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Mexico Sum Up And The Heart Speaks
With mixed reactions about Mexico we have a combination of love and hate.
Firstly we didn’t like it not understanding enough Spanish which is our fault, we have been doing Spanish but nowhere near enough as we planned a month in Guatemala which is essential for the rest of our trip to get into the local scene rather than just skim it from the top. We got by no problem and to be honest once we were grounded within a week or so and understood more about Mexico we both really enjoyed it with the only limitation of not understanding more talking with locals. Moto wise Mexico was a big torment for us with Ellens crash, again not Mexicos fault but we had difficulties experienced with an accident, add to that in a foreign country with foreign language, something you don’t really think about until it happens then you rely heavily on the very people who are trying to help. You trust the tow truck driver to do well by you in your time of need ...NO WAY, I knew they would try and bump the price but they blatantly quadrupled the price and tried to steal our cookset so I went absolutely ballistic at them as they were kicking a man when he is down which is just week minded and seriously wrong in any country .... welcome to the real world. We won in the end, I would not back down and threatened Policia so they suddenly found our stuff and charged us less (noting we still paid heavily) Prior to that "heading south" Jim on ADV rider helped us out with bringing our chains and sprockets in as they were late leaving the dock in the US, so thanks Jim for that we really appreciate that and SR, Airhead Wrangler you guys and all good buggas!!:clap Highlights for us were the silver lining of Ellens crash Lo De Marcos, Nobert ... you rock. Isy and Rob, Alesandro and Mable and as well as George and Carol you guys all made life a treasure for us when we hit the ground after Ellens crash. Our new Canadian family, we are coming to Canada to see you guys further down the track as we feel indebted to you for the help and warmth you gave us. Copper Canyon, huge and neat place, loved it along with all the very dangerous roads that banditos were going to kill us on .... more likely to be run over by a truck. The Mexican people, how can you explain to someone who listens to the American news that is full of shit that Mexican are very warm, friendly, welcoming, helpful, friendly, open, friendly, nice, friendly, except tow truck drivers ... you get the picture. The two majors pissoffs for me with Mexico is the people don’t get a shit about rubbish and it is everywhere, just like in China in the tops of the mountains there is crap everywhere and there are signs on the side of the road saying “NO TIRE BASSURA” which means “NO THROWING RUBBISH” We have followed cars, trucks and even the Policia Federalia just hurtling rubbish out of their window and it is a crying shame, the second for me is barking dogs, all day, all night, every dog and more so the little ones that are really short with something to prove but yet the owners do nothing, this is really frustrating when you pay for a hotel room and the dog barks all night right outside your window stopping any hope of sleep. At Palenque I ended up hoping up out of bed about 3 am and yelling at the dog that was just barking at nothing into thin air and it shut up for about 2 minutes then started again, so I went down and woke up the owner who was disgruntled to be woken but his house room was way around the other side .... i.e. away from where the dog was barking. With the dog still barking its head off at me I swung run and booted it in the chops and yelled at the owner .... things finally went quiet... needless to say at breakfast he was not entirely friendly. I will add at this point I am a dog lover having had dogs all my life but their comes a point where frustration overwhelms acceptability even in “their country” through lack of sleep one can get pushed over the edge. Cost wise, Mexico hasn’t really worked out any cheaper than the USA due to the fact we camped 90% of the time in America and Canada and in Mexico camping is not a great idea nor is it very accessible unless you are in the know so our accommodation costs basically doubled from what we were used to but I qualify that by saying our level of accommodation went up not having to put the tent up so it is all relative. We found some camping places, they wanted $100 pesos each and a hotel room with toilet and shower, lockup etc was $250 so a no brainer