Things finally happening again WOH HOH :clap :clap

Good afternoon all

With our stay in Antigua nearly to an end we are now counting the days down.

We have enjoyed our stay with raint season throwing in daily spices of super heavy rain, thunder and lightning :clap ... here is Maya sheltered from the shower



Trying to take advantage of having to be stuck in one place we decided to take spanish Iessons.... to be fair I have had a bad run with teachers having been stood up 4 times now. :huh

The first had to go to hospital so couldn’t teach me anymore so I missed that lesson, the second was on deck for three days then her son was crook so she couldn’t turn up (thats ok) and I missed that lesson so she organised to come the Saturday morning and didn’t turn up for that one either for no reason (thats not ok) FFS.

Finally I get another teacher who could come until she couldn’t cos she went to hospital so I missed that lesson too (thats ok ...but)

Here we are at the end of our time in Antigua and I am owed two lessons (picked one up on a Saturday) so I am loosing interest pretty quickly trying to make the most of it here as far as Spanish goes, don’t want to sound like a whiner but FFS this has turned out to be a highlight for me which is great cos it takes my mind off my ribs...but I would not recommend that school to anyone.

So now that my whinge is out of the way we have had some funs things happen, firstly I wanted to get a photo of the Guatemalans blowing stuff up from the BIG cylinders .....well I got my moneys worth here cos they blew one up right beside Maya in the street outside our casa ..... just as well they did not blow the bike up.... see the dude who lit the fuse is still walking away!!





This was the beginning of a big parade down our street and Maya was parked where they were walking thus created a lot of interest and no one seemed worried she was parked there and in fact seems the lads were more interested in Maya than their parade.





We had a second Sushi Saturday which was a success and all rolls were sold bar one, the owner pulled rank and ate it!! .. why not ..bosses privileges .



While here we have had the pleasure of dining out, way more than we do normally mainly because we have Gene, Neda, Julio and Luisa for company which has been great, also Phil and Jane for a night.

On one of the nights we all went out for Friday night fud and drinks, Ellen ordered us a monster pizza with a flip top thingy and it was outstanding to say the least, I don’t think we had eaten that much cheese since leaving the USA.







I have to say if you are broken or need time out to relax and recoup Antigua presents a great option, gezz even if you just want a nice place to hang that is not too spendie then it fits the bill nicely.:clap

On one of our walks we came across this young fella, I love Boxers having been loved by my one Tara for 13 years so a quick cuddle on the street was in order ... he was a nice lad!



A view of Antigua from the cross that overlooks the town



Our final night in Antigua was at Julios, Gene and Neda came around, Julio and Luisa had some couch surfers so another great night was had with some superb cooking by Julio, Gene and Neda did pudding duties and we were in charge of the wine.

While there I sat on Genes 1200 .... nice comparo



A motorcycle and two BMW's :rofl :rofl



Julios starter .... note Julio had noted my liking for boobies so made a special serving for me :evil



Thanks for the big sendoff guys it was nice, that was Wednesday and I wasn’t coming back for a ride till Saturday so I missed them dearly. :rofl

The day we left started out beautifully, Ellen had an early walk with the camera, here is Volcan Fuego have a wee spit



The communal washing facilities



The stunning colour and views from in town



We left Antigua just as it started raining and snuck out under cloud cover to beat the rain ... excellent timing, our mission was to make it to GC (Guatemala City) unassisted by ambulance Police or military ... bit of ask but we completed our 37 km journey without upsetting anyone and the only thing we broke was a record of getting there alone.:freaky

Next week we head to El Salvador and our normal life will resume, this I am really looking forward to but in between times we have plans for GC and actually enjoying the city and surroundings.

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

WOH HOH in GC (Guatemala City) ...this time with nothing to do with hospitals etc as promised.:clap

Arriving back to GC was great and arriving by bike to meet up with Victor in one piece was even cooler, we had to pick up our passports from immigration as we had spent our 90 days and we had not even left Guatemala :evil.

