Orchid Garden, Irazu Volcan & Cartago

I forget (olvide) I need a key to get out of the hostel’s gate. I’ve been able to cook (cocinar) in the outdoor kitchenette. Making new meals. One is packed w/ protein: 2 scrambled eggs, half can of black beans, tomatoes, cheese (queso), and avocado w/ toast. I have not been eating (estoy comiendo) too much meat (carne) and hardly eat out, as it is all fried stuff. We compost here which I think the dogs and cat nibble into if there’s anything worthy in there. Happy I brought garlic salt. Also apple cider vinegar seems to help the itchy mosquito (perhaps ants too) bites on me feet. These are not my normal packing items.

It gets dark at 5 and sun rises around 5; no daylight savings. Soon it will get dark at 6, I am told. I am an old lady here. Up by 7, lunch at 11, dinner (cenar) by 6 and tired by 8, but sleeping (dormir) around 9/10. Also no booze for a whole week (semana) so far! Keeping myself hydrated. It’s just transitioning from the rainy (lloviendo)  to dry (seco) season; I can’t imagine how it will be with this humidity (humedo) and the sun (sol)! Excited to hit the beaches (playo) in January.

The cats like to go up (subir) on the metal roofs, so you often hear (oyes) commotion above. The other morning, 4:45am, I felt something jump on my bed (cama) 3 times. Scared the crap out of me; thought (pensi) I was dreaming (estoy suenando) and finally I saw (mire) it was the hostel’s cat (gatto). No clue how/when he got in my room (sala), but I was happy to let him out and not something else. More lovely surprises are the smells that I get a whiff of a few times a day. While waiting for the bus on a major street (calle) or chillin outside (afuera) at the café, an old car (carros) spews a toxic order. And the scent of rubbish roams the air once in a while.

Last week I went to the orchid garden, quick waterfall hike, visited Irazu volcano, and then checked out the city near Orosi, Cartago. Click here for more pix.