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26/1/10 - day 48.
up at 9 (lie in for me these days) and went to the cafe next door for a coffee and croissant. was in no hurry to get away today so made th most of the chance to have a leisurely start. went to the bus station about half 10 and made the short (90 minute) journey to Gracias. there were a couple a attractions there, hot springs and a trail up to a lookout point over the area. much like the other towns, gracias is small and had cobblestone streets. unfortuantey, the weather intervened and the day was a wash-out. rain was not exactly ideal for doing either of the things i mentioned.
when i got there, i found hotel erick, the cheapie option of the town. generally im not fussed how room looks, especially just for 1 night but i think i got a proper taste that night of what it must be like to spend the night in a cell. no window meant no daylight, dark, dank, gloomy, dingy room that i had little choice but so spend time in given the rain. it wasnt dirty though to be fair.
i went to find somewhere to eat after checking in and saw a sign for a comedor. i entered into the frositest, most tense, most unwelcoming atmosphere i think ive ever felt. you could cut the tension with one of the knives that the guys in there were probably carrying. there were 4 table, each with a man sat at it wearing cowboy hats and with plenty of empty beer bottles around them. and they were staring at me. intently. honest to god, thinking about it now, i have no idea what possessed me to stay and eat there. i could literally feel their eyes burning into me as i ordered my beef, rice and salad.
i asked the guy that i thought looked least likely to want to end me if i could sit at his table, to which he waved his hand gesturing it was fine. now, generally, if you look up and see someone staring at you, that person will avert their eyes. not these guys. honesty, i dont think they would have stared anymore if id have had 6 heads, 7 arms and 18 legs. it was ridiculous and intimidating is not the word. when my food came, i was surprised to find it was really nice! i would have liked to have savoured it a little more but for some reason i just wanted to eat and get out.
in fact, everywhere i walked in this town all i seemed to encounter was icy stares. no idea why, i havent felt this anywhere else. the one exception was one fella in the afternoon that i think fancied trying out his english and he was pleasant. other than that, didnt see so much as a smile. just looks of shock or bewilderment, im not sure which.
spent pretty much all afternoon on the net, blogging etc, and was in no hurry to get back to my cell. bought a sandwich and a cake from a bakery and took them back to my room to eat. this is where solo backpacking has a serious downside. god bless the ipod which saved my evening from being one of total boredom.
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