The Carrabean

At Tulum I turned left and started driving along the highway heading north. One grand “all inclusive” resort after another came and went. They may be great when you have booked, but don’t look that inviting to the casual passer by, in fact they are quite intimidating with the armed guards who are on a power trip to let nobody past the gate that is not in the resort transport bus. By the time I had reached Playa Del Carmon I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to find somewhere to stay. I headed for the village I had been told about a week before which was half way between Playa and Cancun. As soon as I drove down the small road and entered the village of Puerto Morelo I knew I had found my home for the next week. This small village is very much like Airlie Beach was when I first arrived there 20 years ago. Very laid back, everyone knows everyone else (and their business) and the place runs on good food and beer. After driving around a bit I found a nice hotel right on the beach. Perfect.


The view from my balcony. Does it get any better??


Another walk into the centre along the beach


The Old lighthouse and the new


The dive boat


No excuse needed for a parade


Puerto Morelo, Just like Airlie Beach 20 years ago

Apart from getting everything cleaned up and myself rested, I did manage to get most of the rest of my time in Mexico planned out and also went Scuba Diving for the first time in 10 years. The warm water and the abundant fish life (I’ve never seen so many schooling fish) were perfect. The wind causing the waves wasn’t and Captain Chunder struck again!! Mind you I wasn’t the only one after the second dive the divemaster managed to feed the fish too.

One day ran into another and soon the week was gone and it was time to move on. The drive back down the coast to Chetumal was uneventful save the very heavy rain storm I ran into just as I entered the town. The next day the run across the bottom of the Yucatan peninsular was equally uninspiring. These are the long days on a trip like this just to get from one place to another. Escarcega was another overnight stop. Then one more day to Villahermosa.

At least here there was something to stop for. The Parque Museo - La Venta, is a combination of a Zoo and a site where the historic stone carvings from La Venta were moved here when oil exploration threatened the original site. It’s well worth a visit and occupies most of a morning.


What you looking at?? Either a Panther or a black Jaguar.


Some of the bird-life in the region


Stone carvings from La Venta






This ones a Jaguar


Villahermosa

Panama & Costa Rica Video

I have finally got around to the next video. I had to skip a couple of countries due to the loss of the computer and all my photo's and video. There will be more talking in the next one (unfortunately)

Mexico, Carnivals and Ruins

Crossing the border would have been a delight if it were not for the fact that the sore throat I had had for a couple the of days was now turning into a cold. The process to get out of Guatemala took about ten minutes then the whole entrance into Mexico was dealt with at two buildings next to each other. Firstly immigration, and no suspition and questioning here 6 months! Come on in and enjoy yourself. Then next door to the Benjercito to import the bike. After paying about $40 it was all done and we were on our way again. Ben had a smile on his face. It was like he was in his second home.


Ben was in his second home and I had the next two months

We covered the next 200km through to San Cristobal at a very steady pace, one because there was a lot of federal police cars about and secondly because of the “topes”. This is what the Mexicans call speed humps, and boy are there a lot of them. Most of them are marked and signposted, but there are a few that take you by surprise and you hit them fairly hard. I had visions of the top box going down the road again!!

As soonas we found a hotel, I went off to find a pharmacy, and Ben went off to find somewhere that would weld is side stand that was starting to break at a weld. Dosed up with flu powder and cough medicine I slept for the next 14 hours.


Small Mexican streets and good food in San Cristobal


The Church in San Cristobal

I felt better the next day and after catching up to see how Ben was doing (by now he was doing an oil and filter change as well) we messed about until early evening and then walked into town to see what was happening. Mexican beer and Tequila (the good stuff) followed by some authentic Mexican food was what was happening, good stuff.

Early Thursday morning Ben and I parted company. A big thank you to him for making my journey through the borders in central America a lot easier, and for being generally good company. He was on his own timetable to get home to Ontario by the beginning of April, and he wanted to see Mexico City. I on the other hand now have two months in Mexico and don’t want to go anywhere near Mexico City!

I started heading north over the hills towards Palenque. More small roads through a lot of small villages with an awful lot of TOPES!! Frustrating riding is not the word.

