Both got a reasonable nights sleep and slowly came too. The hotel room was quite small but the shower area was massive, about 1.5m x 1.5m, and the water was warm enough for a change (The first warm shower that seemed like the first time ever).
Originally we’d planned to go straight across Guatemala to Honduras or Belize and take in any tourist attractions along the way, however Mike noticed a town called Livingstone up in the North East which had some significantly interesting attractions on a boat cruise into jungle areas. After some more discussion and map consultation we found that Livingstone actually made a better route to our destination in Honduras where we hope to learn to dive, and so we agreed that was where we should head for.
We set off a bit later than ideal but were soon making good progress on excellent mountain roads-the scenery was inspiring and all was going very well….until we hit some road works !
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/9242957/129466951.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
Road re-dusting...
We had to wait an hour before we could continue driving, and when we all did, as there was now a queue, it was like the start of Wacky Races, everybody is our for themselves !! As soon as there was a hint from the guy controlling the traffic everybody ran and I do mean ran back to their vehicles. As soon as he went for the cones the traffic started to move. In the mirrors we could see a 4x4 trying to overtake us. A bus was trying to overtake him and a delivery truck with two sets of wheels up on the banking at the side of the road was trying to overtake the bus!!!!!! You just have to get in there, claim your spot and stand up for it. Dust was flying everywhere but you just have to hang on to the memory of the bit of road you saw a few minutes ago or try and see the vehicle in front, neither were particularly easy !!
Waiting for the off...
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<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/9242957/129467077.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
We were still on mountain roads and the roads were in a partially dug/worked state for about 20 miles, there was large gravel sections, mud, water, dust-you just didn’t know what to expect next.
We got to our town where we expected to find a hotel, but there were none. We asked a few locals and got differing advice, one told Mike that we needed to go back the way we’d come, whilst another told me there was one a mile down the road. So we went with mine but we couldn’t find it anywhere and so we continued on the road to Livingstone, only to discover more road works.
This time when we were stopped, the buses loaded in front and behind us seemed to be very interested in our bikes and so within a few minutes were pretty well surrounded. The crowd were good natured though and seemed to enjoy a few jokes at our expense. By the time the traffic did get moving again in true Wacky Races style, it was starting to get dark which added to the excitement !!!.
We had no idea where we would sleep or eat tonight and started to talk about the possibility of camping or asking to sleep in some-bodies barn etc. I saw a sign for a Hacienda which can sometimes mean a Hotel, and Mike could see a town not much further than 15km’s away on the GPS and so we tried to settle our hopes for the night on that. We got to the town and within a few minutes, had seen the Hotel Casablanca !!……We whooped with delight, and were met by a good humoured Landlady a few minutes later who did have a room. It didn’t have any great comforts but it had a bed and a TV, and that was enough for us !!
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/9242957/129465626.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
Nirvana for the night...
We wandered into town look for a Comodor, which is basically a dining room constituting a few tables and chairs. They tend to have a few meal options, normally chicken, some red meat or something else. We couldn’t find one and so I asked a passer-by. He took us to a restaurant a block or so away and as we walked in we could hardly believe our eyes. It was a really nice restaurant which wouldn’t have looked our of place on the mountain of an Austrian ski resort. We both opted for their house hamburger as we’d seen enough chicken for one day and we hadn’t had one for a while ! It was pretty good and we washed it down with a couple of Guatemalan specials brews.
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The oasis...
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Preparing to leave...
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Through the local town...
The next morning we were up early with the intention of getting to Livingstone for our boat trip. The estimated distance was 175 miles but based on yesterdays progress, we knew this could take a very long time. We shared the breakfast table with an elderly Swiss chap at the same restaurant as last night and he kindly let us look at his map as we still hadn’t been able to obtain one. It helped us getting a better idea of the route options we had. We set off after breakfast back onto our bumpy track and this became a very narrow road at points following the curvature of the surrounding hills and mountains. It is impossible to put in writing or perhaps even in a photo what it was like following this road but there sections where it was steep covered in loose and fixed rocks, others where it was semi-dried mud, others where there were pot holes everywhere, and others again where it was large diameter gravel. The bikes bounced and bucked along, either temporarily delayed by a slow lorry full of rocks selected for some project or a lorry with a few workmen trailing a huge cable drum on an axle, or by an oncoming minibus, lorry or truck.
At points it was frightening, one misplaced front wheel on a rut and we would have been over the edge-there are no second chances on these roads. To be fair to the Guatemalans, on these roads, all the drivers we met were considerate and tended to help us get by them if it was in their power to do so.
