Mon 1500 Lesson not bad didn't ride much but do feel slow progress, instructor said we are working on board positioning really. Has coffee at M Whatsite (no kittens), got laundry (only 80 not 100, a pair of socks is one item), had snake on beach, back at hostel.
There seems to be a fucking surge in accom demand. Even zopilote has no accom tonorrow night. Ffs I hate this. I could probably get a distant weird room at zopilote and there are rooms at eg naria and santa cruz. But there is *some* chance following chat with instructor at end that I may possibly push classes to 5 more days instead of 2, see how it foes, but this makes it more important to take some social changes with another hostel even if it means extra walking. I had toyed with el pital but they are full.
1558 ok. Talking to myself before booking. There is one borderline worth trying bit not necessarily social place in balgue which is obviously a stiff walk but doable but it would make it very hard to do the pizza night at zop tomorrow. Surf instructor has actually recomelmebded Huellas indirectly and they are cheap (for a dorm) and they also maybe have an open party on tomorrow (saw it on Hostelworld app) and if I book there for one night I have tried it, can almost certainly extend if I like it and worst case I move on to somewhere else the day after. I could get in at Maria's or Santa Cruz no problem but they have virtually no social prospects and I probably need to be making a bit more of an effort to be getting some dice rolls in.
Realistic worst case is I turn up at huell(it)as and hate it and just write off about seven quid and immediately go to Maria's or santa Cruz.
1737 up at the top of the treehouse thing, just for the view, and with the P7 this time, rather than the AO6 yesterday. While I'm up here, when I got back to the hostel, more or less, just about the time, I was, yeah, I just got back after the lesson and my usual wander and drink and beach. There was a woman at the receptiony bit, and I overheard a bit of the conversation, I think basically she'd hired a scooter, and she was, I think she'd sort of decided, no, no, no, I don't like this. She's at reception saying something like, in a sort of semi-confident way, no, I'm going to crash it. It's like, no, it's outside, I'm going to crash it. And I don't know whether she was seeing if she could return it or get a refund or she'd just say, well, I want to return it anyway. But maybe I made something out of this that wasn't the case, but I was kind of genuinely touched and not in a smugly looking down on a kind of way. It's like, oh, that's really nice, actually, so I'm not the only person who can't do some things or that feels nervous or whatever. So, I mean, as I was walking away, I half thought, well, if I was a fucking millionaire, I'd maybe just walk up to her and say, that's really cool, you know, I'll just pay the rental if they won't give you a refund. I would have been a bit stupid, but I was genuinely strangely chuffed about the whole thing. I didn't say anything, of course, just to be clear. And maybe I completely misinterpreted what actually happened, but, you know, that's what I think happened.
I have to assume that she'd ridden it a few meters or maybe been out on it briefly and was just decided now I've given this a go and it didn't work. Anyway, that was my interpretation.
1742 the treehouse thing is kind of wreaking a tiny bit ominously in the moderate breeze, I'm sure it's absolutely fine, but I came up just to have another look at the view and take a few photos, and I've done that now, so I probably will go down. I might eat at the hostel today, because I was at Maria's yesterday, they've got a chicken coconut curry on the menu at 300, which isn't super cheap, but it is a bit of novelty. and if that doesn't happen, then I can always come here for a pizza another night, just as a guest, like I did the very first time. Anyway, I'm going to go down then, I may pop back up after dark, depending on what happens, there might be killer pool at 7, but there's no sign up yet, because the beach volleyball sign up is still on, even though that's practically finished, but we'll see what happens.
1755 ok, chicken coconut curry.
Ftr the surf school seems very European, owners are a french couple, my instructor Pietro is Portuguese, instructor Risk was Dutch, theres a kite surfing but not instructor woman orking there with a vaguely Scandinavian Dutch, fairly sure some of the instructors are french.. No obvious locals or even US/Canadians, unless maybe some French Canadians.
Changed trousers after a brief swim, so full clean clothes. Shaves ((badly) too. I had five goes at the tightrope (belt) oon the pool and was very bad and also not too stupidly worried about falling towards the shallow end and hitting ny head or (less so) oon pool sides. But I had a go, which is the main thing.
Will take more laundry in t Maria's tomorrow. A pair of socks counts as one item so my load today was only 80 not 100 as I expected. And this hostel xharges a flat 300 a load, so with my volume of clothes it is crap..
1820 rice perhaps a touch undercooked but although at first I thought the portion was a bit small that was actually quite satisfying and perhaps because of sunburn it was spicy enough to set my lip tingling.
1834 having a tona. Pool not looking likely but we will see. If not likely an early night.