realistically. All in all I have enjoyed Mexico and it has its own beauty and more so in the south than the north in my opinion but don’t take my word for it, highlight for me being San Cristobal and the low definitely Ellens crash. The Heart Speaks Andis view With Ellen dropping her bike at Yoquivo and hurting her ankle it made things difficult, then when she dropped her bike on the devils spine reinjuring that same injury I was pretty unhappy, while she was looking for sympathy I was telling her off as it was making my life and her life much harder to the point of me not enjoying the trip (echoes of Denali Highway here) Then her final unexplained crash heading towards Lo De Marcos was extremely hard, first reaction was to get her right and second was to say that is it!!! no more riding as I cannot spend my hard earned RTW trip riding my mirrors anymore as I had had enough, the trip isn't all about me but when "me" is not even enjoying it WTF is the point in carrying on with it?. A weeks shakedown at Lo De Marcos, buying Maya with our “just in case” bucket, insurance backing out on us, Ellen unable to walk or ride her bike back to the US it all got on top of me, on the way back to the USA in the back of the ute we had an epic scrap at which I wanted to go my own way .... completely. It would be fair to say stress levels had exceeded safe limits and I was not happy at all. Ellen had booked a week away with Lihong (her sister who lives in Montreal) and to be honest it was what we needed, had she not gone and with the anger and frustration that had built up it would have had serious consequences for us. Fast forward slightly, we were pissed around with the trucking company and Maya arrived two days prior Christmas, this was meant to be a joyful time however I cried, when I put the key in and started her she rattled badly and I was gutted, ringing the previous owner right there on the spot he said “it is the nature of the beast” WTF ...lier. I seriously had had enough and to be straight up I was ready to chuck it in and go home, I said **** this!!! if this is RTW travel it is not for me. From the strength and support from Bevan and Clare in Phoenix and the Phoenix KTM community and especially Spencer we persevered. We were ripped off and many of you will have read about the whole drama, still to this day Alfred Lamarre the lying ****wit (which is french for lying ****wit) ((Sorry Pierre:D))from Portland Maine still has not responded to any calls, emails or pm. He has now been permabanned by ADV Rider for his arseholism and not even responding to ADV Rider to try and give his side of why? Alfred Lamarre of Portland Maine, YOU WILL DIE with this on your conscience, the world is not a big place and your time will come. With a few issues still to deal to we are nearly there I hope. Now riding two up was not in the plan either and I would have to say it is a lot more work for me, I am not a big dude and certainly not that strong so it has meant that I am getting a little more tired, coupled with not doing the exercise like in NZ it means I will have to shape up a bit more and get stronger. I am now writing this from Habana in Cuba, with Wifi harder to find than hens teeth it has given us some reflection time to look back and assess what has happened, the luck and goodwill that has come our way post bad accidents and bad dealings. Sometimes when the shit hits the fan so hard that it stops it is hard to make good calls while your head is not working properly so any help and support you get becomes a silver lining .... my advice to RTW travelers is take it at the time to spread the load with the view to reciprocating to others when they need it (as we had already done in NZ and will do on our return), I guess it is like “paying it forward” and don’t wait to help someone else before you need help. Also, I would like to make a mention for Al Jesse Welcome to Jesse Luggage Systems for supplying and fitting luggage to Maya and going the extra mile with the strengthened subframe etc, the panniers and top box are second to none and this has made our travels with this far easier, thanks Al your blood is worth bottling. The Dymond family of Mexico are Diamonds, Garry and Ivonne hosting us in Mexico City, warm, welcoming and great people and their daughter Leslie in Playa Del Carmen looking after Maya while we were tormenting Cubans and having us stay, you guys truly made a huge effort which is seriously appreciated so WHEN you come to New Zealand our Casa is your Casa. |
Belize Border To Orange Walk
Belize ..... Welcome to Belize mun.
