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Ride safe in Mex, and eat loads!! Pat |
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out of Merida in the morning heading to Chetumel on the Belize border, riding across the Yucatan is not to interesting, flat land, tree lined roads blocking your view of everything and small towns dotted along the way...on the way back i'm going to do the Mayan ruins tours before any of you comment on that
http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2017-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2019-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2021-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2023-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2024-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2043-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2027-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2028-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2029-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2031-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...-2-copy-XL.jpg Yucatan traffic lights :wtfk: http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2032-XL.jpg if all this beer was poured in a swimming pool i would have jumped in, it was a hot one today http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2050-XL.jpg and then on schedule the afternoon rains arrived at 3 pm precisely http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2056-XL.jpg |
The Mexicans sure like the monuments,Looks like your on better road now Paul.Ride safe. :driver:
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first of all i apologise up front about the quality of todays photos, it was heavy rain off and on all day and i was doing a border crossing so i was just snapping shots as i was riding
the border from Chetumel Mexico into Belize...in a word EASY so it goes like this... get gas in mexico first and fill up, its about $3.25 a gallon and in belize its about $6 do passport exit stamp on your right as you pull up to the bridge, small white concrete hut if there is a guy approach you for insurance refuse, its a scam, tell him you have it arranged at the Belize insurance company across the bridge "you know the big white building after customs"...after this he was just chatting, he did give me some good free advice though - don't drive in the puddles unless you have to, some of them are VERY deep...i saw this first hand as i crossed the bridge, i watched a trucks wheel drop into a hole that looked like a small puddle and it was over 10 inches deep, basically a wheel buster then ahead on your left is the Bank for getting your refund of your TVIP, i had one person in line in front of me, they come out and take a photo of your VIN number and then issue you a reciept, the refund is about a week or so no photos on that side of the bridge due to very heavy rain over the bridge, this is looking backwards, towards mexico http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2057-XL.jpg at the bottom of the bridge is an insurance company, one of two...ignore the hustlers if they come over, they will do a 2 for 1 scam, taking your info getting your paperwork and going inside on your behalf, trying to charge you $60 US for insurane thats $30 US but on the paperwork it shows $60 (but that's in Belize money, they pocket the change)...do it yourself this is the insurance company i used http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2058-XL.jpg i knew the fee was $30 for 7 days, i only had a $100 bill, he couldn't change it, he asked if i had a credit card, nope! how about mexican? yes, i can do it for 220 pesos about $16...deal then he made a mistake, he gave me insurance for a month instead of a week...for some reason i didn't say anything :lol3 he gives you the paperwork and a sticker to put on your windshield so the cops can see it and won't stop you...thats what he said, not me next you go around the corner to your right, behind the casino about 200 yards ahead of you is a big white warehouse looking building up a side road...go up there it looks like this http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2059-XL.jpg this is passport control and customs and where you do your import, they don't come out and look at the bike or bags at all first passport control, tell them you are here for a month otherwise they give you a transit visa for the day or maybe two, i use my UK passport and once they saw it they changed and were real friendly, Belize used to be a British colony, i guess they were expecting a US one, i keep that hidden away they gave me 19 days :huh but its more than enough, i'll be here for a week or two weeks tops next - ten yards further forward is customs import desk, go to the 'goods to declare' side on the left you are declaring your bike they need to see your passport and title, i gave them a copy and they were happy with that - they don't keep any copies they write down your VIN/ address/name/plate number in a book and give you a copy, then they stamp your passport again next to the immigration stamp and add import expiry date, and the bikes details next you go back out get your bike and ride thru here http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2060-XL.jpg he wants to see your passport and the little piece of white paper they just gave you inside, he checks your tag number, not your VIN and thats it once you drive away you will see a big white building across from the stop sign, this is the Belize insurance company, if you missed the first place then this is your last chance to get it and its compulsory http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2061-XL.jpg then ride on...you're thru and done CENRUT maps for Garmin here are kind of OK, not too accurate but they send you in the right direction, my route was off by about 20 yards OK the differences since crossing the border i lived in the Bahamas for a number of years and also traveled around numerous caribbean islands as well, straight away you get a feeling like you are on an island in the caribbean. Houses on short stilts because of high water issues, tin roofs, small low level stuff, some Mayan huts as well, a few unfinished Mexican style houses too - someone correct me on this if i'm wrong, i remember traveling in Spain years ago and i was told that if a house isn't 100% finished then no taxes are due, i was told it the same in Mexico, thats why they always look like the second floor or roof is waiting to be put on also more pastel shades as well for exterior paint http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2068-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2069-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2073-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2074-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2080-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2084-XL.jpg KM's are gone you're back in MPH http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2072-XL.jpg topes are gone now they are... http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2089-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2098-XL.jpg very few were painted and blended in with the road very well, but same rules as Mexico applies, most of the time there are some on the way in and on the way out of a town animals look healthier http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2096-XL.jpg when they say its rainy season they mean it http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2101-XL.jpg women ride bicycles in the rain with umbrellas!!! http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2103-XL.jpg places are signposted pretty well, my destination for today was the Crooked Tree Lodge, up this dirt road for 4 miles, there was a "toll" to enter the village but i just rode by, its $4, i didn't have any change anyway http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2105-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2109-XL.jpg i get to the lodge and i'm the only one here, its rainy season!!! but its very cool i'll take some photos and add them in the next post or two, the owner is an ex british military guy called Mick, and already he has invited me to a pig roast tomorrow at some friends of his...might stay here a while, well 19 days at the most |
Hi PAUL good pics and write up as usual,the weathers about the same here in Dorset.:sneeze:Ride Safe Barry.
