BC to Panama on a KLR

[Lonewolf]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Day 20 - Sorry, not many pics today
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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]I toss and turn all night, turns out the chunk of sand I picked to sleep on had some pieces of old concrete blocks just below the surface and I should have made a decent pillow, my neck is killing me. The night was otherwise quite comfortable and warm with a slight shore breeze.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]We pack up and are on the road by 7:30am PST or what I believe to be 9:30am local time. With an hour and a bit of riding under our belts we end up in Puerto Vallarta, a big Americanized city with all the fast food and conveniences of home for the tourists who come in droves on the massive cruise ships that dock here.[/font]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]We run around trying to find Rob a replacement Netbook with an English language keyboard, no luck! I think this is becoming a wild goose chase. Again, such a big tourist town I just want to leave and soon Rob joins me in this line of thinking, its a nice place, just not for me...[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]South of town we find a small roadside restaurant and get some soup (these places usually only prepare 2 or 3 dishes for the day and you get to choose from those) The only thing that looked appealing to me was this soup, and It wasn't bad. After downing it I find out it was goat soup, I really need to brush up on my Spanish so I can understand what things are before I order them![/font]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]With a stomach full of goat we set out hoping to make Ixtapa or Zihuatanejo for the night. In Manzinillo we stop at an internet cafe for an hour to check in with the connected world, friends and family. We feel so out of the loop with out our local news or being able to converse with friends.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo are nice, there are some great beaches and cliff-side restaurants, but again, being a resort town the place is packed. We stop and check a few places out before deciding to head south of town for the night. The roads have straigtened out some and we make good time.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]As the sun starts to set we find ourselves in the outskirts of Colima, inland with no good options for a hotel or camp spot. After looking around a little Rob gets the idea to just ask a local family if we could stay in their yard...[/font]

“[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Shit, its worth a shot I guess” I said to myself. We drove along and found a decent looking house with a large locking carport area and decide to try it. Rob (with his better, but not good Spanish) introduces himself and asks about letting us sleep in the garage area... The lady seems a little take back by the idea when Rob finally conveys his plan to her, she disappears inside and her husband comes out. Rob again works to get the idea across clearly before he nod's his head and says something along the lines of 'sure, no problem' [/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]With a little rearranging a nice open spot is made for us next to their truck and parking for the motorcycles on the other side. We will be sharing the area with some cages of tropical birds, some kind of pigeon and a few roosters. Its quite the experience to say the least.
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[/font] Sitting on the sidewalk outside our homestay...

A very bad pic but it shows our arangments

A couple locals keeping warm in the streetlight...

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]We are taken in by this family, given a place to sleep, have some great conversations with the owners of the house and their nephew who work in the lime and coconut plantations nearby. We sit and bullshit on the sidewalk over a couple beers before turning in for what would end up being a long night.[/font]

 

[Jeckyll]

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Great stuff.

 

[Mollygrubber]

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Always great reports, Pat. Good reading...



So is Dave history now? Sounds like he won't be catching up anytime soon.

 

[Lonewolf]

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Dave is back in San Diego fixing the bike, he plans to ride south with someone off of the Horizons Unlimted board in the next couple weeks... We may meet up with them after we've turned around in Panama.

 

[250ccforme]

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Good to hear thatYOUR trip is going well. I can't help but think that Dave might not be the best guy to break-in an engine.

Hoist a few for those of us in the Great White North. :hb:

Summer is poking it's head upin the Kootenays, finally.