Easy getting in, we did ride straight past the spraying and insurance both cos no one came running out at us ... public holidays eh. We clocked into customs, clocked Maya in, went back to the insurance office and bought our insurance and Maya got sprayed with WTF they spray her with .. just as well she is not ticklish. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...alk/file-6.jpg I had a larf with the guy saying I thought he was going to wash her but that joke kinda fell flat cos she is still covered in oil and undersealed from the oil pipe splitting. With all the formalities done we were off into the unknown again, destination Orange Walk ... for us it shoulda been Orange Ride. Along the way we stopped at Corozal for lunch beside the sea. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...alk/file-7.jpg Finding a reasonable priced hotel was a challenge, first one was way to spendie next one was spendie but we didn’t have many options, it was later in the day, we were tired and slightly dehydrated so yeap take it, nice place it was. Walking into town the place was dead ... we thought WTF have we done but later on the roller shutters rolled up and the town was breathing. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...alk/file-1.jpg The bridge over the river behind our hotel http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...alk/file-3.jpg Tug boat setting a pace!! http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...alk/file-2.jpg This looked more like a KTM shop than homely stuff http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...0Walk/file.jpg Tea was an eat in that night as we had food we needed to finish from Mexico so that was nice, on walking around the town we stopped and looked in the corner shop / dairy ad they sell booze!! Black Stollies to be precise so I bought one to take back to the room and it almost made back. |
Orange Walk To Sarteneja
A ride to Shipyard (a town) that has a Mennonite Colony there was the first part of our day, the road varied from nice tar seal to WW2 bomb holes, I slowed the whole trip down avoiding the rough stuff were we could.
We were just about there when we were flagged over and stopped by a guy in a ute on the side of the road, having a chat with him he said follow me I know a shortcut ... so we did. Well that was interesting ... sand pits and mudholes etc kinda fun but not two up. Carrying on to Shipyard we watched the Mennonites go about their business in their old fashioned way but they did have tractors and motorcars so not totally old school. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...eja/file-8.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ja/file-12.jpg Returning we came back the same way so we could show you the road, ok in the dry but being peat swamp with clay I would think it would be slippery as, Sjoerd advised us against wet back road travel and we can see why now. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ja/file-28.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ja/file-30.jpg Back to the hotel to pick up house an contents we made our way out to Sarteneja, the first part of the road we were doing 15 - 20 mphr (imperial here in Belize) going around the potholes. 1.5 hours later we had ridden 60 km or 40 miles and arrived at the back packers, $47 BZ ($23.50 US) for the Cabana or $14 ($7.00 US) for a camp site .... we set up out tent. Off to town which is a ten minute walk the place was really cool, we decided to walk back and grab out togs then go out on the jetty were the locals were and joined them for a splash. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ja/file-38.jpg There was a yachting regatta on as well so there were boats in the water everywhere http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ja/file-42.jpg Very blue water http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ja/file-39.jpg The local bus shelter, note the bottle wall at the back http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ja/file-36.jpg We bought some food for tea as we had cooking facilities so we made the most of this, our entire days food and drinks cost $41 BZ, less than just dining out and getting not much for tea so it is still considerably cheaper at least to self cook here in Belize, maybe not so much in Mexico. Included in the food total was two cans of coconut juice which cost $8 so we added some rum to these to spice them up .... yummo. K, off to bed. |
Sarteneja To Crooked Tree
After a reasonable sleep we were ready for action ... the yachting regatta.
Well we did go down and have a look but there was not a lot happening as far as spectator sport goes so we opted to continue to Crooked Tree. Negotiating the potholes back to Orange Walk was my job so there was no time to sit back and relax on that part of the road. Crooked Tree is a sanctuary for bird watching, the Crooked Tree Lodge is a very nice place indeed in a beautiful location and a great setup with a bar and cabins etc. CROOKED TREE LODGE BELIZE C.A. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ee/file-13.jpg Full credit to the owner Mick and Angie they have a great slice of paradise which they share it with the world. We camped the night there on a GRASSY area (note USA that is how it is meant to be) and didn’t even remove the GPS or SPOT etc as the place is very secure. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ee/file-30.jpg We walked into town to have a look around, the people were very friendly and we ended up having an early tea there of chicken and fries, basic but nice. This guy wasn't on the menu tho :D http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ee/file-12.jpg Returning to the lodge we settled in for some drinks with Mick and some locals which was cool, to be honest I would loved to have stayed there at least another night so this place come highly recommended for travelers who want to be slightly out of the main town is a quiet place. If you want to find it easily here are the GPS co-ords ... you will love it. We did get lost as one sign is broken and we rode past the turnoff into a sandpit http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...0Tree/file.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...Gorda/file.jpg Couple of pictures from a piece of paradise. The lodge entry http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ree/file-8.jpg The bird viewing platform http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ree/file-6.jpg A few locals http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ee/file-18.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ee/file-11.jpg Don't take our word for it go see for yourself!!! |
Crooked Tree To Punta Gorda.
