1-13-10 Rio Dulce, Guatemala

First off, remember Charlie, who I rode with in Mexico? Well, Charlie hit a calf (yes, as in small cow) on his bike.  You might want to see this.... http://www.wanderlustride.com/ 



We took off from Tikal while still early and decided to go to Semuc Champey which we understood was a series of turquoise pools separated by falls with a few hot springs thrown in as well. Something that sounded worth our time especially as it was located in a more remote part of Guatemala and would thus have a low gringo-count.

Just outside of Tikal we passed two other riders, clearly not from the area on two well-farkled BMW 650s.  Both parties stopped and rode back toward each other where we talked for quite some time.  They were a German couple who had been riding around the world since 2007 (making my little trip seem like a weekend jaunt).  Their favorite place thus far has been Mongolia, might need to check that out.  Neither of us had seen other riders in a few weeks so it was nice to get some info from a motorcyclists standpoint on the area.  One of the most pressing topics was how we would cross the Darien Gap from Panama to South America as there are no roads running through the FARC-controlled jungle.  Also, the husband was having issues with his suspension. He was running a prototype rear suspension which he'd blown a total of 4 times in the 135,000 km trip.  I think I'll be sticking with my current suspension, thank you.

Luis and I made good time heading south and decided we would hit Semuc Champey briefly then carry on to Antigua, my home for a month last year.  As usual, though, we had a difficult time predicting how long it would take us to get somewhere as the map doesn't do much to show how curvy or straight the road is.  Sometimes we can run around 90 mph, others we're held to under 30 mph, traffic changes things all together.

We stopped at a little comedor for a bite and quickly asked the waitress, "What do you have to eat" which might seem a bit rude but it's not, as these places don't have menus and their selection changes daily.  The rule of thumb in Latin America is to not eat beef when possible as it's, well, terrible.  I chose a nice bbq chicken and talked to some well-armed guys about the way to Semuc while waiting who assured us it was just down the road. 

After our gut-busting $2 meal we set out again, having to lean back from the handlebars a bit to accomodate what felt like a small child inside of me.  We cruised down the road another hour, longer than we thought we should have, as we knew a critical junction was ahead.  I talked to a boy of maybe 10 years who assured me that I was going the right way so we kept riding. 

We soon realized that we wouldn't be making it to Antigua this night, so we'd just camp out at Semuc.  First we needed some supplies and stopped by one of the many tiendas along the road.  These are almost identical in all of Latin America.  They sell few perishables, lots of Fanta and Coke, semi-fresh bread, unrefrigerated eggs, boxed milk, cookies, dried shrimp, canned delights, etc. 

I asked the girl working there where we were exactly and she named off some obscure town so I asked her how far it was to Semuc Champey. We were expecting to be about an hour away and were looking forward to a good soak in the springs.  She gazed at the ceiling and took a deep breath before saying that it was very, very far.  This didn't worry us at first as here 'very, very far' can mean that it would take a long time to walk there, perhaps a long trek en burro, certainly not a problem for our iron horses.

I pulled out my map and though she didn't see her litle village, she knew that we were only a few clicks from Rio Dulce which was tucked against the Honduran border near the Carribean, clearly not where we thought we were.

There was clearly no sense in trying to backtrack to Semuc Champey for the night as there would be cheap hostels in Rio Dulce.  We thanked the girl and bought a few dusty liters of water before heading down the down the road again.

Once at Rio Dulce we rode over an enormous bridge and putted around by the water when we came across a fantastic hostel situated on the bank of the 2km wide river.  The hostel looked to have been a warehouse at one time with several floors rising up, none of which were walled off.  We were on the top floor where we could see all the framing above which was done in a very creative fashion.

Not long after arriving I ran into a girl who I studied Spanish with in Antigua in the spring.  We chatted for a while and came to find out that she splits her time between volunteering at an orphanage and binging on cocaine.  So yeah, on average she's doing just fine, right?

Luis and I walked around what few establishments were nearby and came upon a hardware store where we were in search of machetes for wrangling coconuts.  We left with no machetes but rather a can of condensed milk and 4 hose clamps (the third sibbling to duct tape and bailing wire when it comes to non-traditional repairs).  Luis has a very, very strange obsession with condensed milk, he puts it on fruit or bread or in his coffee or drinks it straight.  He often times has a can wedged between his gauge panel and windshield for mid-ride refueling.  Luis usually buys the little cans but always gets excited when he finds th e squeeze variety as it travels much better.  He asks me at stops, "Quieres energia?" (...want some energy?) before taking a shot then tossing it to me.  Sometimes I pass, but the stuff is kinda good.

While on the subject of Luis, I realize I haven't divulged much about the guy.  He's in his early 40s but looks half that.  He was born and raised in Venezuela where he earned a degree in computer engineering which landed him a job in the oil/gas industry that bored him terribly.  He then moved to Vancouver, BC some 15 years ago and has since worked as a singer and salsa teacher and motorcycle mechanic and tour guide.  He's a phenomenal salsa dancer. Simply incredible.  In Mexico I saw him dacing with a girl who he had just met minutes earlier when he folded her in half backwards then dropped her before catching her by the neck with his heel which he then used to kick her back to her feet with (all of which he meant to do, or so it seemed).

He's a very good photographer and takes many pictures which he has got me in the habit of doing now.  I give him my helmet-cam video in exchange for his photos, everybody wins.

We had originally planned to ride just a few days together and split up at San Cristobal as he had planned to reach Costa Rica by early January where he'd leave his bike with a friend before returning to Vancouver to work for a few months.  However, at the last minute he decided to ride with me on my rough itinerary (which has happened several times since).

Luis always wakes up early and walks around outside in the dark before waking me up with some strange statement followed by several minutes of some story.  It's never the same.  "Have you tried oil additives because I have and really think they work well."