1911 moved to sit at tiny bar for a second beer. I don't see much hope of chat but figure it might do some good. Short of this or trying to horn in on two friends playing pool it isn't particularly clear to me there is much social opporunity. To be fair a couple of people solo at tables but far from clear they are approachable. The usual concern as always is that it is fine if there is no opportunity, but what eats away at me is the idea that there's some trivial opening which I am just not seeing because I don't know the rules.
At least here I can earwig on the staff conversation.
1919 OK, so class tomorrow at 9. I mucked up today and got confused and thought it was 830 when it was 9. But instructor turned up early anyway.
Just heard guy at bar order a large tona and it is 160. I used it as an excuse to ask him (I did want to know) and they have this but it isn't on the menu. Bit too late for me as a fact now as I am in-likely to srink any more tonight and this is probably my last night here but hey I did at least make the small mildly successful social experiment
Non social lesson here: even though it is not on the menu, if wouldn't just to ask if they do large beers.
I am half wondering - still have a lot of second small beer - I should order a large after this for the fucking hell of it. Despite checkout tomorrow a 9 start takes the pressure off, 1700ml is not insane and while I feel (albeit a bit less so after the utterly routine not unpleasantness of that exchange) a bit BNM sitting here - the staff are all chatting among themselves and unlike a noisy ny age or older american guy who was here when I was trying to decide about hostel booking, I don't really feel inclined to try chatting loudly and noisily with the bar staff, who paradoxically might resent me more in theory than some random guest who might potentially be short of company.
There is a mild element of feeling uncomfortable sitting here compared to a table which I could pretend has value. :-)
In general and this is not new I feel much more quietly confident being around hostel generally than I remember in 2010 etc. But this doesn't really translate much into knowing the unwritten social rules.
2005 I suspect the killer pool has just started with no announcement or sign off, someone just asked some guys near there if they wanted to join. Bit hacked off but don't see how I can get involved at this point.
Fuck it wanderrd up to eatchm there eis a sign up board by the pol table not where it sits all day every day. Fuck.
2344 slightly pissed. I did not feel absolutely 100% cool but I just spent the evening chatting to people and feeling more or less welcome. This is great but also what the fuck is happening that I can do this ok yet have spent weeks in drought. Fuck it. Met 42 yo Canadian Tom and some Germans and Dutch guys and the dj for wed and one of the owners (styx). Bit worried I will feel shit tomorrow but otherwise good.
Tue 1616 voice typing this on the terrace that way yes, everything's basically, okay, I didn't feel too bad this morning Although I had some stupid lingering. Oh my god. Did I do something wrong doubts? The lesson was okay. Not sure I was really making that much progress, but maybe also a tiny bit edgy about last night I don't think being hungover. I wasn't really was an issue On the beach walking back the pool Tournament host from last night was there with kitsurfing hear and he remembered my name and said hi to me I think he's an instructor or maybe he just does it himself.
I did grab at the board by the fins at one point and I got a sort of small skin cut gash at the base of my right hand to the bottom of the finger next to the little one. It's mostly healed up already, I don't think it's very serious but obviously small lesson learned there. It was pretty gusty and a bit grey and overcast and vague sort of North Sea type vibes, obviously not cold or salty, and the instructor went out on his own afterwards, so I'm sure it was not particularly bad. But I think for me it was a bit challenging. I did manage to ride for maybe five or ten meters once But a lot of it was not very good, but you know the conditions may be not good and it's all building experience, etc. I'm just a tiny bit worried about Were there I'm going to manage to ride consistently before I have to go and were there I'm pursuing this too long But try not to worry about it too much right now. We'll see how it goes over the next day or two
There's a ginger cat here as well as a dog which seems quite nice. The place is actually pretty decent. I'm sitting out on the terrace as I say. There's a guy from Newcastle here I spoke to briefly earlier, checked in no problem. So anyway after the lesson I paid for the last couple of days and I did my usual go to that cafe thing near the place. They didn't have any coffee so I just had a melon juice. I then went to Ocean Mart and got some bacon crispy things and a bottle of coke and went to the beach and then I went and had a coffee with milk at Los Cocos and then I picked my bag up at rain dance and came over here and checked in no problem and then I've been having a bit of a rest. I'm still probably going on the pizza thing. I checked with the owner chap here and he says it's not gonna be locked up, there's no trouble getting back. So although it's not ideal to have two nights drinking in a row and maybe relatively heavily I will go to the pizza thing. I might have to withdraw some money tomorrow so maybe in a minute I'll try and clear off the Barkley card so I can withdraw some tomorrow. I'm a bit worried about the expense but although I've got to be careful there is a sort of not totally fictitious too much invested to quit thing with the kind of surfing I really do want to try and capitalise on what experience and muscle memory I built up to get to just that next tiny level you know.
