Roadside Repairs and New Friends

Our weekend in El Salvador came to an end. We had a blast, but it was time to explore new lands and face new adventures. Mario and his friend Mario (#2) escorted us first thing in the morning, after giving us some valuable tips on the best roads to follow, and some typical food we should try.

Mario got to ride Dan's bike, and compare it to his KTM 990. Boys having fun!

Once again, Mario was right: the ride to the border would be quite interesting!


Crossing borders in Central America has been a unique experience. It's quite amazing to see how this rather intricate mechanism works. The first step is meeting a "tramitador" or helper, who is supposed to help you with all the paperwork. We thought we needed someone in Honduras, where the border crossing seemed to be chaotic and time-consuming. Little did we know at the time that our fancy helpers (driving his red vehicle around - beware!) would end up ripping us off! They made us believe there would be a fumigation and bag inspection. It would cost us $10, and an extra $5 would speed things up. A police officer confirmed what we'd suspected: there was no fumigation for bikes in Honduras!


Instead of feeling discouraged because we'd been waiting for three hours, we managed to keep ourselves entertained: C updated her journal, we chatted with other travellers, and checked out what other services could be obtained while we waited. Whether you need someone to look after your bike, something to eat, or your shoes polished, there is always someone who can help you.

Why look for a bank, when you can find people who will gladly help you with any currency you need......even after hours!! This guy was a lot of fun.

This morning it was Dan's turn to have a flat tire. It would not have been as painful if it weren't the blazing heat, the close proximity to the highway, and the fact that there was no shade!

We ended up being the main attraction on the road. Truckers were honking, people were waving, Conchita was taking pictures, and even Ivan, an Argentinian biker who has been travelling around the Americas for over two years, decided to join us.

A local cattle driver joined us as well. Initially, he was just hanging out, and helping a bit, but eventually he decided to call his kids to join us. He wanted a family picture, so they would see how a digital camera works. He offered to let me sit on the horse for a photo, but I declined. He said to Conchita "Your husband is a chicken?"

After documenting the flat tire ordeal, Conchita had found herself a tiny shaded spot to relax. This friendly Nicaraguan and his children joined her, and talked a bit about life in Nicaragua. He works seven days a week, and makes $70 a month!!

Our very first police check. We have driven through quite a few of them, but this was the first time that we got asked for our papers. He checked our passports and sent us on our way.

Lake Nicaragua with yet another spectacular volcano.

Another fun day of travelling is over. We spent last night in San Juan del Sur, not too far from the Costa Rican border.

Riding down from the San Salvador Volcano

We are staying in San Salvador with some AdvRider friends who are treating us like royalty. It has been so good, that we have stayed two days longer than we originally planned. Thanks guys!!

Mario (and his wife Fernanda) took us for a ride up to the Volcano near the city. It was fun to ride without all the gear on the bike. It may take a bit of time to load the video. Check out Mario's flying topcase near the end of the clip.

Our certified tour guide, Mario, says that there used to be a lake here (San Salvador Volcano) until 1917 when the last eruption happened.

We thought we were cruising along really well until the chicken delivery guy passed us on his scooter!! Check out the chicken waving goodbye!! Conchita and I had a good laugh.

Our gracious hosts. Fernanda was wiping the sweat from Mario's brow (he stirred the paella once or twice).

Even though Mario lives in a gated community and inside a secure, guarded condo, I was surprised to see that his apartment had an open concept. This means that there is a wide open area to the outside that cannot be locked or even closed for that matter. Temperatures here allow for this type of set up.

Waiting out the rain at Mario and Fernanda's lake cabin. Now this is the good life. Dan had actually forgotten that we were on our way south!!!

Lake Atitlan and Antigua, Gautemala

Have you ever seen a shower head like this?? This head is what heats the water. We didn't know how to work it until after Dan had a cold shower. We just had to flick a switch on the wall. Very neat, but probably dangerous??

These girls were selling souvenirs at a stop overlooking Lake Atitlan. When Conchita asked if she could take a picture, they said "Yes, if you give us a quetzal .....each!!!" They we real little business people.

This photo was taken in the town of San Antonio pictured below - one of the twelve towns that surround Lake Atitlan. This Cakchiquel woman shared a lot about her culture, her language and some of her everyday experiences while finishing this scarf for Conchita. Mantiox (=thanks), Olga.