 

[Lonewolf]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Day 21 ~220KM[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Wow! Three weeks on the road already?! Where does the time go??? Everything is going great aside from Dave's little mishap but I do get a little homesick from time to time. Writing and knowing that there is a crew out there following along helps.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]We are up and out of our very gracious host's house early. We haven't slept much during the night. The road running about 20 feet from where we are sleeping is a major throughway with cargo trucks and cars buzzing by all night, when I finally do catch a few winks I'm awakened by the rooster crowing about 5 feet from my head... A great experience but a horrible nights rest. I should have gone to the bike and gotten my earplugs I guess...[/font]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]On the road we follow Mexico route 200 as it twists and turns along the coast. There are countless amazing little beaches and coves scattered along the coast. We stop in at one called Playa Ixapilla for a rest, Gorgeous! I would have camped right here if it hadn't been so early in the day. I'm sure the recent global crunch has had quite an effect on tourism here, the place is deserted...[/font]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Lunch was at a great little spot on a hill overlooking what seemed like a great bay. I ordered fish, and got exactly that! Not the way it would have come back home but I try to keep an open mind and in the end it was excellent![/font]

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[/font][font="Arial, sans-serif"]Here fishy fishy fishy...[/font]
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[/font][font="Arial, sans-serif"]On the road again we pass tons of Coconut, Banana and Avocado plantations, the usual combination seems to be a Coconut grove with Banana's grown below. In many spots the air is thick with smoke from the clearing burns going on in the hills. Everything here seems fixed with fire... Long grass beside the road? Burn it! Need more room for crops, but the brush is in the way? Burn it! Roadkill (cows, horses, donkeys) stinking up the highway? Burn them too! Smelly proposition![/font]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]At the end of the day we end up in a little run down 'once was' resort town of Playa Azul. We end up getting a cheap but basic room right on the beach at a family run joint, nice people... Rob is immediately in his swimwear and headed for the beach, Violating one of the basic rules of travel: “Do as the locals do” or in the case do as the locals don't.[/font]


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[/font]Our 'basic' accomodations for the night...

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Not one Mexican was in the water past about waist deep. Rob was in headfirst and headed for the break, Its not long before he's being swept down and away from the beach. A volunteer lifeguard is watching him like a hawk and following his progress. Rob makes it back into shore but not without a lot of effort, he's lucky to be such a strong swimmer.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]The lifeguard walks by and asks if I am Rob's friend, I say yes and he starts going off about the surf being “muy Peligroso” or very dangerous, I agreed with him, shook his hand and thanked him before rob made it back to the hotel area. Close call...
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[/font] The local kids were happy to splash around in tidal pools and hit each other with empty bottles...

A couple crazy fishermen heading out for the evening, it was awesome watching these guys expertly manuver their boat to get past the shore break... SKILL!

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]The night is capped off with a couple drinks and dinner at the restaurant across the street. [/font]

 

[Ty]

This has got to be the coolest adventure I have ever read about. Great pictures and writeup Lonewolf! You are much braver than me to even think of attempting a trip like this not to mention meeting up with a couple of other tag alongs that you don't know. Keep us posted!

 

[miller]

I agree... one of the best ride reports for me in a long time! Stay safe and have a blast amigo!

 

[cficare]

Hey guys,Patricks ride is still going strong,check out his thread on the ADVrider site under "Tax free......" .I think he stopped posting here when the site was being retooled.

 

[Mollygrubber]

Damn, I forgot about that - I was patiently waiting for the next installment. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Lonewolf]

Hey guys, sorry about that, during the downtime on the forum I couldnt post updates here and since have forgotten to get it updated... Will try to post to day 40ish soon! Some awesome adventures sofar... Riding solo now.

Talk soon

Patrick

 

[Lonewolf]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Day 21 ~220KM[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Wow! Three weeks on the road already?! Where does the time go??? Everything is going great aside from Dave's little mishap but I do get a little homesick from time to time. Writing and knowing that there is a crew out there following along helps.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]We are up and out of our very gracious host's house early. We haven't slept much during the night. The road running about 20 feet from where we are sleeping is a major throughway with cargo trucks and cars buzzing by all night, when I finally do catch a few winks I'm awakened by the rooster crowing about 5 feet from my head... A great experience but a horrible nights rest. I should have gone to the bike and gotten my earplugs I guess...[/FONT]

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]On the road we follow Mexico route 200 as it twists and turns along the coast. There are countless amazing little beaches and coves scattered along the coast. We stop in at one called Playa Ixapilla for a rest, Gorgeous! I would have camped right here if it hadn't been so early in the day. I'm sure the recent global crunch has had quite an effect on tourism here, the place is deserted...[/FONT]