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its time for a few days to stop and not ride...feels good. I'm at the crooked tree lodge
www.crookedtreelodgebelize.com
http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2125-XL.jpg nobody else here than me so i can unwind from the stress of having to ride my bike around the world :lol3 this is my cabana http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2110-XL.jpg and some views around the place http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2114-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2122-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...-2-copy-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2122-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1375-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1381-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1389-XL.jpg late afternoon and into the very early hours Mick (the owner) and i went into Belize city to a pig roast to meet some of his friends, Belize has a avery eclectic of ex pats from the UK, South Africa, US and various eastern block and arab counties. http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2136-XL.jpg *************i was talking to one guy and he was telling me that the border from Belize to Guatemala maybe closed, there was a shooting by the Belize border control of a Guatemalan farmer and tensions were running high, he felt that as a non Belizian it shouldn't be an issue but he did what to make me aware of it just the same...stay tuned on that one |
as i am just down the road from Lamanai Mayan temples i took a ride to day to have a look around...its renowned for being one of the quieter sites and i only saw 14 other people there
information from Wiki... Lamanai was occupied as early as the 16th century BC. The site became a prominent centre in the Pre-Classic Period, from the 4th century BC through the 1st century CE. In 625 CE, "Stele 9" was erected there in the Yucatec language of the Maya. Lamanai continued to be occupied up to the 17th century AD. During the Spanish conquest of Yucat�n Spanish friars established two Roman Catholic churches here, but a Maya revolt drove the Spanish out. The site was subsequently incorporated by the British in British Honduras, passing with that colony's independence to Belize. on the way there it was monkeys and iguanas and a few bird taking off http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1454-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1456-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1457-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1473-XL.jpg then it was on to the temples this is the jaguar temple http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1493-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1494-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...-2-copy-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1509-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1524-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1537-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1553-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1567-XL.jpg view from the top http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2143-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2144-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1588-XL.jpg it was a steep climb http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1593-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1595-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1599-XL.jpg onto the mask temple http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1627-XL.jpg |
Loving the Gas Tank BBQ
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i kind of left crooked tree lodge this morning wondering if i was doing the right thing, talk about a relaxing place that just made you feel at home, really like one of the family - sometimes you need that when you are on the road
i sent an email last night to a place in Hopkins, a tiny little village on the sea about 150 miles south, all i was thinking was it seemed like a good distance and it gets me closer to the Guatemala border i rode thru some of the remaining flat lands and swamp/ marsh/ lagoon areas http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2146-XL.jpg passing an unusual statue at a roundabout just outside of Belmopan, but to much traffic to stop and investigate http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2147-XL.jpg onto the Hummingbird Highway, a real nice ride going up in elevation slightly to about 1000 feet + and thru the rain forest, huge palms everywhere, some unususal trees and very small bridges that a few semi's that passed must have had to breath in to get over http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2162-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2164-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2166-XL.jpg Hopkins is about 6 miles down this road that 50 yards in turned to a mix of paving from decades ago and big potholes http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2168-XL.jpg my destination was Tipple Tee Beya, a small four room place according to the website ( http://www.tippletree.com/), and on the beach front, that would be correct and this is my view from my room, 20 yards from the Caribbean Sea http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2172-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2173-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2179-XL.jpg i read this and it seemed like a good reason to make a visit... Today Hopkins is a small but vibrant community of approximately 1,000 villagers. The people live mostly by farming and fishing, and more recently many have found work in the growing tourist industry. The residents are known for their friendliness and genuine hospitality, and welcome visitors to their village. Hopkins has a selection of gift shops, restaurants and small bars. Hopkins was recently voted "The Friendliest Village in Belize" by Belize First Magazine. ...and everybody does say hello and wave as you ride by so after a swim in the warm water, i am writing this sitting in my hammock - sorry CJ :lol3 http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2181-XL.jpg |
just heard a loud thud outside... just coconuts falling from the palms, so i went and borrowed a machete...
not this http://i626.photobucket.com/albums/t...cheteLabel.jpg or this http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...etever11-L.jpg or this http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...iguezlg-XL.jpg this kind... http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...y-Samad-XL.png they're everywhere here...so i now have a snack in the fridge...this adventurer lifestyle is tough http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2187-XL.jpg |
Hi Paul it looks like paradise to me.Safe riding.:color:
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Thanks for the wonderful pictures and story, sure looks better then sitting on my bum in the bloody office hehe.....