Arriving in GC at about 1.30 pm we discovered that Immigration had closed at 12.00 noon that day for renovations until the following Tuesday... hmmm, our plan was to leave Monday morning .... OK, plan B.

We had also ordered a pinlock fog insert and SAE cable 6 weeks prior through a professional shipping company, we were also stood up on this too with them saying it was all held up in customs....but we paid for it NOT to be held up in customs.:huh

Argh

Well, Sunday morning, 7.30 am, planned to go for a ride with Victor and some local lads.

As mum nature would have it she decided the road needed a wash ... all night and in the morning.

No problemo I have flash new wet weather gear, part of the team rang in earlier and cancelled so it was up to the hardy souls.

We headed off to the petrol station that is the designated meeting point, Victors cuzzies Fernando and Carlos were a little late and with every moment that passed the weather was on the improve.

Wasn’t too long and they turned up, gear on and off we went with local knowledge working well.



We headed through and out of GC, a little bit of rain here and there but nothing much, as we got out of town the cloud dispersed and although still overcast it was not wet at all.



Our destination was laguna de Ayarza, we stopped for breakfast at a small and were fed and watered like kings and queens setting ourselves up for the day.



The bikes, left to right, Fernandos, Maya, Victors and Carlos.



The crew, left to right, Ellen, Fernando, Me, Carlos and Victor.



The lake was only half hour on tar then about 20 minutes on gravel, Victor of course is on his little 250 hyosung roadie which was less than ideal for the rougher road, both Fernando and Carlos were on the two F800GS’s and us on Maya.



We all but made it to the lake, Victor only had to turn into the car park but unfortunately lost the front end, he went down at an awkward angle and was not happy, his foot swelled up like a ballon quickly.



This is a photo of a man who is in a bit of pain



The bikes lined up at the lake.





Back to Victor, we carried him down the road to put his foot into the cold water



He tried to soak it but the lake water was warmer than colder ... NOTE, NOT me this time.



Time to regroup and sympathize with Victor and formulate a plan to get bike and rider home



Now Victor is a hairdresser by profession and this leaves him open for a bashing (as most of us office style workers endure :evil) however, this tough little guy said get my bike back to the tarseal so he is not jarred by the shingle road and he will ride it back!! ..... a true soldier:clap

So we headed back to the town for lunch, we stopped at a petrol station as well while waiting for the lads to return with Victors bike, a local was so taken by Maya which was nice, he gave me a good luck pendant so I will keep that with me for good karma.



There was a Policeman, the forecourt attendant, shop attendant and a couple of his mates, I put Maya up on the centrestand and one by one they all had there photos taken, it created a great atmosphere with huge larfs and huge smiles all round ..... makes a great day out.

So we sat down and had lunch, fish from the lake, Victor grinned and beared it while keeping a sense of humour.





After lunch we set off back to GC, Fernando and I swapped bikes so Ellen and I took his 800GS back and he rode Maya, a great back to back comparo pointing out strengths and weaknesses on both machines.

All in all the weather held and barring Victors off it was what one would consider to be an almost perfect day out.

And a good word for our soldier, Victor rode back unassisted back to GC with TWO broken bones, both at the bottom where his leg bones join the angle, his foot got smacked heavy breaking the smaller leg bone and breaking a piece of the bottom of the opposite side.

Victor, you are hard mate!!!:clap



So we have got to partly reciprocate with Victors injury as he took us in when I did my ribs and he looked after us, goes round comes around, came round a little quick (the bugger of being injured) so we have extended our stay a few more days to get Victor set up as best we can before heading away, this has given me time to help with repairs on his bike to get him back on the road.



Maya has to stand in the rain and watch :eek1

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Andi did you like the f800?photo's remain of a high standard ,really like the first one of Maya in the rain.regards Noel

Totally agree with the comment about the high standard of photography.
What camera are you using Andi?
I have been a Nikon user forever, but I recently bought a Lumix. I realty dislike this camera for many reasons, but the one thing that I cannot argue with is the quality of its images.
Leica lens. Says it all.
And I have to concede that it's images are far better than those produced by my Nikon/Nikkor combinations.
So: Andi: tell us your secret!
Rob

Heya Noel, I hated the bloody thing, it fitted well, rode nice, sounded nice etc I won't own one till I buy one

Look at the 800 Adv with 24 L tank ..... noice bike.