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lunch was at a great little spot on a hill overlooking what seemed like a great bay. I ordered fish, and got exactly that! Not the way it would have come back home but I try to keep an open mind and in the end it was excellent![/FONT]

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[/FONT][FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Here fishy fishy fishy...[/FONT]
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[/FONT][FONT=Arial, sans-serif]On the road again we pass tons of Coconut, Banana and Avocado plantations, the usual combination seems to be a Coconut grove with Banana's grown below. In many spots the air is thick with smoke from the clearing burns going on in the hills. Everything here seems fixed with fire... Long grass beside the road? Burn it! Need more room for crops, but the brush is in the way? Burn it! Roadkill (cows, horses, donkeys) stinking up the highway? Burn them too! Smelly proposition![/FONT]

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]At the end of the day we end up in a little run down 'once was' resort town of Playa Azul. We end up getting a cheap but basic room right on the beach at a family run joint, nice people... Rob is immediately in his swimwear and headed for the beach, Violating one of the basic rules of travel: “Do as the locals do” or in the case do as the locals don't.[/FONT]


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[/FONT]Our 'basic' accomodations for the night...

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Not one Mexican was in the water past about waist deep. Rob was in headfirst and headed for the break, Its not long before he's being swept down and away from the beach. A volunteer lifeguard is watching him like a hawk and following his progress. Rob makes it back into shore but not without a lot of effort, he's lucky to be such a strong swimmer.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The lifeguard walks by and asks if I am Rob's friend, I say yes and he starts going off about the surf being “muy Peligroso” or very dangerous, I agreed with him, shook his hand and thanked him before rob made it back to the hotel area. Close call...
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[/FONT] The local kids were happy to splash around in tidal pools and hit each other with empty bottles...

A couple crazy fishermen heading out for the evening, it was awesome watching these guys expertly manuver their boat to get past the shore break... SKILL!

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The night is capped off with a couple drinks and dinner at the restaurant across the street. [/FONT]

 

[Lonewolf]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Day 22 ~ 435KM[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]For having such a basic room, I had one of the best rests of my trip so far. The night cooled off enough to be comfortable and the humidity died down as well. A quick stop in the morning to get some fruit from one of the roadside merchants, 10 pesos and a delicious watermelon later we are ready to make a few miles.[/FONT]

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One of many checkpoints

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]An hour of riding along the coast and we make it to the towns of Ixtapa – A made for TV type of resort town and its much more real sister city across the bay Zihatenaho or Ziha as the locals call it. We look around and find a beautiful but very crowded beach. Its all very tourist oriented, not what I came to see,,,[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]On the way out of town we stop at a roadside restaurant for what I believe to be porkchops in a hot chilli sauce... It could have been goat, horse or anything else for all I know, I dont care, it was great! I really do need to find some time and sit down to study some of my basic Spanish words.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]During lunch we decide to try to push for Acapulco for the night. The idea of a night in a long renowned party town despite it's touristy allure sits well with us... for now...[/FONT]

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]By 4:30pm we arrive in Acapulco and find out what rush hour in a Mexican city of 1+ million people is all about. Thousands of blue and white Volkswagen Beatles taxis zipping around the streets with no regard for common traffic law, people darting out through traffic at the first sign of a gap, bad roads and impatient drivers... Its an adventure I guess! [/FONT]

A very very rare break in the traffic

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]After 45 minutes in the town, the traffic and the swarms of “helpers” trying to get us to stay here or eat there have us thoroughly frazzled and we make the decision to head south and find somewhere out of town to spend the night.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]We ride for about 45 minutes and find a lively beach area where im sure the residents of Acapulco were escaping for their Saturday evening out. There are a lot of motorcycles out and about, Harleys, dirtbikes, streetbikes and everything in between. We stop at a river and beach side restaurant by the name of Betty Goody's where manage to get a food order in just before the kitchen closes. Rob's Shrimp are only alright, but my fish is excellent I would definitely recommend the place![/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]After eating we head down the beach some hoping to find somewhere to camp. We pass many beach-side bars which all had thier own swimming pools and lounge area's. I suspect people make it an all day trip and just hang out eating, drinking, swimming and having fun.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]We find a nice little spot, pull in and ask the owner if it would be okay if we camped here. He seems very friendly and open to the idea, he shows us where we can setup the tents and a nice spot to park the bikes, toilets and a shower nearby are a definite plus.[/FONT]