1643 okay, I just paid 400 quid off on the Barclaycard, I honestly do not know if it's going to do any good, I don't know if I had approached my limit, I mean, it didn't, it says the full statement balance is zero, yet I do owe the money, it doesn't seem to be clear about cash withdrawal limits, which I think exist in the, it doesn't seem to show them on the website, anyway, I paid 400 quid off, so, maybe the card will work, maybe it won't, I'll try it tomorrow, I have enough money for tomorrow, I think, er, if I do have to pay tomorrow, that is, and... I suppose worst case is when I get back home, I will have to call them if this payment has somehow gone astray and not been credited to my account. But I don't think that's actually very likely. They initiated he payment from within their site and I authorised it in the Chase app, so anyway, at least I've tried that.
Killing time slightly but it's fairly pleasant sitting here on the terrace, it's too early to have a shower, I don't want to go over too early, I will be going in the dark, but I'm going to take my torch in my trouser pocket as a backup this time because that will make me feel happy just in case something happens to the phone. I may risk going over in flip flops and bare feet because it probably saves on socks and the walk is probably okay, I do know the route etc etc. Oh I dropped in some laundry at Maria's, it was the other pair of trousers that I'd taken off the other day, one set of underwear and two tops, so that will help keep things ticking over. The laundry there is cheap enough and it's convenient enough that as long as I know I'm going to be here the next day, which I do now because I have a lesson arranged, it's not a big deal and it's obviously properly washed rather than any hand wash.
1707 Muerte in Hawaii playing in distance. :-) maybe a slightly reggaeish version.
Oh, Maria was in yard to side of her restaurant this morning when I was heading to santa Cruz for breakfast and she called out hola. Getting known. ;-)
1744 found a paperback of cien años de la soledad and been reading it, skimming over the words I don't know but understanding it and enjoying it about halfway through first chapter. A minor achievement to remember reading this for the first time here.
Not quite sure when to go but probably going to go shower and change now.
2146 voice typing this in the dorm. There's no one else here I think there's one guy in the next dorm, which is where the private bathroom to the dorm is But that's just based on some stuff on the bed. There's no one else here And if there is then please speak up guys, and I'm sorry for disturbing you, but I'm not saying anything embarrassing Zoplotti was actually quite good in a quiet way The guy at the pizza desk just knew my name anyway, which is impressive, but slightly disturbing I had the pizza towards the back this time When the fire show was on I went and sat on the, although it's in the round really, I went and sat on sort of the Primary audience side on the edge of the dance floor, which is where they do it It's not dance floor, it's all outdoors and gritty sand and everything, but you know is the dance floor and By sheer chance I was right in the middle So I'm like literally right in front of the performers and about three meters away And I could feel the heat of the flames as they were in the round which nobody else did before and I could feel little bits Of stuff hitting me. It's like I don't know whether it's water vapour coming off the combustion or whatever But there was stuff hitting me and I could feel the heat Really cool the girls who do the last ketchup stuff and a bit of dancing around weren't there today unlike the last two times I suspect they were kind of trainees or sort of semi amateurs who moved on you know like Volunteering types you know travelers. It's a shame because although their stuff wasn't as advanced it was still nice to see and I like last ketchup Asarehe and You know they're nice girls, and you know even though it's not super level stuff is all cool But anyway it was a good show it was just the two guys this time as I was really close And it was a great view and you know two or three meters away from the guy and a meter or so from the flames at times and Yeah, I don't know you get that back home But yeah, I didn't give a donation to the dancers fire guys just because they didn't come round near me
So although I haven't in the past I went on the dance floor with my rather heavy second litre of beer the second one was a Victoria this time because they had no more Tonya but who cares and I danced and you know there were a lot of other people dancing on their own and I thought what the fuck and it was fine like not ecstatically great but it was fine there was a Nirvana song everyone's singing along and some rhythm and as I left actually there was a group of girls who were singing an ABBA song Dancing Queen I think which completely was not the song being played and it was behind me and it was a bit weird I also had a little chat with a possibly American guy at the toilets afterwards on the way out I said have you seen the spiders and he says no and it was alright, he didn't seem that interested in talking to me but I think it was okay and where were we so so I did go on the dance floor I don't think it's just because I was on it the dance floor which is just a patch of sand that happens to me where they do the fire performance everything was way busier than it has been on previous visits I'm pretty sure that wasn't just because I was on it I don't know what's going on but it does feel like you know given the trouble I had to get an accommodation it does feel like there's a lot of people here all of a sudden and as far as I'm aware there's nothing special happening except wet Wednesday which happens every week so anyway just just my observation
