I headed off to Pana on my own yesterday morning to get some supplies from the 'proper' supermarket. The lancha/boat ride costs 20 Quetzales, about 2 euro, for foreigners and the journey takes 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the weather. One of the main streets, Calle Santander, is lined with cafes, tourist agencies and stalls selling all manner of handicrafts. 'It costs nothing to look', I thought! And ended up coming home with 2 colorful wooden masks and a hammock! How I'm going to get them home to Germany is another question, as backpacks are already over flowing. (Though now that we are making good progress on the huge bottle of Cachaca I got from Tommy in Chicago, with our nightly caipirinhas, I figure I'll have enough space to squeeze some shopping in!)
On the boat back I got chatting to two American women, heading to San Marcos to have a look around. I explained which stop they'd have to get off, and was delighted when one asked how long I'd been living here! It couldn't have been my tan, as despite the abundance of sunshine, I've yet to reach the golden hues of the long term expat 'Atitlan-ers'. I was sharing a few jokes in Spanish with my boat-neighbour, a women in tradition dress. It could have been that. When I said I'd only been here 10 days, she said she was surprised as I seemed so relaxed! The power of San Marcos, the lake and mountain air! Maybe all the yoga/meditation/vegan/chanting people here are right and there's something magical at work! Or maybe it's the result of weeks of laziness!
But not all of us has given in to the urge to do nothing! Anu is very active, opening and closing cupboard doors, climbing up steps and off the bed, and pushing chairs around. Though she does enjoy a break to be carried into the village and back. With no paved roads, the stroller sits folded in the corner, gathering dust and we take it in turns to burn a few extra calories with a baby strapped to us as we trudge along!