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]We check out the beach before heading down the road to grab some water and check out the bar where we saw all the motorcycles. There must be a hundred bikes here lined up neatly and everyone in the rest area enjoying some cool drinks. We roll down the drive to some curious looks from the locals and order a coke to stave off the heat. Nearly as soon as we'd started in on our refreshments the locals were getting on their bikes and taking off. Did the two motorcycling gringos scare them off?! We'll never know I guess...[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The night is hot and quite humid, trying to sleep is difficult at best, every time you try to move you first have to unstick yourself from the sleeping pad. Its quite uncomfortable and it takes hours to cool off even slightly and a breeze to pick up.[/FONT]

 

[Lonewolf]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Day 23 – May 16th 2010 – 363KM[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]After it cooled off last night I slept fairly well, the fireworks at 1AM woke me and the music from somewhere down the beach finally died off at about 4AM. Awake early Rob builds some coffee over his camp stove and I do some writing and route research before we pack up.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Ready to leave we stop by to talk to the owner and offer him some money for the use of his sand. He starts demanding one hundred paso's each for the night. That's a crazy price, we could have stayed in a hotel for near that kind of money. He wont budge and makes like he's ready to call the cops, We really should have just said fuck it and left but we ended up paying him and having a few choice words with him as we left... [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I feel taken, robbed... My first experience with a Mexican who would rip you off at any opportunity... I'm put off, my normally easy going and nonchalant attitude is nowhere to be found rather replaced with a wound up, short on patience person still steaming under his helmet, my day is off to a bad start and I don't really start enjoying the ride until lunch time.
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[/FONT] Mexico, the old and the new

Have to give Coca Cola credit, they've made amazing inroads into pretty wellevery country in the world...

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]South we turn inland and surprisingly the vegetation gets much more lush, unlike northern Mexico. We stop for more roadside food, this time its Pollo (chicken) in a green sauce, black beans, avocado and local cheese. Mmmmm Very good! The best food I've had on this trip has all been from small roadside stands.[/FONT]

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This man had his horse dancing to the music coming from the market

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Heading south we pass tons of Federales (police) parked in towns and on the side of the road, they show no interest in us whatsoever... The military, on the other hand, does. We were waved over for random inspections at three consecutive military check points. The standard questions were asked, where are you coming from, where are you going, please show me in here (panniers). Rob and I both agree that they probably don't see a lot of gringo's and are more curious about our Moto's than anything. They are all very professional and friendly trying their hardest to make small talk with us even though we don't speak much Spanish.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Soon we make it to the town of Puerto Escondito, a small but touristy town with a great surfer vibe. I could have spent more time here but was excited to make it to more tropical climates. We meet a few Aussies as we roll into town and ask for recommendations on hotels and restaurants, they aren't a lot of help, but nice guys none the less.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]We find a great little hotel (The Rockaway something or other) across the street from the beach and get a Cabana for the night. 3 beds, fans, washroom and shower for 250 paso`s per night, a great deal considering we paid $200 to sleep on some guys sand last night.[/FONT]

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]We check out the beach where Rob plays with the currents again under the watchful eyes of two well equipped lifeguards. A quick shower and we're off to find some food. I had an amazing (though slightly overdone) Filet Minon before returning to the hotel and sitting by the pool typing and conversing with friends back home until the early morning.[/FONT]

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Rob's Guardians

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Surfer's Paradise
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Mmmmm Meat!