Setting off from Crooked Tree we were going to go only as far as Hopkins, we had a game change and went via Belize City which was cool but didn’t really hold a lot for what we wanted to do so we decided to stick with the plan to go to Hopkins ... then ... like a woman we changed our minds again as it was only lunch time so we changed the game plan to Punta Gorda.
http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...PuntaGorda.jpg Punta Gorda is right at the bottom and is the last part of the main paved road, we were tossing up whether to go down there as the Northern Highway from Chetumal to Belize City just scoffed our front tyre turning it from a knobbly to a road tire in 150 km. I looked down at the front a few times during the ride and Ellen says what is wrong?, I couldn’t figure it out ... turns out I could feel the very coarse road just eating the rubber and destroying the tire so that coupled with the heat it dissolved our front tire pretty quickly. On the way we were stopped at a Police check point for the first time ever on our trip (our trip IN TOTAL that is), they wanted our insurance, TVIP and spraying documents which we had all of, they were very friendly and very professional, seeing our papers in order they were more interested in our trip than anything so we had good chats and giggles. Reaching Punta Gorda I took the front tire off and rotated it to extend what little life we had in it, turned out to be a good move also coupled with the road chip improving 100 % being way less aggressive we might even make it to Antigua where we had already organised a new tire ... lets hope it makes it there. Punta Gorda was a nice ride but the destination was not quite as we envisaged so we opted to stay just the one night but we did go for a nice walk around town and talked to the locals, great bunch of people they were and very welcoming. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rda/file-1.jpg The only restaurant there we decided to eat out and we would have to say the food was very good and reasonably priced. St Charlies is where we stayed, Charlie the owner is a great guy and at 79 years old is a real live wire and has great stories to listen too so the stay there was cool. |
Punta Gorda To Hopkins
We woke to a beautiful morning after a pretty good sleep, first mission was to go to the Chocolate factory for a tour, trial and purchase.
It was cool as, everything is made right there from the bean grinding and baking to the finished product it is all right there. The chocolate is spendie but very nice indeed so we splashed and supported the local economy. This is Ellens hurry up and take the bloody photo look as she wanted to get into the chocolate http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rda/file-9.jpg The grillers and grinder http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rda/file-5.jpg Hot chocolate pot http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rda/file-8.jpg Guilty as charged, see the small production line behind me http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...da/file-10.jpg Finishing in town we picked up an A&W Root beer for me ... YUMMMOOO! then packed up ready to the road back to to Hopkins, the trip was uneventful which was cool but hot 36 degrees and fookin humid. Turning into Hopkins we hit another standard bomb blasted road, these seem to be standard issue when stepping off the main drag, we are thankful for a 21 inch front wheel and long travel suspension to suck up the road or lack of it. Destination was Lebeha Cabanas and drumming which we found pretty easily and were welcomed in by Jabbar the co owner and great guy. We took basic cabana for $30 Belize ($15US) per night which was a coupla rugged beds and a table and double opening doors with a padlock ... saweet our own lockup which make storing lappies etc a lot easier. We walked to the beach which is about 80 metres away, the water wasn’t very clear as the wind was up as was the surf but it was very warm and nice relief from the heat and humidity, we also played with a bunch of local kids letting them climb up on our shoulders and dive into the water the laughter and giggles were second to none with everyone enjoying themselves. That evening we cooked in with having rice and some local veges and sausages then off to the drumming down the beach at the Driftwood in. |
Hopkins Lazy Day
Wanting to go snorkeling we couldn’t as the wind was up and the boat owner didn’t have enough to fill his craft to make it worthwhile unless we wanted to sell Maya to cover the cost ... I don’y think so.