There was one woman on the dance floor who actually probably seemed quite a good dancer But the way she was dressed and the way she was dancing was just I was inescapably reminded of the woman dancing in the men without hats Safety dance video, which is quite cool in a strange way So yes, I hope it were dancing. I walked back. I use my actual proper flashlight rather than the phone on the way home Which is maybe a bit better. I didn't necessarily need it But I thought since I'd taken it because I didn't want to just have the one it was fine some quite cool stars as well I couldn't I'm not saying I saw the Milky Way or anything I didn't spend ages looking in my eyes probably weren't dark-adapted, but some pretty cool stars on the way back So I came back with the flashlight and I said no problem didn't see any spiders for better or worse No, dog trouble. No fuss I was surprisingly chilled on the walk through the zopilotti forest deserted area and indeed along the road and indeed along the road into Weus and no dogs kicking off. I don't know where they are the cats lovely cat by the way It was playing with me before it went I had to cry and coax it out of the dorm Because I wanted to shut the door to try and help keep things out I didn't want to shut it in here. So I had to play with my towel with it Like it's obviously it's this sort of old kitten. It looks relatively big, but it's very playful Anyway, so that's that
So I think that's about it, the lesson tomorrow is at nine, so I'll try and be up about seven-ish. Assuming they sleep okay and there's no issues, I'll probably ask if I can extend here tomorrow. The kitten's nice, honestly despite some of the reviews, it's like it seems a really nice place, not super social, but like there is that Newcastle guy here and maybe after last night I just feel less immediate pressure to do the social stuff. I'm still not sure what's going to happen with the lessons and how long I'm going to keep them going, I have to be very careful there, but that's not an immediate problem, we'll see what happens tomorrow. So yeah, overall things surprisingly good, I didn't feel too B&M at the Zopulotti Pizza, although I don't know, I mean maybe I felt a little bit more connected, even though I didn't really speak to you any except for that guy, toilets and stuff, but yeah, I think that's about it, so I'm going to go to bed, I may send this if I can. Oh, there is Wi-Fi here, I thought there wouldn't be, but I asked the guy when I checked, he said, yeah, yeah, of course there is and I'm sure the website said there wasn't. So okay, I'm going to go to bed, I might send this and try and be up in the morning and if I sleep okay, I'll probably extend here for at least one night and we'll play it all by ear. To be honest, I wouldn't mind spending tomorrow afternoon here reading Siena Nius de Solitude and maybe having a beer or something, but we'll see what happens, I'm not going out tomorrow night unless something amazing crops up. I'm actually saying that it had crossed my mind that I could pay for Wet Wednesday and go to the first few hours of it, but I don't know that I really feel like it and I might be tempted to stay too long and it's not trivial cost, it's not tiny, it's not huge either. I mean, and I've had my little social fix and if I'm doing Wet Wednesday, should I do it properly and if I'm going to do it properly, I should do it on another visit, it's not like I'm going to be crippling the older in a few years time compared to what I am now. Anyway, that's just by the by, see how things go tomorrow.
Oh, although I don't really know where the book's going yet, I'm on something like page 17 or 20 of this paper back, I don't know how standard the page numbers are. The bit very early in 100 years of solitude where the guy says, oh first of all, mentioning Macondo obviously is very cool, although it's not what I had mentally pictured Macondo as based on vague mentions of its iconic magic realism status or something, maybe I'm getting confused. But the bit where the Colonel who I think is facing the firing squad and is looking back is saying like, oh the world was so young, presumably meaning that he was so young, that many things didn't have to have names and had to be pointed out by pointing his thumb at them. I found that a surprisingly powerful and evocative kind of image without trying to be a pretentious literary twat. Anyway, just to buy the buy, I'm going to go to bed now and if anyone's listening to me, which I don't think they are, because I've basically got this dorm to myself and the next one's probably got one guy in who's not there now. Anyway, sorry guys.
Incidentally I've been feeling a bit sweaty at times during the day but in the water it's fine and it's not cold in the water even today with it being grey it's not cold there's always that thing like I remember on the water obstacle course at that place we went in the summer you don't want to get wet until you get wet like going into the water the first time it's always like and then once you're wet it's just absolutely fine it's been quite warm I'm a bit sticky now there's a fan here actually I just turned that on now now I'll wait until I finish dictating this it was a bit breezy sometimes it was breezy up at Terzopilotti for the pizza except when of course the fire's right next to me and yeah I mean it is warm here but there's breeze and yeah it's hot but it's not insufferably hot and I'm maybe getting used to it and blah blah blah I'm just rambling but yeah I'd like earlier on before I had a shower I was feeling like sweaty as fuck but you just kind of get on with it don't you as obviously everyone knows all right.
Honestly, future people reading this, I'm not a complete illiterate idiot. I mean, I have had two litres of beer, but I'm basically sober. This is just the voice typing, this is where AI and voice transliteration offline is right now. But I don't have a physical hardware keyboard and I'm bashing this out and hopefully it can be mostly interpreted ezra Jennings style. Anyway, it is what it is.