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Heya Rob, thank you very much for your comments, really appreciated.

We just use a Kodak cardboard disposable eh

Seriously, we use a Canon SX40HS, just an overgrown point and shot with 35 optical zoom and a Panasonic Lumix FT3 waterproof point and shoot, the rest is good, luck, good timing and different angles, both cameras sub $400.00 US

We do try to look at things differently to how the eye sees it and to be honest that seems to make a photo interesting, standard height and standard zoom is what everyone sees so we try and present it differently.

We are not experts, just trying to record our event as good as we can

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

We FINALLY made it to El Salvador, despite our love for Guatemala having spent a total of 3 months there party for study and travel and partly for my ribs so we had to extend our VISAs and the TVIP for Maya, pretty painless other than some stuffing around and a bit of cash.

From GC we set off just after 6.30 am, the traffic was building up real quick, we did get stuck in a small traffic jam but we split lanes and sifted our way through it so only 20 minutes of sitting in traffic and we were starting to roll.

Getting out of the city and heading towards the border was pretty straight forward, no dramas really and the only thing that amused me was a chicken bus within in internal flat on the dual wheel set on the back axle, I don’t know if he knew or not but the tire was rolling around like a pig in mud.

Quick rest stop to spend the last Q's on coffee etc.



The road was absolutely mint condition



We made it to the border in good time, approaching the border we rode past what would be 2 km easy of trucks lined up as far as you could see, we snuck around the outside right up to the front and the border guard nicely pointed us in the right direction.



Our last point in Guatemala





Clocking out was a 5 minute affair that took 40 minutes from Guatemala then on to El Salvador which took about 2 hours as their computers were out to lunch, no biggy we were clocked in (no stamp though as were are in the C4 zone which is Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua which have an open border agreement for up to 90 days for tourists/travellers) but Maya had to get a new TVIP.

Our destination before the rain set in was Parque El Imposible (Impossible Park), it got its name due to the near impossible route from over the top were they bought the coffee from inland to the sea and it had taken many lives and been very difficult to cross.

We had recommendations of cabins right by the park entrance however less than 1 km back down the road in Hostel Imposible which is where we ended up at, a very nice place and the price we negotiated a better deal for three nights as it is the off season, add to that we agreed to eat there as well so they get it back through feeding us, all in all a great place and highly recommended.

As I am writing this we have a massive downpour, so loud on the roof I almost can’t hear Ellen speak ... there is a God ... as luck would have it it is 6.26 pm and we have to walk up the path for our tea at 6.30 pm ... we got wet.

Tea was nice with bar b q beef then we settled in for a good old fashioned sifi movie ...... which I enjoy but Ellen fell asleep, lights out at 9.45 pm in preparation for our 9 km stomp around Parque Imposible the next day.

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

(Impossible Park)

Day 1

Named because of the pass that is near impossible to get through having claimed many lives, this was the route from the highlands bringing coffee down to the lowlands for shipping.





We set off at around 8.30 am with a short 1 km warm up walk, we were both soaked by the time we arrived at the park.

The park entry building is interesting with local animals found there on display

Spooky looking cat



Ant eater



Something else



Paying our entry fee and getting our park guide because it is dangerous (BS) we payed dearly for him as they had no change so they got a pretty good tip really.

We walked through a combo of bamboo and lush rainforest and in places looking very much like Jurassic Park ..... we didn’t see any dinosaurs tho.





We arrived at the top view point called Leon with a pretty epic view of stunning rainforest and looking across to Pase Imposible



Our guide couldn’t use a camera for love nor money and it was a struggle to get any photos, never mind we have enough of us anyway.



On the way back we caught a coupla butterflies shagging on the side of the track



We did the full loop circuit up to the top and back down via a steep ridge and small creek crossing which provided beautiful surroundings to walk in.