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One of many trucks on route...
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/9242957/129467521.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
The local bus
We stopped after 2 hours for a drink as the riding had been hard on us physically and mentally. Mike did a few sums and worked out that we were averaging about 12mph, which is about the same speed as a Marathon runner.
A quick break from the dust...
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<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/9242957/129465056.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
If the drivers on these rough roads were considerate, the same could not be said of some of their ashfelt road driving though, albeit they do use their indicators and hazard warning lights far more appropriately than the Mexicans who seemed to think thy were more ornamental than functional. Their main habit/fault, is overtaking on blind bends and cutting corners, so you may well find yourself facing the front of a lorry, minibus or car and we did on a number of occasions.
However, all this pails into insignificance when measured against a couple in a car that I came across this afternoon.
Picture this:
I was going along at a decent pace on the tail of a lorry waiting to overtake, when up on his left hand side a car comes along with the passenger offering me a bottle of water, which I decline….whilst this is going on, the couple in the car realise that they are now facing oncoming traffic, so they overtake me and cut me up to avoid an accident!! They then move on my right side-this time the driver, no doubt under the impression that I MUST be suffering from dehydration, starts to offer me the bottle of water from his window. I continues to resist. When they do finally turn off the road they wave to me like good old friends.
I, meanwhile, could only think of the benefits of carrying a gun. 
All this happened after we had decided to opt for a longer route to Livingstone but on paved roads.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/9242957/129465514.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
A little dust?
The route wasn’t that inspiring but we did make good progress and finally got to Rio Dulce, the opposite end of the lake to Livingstone by about 6:30. We found a more upmarket Hotel at about £25 for the night, but the room didn’t have hot water, which struck us as a bit odd. Oh well, we were tired and the location suited us quite well. Not long after settling into the room the rains started to come down with a vengeance.
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A quick shower
The next morning we decided to change hotels as the current one is too expensive. We have a quick look around and decided on the Backpackers which was on the waterfront and much cheaper.
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Back packers
We couldn’t check in until later so we decided to ride through the town on the other side of the bridge then on for a while to kill time. My bike had the fuel light up for some time, but Mikes still wasn’t on. Also mine had been playing up and coming on for no reason for some time so I decided to ignore it. You guessed, I ran out of fuel. So our leisurely jaunt turned out to be me sitting by the road whilst Mike went for more fuel. By the time he came back it was time to move into the new hostel.
The room on the hostel was built on stilts on the water and was accessed via a wooden walkway. It was good to be on the water because it reduced the temperature which was fairly humid.
Once settled we wandered back over the bridge to find a tour to take us up the river Rio Dulce to Livingston. After wandering around for a bit we found a place that would pick us up from the hostel so after sitting out a long lunch through another major rain storm we booked the trip.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/9242957/129466668.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
Rio Dulce town centre
We were awake fairly early as all the locals are up and moving by sunrise. As we are on the river we are woken up by the constant passing of the two stroke outboard motors and all the associated yelling at each other
Today is our trip down the river from Rio Dulce to Livingston. The Lonely Planet rates this as one of its must see tours so we are all set in anticipation. When we booked the trip salesman says we will be picked up at 9 so we were all fed and watered before then.
Mike fished the ticket out of the wallet and this said 9:30. So we sat back waiting for the boat. Good job we were early as it turned up at 9:15 and promptly took us back to his original quay where more people loaded and we were soon off on the trip.
The first stop was an old Spanish fort on the lake. Not much to look at then we returned past the original quay and stopped again where we were told to change boats. This over, we set off again to only go just where we had been picked up to refuel.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/9242957/129465424.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
Water front gas station...
Then we set off only to stop a few hundred yards up shore where we waited again and more people got on board. By now an hour had gone and we could still see our lodgings!!! The boat finally set off at top speed as the rain started. Being well prepared travellers we left our waterproofs on the bikes so we got rather wet.
The boat only stopped briefly at some birds on an island, some water lilies growing wild at the side of a lake, drop some people off and at an oil pumping depot where a number of gulls sat in a line on the rigging. Then it was full speed to Livingston.
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Rio Dulce...
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Heron pre - take off...
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Heron in flight
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We travel all this way and still can't park for free!!!
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Water lillies
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Clear for take off...
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All the ducks lined up in a row...
The promised 3 hr trip was completed in 2.5 hrs including the 1hr delay!!! On the boat we met two Canadian guys (Dan and Dan) and arranged to have lunch in Livingston together and a quick tour before the boat took us back to Rio Dulce.