There seems to be a fucking surge in accom demand. Even zopilote has no accom tonorrow night. Ffs I hate this. I could probably get a distant weird room at zopilote and there are rooms at eg naria and santa cruz. But there is *some* chance following chat with instructor at end that I may possibly push classes to 5 more days instead of 2, see how it foes, but this makes it more important to take some social changes with another hostel even if it means extra walking. I had toyed with el pital but they are full.
1558 ok. Talking to myself before booking. There is one borderline worth trying bit not necessarily social place in balgue which is obviously a stiff walk but doable but it would make it very hard to do the pizza night at zop tomorrow. Surf instructor has actually recomelmebded Huellas indirectly and they are cheap (for a dorm) and they also maybe have an open party on tomorrow (saw it on Hostelworld app) and if I book there for one night I have tried it, can almost certainly extend if I like it and worst case I move on to somewhere else the day after. I could get in at Maria's or Santa Cruz no problem but they have virtually no social prospects and I probably need to be making a bit more of an effort to be getting some dice rolls in.
Realistic worst case is I turn up at huell(it)as and hate it and just write off about seven quid and immediately go to Maria's or santa Cruz.
1737 up at the top of the treehouse thing, just for the view, and with the P7 this time, rather than the AO6 yesterday. While I'm up here, when I got back to the hostel, more or less, just about the time, I was, yeah, I just got back after the lesson and my usual wander and drink and beach. There was a woman at the receptiony bit, and I overheard a bit of the conversation, I think basically she'd hired a scooter, and she was, I think she'd sort of decided, no, no, no, I don't like this. She's at reception saying something like, in a sort of semi-confident way, no, I'm going to crash it. It's like, no, it's outside, I'm going to crash it. And I don't know whether she was seeing if she could return it or get a refund or she'd just say, well, I want to return it anyway. But maybe I made something out of this that wasn't the case, but I was kind of genuinely touched and not in a smugly looking down on a kind of way. It's like, oh, that's really nice, actually, so I'm not the only person who can't do some things or that feels nervous or whatever. So, I mean, as I was walking away, I half thought, well, if I was a fucking millionaire, I'd maybe just walk up to her and say, that's really cool, you know, I'll just pay the rental if they won't give you a refund. I would have been a bit stupid, but I was genuinely strangely chuffed about the whole thing. I didn't say anything, of course, just to be clear. And maybe I completely misinterpreted what actually happened, but, you know, that's what I think happened.
I have to assume that she'd ridden it a few meters or maybe been out on it briefly and was just decided now I've given this a go and it didn't work. Anyway, that was my interpretation.
1742 the treehouse thing is kind of wreaking a tiny bit ominously in the moderate breeze, I'm sure it's absolutely fine, but I came up just to have another look at the view and take a few photos, and I've done that now, so I probably will go down. I might eat at the hostel today, because I was at Maria's yesterday, they've got a chicken coconut curry on the menu at 300, which isn't super cheap, but it is a bit of novelty. and if that doesn't happen, then I can always come here for a pizza another night, just as a guest, like I did the very first time. Anyway, I'm going to go down then, I may pop back up after dark, depending on what happens, there might be killer pool at 7, but there's no sign up yet, because the beach volleyball sign up is still on, even though that's practically finished, but we'll see what happens.
1755 ok, chicken coconut curry.
Ftr the surf school seems very European, owners are a french couple, my instructor Pietro is Portuguese, instructor Risk was Dutch, theres a kite surfing but not instructor woman orking there with a vaguely Scandinavian Dutch, fairly sure some of the instructors are french.. No obvious locals or even US/Canadians, unless maybe some French Canadians.
Changed trousers after a brief swim, so full clean clothes. Shaves ((badly) too. I had five goes at the tightrope (belt) oon the pool and was very bad and also not too stupidly worried about falling towards the shallow end and hitting ny head or (less so) oon pool sides. But I had a go, which is the main thing.
Will take more laundry in t Maria's tomorrow. A pair of socks counts as one item so my load today was only 80 not 100 as I expected. And this hostel xharges a flat 300 a load, so with my volume of clothes it is crap..
1820 rice perhaps a touch undercooked but although at first I thought the portion was a bit small that was actually quite satisfying and perhaps because of sunburn it was spicy enough to set my lip tingling.
1834 having a tona. Pool not looking likely but we will see. If not likely an early night.
1911 moved to sit at tiny bar for a second beer. I don't see much hope of chat but figure it might do some good. Short of this or trying to horn in on two friends playing pool it isn't particularly clear to me there is much social opporunity. To be fair a couple of people solo at tables but far from clear they are approachable. The usual concern as always is that it is fine if there is no opportunity, but what eats away at me is the idea that there's some trivial opening which I am just not seeing because I don't know the rules.