Along the way we found some funny mushrooms with a very ...erotic shape and a net over it, kinda looked like man parts with an exploded condom (so I was told cos I am a virgin)



Also his family just further down



Back to the track our guide was picking food to take home, some spiky plant that he cooks then eats the inside of.



The day was semi overcast and semi sunny but still very hot and humid, we took 2 litres of water with us and used it up 500 metres before the end of the track so not bad timing on a 9 km climb and decent.

Finishing up there we wondered on back to the hostel for a shower and gear changing session cos we were soaked through from sweat and tomorrow we will do it all again to the mirador (view point) and rio (river).

The afternoon we sat down to do the write up and had beautiful El Salvadorian coffee (actually I have two), the coffee here is simply superb.

During the afternoon we played ping pong with the weather trying to dry our clothes, although very warm it is very humid so it take hours to dry a lite shirt and gruds and they still feel damp when you put them on, this isn’t bad though as it is cooling.

Not having the internet or telephone brings us back to having time to write and relax a little, it is nice to have communications but it is also very nice not to be owned by it, the other thing is to sit and watch the world go by, it happens a lot here so we just join in.

Sitting here this afternoon with an El Salvadorian coffee (or) two in my hand watching the rain come down then stop and cycle again was really nice, knowing we can just relax and take the place in was excellent.

We were also graced by a local butterfly posing on the window sill for us.



Tea tonight was mushroom spaghetti and pupusas with some fresh water, it was extremely nice :clap.

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Started our with the same warm up walk to the park, a guide who befriended us (or at least our wallet) and tried to convince us how dangerous the park is and that there are Pumas up there bla bla bla..... yesterday we only saw butterflies.

Being wised up from yesterday and already having left a far bigger donation we said no thanks and went on our merry way much to his disappointment and advice....we lived.

Our walk took us to an outlook first off overlooking the valley we were about to go down into, from there we dropped off down a very steep zig zag for 1.2 km before the track semi levelled out into and undulating scenic tour of beauty .... not to dissimilar to the beauty of Haast pass in New Zealand in places.



The track dropped very quickly



Again bamboo the order of the day



We found so very twisted trees which caught our fascination and this led us down to the river where we enjoyed the whole place to ourselves, Ellen decided it was skinny dip time and I settled for a sit in the sun to take in the peaceful bit of paradise we had been given for the morning.







The weather started to change which meant the mozzies were back out so we took on the accent back to the top which was a grunt to say the least, being hot and humid meant we were both soaked in 5 minutes and the rain would have been a clean welcome but it only spat for 2 minutes and left again.:cry

Approaching the top we came across two locals heading down and they had some scuba gear with them ???? then another group loaded with camera gear so something was happening.

We made it back to the park building HQ without being eaten by a Puma, I would love to have seen one but yet again butterflies were the order of the day other than one fluffy tailed something that darted off into a hole in a tree.

Two killer butterflies :rofl



The afternoon saw showers to freshen up, clothing washing and some Spanish learning and writing all graced by Papas fritas (french fries) or for the Kiwis readers chips!! and pupusas, tortillas glued together with cheese etc and a coupla cups of beautiful El Salvadorian coffee for lunch.

I must say Parque Imposible and a great tropical forest and Hostal Imposible is a very nice place to veg out for three days with great accommodation, food and hosts.

The Hostal





The path down to condo TMK



The small pool at the bottom of the accommodation units



The view from the hostel towards the ocean



There are mango trees everywhere ... they are just falling off the trees and rotting so we had them for breakfast and afternoon tea snacks etc ... just beautiful .... and free.

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Leaving Parque Imposible Mario and Alexandro had decided to come up and meet us at the hostal.

In true style they turn up on two BMW’s, Mario with his daughter Fenanda on their 1200 GSA and Alexandro on a shiny white F800GS .... once again Maya outgunned by the Germans ... but we were happy to be in great company with local leadership.





Setting off after packing up we followed the lads down the 13.5 km stoney road down then headed left to La Libertad on the seaside.



With Mario up front us in the middle and Alexandro we set a nice pace for us two up with gear, beautiful twisty road .... we were bulldozing the front all the way and I later discovered the front tire was at 24 PSI due to a sticky valve problem.