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just to a few shots to make you wonder why you are sitting in your office and not riding in exotic locations that only cost a few bucks a day...
http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1681-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1678-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1686-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1685-XL.jpg more food just arrives hourly :D http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1706-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...-copy-3-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1734-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...emapped-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...emapped-XL.jpg so its back to the hammock for me and maybe a few :occasion14: and then some :sunny: |
Great shots....
I can almost feel the heat!! :) . |
you know what the temp is about mid 80's, so its good, it drops at night so no problems sleeping, amazing that 120 north it was 100% humidity and a lot hotter when it wasn't raining!!!
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What's that in proper temperature ....Celsius!!!!
:rolltfl: :) . |
I was just dreaming of stepping into that sea and walking on that beach.Then i woke up to the rain and wind.:computer:Ride safe.
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Hello,
great photos from a great Trip! I could be jealous, to the hammock on the gorgeous beach! Keep it up, and show us many more such beautiful photos. CU Roland |
roland stay tuned i have another 6 months of this leg of the trip still to ride before i get back to the US and move to the next leg...whatever that maybe, i'm thinking OZ now as Africa is so FUBAR right now
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off to Guatemala in the AM, all i keep hearing is watch out for the dangerous curves, they are a lot different than Belize...
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I have a simple philosophy on a border crossing day, only plan for one thing, the border crossing itself, don�t look for a long day in the saddle just pick a location that is far enough from the border that you are happy with and find a hotel.
So I left the line of hammocks on the beach in Belize http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2192-XL.jpg and headed west to the border with Guatemala (see next post for full details), it was a relatively easy border, nice and quiet and headed off to Flores. Got a cheap hotel with secure parking for the bike for 100 Q�s ($12.75) http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2232-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2198-XL.jpg I have a walk around and take in the sights�damn!!! http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1772-XL.jpg Next I see a motorcycle shop with a few hundred tires hanging outside, I go inside and he has maybe a 1000 more�on the road south of the border if its in front of you buy it is a good rule to live by, I ask for a 17x140 or a 17x130�no senor! http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2233-XL.jpg Moral of �this� story if you have the opportunity to have 16, 18, 19 or 21 inch wheel on you bike get them, they had every size in stock for those wheels in this little town �and �cause 17�s are a ***** to find here and expensive too. So Flores and the surrounding area brings me into tuktuk land, ladies carrying things on their heads and cobbled streets. Very cool, but humidity not cool! http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2238-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2244-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2248-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1769-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1774-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1776-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1778-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1780-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2251-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...-copy-3-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2254-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2257-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2270-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2276-XL.jpg The cops ride around in pick up trucks and their bikes are now amusement rides for kids http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2282-XL.jpg |
Left Flores in the morning, good roads, nothing too special until I reached a ferry crossing for 5 Q�s just before Sayaxche,
http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...290-001-XL.jpg from there back on a small paved roads heading south thru lots of small towns. As it was Saturday there was a lot of people just walking around, a few towns had markets going on and as they are on the main streets you ride thru the middle of them� http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...309-001-XL.jpg Then into the hills in the rain forest, the paved road just ended heading towards Coban, not sure if I was on the right road or not I just kept riding. http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...330-001-XL.jpg I had to take a photo of this house perched on an outcropping and question WHY? When there is so much space and huts and house were everywhere, why would you balance yourself with a 1000 foot drop under your floorboards http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...336-001-XL.jpg My destination for the day was Lanquin, a small town in the mountains just a few K�s from Samuc Champey (plans for it the next day) The dirt road was good most of the time until it got high in the mountains then lots of areas were washed out, and one area had just had a landslide I was told later, but the views were spectacular all the same. http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...345-001-XL.jpg Coming down around a steep curve I ended up in a small town with a full-scale market going down the main street. I was waved forward by the locals, I was the only motorized transport on the road, but still I was waved on until the market vendors were having to move baskets of goods out of my way for me to get thru�because of trying to get out of the way quickly I forgot to take photos!!! Right in the middle of the market was an army patrol and I stopped to ask if I was heading out on the right road (the soldier in perfect English) I was told keep going straight until the road splits in 7 km�s then take the left the Lanquin. The information was exactly what my GPS showed�he reached out to shake my hand and wished me a great ride!!! Very cool. http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...348-001-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...-2-copy-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...786-002-XL.jpg I got to Lanquin and got a cabana for 120 Q�s on the river�good place to stop La Retiro http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...352-001-XL.jpg |
Keep the story & photo's coming I just love them.:nospamhere:
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Easily done.:068: |
it was time to be a tourist...i was staying the El Retiro, a recommendation from Chris at CA Tours in Antigua, its a hostel in Lanquin right on the river with beds from 45 Q's, and cabanas from 85 Q's
http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2353-XL.jpg its the perfect location to head off to Samuc Champey. they had a tour and i am really weary about arranged tours, basically restriced time due to numbers etc. the tour had openings for 20 people, minimum was 5, it left at 9 am, at 8.50 it had 4 people so i added my name and took with a gude and four young Israeli guys. the road up there only 9 km's took nearly an hours, in the rain trhu the mud and very steep climbs and declines http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2358-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2360-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2365-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2366-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2370-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2387-XL.jpg |
we had a guide who took us thru the underground caves, you couldn't do this without a guide no photos as some of it is underwater and lots of swimming, and all done by candle light (swimming with one arm trying not to get your candle wet!!!)