At least here I can earwig on the staff conversation.
1919 OK, so class tomorrow at 9. I mucked up today and got confused and thought it was 830 when it was 9. But instructor turned up early anyway.
Just heard guy at bar order a large tona and it is 160. I used it as an excuse to ask him (I did want to know) and they have this but it isn't on the menu. Bit too late for me as a fact now as I am in-likely to srink any more tonight and this is probably my last night here but hey I did at least make the small mildly successful social experiment
Non social lesson here: even though it is not on the menu, if wouldn't just to ask if they do large beers.
I am half wondering - still have a lot of second small beer - I should order a large after this for the fucking hell of it. Despite checkout tomorrow a 9 start takes the pressure off, 1700ml is not insane and while I feel (albeit a bit less so after the utterly routine not unpleasantness of that exchange) a bit BNM sitting here - the staff are all chatting among themselves and unlike a noisy ny age or older american guy who was here when I was trying to decide about hostel booking, I don't really feel inclined to try chatting loudly and noisily with the bar staff, who paradoxically might resent me more in theory than some random guest who might potentially be short of company.
There is a mild element of feeling uncomfortable sitting here compared to a table which I could pretend has value. :-)
In general and this is not new I feel much more quietly confident being around hostel generally than I remember in 2010 etc. But this doesn't really translate much into knowing the unwritten social rules.
2005 I suspect the killer pool has just started with no announcement or sign off, someone just asked some guys near there if they wanted to join. Bit hacked off but don't see how I can get involved at this point.
Fuck it wanderrd up to eatchm there eis a sign up board by the pol table not where it sits all day every day. Fuck.
2344 slightly pissed. I did not feel absolutely 100% cool but I just spent the evening chatting to people and feeling more or less welcome. This is great but also what the fuck is happening that I can do this ok yet have spent weeks in drought. Fuck it. Met 42 yo Canadian Tom and some Germans and Dutch guys and the dj for wed and one of the owners (styx). Bit worried I will feel shit tomorrow but otherwise good.
Tue 1616 voice typing this on the terrace that way yes, everything's basically, okay, I didn't feel too bad this morning Although I had some stupid lingering. Oh my god. Did I do something wrong doubts? The lesson was okay. Not sure I was really making that much progress, but maybe also a tiny bit edgy about last night I don't think being hungover. I wasn't really was an issue On the beach walking back the pool Tournament host from last night was there with kitsurfing hear and he remembered my name and said hi to me I think he's an instructor or maybe he just does it himself.
I did grab at the board by the fins at one point and I got a sort of small skin cut gash at the base of my right hand to the bottom of the finger next to the little one. It's mostly healed up already, I don't think it's very serious but obviously small lesson learned there. It was pretty gusty and a bit grey and overcast and vague sort of North Sea type vibes, obviously not cold or salty, and the instructor went out on his own afterwards, so I'm sure it was not particularly bad. But I think for me it was a bit challenging. I did manage to ride for maybe five or ten meters once But a lot of it was not very good, but you know the conditions may be not good and it's all building experience, etc. I'm just a tiny bit worried about Were there I'm going to manage to ride consistently before I have to go and were there I'm pursuing this too long But try not to worry about it too much right now. We'll see how it goes over the next day or two
There's a ginger cat here as well as a dog which seems quite nice. The place is actually pretty decent. I'm sitting out on the terrace as I say. There's a guy from Newcastle here I spoke to briefly earlier, checked in no problem. So anyway after the lesson I paid for the last couple of days and I did my usual go to that cafe thing near the place. They didn't have any coffee so I just had a melon juice. I then went to Ocean Mart and got some bacon crispy things and a bottle of coke and went to the beach and then I went and had a coffee with milk at Los Cocos and then I picked my bag up at rain dance and came over here and checked in no problem and then I've been having a bit of a rest. I'm still probably going on the pizza thing. I checked with the owner chap here and he says it's not gonna be locked up, there's no trouble getting back. So although it's not ideal to have two nights drinking in a row and maybe relatively heavily I will go to the pizza thing. I might have to withdraw some money tomorrow so maybe in a minute I'll try and clear off the Barkley card so I can withdraw some tomorrow. I'm a bit worried about the expense but although I've got to be careful there is a sort of not totally fictitious too much invested to quit thing with the kind of surfing I really do want to try and capitalise on what experience and muscle memory I built up to get to just that next tiny level you know.