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]A nice relaxing spot to type ride reports after a long day[/FONT]

 

[Lonewolf]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Day 24 – 330KM[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I slept really well last night, the fans really help to make things comfortable. I managed to write and post 4 days of travel between last night and this morning... Productive![/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]We pack out trusty steeds and finally hit the road around 11am. An hour an a half of nice but not mind blowing road gets us into Huatulco, an amazingly clean, lush and friendly resort town. Coming into town I'm amazed at the landscaping, I wouldn't have thought it possible if only for the water requirements to keep it all green.[/FONT]

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]We find a nice roadside stall and stop in for some chicken tacos and an enchilada. Rob's behind is starting to hurt him and our stops are becoming more frequent. I can say that the corbin seat i bought is paying off huge dividends at this point... $300 well spent![/FONT]

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One of themany beach views, hard to catch on camera

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]South of Huatulco the road gets a little better, more interesting with some nice views of the coastline. We see a great little bay and follow the road down the side of a cliff to the town of Barra De La Cruz. The community is nice, and seems to cater to surf bums from around the world. To get to the beach we have to pay a toll, the community runs the area as a Co-op and uses the money for improvements to the beach side infrastructure and road maintenance.[/FONT]

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Down the hill and at the beach we park our bikes beside two more loaded up rigs, one a BMW F650Gs and the other a Suzuki DL650, the owners come walking over when they see us looking over their rides. Two gentlemen from Mexico City, they are riding around seeing their country. We bullshit with them as best we can as they suit up and get ready to leave. I didn't get their full plan as far as a final destination but this wouldn't be the last we would see of them.[/FONT]

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The beach is quite undeveloped, as it should be, with just a small restaurant/bar and covered seating area filled mostly with Euro and Aussie surfers. The consistently large right point break draws them here, you can ride it all the way to shore they say... We watch for a while while enjoying our refreshments, amazing skill some of these guys have!
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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]If they had allowed camping on the beach we would have stayed right here, but unfortunatly they were not found of that idea so we move on headed for Salina Cruz and hoping to find a nice beach there.[/FONT]

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Salina Cruz, Tijuana of the south! This place is dirty, smelly, crowded and the people, unpleasant I would not wish this city on my worst enemy, let alone a friend. The coastline is full of tanker and cargo ships and the only other decent spot was taken up by a navy base. We decide to head out of town and find somewhere else to stay, the few people we talked to agreed that that was probably a good idea.[/FONT]

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Evaporative salt works on the outside of town...
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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The road takes us inland across a very windy coastal plain that is brimming with towering wind turbine's. I'm glad to see alternative energy systems installed in a country that I had come to think didn't care about its land or pollution...[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]We stop at a hotel on the side of the road and check it out, it looks nice but charges by the hour. We decide we can tough it out for another half an hour to town. We pull into a nice hotel and end up paying a huge amount of money for a room (700 Pesos I believe) but by this point we are too tired to care, it has two comfortable beds, AC, a pool and Wifi, what more could we ask for![/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Unloaded and showered we head across the street for some food, turns out we found the one place in town that the Mexicans go to when they want gringo food. Bad luck for us as I've been loving the Mexican food and wasn't overly impressed by my Americanized meal.[/FONT]

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Back at the hotel we find a BMW f650gs and a DL650 parked next to our bikes, the guys from Mexico city are here now too, small world! With a dip in the pool, a cold drink and some time on the computer to catch up I call it a night...[/FONT]

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Tomorrow we move for Guatemala!![/FONT]

 

