Guatemala
After spending several hours driving through Guatemala City (Which included an impromptue stop in the McDonalds carpark waiting for the BMW to cool down - air cooled bikes aren't so clever in horendous traffic) we arrived in Antigua. Somehow we landed in some decent accommodation at a language school with the obligatory parking and over friendly dog. She liked to come into our room in the morning and once tried to snuggle up with Mike in bed, Oi, just hang on a second, that's my job!
We also bumped into Volker (I've learn't how to spell his name now) again, worked on the KLR - yet again, the BMW got a new spring for the rear shock, we saw one of the guys from Buena Vista Social Club perform in a small restaurant (although the keyboardist was so bad, we actually left early) and basically just hung out for 5 days, relaxing. Antigua's a rather cool colonial town. And although I had visited when I travelled into Guatemala 6 years ago, I don't remember too much of it as I spent most of that time in bed sick. So it was good to come back and see it again.
The highlight would have to be climbing Volcan Pacaya. We set off mid-afternoon and climbed for only about an hour and half, more than enough for me. But the idea of setting off late is so that you're up on the lava flows for dusk, when they glow rather spectaculary. It all got rather exciting when some lava decided to erupt rather close to us and head our way. All fun and games except our path of retreat was blocked by hundreds of tourists trying to get closer to take photographs. You can't really blame them but when you are the closest and it's all a bit hot and red, you kind of just want to get out of there. If you can believe it, some girls wore flip flops and carried their handbags, not particularly appropriate.
After a nice breakfast to celebrate Mike's 37th birthday, we went to get some petrol and head up to Lake Atitlan. A bit of a rule for riding in a group of two or more is that if you lose someone, you go back to the last place you actually saw them and wait. So after I missed a left turn that Mike took, that's what I did, unfortunately Mike didn't. He filled up with pertol, did a lap around the block and headed out of town without me. I also filled up with petrol, at a different station, but then got held up by tourists unloading from a coach, for 10 minutes. By the time I eventually got back to where Mike had been, he'd long gone. I spent the next four hours waiting for him, wondering how long was long enough to wait before you got worried. Eventually I left the bike parked with instructions for some of the locals working in sight that if they a saw a BMW they were to get him to wait by the bike. I walked back into toen to email Mike, our only form of contact and somehow ended up with the local motorcycle police sending out a search party. Eventually I checked my emails and I get an 'Ooops, I'm already in Lake Atitlan'. Obviously he fancied a ride without me for his birthday and all.
Lake Atitlan was as beautiful as I remember, but god, when it rain, did it rain! We did a boat trip around the lake to some other towns, all a bit boring to be honest, the highlight was skipping the last village and getting a lift back to our town in the back of a truck. We also saw some rather good muscians at a local bar and met a rather lovely and informative lady from Cumbria (that's in the UK for those of you who didn't know).
Tikal was our last stop in Guatemala, and it didn't disappoint. Although the guide book did say it could take two days to see it all, we arrived super early (advantage of having your own transport) to avoid the crowds and the heat and being the keen archeologists that we're not, we were done just after midday. Tikal was a large Mayan City dating from before Christ to sometime afterwards (Helpful with dates aren't I!) And is quite spectacular with temples jutting out from the jungle below like skyscrapers. The only dissappointing thing is that the decorative stone work has mostly warn away with jungle growth and rain, limestone just not passing the test of time. There are preserved decorative details within the museums but out of context, they kind of lose their meaning. Still worth a look though.
Back in Flores, our base for visiting Tikal, Mike and I bid each other farewell, Mike heading for a dodgy border into Mexico and me to Belize. It's time to have some mini adventures on our own.
We also bumped into Volker (I've learn't how to spell his name now) again, worked on the KLR - yet again, the BMW got a new spring for the rear shock, we saw one of the guys from Buena Vista Social Club perform in a small restaurant (although the keyboardist was so bad, we actually left early) and basically just hung out for 5 days, relaxing. Antigua's a rather cool colonial town. And although I had visited when I travelled into Guatemala 6 years ago, I don't remember too much of it as I spent most of that time in bed sick. So it was good to come back and see it again.
The highlight would have to be climbing Volcan Pacaya. We set off mid-afternoon and climbed for only about an hour and half, more than enough for me. But the idea of setting off late is so that you're up on the lava flows for dusk, when they glow rather spectaculary. It all got rather exciting when some lava decided to erupt rather close to us and head our way. All fun and games except our path of retreat was blocked by hundreds of tourists trying to get closer to take photographs. You can't really blame them but when you are the closest and it's all a bit hot and red, you kind of just want to get out of there. If you can believe it, some girls wore flip flops and carried their handbags, not particularly appropriate.
After a nice breakfast to celebrate Mike's 37th birthday, we went to get some petrol and head up to Lake Atitlan. A bit of a rule for riding in a group of two or more is that if you lose someone, you go back to the last place you actually saw them and wait. So after I missed a left turn that Mike took, that's what I did, unfortunately Mike didn't. He filled up with pertol, did a lap around the block and headed out of town without me. I also filled up with petrol, at a different station, but then got held up by tourists unloading from a coach, for 10 minutes. By the time I eventually got back to where Mike had been, he'd long gone. I spent the next four hours waiting for him, wondering how long was long enough to wait before you got worried. Eventually I left the bike parked with instructions for some of the locals working in sight that if they a saw a BMW they were to get him to wait by the bike. I walked back into toen to email Mike, our only form of contact and somehow ended up with the local motorcycle police sending out a search party. Eventually I checked my emails and I get an 'Ooops, I'm already in Lake Atitlan'. Obviously he fancied a ride without me for his birthday and all.
Lake Atitlan was as beautiful as I remember, but god, when it rain, did it rain! We did a boat trip around the lake to some other towns, all a bit boring to be honest, the highlight was skipping the last village and getting a lift back to our town in the back of a truck. We also saw some rather good muscians at a local bar and met a rather lovely and informative lady from Cumbria (that's in the UK for those of you who didn't know).
Tikal was our last stop in Guatemala, and it didn't disappoint. Although the guide book did say it could take two days to see it all, we arrived super early (advantage of having your own transport) to avoid the crowds and the heat and being the keen archeologists that we're not, we were done just after midday. Tikal was a large Mayan City dating from before Christ to sometime afterwards (Helpful with dates aren't I!) And is quite spectacular with temples jutting out from the jungle below like skyscrapers. The only dissappointing thing is that the decorative stone work has mostly warn away with jungle growth and rain, limestone just not passing the test of time. There are preserved decorative details within the museums but out of context, they kind of lose their meaning. Still worth a look though.
Back in Flores, our base for visiting Tikal, Mike and I bid each other farewell, Mike heading for a dodgy border into Mexico and me to Belize. It's time to have some mini adventures on our own.
posted by Michelle at 12:14 am
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