There she blows

I should be careful what I wish for because in yesterdays post I was stating how I am going to have to find another active volcano to climb to find lava. Well it seems I will not have to go so far after all.

It seems that old El Fuego just outside of Antigua has decided to blow off some steam! I did not feel the explosion as some did, but I was wondering why all of a sudden my school books and hair (my classes are outside) were being covered with volcanic ash.

Never a dull moment thats for sure...................

Marshmallows on a Mountain

Top of Volcano Pacaya

As usual this adventure is full of firsts. This little excursion outside of Antigua to the Volcano Pacaya was no exception. It included a bus ride halfway up the mountain followed by a steep 3.5 kilometre hike to the top.

Modelling the latest in volcano attire

Once on the top we were disappointed to see that the Lava was not flowing, but we were still able to toast marshmallows on the fissures. Lets just say the fissures were slightly hotter than your typical bonfire you would roast marshmallows on at the lake.

Unfortunately I wanted to see live lava flowing, so guess who has to hike up another damn mountain again in the near future. Should not be hard to find one since I will be following a chain of volcanos when driving south to the end of the continent.

It's shocking

Ok, one thing that is far and few between in Central America are hot showers. So the contraption you see below is both a blessing and suicide. As you can see they have no fear of mixing electricity with water.

This baby erred on the side of suicide. When I went to take a shower I turned on the water then stepped inside and flipped the switch. Alls good right? Well not so because as soon as I decided to go adjust the water flow ZAP!

Now you have to remember if this was a woman taking a shower, she would have enough sense not to touch the tap again before shutting off the switch. Well I am not a women, and being a man (aka little boy inside) I just had to test if I really did get zapped the first time or if I was imagining it.

So there I am standing in a puddle of water buck naked with all my glory hanging out and I just need to touch that tap again ZAP! It reminds me of being a kid and sticking my tongue to a frozen metal pole. Even before you do it you know it is going to stick because at least one of your buddies tried it before you, but you still do it anyway.

I know the guys are laughing because they know it is true and the women are shacking their heads.

When will we learn ladies...................

Welcome to Antigua, GT

Central street with volcano Aqua in background

I believe the picture alone speaks to the beauty of Antigua. I was originally only supposed to stay a few days and then move on to San Pedro for more spanish lessons. But due to its closeness to Guatemala city (where I needed to get my bike serviced and buy a new laptop) it seemed the smart choice.

 I am back in spanish school for two weeks, but this time with a twist. I am actually living with a local Guatemalan family. The idea is to immerse yourself with the culture and language as much as possible to increase you ability to converse. So each day I wake up and sit down with the family for three meals or watch television and talk only in spanish.

School is different than what we are used to back home. If we have too many students we just build a bigger school, but that is not possible in Antigua for various reasons. So students have the option of choosing to attend classes in the morning, afternoon or at night (I believe attending afternoon only classes would be a dream come true to most teenagers back home). It is not uncommon to see marching bands parading through the streets practicing throughout the day.

And finally the famous Antigua chicken buses. The babies are school buses all decked out not only in paint a chrome, but the engines and chassises are all modified. The buses can fly and are not afraid to do so, just get out of there way. They are called chicken buses because they cram as many people in as possible, just like a chicken coop.

Bikes Rule

As great as riding a bike may be there has been one thorn in my side throughout the trip. And that is finding a place to stay for myself that also has secure parking for the motorcycle.

It becomes a challenge of patience as you drive blindly around a new city or town trying to find reasonably priced and habitable accommodations with secure parking. Finding secure parking can be a challenge since the majority of the towns and cities are early colonial and do not have proper parking. It is not unusual to find yourself removing the panniers of your bike so you can drive up a set of stairs or ramp to get the bike through the door and into the hotel lobby (in Central/South America bikes rule and you can pretty much drive and park where you want).

The below picture is of a hotel we finally found that could accommodate the bikes. What you don't see is no more than 10 feet away is a group of people praying in front of an alter. It seems this hotel also doubles as a church.

Slip sliding away

I will admit I was warned that in order to get to Semuc  Champey the road would be very steep and slippery and that I should think twice about going especially during the rainy season. But for some reason I have an attraction to beautiful watering holes in the middle of know where. If you saw my earlier video of the route taken to get to an infinity pool at the top of a mountain in Mexico. How could going down a jungle road with two overweighted bikes in the middle of the rainy season be any worse. And besides I have my new riding partner George to drag along with me.

One down

Two down

As you can see from the above pictures it was pretty much a skating rink and it took quite a bit of skill and concentration to keep the wheels down. But we did make it and once again it was worth the effort.

Semuc Champey is a series of aqua blue pools that cascade down the mountain into a river. You even get the added bonus of a pedicure at the same time while you stand in the pools as they are filled with little fish that are hell bent on cleaning your feet. I think you pay big bucks for this in Japan!

The Road Less Traveled (Flores to Semuc Champey)

I remember early on saying one of the best things about travelling is the people you meet. Since I hit Belize I have started to run into other adventure riders and it seems to be snowballing. My friends list is now starting to look like the United Nations and does not look like it will stop anytime soon.

