LITMIR.BIZ

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some more road works today. There is supposed to be a turnoff onto a minor road to lago to Atitlan but you miss it. You take the main road to the lake, through Solola and onto Panajachel where a boat awaits to take you to San Pedro.

      The boat is not nice. You both get seasick while still in port. Then, because you sit at the front, are thrown up and hard back down on the seat every few seconds for the next half hour until you get to the other side.

      In San Pedro some guy wants to take you to ‘his’ hotel. In reality he is just a tout, soon becoming a pain in the arse. You go to a different hotel but it doesn’t matter where you go, he still wants his commission. You tell the manager that he has now lost two clients because of this guy and go elsewhere on recommendation on passing tourists.

      And now it is Friday night. Enjoy.

      Some tenengro town.: Wicked ride in the back of a pick up.

      Sunday October 14, 2007, 25 km (16 miles) – Total so far: 5,154 km (3,203 miles)

      After a week in San Pedro staying with a local family and learning Spanish it’s time to move on. You meet up with Sofia again in Panajachel. She will stay there one more day while you go on ahead.

      You load the bike onto a chicken bus and ride it all uphill back to the InterAmericana highway. It’s a real bitch getting the bike back down again. To load it onto the bus you lift it up to a guy half way up the ladder, then scramble up to the top of the bus for him to pass it back up to you. Unloading the bike the guy hands you the bike in one hand while you try to climb back down using only your left hand to hold the ladder. Tricky.

      You get about twenty five km before the bike fucks up. It’s the cogs on the rear gear system. It broke off at the axle area and bent up good and proper. It takes all of two seconds to thumb a ride. A pickup stops and you jump in the back. The ride is rough for a while then the road is nice. It is scary. At least on a rollercoaster you know you will step off in the end. On the back of a pickup you don’t. Twice the driver has to brake suddenly to avoid a chicken bus when overtaking other traffic.

      But you make it out okay in the end. It is Sunday so the bike shops are shut. Tomorrow morning you will sort it all out.

      Some guy befriends you. You ask where a hotel is and he directs you. Then he asks for a quonzali for his tummy. You relent, giving him one. He then takes you to the hotel though the directions are enough. With the hotel in sight he then asks for two quonzalis, again making signs that he is hungry. You give him one more but he wants another again. Two is enough. The hotel is a bit expensive for what it is so you don’t stay there anyway. Soon another place is found and you settle in for the evening.

      Antigua.: Another easy day

      Monday October 15, 2007, 20 km (12 miles) – Total so far: 5,174 km (3,215 miles)

      After a leisurely breakfast you go in search of a bike shop. No decent ones are to be found but one place does do the job well enough. In the process of fitting the new gears on he breaks the gear shifter. So a new one of those needs to be fitted also. But for nine US you do well enough.

      And away you go. It’s about twenty km to Antigua. There are no signs so you need to ask directions all the time. You stop for lunch and it is just as well too as you need to turn off right there anyway. That saves a detour. You begin to feel that you went the wrong way there. This is all but confirmed when a sign points left to Chinantenango, the town you just came from.

      Antigua is very touristy. But why? There doesn’t seem to be much special going on. On the other hand there isn’t anything bad about it either. Not sure where the Chileana is. She will probably get here tomorrow. Lots of different options to discuss. Tomorrow may involve a volcano tour. But six AM sure is an early time to leave.

      Guat. city.: It’s not so bad

      Wednesday October 17, 2007, 50 km (31 miles) – Total so far: 5,224 km (3,246 miles)

      Antigua is alright. As warned it is heavily tourisised. You do a tour of Papaya volcano which is pretty cool. Well, hot actually.

      Sofia wants to watch a soccer game. It’s on at four so you should easily make the fifty km to Guat. City. After a pretty interesting night out you meet Sofia for breakfast. You walk the bikes over the cobbled streets out of town. Just before the edge of town you look back. Where’s Sofia? She was right behind you. And you told her the directions. Go straight.

      You wait five minutes and Sofia appears out of a side street. And away you go. Up hill. It’s not steep and isn’t very far up but you soon leave Sofia behind. You take a break at a service station keeping a lookout for Sofia. You ask the people working there if they saw her go past. No, no, they confirm. And then, when you ask again, yes, she went past five minutes ago.

      You speed off in hope of catching her. Fast up hill and fast down hill you go, confident in catching her eventually. But you don’t. You ask some people coming into town. No one has seen her. So where is she? You pass a market, making perfect timing to wait for Sofia. After all, she must be behind you. But still no Sofia. You move on. There’s a turnoff to the centro. You wait there for her. And there she is. Lucky she sees you ‘cause you sure miss seeing her. Boy is she pissed though.

      You make your way into the centre, find a hostel and then a bar for the soccer game. Then you leave the Chilena to watch her game while you do some shopping. As evening descends the town shows some of its character. Sure, its not the prettiest of places. But it’s nice.

      El Rancho.: Leaving town

      Thursday October 18, 2007, 84 km (52 miles) – Total so far: 5,308 km (3,298 miles)

      Traffic out of Guat. City is pretty heavy but you manage all the same. Signs are scarce. It is mostly downhill to El Rancho with one or two notable exceptions. They are doing some maintenance just out of town. Half a tree is dropped onto the road just after a guy waves you through. Elsewhere a guy almost gets himself run over as he darts in front of you.

      Sofia heads in front and once again you lose her. She never was too far behind though. Some local guy rides along with you for a while. It rains hard. Then the thunder and lightning come. You stop for a bite to eat and Sofia soon catches up. And then it’s another four km to the next hotel. And boy is it shite. But it’s on dark now and the traffic is worse than ever, not to mention the rain, so it might just be best to stay here tonight.

      To Chiquimula.: Don’t take the room if he won’t let you see it first

      Friday October 19, 2007, 85 km (53 miles) – Total so far: 5,393 km (3,351 miles)

      Lots of ascending today, especially for the last leg towards Chiquimula. The route 9 towards the Atlantic has a nice shoulder for most of the time. You stop for lunch at your favourite pollo and telepizza restaurant chain. But your burger is cold. You send it back and they reheat it. You send it back again and they give you another one, also cold. You don’t leave a tip. Tomorrow is the start of the tour de Guatemala. You see a van loaded with racing bikes. They pull up along side and hand you each a bottle of energy drink.

      You get a flat. Sofia continues on. The plan is to meet up again beside the road at Chiquimula. But you don’t see her and you each spend some time in town looking for each other.

      And then you find her. You find a cheap hotel but the guy won’t let you look at the room. “Why should I waste my time showing you the room if you won’t take it? He says, in Spanish. You’ve been in this situation before. Best not to take it. You go elsewhere.

      Welcome to Honduras.: To Copan

      Saturday October 20, 2007, 80 km (50 miles) – Total so far: 5,473 km (3,401 miles)

      For the first five

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