1643 okay, I just paid 400 quid off on the Barclaycard, I honestly do not know if it's going to do any good, I don't know if I had approached my limit, I mean, it didn't, it says the full statement balance is zero, yet I do owe the money, it doesn't seem to be clear about cash withdrawal limits, which I think exist in the, it doesn't seem to show them on the website, anyway, I paid 400 quid off, so, maybe the card will work, maybe it won't, I'll try it tomorrow, I have enough money for tomorrow, I think, er, if I do have to pay tomorrow, that is, and... I suppose worst case is when I get back home, I will have to call them if this payment has somehow gone astray and not been credited to my account. But I don't think that's actually very likely. They initiated he payment from within their site and I authorised it in the Chase app, so anyway, at least I've tried that.
Killing time slightly but it's fairly pleasant sitting here on the terrace, it's too early to have a shower, I don't want to go over too early, I will be going in the dark, but I'm going to take my torch in my trouser pocket as a backup this time because that will make me feel happy just in case something happens to the phone. I may risk going over in flip flops and bare feet because it probably saves on socks and the walk is probably okay, I do know the route etc etc. Oh I dropped in some laundry at Maria's, it was the other pair of trousers that I'd taken off the other day, one set of underwear and two tops, so that will help keep things ticking over. The laundry there is cheap enough and it's convenient enough that as long as I know I'm going to be here the next day, which I do now because I have a lesson arranged, it's not a big deal and it's obviously properly washed rather than any hand wash.
1707 Muerte in Hawaii playing in distance. :-) maybe a slightly reggaeish version.
Oh, Maria was in yard to side of her restaurant this morning when I was heading to santa Cruz for breakfast and she called out hola. Getting known. ;-)
1744 found a paperback of cien años de la soledad and been reading it, skimming over the words I don't know but understanding it and enjoying it about halfway through first chapter. A minor achievement to remember reading this for the first time here.
Not quite sure when to go but probably going to go shower and change now.
2146 voice typing this in the dorm. There's no one else here I think there's one guy in the next dorm, which is where the private bathroom to the dorm is But that's just based on some stuff on the bed. There's no one else here And if there is then please speak up guys, and I'm sorry for disturbing you, but I'm not saying anything embarrassing Zoplotti was actually quite good in a quiet way The guy at the pizza desk just knew my name anyway, which is impressive, but slightly disturbing I had the pizza towards the back this time When the fire show was on I went and sat on the, although it's in the round really, I went and sat on sort of the Primary audience side on the edge of the dance floor, which is where they do it It's not dance floor, it's all outdoors and gritty sand and everything, but you know is the dance floor and By sheer chance I was right in the middle So I'm like literally right in front of the performers and about three meters away And I could feel the heat of the flames as they were in the round which nobody else did before and I could feel little bits Of stuff hitting me. It's like I don't know whether it's water vapour coming off the combustion or whatever But there was stuff hitting me and I could feel the heat Really cool the girls who do the last ketchup stuff and a bit of dancing around weren't there today unlike the last two times I suspect they were kind of trainees or sort of semi amateurs who moved on you know like Volunteering types you know travelers. It's a shame because although their stuff wasn't as advanced it was still nice to see and I like last ketchup Asarehe and You know they're nice girls, and you know even though it's not super level stuff is all cool But anyway it was a good show it was just the two guys this time as I was really close And it was a great view and you know two or three meters away from the guy and a meter or so from the flames at times and Yeah, I don't know you get that back home But yeah, I didn't give a donation to the dancers fire guys just because they didn't come round near me
So although I haven't in the past I went on the dance floor with my rather heavy second litre of beer the second one was a Victoria this time because they had no more Tonya but who cares and I danced and you know there were a lot of other people dancing on their own and I thought what the fuck and it was fine like not ecstatically great but it was fine there was a Nirvana song everyone's singing along and some rhythm and as I left actually there was a group of girls who were singing an ABBA song Dancing Queen I think which completely was not the song being played and it was behind me and it was a bit weird I also had a little chat with a possibly American guy at the toilets afterwards on the way out I said have you seen the spiders and he says no and it was alright, he didn't seem that interested in talking to me but I think it was okay and where were we so so I did go on the dance floor I don't think it's just because I was on it the dance floor which is just a patch of sand that happens to me where they do the fire performance everything was way busier than it has been on previous visits I'm pretty sure that wasn't just because I was on it I don't know what's going on but it does feel like you know given the trouble I had to get an accommodation it does feel like there's a lot of people here all of a sudden and as far as I'm aware there's nothing special happening except wet Wednesday which happens every week so anyway just just my observation
