20/2/10 - day 73.

got up at 8, had a bacon and egg sarnie then headed up to the bus stop to catch a good old regular chicken bus to panajachel, on the north side of lake atitlan. havent been on a chicken bus in a little while, at least compared to the regularity of their use in previous weeks, but it felt good to be back on one! i didnt realise it til then but i actually missed these pimped out old US school buses. the crampedness, the dirt, the stopping for passengers to get on or off every 7 feet, and most of all the characters you get on them. local characters. for example, not one, not two, but THREE different people came onto the bus before we'd even left displaying various deformities and disfigurements in an effort to get money of people. all arm-related as well. (i gave the equalivalent of about 3p to one of them, an old woman. and she was grateful. unless that was sarcasm?) also the guy selling pencils demonstrating how they work! brilliant!

the bus left about half 10. i was sat next to an american girl who was visiting friends who live in xela. we got talking and she told me pretty early on in the journey that she needed the toilet, and being as we were of course 3 to a seat and squashed, i was hoping these conditions wouldnt lead to her wetting herself on what was a 2 and a half hour long journey!

there was some seriously impressive scenery on the way out of xela, where the road takes you up really high looking out over the city and the volcano in the background on what was a very clear day. you know you are high up when you are looking down on clouds from the road.

got to panajachel or "pana" as its known about half 12, where it was much warmer. pana is one of several towns around the very popular lake atitlan. its the biggest of them and so is the most built up and attracts the most tourists and backpackers. as i walked through the main street, it was all places to eat, drink, sleep, market stalls and info places. found a very basic cheap room in a hotel, just a bed and a table, had a cold shower and went for lunch down by the lake.

had a walk through the rest of the town. some lad asked me if i wanted to buy his lighter off him. i said no, so he was like, ok then how about you just give me some money. think maybe he should have made these offers the other way round, not presenting the worse offer to me second. he was saying how he was hungry and needed food etc. thing was, he looked pretty kitted out to me! ive seen poor on this trip, and definitely wasnt it!

chilled out back at the hotel for rest of the afternoon where i got chatting to the lad there about england, football, which was the better league out of england or spain, and he was able to tell me all the days results including arsenal's victory over sunderland!

went out for dinner that evening (pizza - well good) where there were beggars coming up to tables, kids selling stuff and even a depressing 3 legged dog. all while trying to eat. afterwards, just went back to the hostel and called it a night.