THE TOUR BEGINS

I am now in Guatemala, the starting point for a three month motorbike tour of Central America.

Why Central America? Well I want to learn Spanish. It is a culture I have never experienced and it is small and diverse enough to be interesting and package into the three month window I have available without busting a gut. It caters superbly for my off bike activities of diving and boogie boarding. I want to do the trip on a local bike and Guatemala is reportedly an easy place for a traveller to buy one. We shall see!

I also have a South American tour on my bucket list - but that deserves a longer timeframe and a different , bigger bike. So the CA trip will give me a taster and some experience of this part of the world.

This is my fourth long tour having done my home country, New Zealand on a Yamaha Virago 250 after rediscovering my love of motorbikes following retirement in 2007 after 40 years in the corporate world. In 2011, I bought a V Strom 650 in the UK and travelled solo to Ukraine, Greece, Italy, Spain and points in between. Morocco, Turkey and Albania were the focus in 2012 on the same bike. The blogs are on this site.

Prior to this, I rode a pushbike from the Danube Delta to London, then had a pleasant bike ride from Singapore to Bangkok , followed the Mekong from Vientiane, Laos, through Vietnam, Cambodia and back to Bangkok. I also spent 6 months working as a divemaster on Koh Tao, Thailand taking tourists to dive the famed Chumpon Pinnacle to see its whale sharks. My retirement has been busy and satisfying so far. I will have enough time in my dotage to live vicariously!

These trips have been done mostly solo. My mates still have responsibilities , or in a couple of cases have marital form and are not allowed out to play. I have grown to like not having to make a group decision. While often having a buddy would make things easier, sometimes a lot easier, age, guile, persistence, naivety and a couple of s at the end of the day usually sorts things out - or at least puts them in perspective! And being older in the countries I have visited seems to have been an asset with people always more than willing to assist and help out when needed. The camaraderie of two wheels.

As a minor digression, the Kiwi is a unique flightless bird named after it’s distinctive, monotonous call. It is also what the world calls New Zealanders. To me, calling us after a flightless bird is a misnomer for a nation seemingly so compelled to get out and see the world. Perhaps it is because we live on an island, miles from anywhere, with a genetic makeup of Polynesian sailors and immigrants who wanted to get away, get ahead and establish their own identity. Perhaps because everything is so new in NZ we need some kind of security we are part of a long established human world. Without doubt, we are travellers and consequently a more apt symbol might be another native, the wandering albatross. What would we be called then ? Perhaps it could start with wan? Any ideas or suggestions to the nearest NZ cultural attache please.

I have been given some great advice from inmates of this website and hopefully my reports will repay those who have devoted their time and energy to documenting their travels and answering my questions. Perhaps it will stir some memories and may even assist those thinking of doing something similar and hopefully, not dissaude them.

BUYING A BIKE
I had done a little research and received (conflicting) advice from various websites. I had ruled out a new bike as the one piece off consistent advice was it would take a month or so to get plates and registration. My travel insurance restricted my bike choice to less than 200cc. I could have changed it, but I grew to like the idea of a using a small local bike and taking my time. I had just spent seven months trundling my motorhome through the sights and sites of Western Europe and New Zealand has a fair share of thin, challenging roads so I am used to a slower pace. Even on the V strom I rarely exceeded 90kph. Dignity is everything!

There was also the thought if I had a problem it could be fixed locally and quickly. My investment would not be bank breaking and there was the option I could just give the bike away at the end of the trip to benefit some locals as I did following my time on Koh Tao.

The plan was to buy in Quetzaltenango but walking around Guatemala City, I passed a large Suzuki dealership. The GN125 was one of my preferred choices so I thought I would have a chat. I explained what I was after to the receptionist and she appeared in a short while with five people, who after a bit of pantomine I worked out were the sales manager, finance manager, legal manager, salesman and someone to take notes. English was broken but understandable.

The enthusiastic sales manager took the lead: They could sell me an ex lease bike , around 35000 kms, fully serviced, insured and would buy it back for 50% of the purchase price when I left in three months. I was reluctant to buy a bike of this mileage but decided to go along, view it and then make the decision. My cost would work out at around $500 for the three months.

But then they could not find a bike. Their discomfort was obvious and they went in to a huddle and the sales boss presented a new deal. They would lease me a new bike, deliver it to Xela, throw in a top of the range helmet , insure and register, for around $220 a month. The legal people would draw up papers allowing me to travel outside the country and I could pay it on my credit card. Deal done and I had hardly said anything. I don’t know whether they liked the idea of my trip, whether it was a slow day or they had a lot of stock to quit to meet an incentive. However, on paper it was that elusive win- win.

Of course, there may still be fish hooks, but with a large, well established outlet I expect reputation is worth more than some small time fleecing. Time will tell.