There was one woman on the dance floor who actually probably seemed quite a good dancer But the way she was dressed and the way she was dancing was just I was inescapably reminded of the woman dancing in the men without hats Safety dance video, which is quite cool in a strange way So yes, I hope it were dancing. I walked back. I use my actual proper flashlight rather than the phone on the way home Which is maybe a bit better. I didn't necessarily need it But I thought since I'd taken it because I didn't want to just have the one it was fine some quite cool stars as well I couldn't I'm not saying I saw the Milky Way or anything I didn't spend ages looking in my eyes probably weren't dark-adapted, but some pretty cool stars on the way back So I came back with the flashlight and I said no problem didn't see any spiders for better or worse No, dog trouble. No fuss I was surprisingly chilled on the walk through the zopilotti forest deserted area and indeed along the road and indeed along the road into Weus and no dogs kicking off. I don't know where they are the cats lovely cat by the way It was playing with me before it went I had to cry and coax it out of the dorm Because I wanted to shut the door to try and help keep things out I didn't want to shut it in here. So I had to play with my towel with it Like it's obviously it's this sort of old kitten. It looks relatively big, but it's very playful Anyway, so that's that
So I think that's about it, the lesson tomorrow is at nine, so I'll try and be up about seven-ish. Assuming they sleep okay and there's no issues, I'll probably ask if I can extend here tomorrow. The kitten's nice, honestly despite some of the reviews, it's like it seems a really nice place, not super social, but like there is that Newcastle guy here and maybe after last night I just feel less immediate pressure to do the social stuff. I'm still not sure what's going to happen with the lessons and how long I'm going to keep them going, I have to be very careful there, but that's not an immediate problem, we'll see what happens tomorrow. So yeah, overall things surprisingly good, I didn't feel too B&M at the Zopulotti Pizza, although I don't know, I mean maybe I felt a little bit more connected, even though I didn't really speak to you any except for that guy, toilets and stuff, but yeah, I think that's about it, so I'm going to go to bed, I may send this if I can. Oh, there is Wi-Fi here, I thought there wouldn't be, but I asked the guy when I checked, he said, yeah, yeah, of course there is and I'm sure the website said there wasn't. So okay, I'm going to go to bed, I might send this and try and be up in the morning and if I sleep okay, I'll probably extend here for at least one night and we'll play it all by ear. To be honest, I wouldn't mind spending tomorrow afternoon here reading Siena Nius de Solitude and maybe having a beer or something, but we'll see what happens, I'm not going out tomorrow night unless something amazing crops up. I'm actually saying that it had crossed my mind that I could pay for Wet Wednesday and go to the first few hours of it, but I don't know that I really feel like it and I might be tempted to stay too long and it's not trivial cost, it's not tiny, it's not huge either. I mean, and I've had my little social fix and if I'm doing Wet Wednesday, should I do it properly and if I'm going to do it properly, I should do it on another visit, it's not like I'm going to be crippling the older in a few years time compared to what I am now. Anyway, that's just by the by, see how things go tomorrow.
Oh, although I don't really know where the book's going yet, I'm on something like page 17 or 20 of this paper back, I don't know how standard the page numbers are. The bit very early in 100 years of solitude where the guy says, oh first of all, mentioning Macondo obviously is very cool, although it's not what I had mentally pictured Macondo as based on vague mentions of its iconic magic realism status or something, maybe I'm getting confused. But the bit where the Colonel who I think is facing the firing squad and is looking back is saying like, oh the world was so young, presumably meaning that he was so young, that many things didn't have to have names and had to be pointed out by pointing his thumb at them. I found that a surprisingly powerful and evocative kind of image without trying to be a pretentious literary twat. Anyway, just to buy the buy, I'm going to go to bed now and if anyone's listening to me, which I don't think they are, because I've basically got this dorm to myself and the next one's probably got one guy in who's not there now. Anyway, sorry guys.
Incidentally I've been feeling a bit sweaty at times during the day but in the water it's fine and it's not cold in the water even today with it being grey it's not cold there's always that thing like I remember on the water obstacle course at that place we went in the summer you don't want to get wet until you get wet like going into the water the first time it's always like and then once you're wet it's just absolutely fine it's been quite warm I'm a bit sticky now there's a fan here actually I just turned that on now now I'll wait until I finish dictating this it was a bit breezy sometimes it was breezy up at Terzopilotti for the pizza except when of course the fire's right next to me and yeah I mean it is warm here but there's breeze and yeah it's hot but it's not insufferably hot and I'm maybe getting used to it and blah blah blah I'm just rambling but yeah I'd like earlier on before I had a shower I was feeling like sweaty as fuck but you just kind of get on with it don't you as obviously everyone knows all right.
Honestly, future people reading this, I'm not a complete illiterate idiot. I mean, I have had two litres of beer, but I'm basically sober. This is just the voice typing, this is where AI and voice transliteration offline is right now. But I don't have a physical hardware keyboard and I'm bashing this out and hopefully it can be mostly interpreted ezra Jennings style. Anyway, it is what it is.
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