[Lonewolf]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Day 25 – 480KM – Border day[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Refreshed after a great nights sleep (amazing what a little AC can do for ya!) we are one the road a little later than planned at 10am. We have a long day ahead of us if we want to make the border to Guatemala before nightfall.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]As luck would have it the roads are for the most part straight and fairly flat. We manage to make good time compared to some of the 70-80KM/h sections on the coastal roads. We stop to gaze in awe at miles upon miles of wind farms. As far as your eye could see there were blades whirling in the pacific breeze. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]We play cat and mouse all day with our new found Mexican friends, We ride slower but they stop much more often. For lunch we find some delicious grilled garlic chicken before continuing on to Citudad Hidalgo for the crossing into Guatemala...[/FONT]
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Half way to the frontera we stop for a drink and I manage to leave my camera sitting on the steps to the store where we had sat to get out of the sun. I get 10KM down the road before I realize that its not in my pocket. I franticly searched my tank bag hoping I'd stashed it but I find nothing. I quickly turn around and ride like no KLR should ever be made to. Back to the store I'm relived to find my camera exactly where I had left it, though some of the local kids were eyeing it up, I'm not sure if it would have been around much longer.[/FONT]

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]As we roll in towards the border we are swarmed by tramadores or helpers offering to help us get across easily. We politely decline their services but many wont take no for an answer, we rev the bikes giving them ample warning to move out of the way before we muscle through the mob.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Finding the border we get stamped out of Mexico with minimal fuss (neglecting to turn in our vehicle import permits as we would reuse them on the trip home) and head across the bridge over the river which draws the line between the two countries.[/FONT]

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Once in Guatemala we stop to have our bikes fumigated for a fee of around $1usd before we are allowed to continue to the Immigration and Importation areas... At this point we hire a nice helper to guide us through the process as our 'Border Spanish' is not up to snuff. We pay too much for his services and I'm sure we got taken with the 'extra' fee's we incurred. I will do my best to do the next border crossings on my own, even if it does mean extra time at the crossings.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Through the crossing and completely sapped of both our energy and good moods we spend an hour looking for a bank with an ATM machine. One person says down the road two blocks, the next tells as that we've gone two blocks too far... We decide to head into the country with about $150Q to our names and hope to find a Bank or store with an ATM before we need fuel, food or somewhere to sleep. Its an adventure right?![/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]We do end up finding a market with an ATM and manage to get some cash out. Continuing up CA-2 we find a nice looking Auto-Hotel on the side of the road, we pull in and after a long, tiring, frustrating day like we had they could have charged us anything, but they didnt. A spendy hotel by Guatemalan standards I'm sure but at around $30usd/night for a big room with its own carport, hot water, pool, on site restaurant and Wifi who could complain.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]A dip in the pool and some time spent writing this ride report ends my evening, tomorow we plan to push on into the western highlands of Guatemala and hopefully to Lake Atitlan for the night.[/FONT]

 

[Lonewolf]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Day 26 – 40KM[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Civil unrest strikes in Guatemala, innocent tourists caught in the middle (literally)[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Well, today was an interesting one... Up late last night talking to some friends at home (the wonders of the internet) I sleep late and we dont get packed and on the road until nearly 10am, this is no way to start the day when it seems the rainy season has found us... The mornings seem dry but late in the afternoon the clouds form and a downpour usually isn't far behind.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]With the plan to have a short day and head for Lago Atitlan we start off down the road, 15 minutes and 20km later we start seeing huge lines of vehicles parked on the road. Being on the bikes we zip up the centre line to the front of all the chaos only to find a human blockade. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]From what I could understand the locals were protesting local energy rates. The average family cannot afford electric services in this country and as such they were taking a stand against the state run utility. Kudos to them I say!! Nothing like this would ever happen in Canada or the USA...[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The local police were in attendance toting shotguns and assault rifles but only to make sure things stayed civil. We ask around about whether a couple of tourista's could get through only to be laughed at on multiple occasions. Most people agree that it wont clear out before 5pm and that our best bet would be to go back down the road and try the other route around at the expense of an extra 200KM's.[/FONT]

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]We hang out for an hour or so enjoying ourselves, talking with some of the locals and munching on some delicious fresh fruits and street food. We turn around figuring the other road was worth a shot. 40Km the other way and we run into the same thing yet again... We are literally stuck in the middle with nowhere to go. The we discuss our options and neither of us enjoys the idea of starting our days drive at 5pm so its back to the hotel for another night of rest and relaxation.[/FONT]
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[/FONT]Found this guy in the city, must have partied a little to hard last night...