While in Flores I had the opportunity to have dinner with a great couple from Holland (Branko & Ingrid) who are also adventure riders and are working their way south as well. They were kind enough to put me in contact with Georg from Switzerland who is also riding solo and was stopping over for a night in Flores.

Well after a few drinks that night I convinced Georg to follow me to Semuc Champey (he is now probably reconsidering how smart his decision was to follow me). But we had one of the best riding days with some amazing roads and views in the back country.

Waiting for a ferry

Fred and Black Beauty on a back road

Break time

Look up way up

Tikal Peten, GT

I usually like to keep my posts brief, as I know the majority of my readers have short attention spans like myself. So I will also try and put it in the best chronological order I can for the past two weeks.

Tucan in Tikal National Park

• Laptop: No news to report other than I am waiting for insurance to receive my documentation for approval. And if you are ahead of the ball you will have figured out that since I am blogging again I must have purchased a new computer.
• I finished my two week stint in Spanish school while in Flores and am now slightly better than a two year old in Spanish. I have realized my brain is extremely challenged when it comes too languages.
• A must see while in Flores are the ruins of Tikal. They are by far the most impressive ruins I have seen so far. The ruins are nestled deep in the jungle of Guatemala and they are not even close to excavating half of the site

The laptop saga continues

Once you stay in a town for a while you start to be considered a local. I have been in Flores for 10 days now and am meeting more and more of the locals. Today I was told in ´´confidence´´ by a local that he was talking to the hotel owner who said she knows who stole my laptop. She said she strongly believes it was an ex employee of the hotel.

My confidant asked her why she has not told the police¿ (upside down question mark another joy of using a spanish compuer keyboard). Her response was it is way to dangerous as they would kill her. I swear you just can´t make this shit up.

Sounds like I may be able to write a suspense novel by the end of my trip. And as long as I do not become the victim in the novel.

Another spanish keyboard tidbit. Did you know in order to get the @ symbol you need to hit the ALT key + 64 or ALT  Q. The first time I must of spent 15 minutes trying to figure out how to get that symbol.

Things you learn on the road.................

Laptop Stolen

Just a quick headsup if wondering why the blog will be lacking pictures and posts for a while. I had my laptop stolen out of my hotel room on Monday. From what I am hearing after talking to variuos business owners it is a rampant problem in Gautemala (robberies). It is a problem for both the tourists and locals I have been told.

Trying to make a police report in a foreign language has become an education in pure patience for me. It has solidified even more why I need to continue with spanish school. I also now get to deal with an insurance company across the world trying to make a claim OH JOY OH JOY..............

I have asked the locals if they think the police will find my laptop and they laughed.They said if they do find it they will just keep it for themselves. SCREWED EITHER WAY .

Bottom line it is one of the risks of travel and I will deal with it..................time for another cervaza

Flores

Prior to leaving for Guatemala I needed to make a decision where I wanted to take my spanish courses. I chose Flores since it is a beautiful little island connected by a causeway from the mainland town of St.Elena.

The island itself is surrounded by the third largest lake in Central America. The majority of the island is paved with cobble stone roads and consist of hotels and restaurants found in colonial style buildings.

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A large part of its charm for me is the lake itself. You can find public docks around the island where people just lay back and read a book, suntan or go for a swim. I have spent numerous days on these docks talking to fellow travellers bringing back memories of being back home at the lake.

Flores, GT

It is well known that Guatemala is the place to learn Spanish and students come from all over the world to study for the summer. Since my attempt to communicate in Mexico was limited at best, I decide it would be to my benefit to sign up for classes.  So prior to enrolling the teacher decided to test me to see what level of comprehension I was at.

After she reviewed my test she handed me the below notebook. As you can tell from the outside cover I believe my intelligence level of spanish came in just above a sea snail.

                                               Can't wait to get my first gold star sticker!

Guatemala Border Crossing

After crossing my fourth border the fear and nervousness that once existed has now been replaced by the intrigue of what new challenges will arise. If I can offer any advice it would be to do your  research on the specific border in preparation for the crossing.

Guatemala Immigration and Customs

Their are two specific areas where this tidbit can be helpful:

1) Money exchangers >  They can be found on both sides of a border so you have a lot  of opportunities to exchange your old money for the new currency. Traditionally these exchangers should offer a rate better or equal to the bank. Check the exchange rate on-line prior to arrival as some will try and rip you off!

Here is how I handled the last shady exchanger. The current Guatemala rate was 1 USA dollar for 7.7 Q and when approached by an exchanger I asked right away "what is your best rate". He said 7Q for 1 U.S. and I said "sorry you lose and walked away" as he begged and upped his rate. I then proceeded to a group of exchangers and said "who wants my business and don't insult me with an offer of 7Q"! They flocked to me like seagulls on a dead fish and I got my rate of 7.7Q.

2) Entry/Exit fees > Know what the OFFICIAL fees are. Guatemala does not have an official entry fee, but I did hear that immigration will tell you there is a 20Q fee. And true to form I watched one tourist after another pay the 20Q fee while waiting in line. When it became my turn I handed my passport over to be stamped and then was asked for the 20Q. I responded in a very kind voice "sure but I will require an official receipt for that" and instantly my passport was stamped and she waved me aside for the next sucker.