Congratulations! Great writing! Great story!
I see myself in many things you wrote, hard to explain, you have to experience it yourself, right?
Did not know that you went through so much, especially when it comes to your relationship hard core tests! Very well done and inspiring that you should not throw the towel too early!
I WILL see you (again?) and if it has to be on the steelrat ; )!
Safe and fun rides to the both of you and good luck with the orange beast!

There was lots happening in our last week in Xela.

First was my birthday on the 7th May, we went out for tea with Juan and you all saw the pictures.

Second was the “Mother’s day.” Although it is 10th May, people celebrate all week long here. On my birthday morning I went to the gym, they are giving out roses to the mothers, they didn’t give it to me because I’m not a mother, but it was my birthday too. Never mind, I won’t compete with mothers on their day.

My teacher Dayma has two young children at school and they have school performance for the mothers. To attend the celebration, she has to change my morning class to the afternoon. It allowed Andi and I have free time together so we decided to go to Laguna Chicabel for a quick visit.

Laguna Chicabel is a crater lake which is about 20ks from Xela. We locked it into our GPS as close as we could and off we went on a beautiful Thursday Morning. We turned off the main road as the GPS pointed but we couldn’t find the sign as Juan told us to follow.

We stopped and asked three local woman, they pointed a road ahead to us and said it for “carminar” means walk, we asked if we can take our “moto” up, they smiled, laughed and then said “si”. So we went.





It was REALLY soft from the previous nights heavy rains



Andi wouldn’t want the hill any more steeper or longer as we were two up and I had to hop off the bike, not that I don’t trust him, I just don’t feel being on the bike was helping. Lucky we only stuck once near the top of the hill, and it took us both to push Maya out off the ditch.



I tired backing off to stop digging but the Mayan earth mover dug very quickly and within half a second was on her belly :eek1



We carried on that road not very long and it took us back to the main road into the park.That was a little adventure detour for this trip.



The first week of May is very significant for the local Mayans. They all went to Laguna Chicabel to have their ceremony before the winter. When we got there, there were people everywhere, they were letting off fire crackers, having BBQs, drinking and putting flowers and crosses in the water. It wasn’t as quiet as we thought, but we were very pleased to see all the ceremonies.











On the way back we tried to find the “Mirador” - the look out, we had to walk around the hill and finally found it. The view from the top was very nice, definitely worth the mucking around. It turned out if we came back from the lake took the steps it would lead us there straight there.



On the way up there was some mountain bikers making the most of it :clap



We could not have had a better day so someone above was on our side





Back at the normally quiet carpark it was like a toyota hilux convention



Then is the real celebration for Mothers day. The church started 3am in the morning, we heard the music, the singing then the fireworks.... BOOM and they went up, then it woke up the dogs, the chickens and everything else that was breathing including us.

I’m sure real mothers would like to get on with their sleep-ins but not in Guatemala. Anyway, the celebration carried on the whole day. We should really get into selling fire works business here, Guatemalans seems to love to blow up shit all the time... and they are BIG bangs .

It’s also our last day in Xela, we had our last tea in Utatlan. They bought a cake for me and another student who has his birthday on Saturday, so I have a birthday cake in Xela. That was very nice. Thank you Utatlan, you make our time in Xela very memorable, we had six students in our home that day, time to leave.

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

Heya mate

Yeah I think RTW traveller appreciate it a little more eh,

We will definately catch up no worries there.

Now go fix ya scoota !!!

Cheers Andi

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

Hi Andy just think Bro, ya get home and soon ya plan for the next one
and do it all over again, catch you and Ellen on the road some day,
cheers. Roger.

great photo's ,always enjoy.

Heya Roger

Already planning the next one ... will definitely catch you somewhere ... maybe in OZ?

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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 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

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

An uneventful ride once out of central Managua then a short open road trip to Granada, arriving there it was hot and sticky, Ellen set to looking for a place to stay, seems to be popular place with a lot of hotels and hostel booked out.

We finally found a place that was a reasonable cost and had a swimming pool so Ellen was sold on that.



Getting Maya into the lobby was tight with about 5 -10 mm on each side of the cases, there was also a swarm of little bikes in reception too so there was some shuffling done.

The local market was in full swing and close by so we took my broken boot for a repair job and I bought a new shoelace for my hat as it had decayed and died, also my gruds are 15 months of getting a thrashing were getting thin so both Ellen and I bought two new ones each with the imminent biff out of the old one close.

One of the hostel owners with an employee



Ganada cento is very nice and much like Antigua, Guatemala



The Tree House

Leaving Granada we only travelled 9 km to our next destination the Poste Rojo (Red Post Hostel) otherwise known as the treehouse.

We found our way there and took the final 200 meter climb amidst a ball of sweat in riding gear.

We just got in and sorted and the regular afternoon thunderstorms chased us under cover, the howler monkeys sitting in the trees not thinking much of their afternoon wash all went quiet for a while, we have about 8 -10 of them in the trees above us.

For a small monkey they can make a lot of noise.

The access road in



The bar



Some signage



We met a Kiwi girl Lou at the hostel, although from Auckland which is not part of New Zealand she almost seemed ok, it was really cool to hear some Kiwi lingo and speak Kiwi lingo without get a blank look back at us.



The house


Sunset



The following day was our assault on Volcan Mombacho, Lou (nicknamed Kiwi) was heading to Masaya so we all walked together to her bus then we left to the Volcan, while walking into a tienda (corner store) a dog came running out and went for me, I had already prepped my sticks for the big walk so as quick as a flash I managed to swipe the dog clean under the chin and judging by the sound it made and the squeal that followed he was not impressed and backed off immediately which I was happy about to be honest, didn’t fancy a rabies trip to the docs .

Narrowly avoiding dog issues it was about 6 km to the top of the Volcan and the top section is very steep and quite a grunt so we both were dripping wet only half way up.



The walk around the top was the easy bit and like all of Centro America there was fud available at the top so we refueled us and continued, unfortunately with the cloud the views were somewhat restricted but that is the way it is.

It was windy at the view point



Stunning scenery in the rain forest



A rock crevase



Coming down I dreaded the long clunk down, we managed to score a ride down on the back of a ute gratis, they charge $15 US for a ride up and back so it should have cost us $7.50 each ... we spent that on Rum that night!!

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

Guy's as i'm home with the man flu ,really enjoyed catching up again with your travels,Only a kiwi would get the Auckland jibe,Wonderful story /photo's as always.

Greetings from Antarctica!

It's great to see your ride report covering many of the areas that I experienced in 2009.

I loved Granada and other areas in Nicaragua. Enjoy.

Perhaps we'll run into each other in South America in October/November timeframe.

i'm bouldergeek on ADV, too.