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]There's some crazy rain and a thunderstorm that I enjoy from the pool before turning in for the evening.[/FONT]

 

[Lonewolf]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Day 27 – 240KM[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The flashes of lightning and the long load roar of the thunder continued well into the night, the pounding of the rain almost therapeutic as I try to sleep... The morning turns out to be beautiful and the air smells so fresh after such a storm.[/FONT]

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]For my fellow electrician friends following along... Took me a while to work up the guys to shower under this thing...
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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]We wait around at the hotel for the clothes we washed to dry on the line before we pack up and try our luck for Lago Atitlan again. There are no roadblocks today and we make good time to our turn inland away from the coast and up into the highlands.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The road is amazing! Twisting and turning straight up the side of the mountain range we are gaining elevation rapidly. We pass through many small towns carved into the side of the hill where people seem to make a living farming any land that they can and some hills I would have difficulty walking up.
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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]an overturned semi made for a nice traffic snarl.[/FONT]

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Awesome fruit stand[/FONT]

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The forest/jungle is lush and the rivers and waterfalls flowing full force after last nights downpour. The landscape is more what I had expected to see in Central America, very lush and tropical feeling, until that is, we level out in the highlands at about 2500M and the landscape turns to rolling hills with pine tree's scattered around, it feels like a greener version of Kamloops (a city back home).[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]We top out at just over 3000M (that's 10,000 odd feet people) above sea level before staring to drop down onto the central plateau. We grab some lunch at a place in Xela before continuing to the turn west towards Lake Atitlan.[/FONT]

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]WOW! What a road!! with hardly a straight section more than a moment long, the road twists and turns dropping 1200M (~4000 feet) in 20KM to the lake, its a steep fun ride with some amazing views and a couple interesting little towns on the way.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Coming around one of the final corners we get our first glimpses of the lake, its a deep clear green that sparkles like jade in the little sunlight that manages to creep through the clouds. The setting is surreal, ringed by jungle covered mountains and two active volcano's you'd be hard pressed to find a more amazing place to hang out for a few days, no wonder Panajachel is a tourist town.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]We explore the town, its comprised mainly of hostels,hotels, restaurants and adventure outfitters. The waterfront is full of boats and their operators willing to whisk you away to any one of the other small towns around the lake for a nominal fee. We look for a decent place to camp but with the steep terrain a flat spot is almost impossible to find and with the weather looking like it was about to turn for the worst we decide on finding a cheap hotel instead.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]We grab a place with a couple beds, a TV and Wifi for about $7usd per night and end up meeting Ex Pat's from all over the world, a German, an American, a guy from Amsterdam and some Aussies too... It seems everyone who has come to visit has stayed here. A couple of these guys have been here for 10+ years and are making a living teaching language school or running a business in town.[/FONT]

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Dinner was at a little local spot recommended to us by one of our new found friend when we made mention that we didn't want tourist food. We gave the lady at the restaurant free reign and asked for her to cook us her favourite local dish, we ended up with a piece of steak, vegetables, mashed potatoes and salad, not sure it was local cuisine but it was delicious, to top it off she brought us some homemade cheesecake for desert. [/FONT]

 

[Lonewolf]

Day 28

4 weeks in... where does the time go?! I need to start watching my time. I need to be home by the end of July for a very close friend's wedding, and I'm sure he would not be impressed if I missed the event.

Today we decide that since the weather doesn't seem to want to break we will continue on rather than staying here for a couple days, there were some great thunderstorms again last night. I quite enjoyed myself just sitting outside taking in the storm while working on my blog.

Rob's bike wont start again, there are some electrical gremlins at work, I advise him to take the alarm off and leave it off. We bump start his bike in the narrow ally the leads to our hotel before loading up and heading off.

I'm put in the lead to find our way back out of town, I guess rob thinks that since I have the GPS I should be able to get us anywhere... I lead us the wrong way out of town twice before finding the proper route. We start climbing out of the valley and back into the clouds that wrap themselves tightly around the tops of the mountains.