Onto Plan B, with our front tire tread disappearing quickly we jumped onto the net to see what we could find. Given we had not much to do other than enjoy the nice day we set too and walked along the beach to a point they call the split which is where a local river runs in into the sea, the river has crocs in it so we didn’t swim in there ... just in case. We checked our emails for tire status with not much luck, also Wifi here is very hit and miss with gmail taking up to two minutes to load ... at least it works eh. Meeting up with Lev from ADV and Frances from Germany we enjoyed a coffee and chats which was cool, Frances wanted to go diving so we all went for a walk to find the elusive diving shop, the day was very hot and very sticky so togs was it....for the day. That evening was an international gathering of travelers (4) all heading out for tea to discuss travel, life and general chatter etc. Great chats, giggles and notes comparisons finished off with coupla drinks. Some photos for the day http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ns/file-28.jpg Ellen relaxing on the beach http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ns/file-26.jpg Local kids swimming and play http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ns/file-19.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ns/file-15.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ins/file-9.jpg Drumming Centre http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ns/file-11.jpg Our cabina http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ns/file-14.jpg Photo from the day before, try to pass the bar http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ins/file-1.jpg The boys and girls room http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ins/file-2.jpg |
Guy's looks very relaxed in your part of the world,lovely photo's ,like the birds especially:D
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Hopkins ... A Big Day Out Snorkeling
We made the decision to be tourists again for a day, at $65 US for the day it was spendie but Ellen really wanted to go.
Setting off for a 40 minute boat ride before hitting the first reef the day was warming up very fast. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...kling/file.jpg After snorkeling for 2 hours we stopped for a break on an island which was stunning. Leaving lunch we did another reef, we were lucky enough to see some sharks, barracuda, stingrays and an assortment of glamorously coloured topical fish. I really can’t talk it up any better other than to say of all the snorkeling I have done in Oz, New Caledonia, Hawaii, Fiji etc this kicks there arse hands down. Just a few photos, not very good with our small camera but you get the picture. Aquagirl hard at it http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ing/file-3.jpg Bright coloured fish http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ing/file-5.jpg Shark lurking under a rock :eek1 http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ng/file-21.jpg A Stingray making his way out of reach http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ng/file-36.jpg The awful lunch spot http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ng/file-47.jpg |
The Birthday Party
One of our neighbours was having her birthday so it was decided that all the travellers would get together to celebrate to help her to get older.
Jabbar the owner of the Lebeha drummers hostel hard at it http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rty/file-2.jpg The birthday girl http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rty/file-8.jpg Bunch of drunken bums http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...rty/file-5.jpg Someone who looks like me being happy as after 1 or 10 rums :eek1 http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ty/file-10.jpg Most of the others did not get up early the next morning and were nursing a severe case of bottle flu :evil |
Hopkins To Flores
Leaving Hopkins behind with good fun memories we had a cooler day at least to pack up and start with.
