeah, I'm sure there was something else I was going to say, but it is what it is. Okay, I'll send this now. I can always add some new stuff later on. A lot of voice typing here, but I hope it's broadly intelligible and you've got to bash it out somehow. The bag is heavy-ish, but remember it does have three litres of water at the moment and quite a bit of snacky sort of food. I think you're supposed to buy some stuff there and there's even a restaurant for an hour, but obviously you've got to play it cautiously to some extent. Anyway, like, let's just let this type up and I can send it and go to bed.
No comments:
Post a Comment