I found a little hotel in the back streets of the town and the next day got up early to go to see the Mayan ruins just outside of town. Another surprise. Having not read anything about this, I was just going on what I was told, that I ought to go to see them. I now rank then up there with Machu Pichu!! It was a superb morning. Getting there just as it opened, the monkeys were still howling in the jungle that surrounds the ruined city, and the mist was still clearing. The best thing was that the tourist busses hadn’t arrived yet! As the morning wore on the temperature started to rise walking through the jungle became a very sweaty experience, but even though there were more people at the site there were still times when you felt you were the only person there. By lunchtime I was back in town for a meal of Quesadillas with some very hot chilli sauce, and then still time to get the bike washed at the local car wash.


Palenque, early morning mist and Howler monkeys


Just sitting on top of the main palace and getting a feeling for the place


Some parts are still in the jungle


Some of the intricate carvings that have been moved to the museum

I then started to head north into the Yucatan Peninsular going up the west coast to Campeche. The road becomes a major highway and the incidence of topes becomes less, which makes riding more pleasurable. I had been heading for a smaller town just before Campeche but had decided to push on a little further. After finding a nice hotel, I walked down to the seafront only to find the whole seafront road was being prepared for a carnival that night, so much for a quiet night!! Later I went down to see the parade along with thousands of others whole had come from all around the surrounding countryside for what was obviously one of the biggest events of the year.



Getting ready for Carnival


A beautiful sunset


Carnival in full swing


Hours of fun for all

Sunday morning and I was heading for the Caribbean coast further up and around the top of the peninsular. Dark clouds were hanging over the main city of Merida and as I skirted the city a heavy shower managed to wet everything but only to the point where it cooled me down for half an hour. Further east I started to see signs for Chichen Itza, which were ringing bells but I couldn’t remember why. Buy the time I got there more very black clouds were in front of me and the archaeological ruins signs gave me another reason to stop early.

Monday was split into two parts. An early walk of only 20 minutes got me to the ruins as they opened. This time there was already two coach loads there. This is a major tour destination from the resorts all the way down the east coast from Cancun so very early is the only way to beat the crowds. While the central temple building is very impressive here I was disappointed that all the buildings are roped off, so although you get a good view you don’t get the feel of the place as much as in Palenque. By the time I left three hours later the place and all the little stalls selling the souvenirs was in full swing, the temperature and humidity was also starting to get pretty high from all the rain the day before. Part two came later that evening when at 19.00 there was a sound and light show put on in the ruins. This is much less attended as most of the buses have already headed back to the coast.


The main temple at Chichen Itza


Intricate carvings on some of the buildings

By Tuesday clear blue skies saw me on my way along the back roads towards the Caribbean coast.

Guatemala

Guatemala has been another revelation, after what was another relatively easy border crossing we soon found ourselves in a small town called La Antigua Guatemala. 

Antigua town square always something going on day or night 

Antigua is a very laid back, very nice place to be 

We were chased up the road to our Hotel by a guy trying to sell us a tour. We said that we would visit his office later. After checking out the town quickly we found a nice bar to knock the top off a cold one or two, and decided we would have another lazy day exploring and climb the Pacaya Volcano.

Pacaya is an active complex volcano in Guatemala, which first erupted approximately 23,000 years ago and has erupted at least 23 times since the Spanish conquest of Guatemala. Pacaya rises to an elevation of 2,552 metres (8,373 ft). After being dormant for a century, it erupted violently in 1965 and has been erupting continuously since then, showering the nearby city of Antigua with ash. So far, the last activity reported has been the eruption that peaked on May 27, 2010, causing ash to rain down in Guatemala City, Antigua and Escuintla.

We were told initially (by the guy that chased us) that we would be able to see flowing lava on the Volcano and that it was an easy walk, but we later learned that this was not the case, so we decided that the best time would be the early tour so we might get a better view from the top. A six o’clock start and a bumpy bus ride for an hour and a half took us to the start of the climb. There were quite a few locals with horses also waiting at the bottom to offer their services, but all of our bus decided we would walk. Knowing what I know now I might be tempted to hire the horse! 