http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ala/Flores.jpg Part way along the Hummingbird Highway we past a R80 BMW and 250 Sherpa with big waves so we stopped and turn around to catch up to find it was Billy and Trish. Two neighbours havin a great laugh ... see the spastic face :evil http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ala/file-3.jpg The 250 Sherpa had 180000 km on it :eek1 and still going strong http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...emala/file.jpg Being Kiwis and Ozzies we had “a bloudy guod cutch up maite” on the side of the road. Travels, motorcycle, federals, breakdowns, camping etc you get the gig, saying goodbye and sending them on their way we continued towards Guatemala border. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ala/file-6.jpg It was painless leaving Belize and partly painless getting into Guatemala UNTIL we had to get our TVIP. The nice fat bastid behind the counter was very unhelpful and could not be bothered and clearly we were interrupting his day of doing nothing. He wanted a photo copy of the stamp he just gave us???? and Ellen had to go back across the bridge to Belize to get a copy ...you have to be joking ... nup it was for real. He was probably half way through our paperwork when a small buzzer went off beside him, he hoped up and walked off .... out of the building and down the street....gone. Apparently it was lunchtime so he just dropped everything and left ... we were still standing their wondering WTF has happened, an hour later after the fat bastid had made himself fatter he returned and very unwantingly took 2 - 3 minutes to finish us up.... couldn’t believe it. :eek1 !!! The que by this time was monstrous .... I hope he had a good lunch. Hmmm, I have to admit I had to walk outside and get a drink of water to clear my head and stop me from getting angry with someone who clearly just does not give a shit and stuffed it in our face. On a brighter note all our paperwork was in place and we were away to Flores on nice paved roads for the most of it. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ala/file-5.jpg Arriving at Flores we went over to “the island” and found a good priced hotel with a courtyard that we could pull Maya apart in to fix an intermittent electrical fault. Tea was bar b q chicken with salad and chip and was absolutely a great feed. |
Flores Day 1 & 2
Day 1
Arrival from the day before... aim...fire ... head easy as long as Maya did not die :rofl http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...lores/file.jpg At Twomotokiwis electrical engineers headquarters we removed the seat and tilted the headlight mask forward, the hotel dude was into it as well and he didn't even run off half way through, he was a great help .. good man he restored my faith in Guatemalans.:rofl http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...res/file-3.jpg I checked everything I could with very little to see, a few dirty connectors but nothing that would stop her in her tracks, I also cleaned the off/on switch. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...res/file-5.jpg After pushing and pulling everything I could we put her back together as we wanted to see a bit of Flores rather than just fix the bike and leave. We wandered of around the island and into town checking out the markets and all and came back to the island to relax and feed the locals which I did in style as they bit the shit outa me which is unusual. We were however rewarded well with our first Guatemalan sunset ... luvin it !!! http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...res/file-7.jpg Couple of drinks with some new neighbours, talked some shit and drunk some drinks.... gotta luv white rum :1drink :freaky :D Day 2 We set off to make our way to Semuc Chepayne, we made it 6.6 km out of town with Maya coughing and farting so we tuned back to Flores and back to the hotel ... I was not happy.:cry :cry Being early in the day I decided to rip her right down tank and all so I removed the seat, tank, headlight mask, speedo, air filter, ECU and all ... I was quite surprised how small she was after removing all the clothing. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ey/file-21.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ey/file-17.jpg On inspection of the PO’s wiring mayhem I discovered a wire hanging out, I could not see they day prior as it was on the opposite side and out of view. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...pey/file-2.jpg Scattered :eek1 http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ey/file-18.jpg I traced it back to the off/on circuit and manually pushed it in and out to try it and see what is did and bingo that was the fault. Repairing that we had to put her all back together which was a mission in itself. Fixed http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ey/file-19.jpg Jose was kind enough to knock up some lunch while I was fixing Maya, onya mate really appreciated it. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ey/file-22.jpg Heading off this time on a test ride we took her 20 km away to El Rement a swimming place to cool off, on the way back everything went well which was great and I was pretty sick of problems with this bike. Unfortunately someone decided our orange one way fuel cap on the rear tank was shiny and they wanted it .... and they got it..... petty theif is rampent. For tea we bought tortillas, some cheese, beef and guacamole and cooked it coupled with some Stollies again. |
Flores To Semuc Champey
Starting with the leftover tortillas we had these for breakfast as well as finishing off our watermelon....luckily we had a big breaky as this set us up for a big day.
