Today is not going according to plan. I had such a sore throat in the night I couldn’t sleep. I’ve been feeling ill for 4 days now, so I take another Covid test. This time it’s positive. Well that explains the sore throat! We have flights booked to Panama for the day after tomorrow. I guess that’s not going to happen! I check the isolation rules for Costa Rica; 7-10 days from the date of testing positive. No chance to backdate to the date of first symptoms. It’s going to be a long week…

The old man has a whale watching tour booked this morning, so he departs early, leaving me alone with a bottle of warm soda water. He has asked for breakfast to be brought to the room, which finally arrives some considerable time later. The waiter obviously suspects what’s up. He’s wearing a mask and gloves and hands the plate over at arm’s length and runs. I’m so hungry, but each mouthful is like eating razor blades coated in crushed glass, so I soon give up.

The only outside areas at this hotel are communal, so I spend the entire day in my room, reading and coughing and reading and coughing, counting the hours until I can take more painkillers. Eventually, the old man returns with a cold drink and food; jalapeño bagels with jalapeño cream cheese. He mutters a lot about how spicy it is – so I guess I’ve lost my sense of taste!