Pacaya Volcano

We climbed for ninety minutes and the gradient got steeper as we climbed also the terrain changed gradually into the small volcanic rock that was left from the eruption 8 months ago but for me and few others the going started to get tough.

The edge of the lava field 

Once we got to the lava field things started to get interesting though. Our guide had picked up some sticks on the way and when we reached a small hole on the lava crust he indicated how hot it was. He then pushed the sticks in and said that it would take two to three minutes. He was right instant fire and with the gas escaping from the hole the intensity of the fire was immediate. We continued until we came across what the guide described as the sauna. It was a lava tube, but when you entered it it was just like walking into a sauna. 

The Sauna 

From this vantage point you can still see the smoke coming from the top of the volcano. It was another hard climb back down. Slipping and sliding on the volcanic ash until my knees and calves were screaming!! A tiring day but well worth it.

During my wanderings I ran into Graham Styles who’s website Brainrotting (http://www.brainrotting.com/) was the inspiration for making video’s myself. He’s been volunteering in the school in Antigua for the last five weeks. It was a nice opportunity to spend a couple of hours chatting with him.

The next day we left for another small village San Juan, on the shores of lake Atitlan, this really is off the beaten track with a lot of the Mayan villagers here speaking their native tongue instead of Spanish, but all with a smile and a welcome. We only spent one night there with a twisty ride back up and over the mountain range that surrounds the lake. Then on to the border with Mexico.

Coffee bean on the tree by the side of the road

Over the mountains to Lake Atitlan

The Jetty down by the lake. The water level has risen slightly!

Some local graffiti. These are all over the place 

The main street in San Juan 

More Graffiti

Central America

The next stop in Costa Rica was Arenal, a small town situated at the base of an active volcano, the town maybe small but it’s a major tourist attraction, and there were a lot of coaches coming in for the day for the two main attractions of the volcano visitors centre and the waterfall.

The cloud was covering the Volcano in Arenal

I opted for an early walk to the waterfall, which was about 9km from the town. It’s the last 2km that hurts as it climbs steeply up to the top of the falls. You then have to go down the 500 steps to the bottom!! Once there the decision had already been made that although I only had the shorts I was wearing I was goig for a swim. The lovely cool fresh water was a relief from the already hot and humid day, and at the time I got there only a few people were there. As I left however three coach loads had arrived and were making their way down the steps.


The top of the waterfall


The bottom of the falls and a nice pool to cool off

The next morning we left early in the rain, and headed for the border with Nicaragua. All the stories about the process involved in crossing these central American borders are true. It’s not easy and you will have to visit four or more different windows to get various things stamped or pay for photocopies. I have been lucky traveling with Ben in that 1. He speaks very good Spanish, and so has the ability to determine the process very quickly and 2. At any point there was somebody watching the bikes for security. After four hours we were through and into Nicaragua, and another three hours of riding saw us three quarters of the way across the country and looking for a place to stay the night. As we rode into the outskirts of the town we saw a “motel” that looked alright. As it turned out it was one of the “love” motels that are fairly abundant across the country. So you can either have the room for two hours, or all night. Having said that the place was very clean and the security for the bikes was good, and all night was $20. Dinner that night was interesting as we ate at a roadside stall. Wild rice and beans with a skewer of (very chewy) beef. But the bill came to $1.50 and I went to bed full.

An early start the next morning and we were heading to the Honduras border. This was the one that by all accounts was to be the hardest and potentially the most corrupt. We were there by half past ten. After Ben had fended off all the “helpers” that immediately surround you, I stood guard while he set off to establish the process. He was soon back with the good news that the officer would do both bikes together. In the end we were only there for three hours. Again another three hours riding saw us three quarters of the way across the country and pulling into a small coastal holiday town. We got a nice room in a hotel where the rooms were actually out over the ocean. We were the only ones in the hotel, and we were also the only ones in a small restaurant just along the road, where I had a whole fish stuffed with seafood and rice and salad for the princely sum of $15. Needless to say I went to bed happy again that night.