I had planned on looking at the Honda 125 and the Bajaj Boxer 150 but my first choice was always the Suzuki. I had great experience of the brand on my V strom, it had more power than the others, similar sized fuel tank, centre stand and a front disc brake. It ticked the boxes and I was mobile

BACK TO SCHOOL IN QUETZALTENANGO
I chose Quetzaltenango (Xela) initially for three reasons, although the Guatemala bike purchase scuppered one of them, Reports said there were less tourists and so you are more likely to use your new language skills, there are a couple of website recommended motorcycle dealers who could help in my bike search and it has an unpronounceable, exotic name, sounding like the liquid you swallow before a colonoscopy.

I had emailed three schools, got professional replies, confused myself with the options and kept delaying my choice. In the end I got off the plane, caught a bus to Xela and visited some schools trying to be as objective and professional about the choice I would make. I confused myself even more ,compounded my jet lag and in the end chose the one with the most attractive receptionist . Far better and more efficient than any corporate process I was ever involved in. However, not very PC, but then I am a senior citizen.

A key of the total immersion package is the chance to live with a local family. Part of the process is you become a family member, join their activities, share their lives. When the school wrote that in their homestay recruitment plan, I don’t think they envisaged a retiree with a flatline responsibility graph, focused on buying a motorbike and mangling Spanish with a nasal colonial accent. Anyway after the initial shock , we all adapted well. They speak to me in loud ,slow voices ( the older I get, the more this is happening) and gently correct my Spanish . In return,I did not rearrange the stuffed animals in my bedroom into risque positions.

Willy and Christy are middle aged and tiny. I felt like Gulliver in Lilliput. But they are kind, patient and helpful. The food and amenities are great and it was all included in my tuition cost of around $160 a week. They had a little dog named Leche and my first goal was to understand more Spanish than her by the end of the first week.

After having been footloose in Europe for the last seven months it is pleasing to establish a routine. School starts at 8am, continues until 1pm with a half hour break around 10am.
So now its two weeks , five hours a day of head down , bum up . I will begin to run in the bike over the weekend with a visit to Lago Atitlan and the surrounding villages.

Ride safe

nice intro. if and when you plan to head into nicaragua, gimme a shout. i divide my time between there and miami, so maybe we can hook up for a bit and i can show you a few choice places as i did with a few of your fellow south islanders a few months back (twomotokiwis).

Many thanks for the invite.

Will certainly get in touch when I come through your country. You will find North Islanders better looking than south Islanders

Peter

Central America is a good starting point for any adventure. .....

I like your idea of keeping the bike cc smaller. As most locals ride these bikes, repair is as far as the next town. As long as you keep your load lite, this will allow you to do much more off roading, visiting the roads, less traveled.

Obviously the more Spanish you know, the more you will be able to connect with the inhabitants. In Costa Rica, it seemed that almost everyone spoke English in the bigger cities. I would suggest taking in a language course for a week or two, digest using what you have learned, and then re-charge when the desire hits.

Connecting is soooo much easier when riding solo.

Keep the rubber side down, Bien Viaje. Dr. Dave

P.S. Try the pescado frito. Good stuff

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Let me know if you are coming through Antigua , is on me

SCHOOL’S OUT

I had learned enough Spanish in two weeks to get me into trouble. The time flew by, but I suspect not for my teacher, Byron. He was patient, we sorted out some minor bureaucratic issues with the bike, bought tools, a puncture repair kit and planned a route through Guatemala as he hammered home irregular verbs. How many people can say they were taught Spanish by Byron?

The first weekend break, I took a trial run to Lago Atitlan. The main town , Panajachel, could have been a freshwater Kuta or Phuket with T shirt stalls, travel agencies, fast food outlets and bars. My lakefront hotel cost me $13 a night and a good meal was around $7. I could have got it cheaper, but the owner of the hotel found me and the room was clean, comfortable with wifi, cable tv, hot shower covered parking for the bike - and a 5 minute walk to the main centre.

Meander 5 km outside the town and you are back in a way of life seemingly unchanged for decades. Coffee farms, slash and burn subsistence farms and traditional costumes. I did a circuit off the lake, encountered a variety of roads from billiard table smooth to donkey track special. On this trip I met my first sleeping policeman or tumulos. These are raised humps on the road designed to slow down traffic. Whatever policeman they modelled them on must have had another job as a doughnut taster because hit one at more than 10km or on a slight angle and you could get automatic entry for the X games. They are also often just placed at random with no advance warning signs. I wonder if they injure more people than they are designed to save.

I was glad I was on a light bike. I could cruise along at 60 kph and on the hairpin bend dirt roads change down to first gear and plod around at 10kph. The traffic on both the country roads and autopista was courteous, gave a wide berth when passing and kept their distance when following.

The bike was more comfortable than I expected. The riding position was similar to the V strom if a little lower. You obviously had to work the revs higher, but I managed to keep below 5000rpm and even after two hours straight in the saddle, I felt minimal discomfort. I suspect that if I travel over 70kph for an extended time there will be some impact from vibration , but really my experience to date is that away from the autopista you will struggle to maintain a 40 kph average. My initial fuel consumption is around 45 km/ litre, means if I spend more than $5 a day on fuel I will be pushing it.

