Happy new year to you too,love the parrot photo!

Thanks Noel900r and John. ( my e-mail to xbacksliders bounced...)

Sugar (who is open and engaging, once he speaks)


His charming wife and daughter


and his address.


This is the best burrito in Honduras. Period.
v

This guy , in Honduras, worked to find out where I was from, going to, etc. We ordered for me by spanglish/guessology. Wanted me to see his country etc. and was much enthused about the adventure of it all.
c

$40us or $2us I think the headache is about the same..


Later that afternoon, I stopped at this foreboding place and went to the window with steel grading to get a soda and cookies...


I found this charming woman that was delighted to have her radiance captured

Serious pot holes earlier but I got to savor this stuff in the afternoon at a 3/4 pace.


Every time I stopped for a picture these guys would pass and wave, the big guy was running his Chinese 125 just about wide open all the way. It seemed to be OK. They turned off after about 5 passes back and forth.. He had no eye protection.
]

and I came to this.... It was late in the day and I had no idea how far, how good or bad, street tire with full pressure ... about out of money etc..


so I let good judgement prevail and back tracked 20 miles and rented a room from this guy in the dark. Glad to get it. Worst meal of the trip. xmas eve.

They set off large fire works most of the night and in the morning, I half expected to find craters in the street. This is a few of the roof of my room.


Art on main street. Note the pavement.


Moving some livestock in the morning.


Out of town and headed back toward the end of the pavement.

It was 4k to this Catholic Church with kids waiting outside. Dirt road in and dirt road out , few signs.


This guy, on a sputtering Chinese 125, helped me find my way to La Esperanza. Turned out to be only 20k of reasonable dirt road.


These guys were pleased to help me find an atm. So now I've got food, money, a sign pointing to the next town and pavement. woohoo.


Standard equipment. Fold up stock.

Good thing you found an ATM.

Why was that meal the worst meal of the trip?

KLR is doing fine?

How have you perfected/narrowed down your "must carry" emergency tools/supplies? Why?

__________________
John Laing

Just beautiful and mostly good pavement as well.


I'm not picky about pavement. This is not at all a large or unusual pot hole. Hard to tell just what size it is at 60mph+


This guy regardless of scowl could not have been more helpful in helping me find a way out of the capitol. Guy in the back was pleased.


It was a fun ride, full of excitements.... The bus going down hill had to stop and let the white truck and car behind get back on their side of the road. Notice the road caving away on the side. Very heavy trucks went within 3 feet of this landslide.

John, that was the worst tamale mystery slime thing that I have ever had the misfortune to try to chew. But it was cheap and there was no other food to be had. The KLR needed another heli-coil (6mm valve cover piece)-- not my fault!--and had an oil leak--maybe-- I waited until I had the heli-coil kit ($52us) to check the valves. I did a $22 cab ride to the dealer that had a 230 but not a 235 shim. Fine. A little loose on a trip like this is OK. A little tight is not. I put some fancy goo (Kawabond) on the gasket and put it back together. Cams out, water and oil ($35us) drained, starter and exhaust off because the 12 point 10mm wrench would not grip on the cam chain tensioner. Bulky 10mm 6 point socket worked fine. All this in the hallway at the hotel with the manager at times holding the light for me...... wow. These guys helped with directions.... yeah.


Large, new looking trucks bring trash and they burn it on the side of the road.

In Honduras, I meet with half a dozen unpleasant incidents. Got no fotos of such. I asked how much for this apple and was told '75 cents' by an angry young woman. Two stalls down I bought two bananas for 10 cents. Going into Burger King, a boy in his late teens spoke in spanish. I said 'not now', I came back out and the third time he spoke, each time more harsh and demanding, 'Give me money'. I confronted him in the most professorial manner. Direct and certain. No. He stood and glared at me as I finished putting the computer in the saddle bag. I suspect we both will remember the incident for a while. On still another occasion, I was sitting in a plastic chair,on the street, at a street food grill (more awful food) about 9pm and a local and his friend crossed the street and pointed two fingers, with thumb up at me and rattled of some angry stuff in spanish. Of the six people there he was alone in his rant. Some one spoke back and he went away. I thought I could take him in a street scuffle but was much relived to see him go. I finished all but the meat of my meal and realized that I was setting alone. I found the owner , paid for my meal and walked a couple of blocks to the hotel. A week later, I thought maybe those guys were out of sight in case that guy comes back with a gun. Maybe.

This little guy came up this hill with no apparent effort, Those are not cardboard shacks but rather concrete and steel buildings.


At the Las Vagas restaurant this woman produced a delightful meal.


I stopped for a shot of the flowers and got a shot of this giggling crew.....

I thought 'How really pretty... how lucky I am ... ' etc Just blissing along


and the road did this .....


and then this.... It goes down to one dirty lane of oncoming traffic. Note the skid marks.


Looking back. I was supposed to leave the pavement, to the left in the picture. I only ran a few feet wide.

Maybe it was five helpers that all tried to talk over each other and demand to be employed by me. I pulled out the camera and asked 'Foto?'. It disarmed and dismantled the crowd of hucksters. Really pushy bastards.


I don't remember who did what but these are the officials at the border. One very much objected to having his foto taken. It was deleted.


Got me a money changer at a fair enough rate. I try to have little cash as I cross.


Was patient with me as I stumbled through the process.

It took three tries to get it right......


Free maps


This is the guy that told me to go back several times. They all did a good job.


Ride the bus..... and then carry two bags.... and eat at the bus stop...when they stop....on the bus route? No back roads? etc etc. No envy on my part.

A welcome sight.


Next morning... a loud clanking in the front. The guy on the left was glad to let me take over his shop and replace the front brakes as I looked for a problem. Found nothing. No charge. I cave him a $4us tip. Thanks.


Later, after more clanking I found this bolt loose and banging a bracket. I like simple and cheap repairs.


In Managua, Nicaragua. A study in contrasts. That is a pick-ax in his right hand.

Having to hassle with getting the bike across borders, getting jacked up by cops for bogus traffic violations, worrying about bike security at hotels or when stopping at a market....

I travel by bike too, but there are two sides to that coin.

__________________
Andy Tiegs
https://new.horizonsunlimited.com/ts...lsouth-america