http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...mucChampey.jpg With Maya running nicely again this was a huge relief and allowed to to get to destination albeit one day later than planned. Along the way we had to take a barge to get across the river. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ey/file-28.jpg Nothing to stop Maya diving off the side never to be seen again :eek1 http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ey/file-30.jpg The rest of the ride was uneventful until we reached the end of the tar seal then it turned into a rocky based road which was harsh but great fun taking us through many small villages. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ey/file-44.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ey/file-43.jpg It was a neat road http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ey/file-40.jpg Lunch was later than usual and welcomed when we stopped, the temperature hitting 38 degs and very humid so we were dripping like a candle in the sun. Friendly people everywhere along the way http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ey/file-38.jpg Arriving at Lanquin it was stinking hot, Ellen walked off to find the truck going in, they had extra space as well so we unloaded the top case and clothes bags to make the last 10 km assault a bit easier for me, turns out the road was pretty similar to what we had come in on anyway. Even a big welcoming Andy on the wall :D http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...pey/file-4.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...pey/file-6.jpg Off to Semuc Champey I enjoyed a ride sans Ellen and top luggage which transforms the bike in the tighter stuff. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ey/file-12.jpg Forget Redbull ... getting our here and enjoying the beautiful Guatemalan scenery on a motorcycle gives you BIGGER wings!!! :clap :D http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ey/file-13.jpg Even some muddy water to make it look authentic :rofl http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ey/file-14.jpg The road consisted of soft, hard, rocky, muddy, loose, etc so a real mixed bag, sometime requiring a little negociation around front tire stealing rocks :eek1 http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ey/file-15.jpg Semuc Champey is an outstanding place and a ADV must, you wonna go well here it is .....no excuse now!! http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...0Chol/file.jpg Time to settle in and see what tomorrow brings. |
Semuc Champey For The Day
A 40 minute walk to the National park from our accom at Utopia Lodge and we were at the gates and a quick munch on a watermelon that a girl was selling, need to rehydrate in the heat.
http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...Day/file-5.jpg $50 Q each which is about $6.50 US and we were off, up to the mirador first to check out the views that are nothing short of spectacular. It was quite a grunt to get to the top coupled with 35 deg heat and humidity to match we were drenched by the time we reached the top. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...Day/file-8.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...Day/file-9.jpg Stairs .. lots of stairs http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ay/file-12.jpg The view, no point in talking about it, see for yourself. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ay/file-23.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ay/file-17.jpg Heading back down to the pools we started at the top and wafted our way down and we met some guys in Flores and they were there too so we caught up with giggle and chatter. Only a few photos, if you want to see the rest click on any pic and it will take you to our album ... it IS worth it. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ay/file-60.jpg The colours here are simply stunning http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ay/file-34.jpg The pools, hot day, great company and stunning scenery added up to what can only be described as perfect. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ay/file-36.jpg If words really could describe it I am struggling to say it http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ay/file-29.jpg http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...ay/file-32.jpg We spent the day there and left when the sun went home, heading back on our 40 minute return walk rewarded with cold showers back at the lodge as we were dripping wet again from heat on our return. Time for my hair cut again as it will be only 9 months or so and it would be in my eyes so had to deal to that swiftly. :rofl Chat and drink with Dan & Elaine who were heading to Cuba so we showed them some photos and gave them so fresh information which they were please about. This is Utopia Lodge ... sod of a place :rofl The view from the deck http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...20Day/file.jpg John the Boss at the bar, this dude rocks and adds a new meaning to customer service which was excellent, all his staff follow the same standards which quite simply cannot be faulted ... John .... we will back mate !!!! http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...Day/file-1.jpg The deck and eating area http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...Day/file-2.jpg This is their website, go check it out. Utopia Eco Hotel, Lanquin ~ Eco Lodge Accommodation, Tours, Restaurant and Bar Bed time again to rest the weary body from playing all day ... it’s just hard work. |
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