Our plan today is for a shorter day to the old Colonial city of Antigua. The Pan American Highway (CA-1) is nothing short of amazing and definitely a feat of engineering. Carved into the side of the mountain ridges, with amazing views, a great surface nice fast sweeper corners it keeps me quite entertained.

We stop to eat in Chimatenango, of course Rob's battery still hasn't taken a charge, I'm starting to think we might have a stator or regulator rectifier problem... After lunch I get back behind robs bike for the 4th bump start of the day and we decide we will open his bike up and deal with it when we reach Antigua.

In Antigua we find somewhere to charge Rob's battery so we can diagnose the issue in the morning...

Off the beaten path and set in a valley below majestic mountains and volcano's Antigua is a gem. An amazing city full of breathtaking architecture and thought provoking history. In the centre of town there is an amazing fountain surrounded by a huge central square and some great churches, the people are very friendly and the Mayan culture still has strong roots in the community. I think I'll have to let the pictures tell the story here...

Church ruins brought down in the 1715 earthquake

Some of the intricate details have survived through the years...

Another ruined church, now a local park

Colonial architecure bordering the central square...

We found a group of locals dressed up and wearing masks dancing for a crowd...

Even some of the local police patrolling the area take in the scene...

A gorgeous fountain dominates the center of the Zocolo...

Churches Churches everywhere...

This guy shot me a wierd expression when I pulled my camera out...

Lots of very cool 1/2 ton DIESEL pickups driving around down here that we cant get at home... The police are driving some gorgeous Toyota Hilux's

Some cute traffic cops...

Nice archway!

A very intricatly detailed church, this time not in ruins!

Overexposed for a full nighttime shot but you get the idea!

yet another!

We wander the streets until dark when we find an East Indian restaurant of all things. I make mention of how I love Indian food and Rob picks up on it right away, apparently he has a hard time finding people to go with back home... Indian it is then! Curry chicken, Samosas and Naan bread make for a great change of pace.

As we make our way back to the hostel the thunder clouds gather and the rain starts... A quiet night is spent at the hostel interacting with the other guests, watching TV and typing in the common area, Its a much nicer experience for me than just getting a hotel room.

 

[Lonewolf]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Day 29 - Layover in Antigua[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I slept well last night, the street party that continued on outside out room until 4am, and the leaky roof that occasionally dripped on my foot were just minor annoyances. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The plan this morning was to diagnose Rob's charging issue, I was nearly sure his regulator/rectifier was going or gone. Last night we were only seeing 12.5v across the battery terminals with the bike running after having it on a charger... We strip the bike and unplug the stator from the electrical system, we measure the appropriate 40V AC across the 3 phases.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]So, the stator's okay, plug it all back together and viola! 14V across the battery, we have liftoff! We chalk it up to a loose connection or a battery that was drained so low that the on board charging system couldn't get the charge started.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]We check out the Saturday morning market. It's a very vibrant mix of color's and cultures. Everything from Remote controls and cell phone chargers to fresh fruits and meat is on offer and all for barter.[/FONT]

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]We grab some fruit and wonder the market with a clear view from above all the short Guatemalan's. Its crowded and quick but we manage to enjoy ourselves and get some good pictures.[/FONT]

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]When in Rome do as the Romans do... We retire for an afternoon Siesta after a thoroughly unappetizing lunch...[/FONT][FONT=Arial, sans-serif] When we wake we decide to run around and look at the famous ruined churches of Antigua, we have a great time exploring them...[/FONT]

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Some of the few remaining details

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]With stops at the internet Cafe and local shops we kill the rest of the afternoon and soon find some great Taco's at a little shop around the corner from our Hostel. Rob retires early, hoping to get a good rest before we push for Honduras tomorrow while I head into the town center to check out the nightlife and get some more pictures.[/FONT]

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Night market, or was this an ass shot?! I dont remember

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Mmmmm bakery

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[/FONT]The Famous Fountain...

Tomorow we will head for Honduras and the Copan Ruins!
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