Off to Central America

After we wandered around San Cristobal we left for Comitan de Dominguez to position ourselves for an early arrival at the Guatemala border the next morning. The guidebook downplayed this town but I think it's worth a second visit. There are lots of cool old buildings and some Mayan ruins to go see as well as nice scenery. We met two other Canadian bikers who checked into the same hotel as us. They weren't exactly sure where they were off to but probably El Salvador. They had already been on the road for 3 months.We also met some people at the table next to us who were from Stuttgart, Germany. They were with their new Mexican friends. I can't even remember what we talked about. One glass too many.

Policia

Old convent in Comitam

Germans, Canadians and Mexicans.

The next morning we headed for the Guatemala border in the rain. It actually felt kind of good after all the hot weather. We  checked ourselves and the bikes out of Mexico and rode the 4 or 5 kilometers to La Mesilla. Here we had a pretty painless experience considering all the different stuff you hear about Central American border officials. The town is located on a fairly steep hillside with the highway running right through the middle of it. There were a lot of people here who looked somewhat poverty stricken. It was very hot and busy. It reminded me of that Indiana Jones movie where Harrison Ford is wandering through the street bazaar in some town in North Africa. Remember, I've never done much traveling so it's a bit of an eye opener for me. After we crossed the border we headed along the Pan-American Highway 1 for Quezaltenango. It was awesome (again) riding (except for traffic) through stunning scenery. Guatemala is very mountainous and it's amazing where people have cultivated the land and built their homes. Arriving into Quezaltenango we thought we'd be smart and find a hotel on the other side of town so it would be easier on us in the morning. Ha! Got lost. You have to try riding a motorcycle through these old towns to really appreciate it. The streets are so narrow and crowded with traffic. The cobblestone and brick (in poor condition) for pavement also keeps you on your toes. But we found our way back to the starting point and took the hotel we saw originally when we first came into town. It turns out the owner of the hotel was a biker as well. He gave us a deal on the room and helped us figure out where to go for dinner. He showed us his picture album of his many rides around Central America. He had a four car garage with nice tiled floors and caged birds. It was set up like a den with his two Mercedes and a BMW car and bike (a 2007 R1200R) and some other stuff. Not everyone in Guatemala is poverty stricken I guess. He gave us some good advice on where to go for our next days ride as well. The cool thing is we did all this and he didn't speak English. He also would not let me speak Spanish improperly. He corrected me all the time and was very patient. Nice guy; Fernando was his name. I meant to take his picture but forgot.

The next morning after breakfast at McDonald's (yeah, whatever) we headed for Lago de Atitlan. It was formed in a huge volcanic crater and is surrounded by volcanic peaks. It's very beautiful. There are towns perched on the hillsides and benches all around the lake. It was a beautiful day which made it all the better. I ended up picking the wrong road at an intersection which led us to the same place along the east shore of the lake but not the paved road. I had already told Neil I wasn't keen on leaving the main roads in Guatemala because of the travel advisories but...well, you know. It ended up being awesome but the toughest longest hill I had ever climbed on this bike. If you look carefully in the photo you can see it climbing the hill. Very tight and steep switchbacks. The bikes could use a lower gear for this stuff as mine was pinging away the whole way up because the rpm was so low and the hill so steep. I guess our gas isn't the greatest either.
We made it to Cuilapa, Guatemala that night and slept in our cheapest room yet. 100 Quetzals for the night or less than $10US. The town was kind of dirty and run down. I don't think Dorothy, my wife, would have slept in the bed but we only saw one cockroach so it wasn't that bad. What was bad was the noise that night. I believe the word is cacophony. Unbelievable mix of men and women yelling in Spanish, kids talking and laughing loudly in the street outside our hotel, cars and trucks and motorcycles racing up and down the street, roosters crowing (yup, all night), and about two thousand dogs doing the barking wave around the town. When the baby started crying in the room next door at midnight I had to laugh out loud. It was crazy.

Entering Guatemala at La Mesilla

Chicken Bus

Guatemala countryside in the highlands.

Near Quezaltenango

Panajachel on the shore of Lago de Atitlan

Lago de Atitlan

Another town perched on the shore of Atitlan

Another view of Lago de Atitlan

Taking a short break before the big hill.

You can the cut-line for the road in the trees on the hill in the background.

Another small town in Guatemala.

Lots of cool volcanoes

Street view of our neighbourhood in Cuilapa

What the hell, it works.

Nice neighbourhood...not.

Not bad for ten bucks.

Not my thing but waste not, want not I guess.

So after a restful sleep we headed for the crossing into El Salvador at Valle Nuevo. It was pretty uneventful. It's a bit confusing as nothing is really signed properly and there is no guidance anywhere. I suppose if they did that the Tramitadores (helpers) would be out of a job. We somehow managed and were on our way. El Salvador seemed very organized compared to Guatemala. We skirted San Salvado to the south and it like being in any large North American city as far as highways and traffic and the urbanization. We treated our selves to a stay at a nicer hotel in San Miguel. Again, we were positioning for a border crossing into Honduras the next day.

Tramitadores at the El Salvador border.

Another volcano in El Salvador