The rear was also at 28 PSI from doing local rides around Guatemala with Julio (Guaterider) so a quick pump up of front and rear now she feels much better.

We also saw a heap of sports bike going warp factor two in the opposite direction utilizing the beautiful day.





We also did a milage check with the addition of opening up the triangles and adding some kitchen scrubbies as precleaners and this seems to be working very well.

Coffee stop down by the seaside, the coffee was good ... just see the look on my face



The beach



We bunked down for the night at the surfers retreat and had a walk along the beach, Ellen took a dip while I played coastguard with the gear, we wanted to do some trip reports but the internet to the town and surround was dead .... the linesmen putting up new cable, seems someone had stolen the phone lines .... literally!!!

Sorry Mike and Jantar no nuddy bum shots here :evil



Swamped



Eating out at a nice place just down from us the guy kindly lent us a phone to call Mario so we could arrange our meeting the next day and head on up to Mario Hill on the Volcan.

That night we had a 5.8 mag earthquake which even the locals were talking about, our cabin rocked quite a bit as the epicenter was only 30 km away from us.

The following morning and like a dodgy drug deal going down we meet up at a puma service station then play follow the leader, this time Mario was on his KTM690 Enduro .... nice machine.

Up at Mario Hill where his basic cabin is located (and offered to travellers) there is a small climb to get there, one corner is paved as it it off cambered so challenging, the rest of the track is true ADV style dirt and grass and when it rains .... well, lets just say experience goes a long way.

Mario on the 690 making it look easy



Me just after ..."the turn" :rofl



Track was nice and dry



Mario even had time to huss it up and play



We arrived at the top in one piece, well the place is a wee gem smack bang in the middle of his coffee plantation, quiet, private, secluded, tranquil .... its awful.

The only concessions one makes is no hot water or wifi ... the rest is perfect with a capital P, with its elevation we get a fantastic view of the storms at night with thunder and lightning galore so a treat for us.

More to come.... :evil

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Thanks for the update ,will look forward to the new photo's

Heya Noel

Intermittent Wifi so not much posting but here is some more ... more to come

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

The big welcoming from Mario with steaks and some greenery to spoil it but a great feast was had and a barb q that would make most kiwi blokes envious, Mario set the bar high.





We had a few drinkies talking about life and things as you do comparing countries, costs and services, all with pluses and minuses each way.



How could you not smile with this in front of you!!!:clap



So this is the start of our new approach to seeing the places on our RTW trip whereby we bunk down at a central location, ditch both panniers and box and ride day rides out with just our wolfman soft bag for our wet gear and some water.

The decision was made to send all our camping stuff home to make life easier for me weight wise so our total gear is simply two side cases and a top box, if it does not fit in there it does not come. ... they are however optimally packed, so this now it our total kit.



Sooooooo, after setting up base at Marios hill we got the low down on what to see and where to go with outstanding knowledge from Mario knowing what adventure travelllers like to do.

This was all done in luxury of course ...



And this is the garden view we had to put up with



We took a walk to the Crater at the top of the Volcan, if you come through El Salvador you have to come to San Salvador and make the effort to go as it is a fantastic place with views from the top of the crater like we have never see before, breath taking from the top.

View from the top



The centre of the crater down inside



The writing with the rocks at the very bottom



It was 6.2 km up so we were tired when it was time to return, we met some locals at lookout No 3 of 4, we asked them about the bus and they said they were heading the same way so would give us a lift although we didn’t know the name of the town, it was so nice of them cos I have dodgy knees, walking up and flat is no problem but walking downhill kills them very quickly.

Even with my Parque Imposible custom handle on my walking sticks (cos one fell off in Mexico somewhere)it was nice to sit in the car on the way down, “thank you” locals.



That night was hot dog night.....Mario knocked up some superb hotdogs which went down like a treat, we had bougfht some dark Bacardi Rum too which evaporated in the heat pretty quickly, see in the photo I think we caught a bat ripping through in a split second.

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere