23/2/10 - day 76.

one of the most comfy nights ive had in ages courtesy of an all too rare excellent bed/pillow combo! i was up about half 9 and ventured into san marcos for breakfast. the village itself was pretty nice. it feels like it miles away from anywhere, very quiet and such a slow pace. quite literally, the people seemed to me to be walking around at a visibly slower pace! found a little comedor and went back to old school food of eggs, refried beans, tortillas and cheese then went for a walk about.

many hostel in san marco seems to offer similar things - massages, tarot readings, yoga, meditation and holistic therapies. there was a touch of modern reality around though, with a couple of internet places and a bar that showed sports and movies. it was a really sunny day so went down to the lake where the water is much cleaner and clearer than it is in panajachel and got some snaps of some amazing scenery of the lake and surroundings. spent pretty much the rest of the day chilling out at the hostel. lying in the sun for much of it, intermittently reading. this really is the place to relax, i dont think ive been anywhere quite like it before.

there was an american couple staying in the dorm who i'd spoken to briefly the day before and when i saw them that afternoon, she was concerned that her coughing had kept me awake last night. i hadnt heard anything though. then she was like ''did you feel the earthquake?'' wierd thing was i had felt it but didnt know that was what it was! at about 4 or 5 that morning i woke up cos it felt like the place was shaking. i then heard the girl gasp and say ''earthquake!'' but it only lasted maybe 5 seconds and in my slumber i dismissed it as nothing. when i got up later i didnt even think about it but when i was in the shower at like 10ish it happened again. obviously i was far more conscious of it this time but thought nothing more than 'hmm that was wierd.' since there was no one around to ask i, again, thought nothing more of it. anyway, the american girl then told me she had asked the hostel owner about it who confirmed there had been tremors and that they get them occasionally.

so relaxed was i that i missed a meal so went out for a steak dinner with a canadian girl who had just arrived in the country that was staying in the dorm. got back about 10ish and went to bed.