6200 km. Again a nice surprise.... The border crossings in Honduras took me no more then 50 minutes, the 2 combined. Or I´m becomming damned good in crossing borders, or my american friend just had terrible bad luck. So I left yesterday morning my cabaña in Apaneca and had an awesome ride through the mountains of West El Salvador, until now the most beautifull part of my journey. google map with "parque nacional Cerro verdo" and look to that small winding road that goes between the 2 volcanoes and along the lago de Coatepeque. The end of that road is higher then the young volcano at the left and you just look into the crater. And you take those astonishing pictures.... I stopped very often, took more the 20 pictures of the beautifull scenery and the fantastic volcans, and at midday, when having my carne a la prancha, I checked my pictures and my camera said : "no memory card". F@&%ck, I forgot to reput the card after I updated my picasa site the day before. Of course, being that the only bad thing happening to me until now, I'm not going to whine to much and will compensate with pictures in the weeks coming. After Sonsonate I returned to the coastal road and rode one the most stunning bikers miles I have ever done. A well designed road with a perfect smooth surface, no traffic, curbs asking to be taken at good speed, volcans at your left, the ocean at your right and all that sauced in tropical green. Slept in El Cuco, as only guest in a decaying hotel, no water in the toilet, I did not try the shower because I did not want to put my feet in the filthy shower base. I just slept on the old mattress, (a position between lying and sitting). But I had a nice fish in the little town. I left early this morning with the idea of arriving at least in Choluteca, just before the border Honduras/Nicaragua. You know you are arriving at these borders when you have a pack of "licenciados" jumping in front of your wheel. And yes, I have become very good... I just put some more throttle and drive straight in front of the military/police that guard the building. Then I come slowly of the bike, take off my gear, and say in my best spanish that I need absolutely nadié para hacer los papelles. I honestly believe that coming in on big bike, kept together with ducktape, and your laundry and dirty shoes on the back seat, put a lot of respect. At least I do not feel and show like a sitting duck for the potential tugs hanging around. In Guatemala they asked if I had a TATTOOoooo. I said no, that is for people who are afraid and want to impress. I do not need a tattoo para mostrar que soy um hombre!!! Whaoooo. Anyway I have done on these days 2 mexican, 2 Guatemalteque, 2 Salvadorian, 2 hondurian and 1 nicaraguan border stops with all my gear on the bike, helmet hanging on the handle of the bike and nothing has been stolen, and nobody has tried to get money out of me, not even Honduras. In Honduras I went to the Pizza hut of Choluteca and had a wonderfull salad and soup. It was midday and a lot of well off hondurians came in, and I realized that these people had a much higher risk of getting car jacked or robbed, then I had. At least they are showing off a lot more wealth then that old men in his dirty jacket. On the +-100 km through Honduras I was stopped at least 6 times by police, but I suppose my passport put them off. I saw how all the drivers in the opposite directions putted wrinled banknotes in the fist of the police who did not even hide what the were doing. At 3h in the afternoon I arrived in Leon, one of the oldest colonial cities of Nicaragua. The american owner of the hostal where I'm staying told me to be very carefull tomorrow when going into Managua. So Annemie arrives tomorrow evening and I will go and get her with the shuttlle of the **** hotel that Jan reserved, so that parents and bike will be save. We will stay 1 week in Nicaragua before going to Costa Rica. I will not update anymore the blog on a regular base, but I will try to put pictures on picasa. Anyway the riding part of the journey is over for now. Tomorrow I will be a tourist.
5400 km. Today I got a very nice surprise : one of my best rding days. It´s true that the first 2 hours this morning where on the rough site, But once the traffic split in Esquintla, (guatemala city - Border El Salvador) the road improved drastically, there was no more traffic, no more tumules or topes (very agressive speedbumps) and the scenery was awesome, with the volcans at the left side of the road. Instead of 3 horrible hours to the border, as I was told in Reu, it was only half that time, and very relax rding. At the border everybody was really friendly. I cannot understand that there is so much violence in Guatemala while people are so friendly. After the border I met ADVrider "bouldergeek" and he told me that Honduras was not that bad. But it would take me 6 hours of border crossing for the 60km of honduras crossing. The riding became even more relaxed in El Salvador. Beautifull scenery, friendly people, good road. It gave me a really happy feeling when I left the main coastal road and headed into the mountains towards Apacena. Nothing of the fear about El Salvador that I had had in the last months was left. I had met a couple of Nicaraguan immigrants from Canada at the border in Mexico/guatemala and they did not want to cross El Salvador because of fear to be killed by carjackers. I am sitting in this cybercafé in this small village, people stare to me like I was an alien, but as soon as I salute them, a big smile appears. It´s now dark, and I still do not realize I am in this part of the world, my bike in the front of the store and in some minutes looking for a place to eat. Very few foreigners come here, and the only ones that come, come on a bike. If it was not for christmas and the kids, I could perfectly ride on to the south untill falling of the clifs in Tierra del Fuego. I am afraid only other fools like me can understand this.
5100 Km. Dirty and poor city. Full of guns. Even the police post on the main plaza is barricaded behind a load of sand bags. I am the only guest in an overpriced hotel. The highway in Mexico was beautifull, but the road in Guatemala terrible. I will try to be in El Salvator tonight. It will be the toughest ride of the journey, 7 hours of potholes and crazy drivers.
Did yesterday the tough road from Oaxaca to Puerto Angel. 240km in 6 hours. I thought it would never end, hundreds of very tide turns, fog, rain. Tropical mountains. Very similar to the Palenque -San Cristobal road. I slept in San Augustinho. It must have been a hell of a party that we made there 2 years because the owner of the cabanas recognized me immediately "el belga con los amigos ingleses". It's true that I recognized him too, like it was yesterday. And it´s true that I will not slightly forget these 3 days of fun, beer, pot and beach. You make sometimes encounters where it clicks imediately. It´s rare but that was one. In contrast, there was today a couple of americans on 2 kawasaki´s KLR. He came over and explained to me that I was riding some piece of junk, and that his bike was so much lighter, stronger, cheaper etc. It crossed my mind to explain to hime what kind of ugly woman he had brought with him, but the I thought no. Next day, she came over, wanting to know if I knew the cheapest way to cross the Darién gap: While talking she could not believe that I came from San Diego in 6 days. Being honnest she admitted that after 300 miles on their wonderbikes they were broken and it would take them more then double the time. Again I kept silent. Anyway I was not in for a party with them. I had to change all my plans because Antonio from the cabanas told me that it was no option to cross Honduras by now, because the political vacuum there left the military and the police completely free and they were collecting massively. Even the 60km through Honduras, coming from El Salvador will have to be "bought". I am now at 200km from the border and will cross tomorrow midday. I will probably spent 1 or 2 days in the west of El Salvador which seems not to be affected by the hurricane.