then a little tubing down this river http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2383-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2386-XL.jpg next was a guided hike thru the rainforest to the lookout point http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2396-XL.jpg then a hike back down a different way to get in that water and cool off http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2413-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2438-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2445-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2475-XL.jpg then a hike back out past some local families trying to make a few quetzals selling fresh picked from and handmade local chocolate http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2486-XL.jpg the girl in the red had a serious 50 yard stare if you didn't buy anything http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2492-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2510-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...-2-copy-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2525-XL.jpg then back along the same road that seemed worse heading in the opposite direction http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2542-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2544-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2556-XL.jpg turned out to be a good day to be a tourist :D |
as i didn't get a photo of "the road" a Guatemalan guy on ADVrider sent me one, just so you have an idea what it was like
this is him a few months earlier this year...in the DRY SEASON :sunny::sneeze: https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.n...62365046_n.jpg |
i was woken in the middle of the night probably around 3 or 4 am by very heavy rain hitting the palms that made up the roof of the palapa by the river i was staying in (and the view)
http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2561-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2562-XL.jpg eventually i went back to sleep but was woken again around 6 am as it was still raining...the next time i woke it was 7, i got up and looked out fearing the worst, i saw pataches of blue sky and decided to make a run for it, even though the roads are bad they seem to drain off and dry reasonably quickly...it is only around 12 km's or so to the paved road but not an easy start to the day (see previous posts) this photo is probably about the best part of the whole road http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2563-XL.jpg when i did reach pavement i was in fog and drizzling rain of and on for hours http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2564-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2576-XL.jpg and again going thru markets but this time as they were setting up, so not as many people around http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2565-XL.jpg eventually as i had missed the turn to the back road i had to go thru Guatemala City...NOT FUN...i think i may have shortened my life by a few years due to all the fumes http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2583-XL.jpg eventually getting thru the city and heading to Antigua, i stopped into see Chris at CA Tours, had a beer and headed off to EL Hostal http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2585-XL.jpg |
Only just read a few parts and at work but will read later...when do arrive in adeliade? can catch up and show you around town and then hit the hills.
Alex Sent from my GT-I9100T using Tapatalk 2 |
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the speed i am traveling maybe 2014!!! by then if you are still following me it would be great to meet up |
This is just insane. :Tosser:
Beautifull! Thanks and keep it coming! |
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What colour was that on the water? One of the coolest pic!
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rolled a few hundred yards up the road from CA Tours to the Hostel and settled in...i had already planned for Spanish lessons with a place called Spanish for travelers (
www.spanishtraveling.com) my reason for choosing them was they take you places and not just sit you in class room, not show you a photo of a cup of coffee but take you to a coffee plantation for example
so i have a walk around in the morning before lessons begin, these are just a few quick snaps the better detailed photos will be added later as i get to walk around in my free time http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1789-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1790-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1792-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1795-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1799-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1805-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1809-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1810-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1812-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1827-XL.jpg My first outing with the school was supposed to be to a coffee plantation but it was canceled so we could go to a wedding rehearsal, here are the the couple, and the rehearsal was held in a Mayan market http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1835-XL.jpg he is Guatemalan and she is from Slovenia...in this photo the lady to the far left has just explained most things about the wedding and marriage and then said the family expects 13-14 children, hence the look on her face :huh and they gave her a baby doll to practice with http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1860-XL.jpg the bride (to be and mother) have been given gifts for them to work with and provide for the husband http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1865-XL.jpg fresh tortillas we made and we had a traditional Guatemalan lunch http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2588-XL.jpg here is my crazy Spanish teacher with a fiesta mask http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1874-XL.jpg http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...IMG1877-XL.jpg lots more of Antigua to come... |
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http://dmh65.smugmug.com/RidingRTW/o...SAM2396-XL.jpg |
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