oh, and i guess i forgot to mention something the other day. as i was passing through these small towns, i stopped in a small restaurant. inside i was the only customer and there was a terrible awkwarness with the owners. don't get me wrong, they seem like nice people, but between the whole language barrier thing, the fact that they were both just awkwardly watching me eat, and the lack of background noise was enough to really make me feel on edge. i tipped well (as i felt bad for a lot of the struggling restaurant owners) but that sense of awkwardness was amazing. the whole experience was as if i had pulled back the curtain on a few people's lives. i'll never forget it.