Lake Atitlan is surrounded by volcanoes. Even though we did not get to see the tops because of the weather, the scenery was impressive.

These buses with their helpers were probably the most memorable thing about Guatemala. These things drove around like as if it were the Indy race. It seemed as though actually stopping the bus was against policy. The helper was always moving around on the outside of the bus at any speed. He would prepare the luggage for the passengers that were getting off. The bus would slow down, people would jump off, the helper would jump down hand the luggage over and have to chase after the bus to get back on. All the while with the air horns going to warn people and vehicles alike to get out of the way. It was amazing to watch.

We didn't spend too much time in the Colonial town of Antigua Guatemala (the old city). It was pouring rain, and we were running short on daylight, so we opted to just do a drive through. We could see that the Spanish definitely left their mark here.

Fixing tires,meeting new friends, crossing borders and breaking windshields...

The plug I had installed on the back tire started to leak, and was getting worse. It needed to be fixed properly. Getting a tire patched, or "vulcanized" as they say down here, is a real experience in itself. First, we found the Honda dealer and thought we were set, until the owner showed up to open the place and all there was inside was three scooters and a desk......?? No accessories or lubricants for sale, just three scooters and a desk. We told him our situation, and he says, "No problem. The mechanic will be here in just a few minutes. You take the tire off the bike, and he will look after it."

That's the owner in the red.

So I take the tire off the beemer, and hand it to the "mechanic" who is about 19 years old. I wasn't about to let the wheel out of my sight, so I followed him thinking that he had a tire machine inside. You can imagine my surprise when we walked two blocks down the road to a tire shop!!!

It was a family business: a father and his two sons. They did a superb job. All work was done by hand - no tire machines here. It took the three of them about an hour to fix it, and the whole thing was a grand total of $4.00.

Ooopps........

Even though we have had some problems, so far the trip for us just keeps getting better and better. Last night, we stayed at the nicest hotel of the trip for $20 Canadian (or American, for that matter). We even had our own garage. Here in the city of Tapachula (20 minutes from the Guatamala border on the Mexican side), we met the first other long-distance bikers of the trip.

It turns out that Leo and Cheryl are from Red Deer!! Not only that, but Leo's brother Norbert owns the Honda shop in Cold Lake!!! What are the odds of that???

Here they are just arriving at the hotel. Each of them is riding a BMW GS 1150.

A night out on the town before the first of the famed Central America border crossings. We all felt just a little better crossing as a group.

Dan is surrounded by the "border helpers." It is mostly kids that are trying to make a buck by helping you through the whole confusing process. Notice that one of them is holding his helmet.

With all those people jocking for attention, the KTM got knocked over suffering a cracked windshield. We were all very impressed with the way Dan handled it. He taped it up wearing a smile, and said "I didn't really like that windshield anyway."

After crossing the border, things changed. We all felt it. Gautemala seemed greener, cleaner and more friendly than Mexico. We rode up to 9,000 ft through little indigenous mountain towns.

Mam is the first language in this town, with Spanish being taught in school.

Riding through the city of Quezeltanango, we met up with the character on the right. He said he belongs to the local BMW club, and invited us over to meet some other members. Dan was able to repair his windshield using a drill and some zip ties, and we met a bunch of good people. Later in the evening, after showing us to our hotel, the club members picked us up and took us out for dinner - with the president footing the bill!! Amazing!!

Today we are off to Lake Atitlan and the city of Antigua. Our Lonely Planet guide book says these are the some of the highlight of Guatamala and of all of Central America as well.

B C and D

Southern Mexico!!

Tom got up early and was very chipper. I think he wakes up like that all the time.

Life is good in Mazatlan, even though we did not catch a glimpse of the Striking Viking ( ADVRider guru).

A stop for some luke warm coconut water in San Blas. Yuk!

Ken and Sheila's B and B in Aticama. They treated us like kings .....and a queen!!

Their Bed and Breakfast is right on the ocean just South of San Blas. You should look them up if you are going to be in the area.

Our muy macho bikers could not resist these homemade palitos. This Palitero has been making these ice-creams for 27 years! Brian actually smiled after eating his.

Let's try going this way!???