The hotel over the ocean. Welcome to Honduras


A walk round town before the sun goes down


Out of Honduras. The border was quiet

Another day, and another border. This time a very early start and we started to climb into the hills heading for the border with El Salvador. We had deliberately picked the middle of the three border crossings in the hope that it would be relatively quiet. We weren’t disappointed. We got there at 08.30 and we even beat the Aduana office opening. Two hours was all it took to get out and into El Salvador. Very quick, although I can imagine that later in the day or one of the major crossings on the Pan American highway could be a lot worse.


Into El Salvador. The US Army was there too

So we are now in a little town called La Libertad, again right on the coast in the best hotel in town for a change, but this time it’s only $47 a night. Yesterday we caught a bus into San Salvador (the capital) which was an adventure in itself. The concept of the bus is full doesn’t exist until more people can’t get there feet onto the step. Around 50% of the population of El Salvador live in this city, so it’s another busy place. Most of the old buildings have been destroyed by earthquakes in the past, and indeed we had a small one the other night that I felt in the room. But we visited the national archive and what was the palace of justice one of the older buildings that was rebuilt after a fire in 1906. We also visited the Museum of Anthropology, before a better ride back in on of the private buses that weren’t so crowded and didn’t stop every two minutes! It was double the price though at $1.50. As you can gather El Salvador is not the most expensive country to visit


Busy street market in San Salvador


The national Archive in San Salvador


Our Hotel in La Libertad


The Seafood restaurant behind the hotel

Into Costa Rica

Panama is not that big, come to think of it none of the central American countries are, so the first days ride to a small town called Santiago was only 250km and the second to David another 190km. I had been looking on the internet and decided that I would stay at the backpackers in David and see if I could get any information about what was to come. The place was full, and as well as the French, German, and Canadian backpackers that were there, Ben a Canadian biker also arrived late in the afternoon, and he was also heading north!! Not only that but he had also done the trip down so we agreed to ride together for the next couple of days to see if we got along.

Instead of crossing the border on the Panamanian Highway just past David we left the next day and headed for the Caribbean coast over the mountains to the north. The road was good and the scenery fantastic as we crossed over the top and dropped down towards the Caribbean sea again. After lunch we decided that we would cross the border that day and when we asked at a local police station we were told to turn left then take the small dirt road to our left. It all sounded very suspicious, but as we drove the short distance up the hill on the dirt road we were suddenly confronted with the old railway bridge that I had seen on the motorcycle travel documentary “The Ride” So I was going to have to overcome this small obstacle myself. It’s a little tricky but you just grab the bull by the horns and go for it, and try to keep the wheels on the planks. The good thing is that there are no longer trains running across the bridge as there were in the film.


The bridge you cross to get from Panama to Costa Rica



Passport control was a five minute affair. Aduana on the other hand took three hours! And for some strange reason known only to themselves they wanted a full photocopy of every page of our passports including the empty ones. The pharmacy just along the road took care of all this, as well as the insurance we had to buy, and also the fumigation which we had to have done. Finally at 4.30 we were in Costa Rica and heading for a little place called Cahausi.


Caribbean paradise?

Cahausi is an absolute slice of paradise! We soon found some small cabanas with secure parking for the bikes. Each room has it’s own bathroom, with hot water (the backpackers didn’t) and all for $12 a night. The village is on a spit that is surrounded by the sea on three sides, right next to a national park. This was going to be a good place to chill out and relax for a few days. The next day we walked around into the national park and started the 8km walk all around the headland. Beautiful palm lined beaches with the blue Caribbean waters breaking either onto the beach or just onto the corral reef just offshore. We saw monkeys, and racoons, and a variety of tropical butterflies and birds, and not a sound of a car to be heard.


Accommodation for $12 a night


Monkey see monkey do??


A small caiman crocodile

The second day we hired two pushbikes and rode the 8km to the Cacau museum, to see how the cacao plants are grown and eventually how the chocolate is made. With a demonstration right at the end so you can see and try the chocolate right there In front of you. All that and not a single bit of guilt with another 8km ride back!!


The Cacau pods on the tree

A freshly opened one, the seeds are sweet. 

After drying and fermenting they are roasted 

The finished product which was like Chocolate brown
ies, Yum!