My two weeks in Xela underlined the town’s laid back attitude and its charm does sneaks up on you. Everything is handy, the people pleasant , nice bars and places to eat and an active cultural scene to cater for Mayan, European and North American tastes. The climate was a pleasant 12 to 27C at the tail end of the rainy season. The temperature drops considerably in January to hit a chilly single numeral. . I would have been happy to stay longer and some fellow students who had originally come for three weeks were in their seventh or eighth week of study. So that says something about the town and the school.
I went back on my second weekend to San Pedro de Laguna on Lake Atitlan. It has its share of crazy characters including a middle aged American who has the map of the world tattooed on his back and fills in each country he visits. So far he has filled in 20 spaces . I hope he doesn’t plan to visit Russia and Canada in the same week. And then there was the middle aged lady , who ran into the pub I was at, yelled I should have been a boy, stripped off and then ran outside naked. I was told she was a pillar of the community and that was completely out of character. It actually didn’t seem out of character for San Pedro!

I left early on a Sunday morning to head for the famed market at Chichicastenango. It was my first experience of riding through low rain cloud, visibility was poor and it wasn’t quite wet enough to stop and wait it out as I usually do but the damp seemed to find its way right through my clothes and the lack of sun made for a cold, rather miserable ride.

The market was, well a market. A few tourists, plenty of souvenirs for sale but nothing really to spin my wheels. There were some quite interesting characters prancing around on the church steps waving and chanting .

CHICHICASTENANGO TO EL TUNCO

There was a road from Chichi to Coban . The guidebook said it was one of the most scenic roads in Guatemala but warned that it was subject to slips . Local advice said the road was open , but I forgot to ask the question- was it paved.

For the first 150 km , the road lived up to its billing. Smooth, undulating, spectacular scenery , nice bends, little traffic. Then with about 50 km to go it all stopped. the road became a rocky , muddy, potholed, track used almost exclusively by old battered trucks carrying rocks from a quarry to Coban. They had churned up the road surface to a sticky morass. I had three choices: go back, hitch a ride on a truck or the least sensible : keep riding . Of course, I chose the least sensible and for the next 50 km , I bumped, wrestled, cajoled the little suzi . I never got higher than second gear and tried to keep below 5000rpm . I looked ahead, relaxed as much as possible and the little bike on its road tyres just kept going. It took us three hours to do that 50 km and arrived in town mud caked and exhausted, but I got myself and the bike cleaned up for $5 and slept the sleep of just. I do not know whether that road made me a better rider. It certainly made me a sweatier one.

My destination the next day was Semuc Champey. The road started well but degenerated and about halfway to my destination I hit some rocks , fell and broke the clutch lever and the gear shift. I sustained a few bruises and had a nice mud streak up my left side like a skunk’s stripe.

I managed to jam the bike in first gear and rig up a bodge that would allow me to start the bike, let out the clutch and go for it. For the next 14 km I crawled up and down that road, judiciously applying power and gunning it up the rises. I found a workshop in town and fabricated a new clutch lever and gearshift for a cost of $10.

I played tourist the next day visiting caves, jumping off cliffs and bridges, swimming in the river and just relaxing but gnawing in the back of my mind was that I would have to go back on that road tomorrow.

There was constant rain during the day and I could just imagine the state of the road. But I was feeling more confident with my super strong clutch lever and new found dirt riding techniques. I let some air out of the tyres, double tied my pack onto the rack and went for it. That little suzi seemed to take on a new life. She seemed to be enjoying the challenge and I didn’t feel any anxiety. We spun up muddy inclines, zipped through water filled potholes and I almost kissed the tarmac when we eventually reached it.

The next two days I wandered along through the mountains. The last few days and something I had eaten had impacted on me and I felt listless and was contributing over much to the sewerage infrastructure of Central Guatemala. In addition, the low cloud and drizzle were not making for much of a holiday atmosphere. Time for the beach.

I decided to head for El Tunco in El Salvador. The border crossing was a breeze, just a stamp out in my passport in Guatemala , a cursory look over by El Salvador officials and a coffee and chat with the border guards who were interested in my trip, my choice of bike and whether they could emigrate to New Zealand. No one asked for any documents for the bike as it had Guatemalan plates. I spent the night in Santa Ana , a lovely town with impressive church and theatre and a lively Friday night show in the plaza. My choice of hotel , at the recommendation of a policeman, turned out to be a brothel. But it was clean , quiet and had safe parking for little suzi. It was only the next morning ,I noticed the hand printed ads for Viagra. George, the owner , had just returned back to Santa Ana after 35 years working in the States. “ This is my pension, and I like to think am supporting a social service.” he told me over breakfast. George , I believe you.

I could smell the ocean well before I saw it. A kind of raw tang and a sharper definition of the sun. Then I saw the waves. Nice little 3 to 4 feet swells sparkling . I found a room, broke out my fins and dived into the Pacific Ocean for the first time in nine months.


I felt immediately at home.

Ride safe


PS: I have pictures but I am finding great difficulty in transferring from Google photo to the site

Any ideas/ tips would be appreciated. I am using a Samsung chromebook