Livingston was one street with restaurants and a few touristy shops. We walked end to end at a very leisurely pace in about 20 mins so stopped for a coffee whilst waiting for the boat to get ready to depart. Dan & Dan, two Guatemalans and ourselves were the only ones on the return trip.
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Boat at Livingstone
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On the beach in Livingstone
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For Sale... sold as new, one careful owner, garaged!!!
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You don't get finishing like that these days...
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A shop front in Livingstone...
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Palm Trees... a couple of the thousands we have seen on our way down...
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Ooow young man....
The return trip did not stop, nor did the rain!!! As it was the same as before it was rather boring… So boring Mike fell asleep. For us the trip was a disappointment.
Before we left we arranged to meet Dan & Dan for dinner. In the mean time I had some checks to do on the bike (Tyre pressures etc) and Mike settled down to complete another Web update. Bikes and Web all sorted and prepared we met the Dan’s for a pleasant evening meal before retiring early. The Dan’s had to be on the 05:45 bus back to Guatemala City and we had to be up and ready for he Honduran Boarder.
The lodging had been really quiet the previous night and this was the reason why we decided to stay. Not tonight!!! The bar stayed open playing music until 12:30. Great when we knew we would be woken up at 6:30 by the locals.
John
Originally we’d planned to go straight across Guatemala to Honduras or Belize and take in any tourist attractions along the way, however Mike noticed a town called Livingstone up in the North East which had some significantly interesting attractions on a boat cruise into jungle areas. After some more discussion and map consultation we found that Livingstone actually made a better route to our destination in Honduras where we hope to learn to dive, and so we agreed that was where we should head for.
We set off a bit later than ideal but were soon making good progress on excellent mountain roads-the scenery was inspiring and all was going very well….until we hit some road works !
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/9242957/129466951.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
Road re-dusting...
We had to wait an hour before we could continue driving, and when we all did, as there was now a queue, it was like the start of Wacky Races, everybody is our for themselves !! As soon as there was a hint from the guy controlling the traffic everybody ran and I do mean ran back to their vehicles. As soon as he went for the cones the traffic started to move. In the mirrors we could see a 4x4 trying to overtake us. A bus was trying to overtake him and a delivery truck with two sets of wheels up on the banking at the side of the road was trying to overtake the bus!!!!!! You just have to get in there, claim your spot and stand up for it. Dust was flying everywhere but you just have to hang on to the memory of the bit of road you saw a few minutes ago or try and see the vehicle in front, neither were particularly easy !!
Waiting for the off...
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<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/9242957/129467077.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
We were still on mountain roads and the roads were in a partially dug/worked state for about 20 miles, there was large gravel sections, mud, water, dust-you just didn’t know what to expect next.
We got to our town where we expected to find a hotel, but there were none. We asked a few locals and got differing advice, one told Mike that we needed to go back the way we’d come, whilst another told me there was one a mile down the road. So we went with mine but we couldn’t find it anywhere and so we continued on the road to Livingstone, only to discover more road works.
This time when we were stopped, the buses loaded in front and behind us seemed to be very interested in our bikes and so within a few minutes were pretty well surrounded. The crowd were good natured though and seemed to enjoy a few jokes at our expense. By the time the traffic did get moving again in true Wacky Races style, it was starting to get dark which added to the excitement !!!.
We had no idea where we would sleep or eat tonight and started to talk about the possibility of camping or asking to sleep in some-bodies barn etc. I saw a sign for a Hacienda which can sometimes mean a Hotel, and Mike could see a town not much further than 15km’s away on the GPS and so we tried to settle our hopes for the night on that. We got to the town and within a few minutes, had seen the Hotel Casablanca !!……We whooped with delight, and were met by a good humoured Landlady a few minutes later who did have a room. It didn’t have any great comforts but it had a bed and a TV, and that was enough for us !!
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/9242957/129465626.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
Nirvana for the night...
We wandered into town look for a Comodor, which is basically a dining room constituting a few tables and chairs. They tend to have a few meal options, normally chicken, some red meat or something else. We couldn’t find one and so I asked a passer-by. He took us to a restaurant a block or so away and as we walked in we could hardly believe our eyes. It was a really nice restaurant which wouldn’t have looked our of place on the mountain of an Austrian ski resort. We both opted for their house hamburger as we’d seen enough chicken for one day and we hadn’t had one for a while ! It was pretty good and we washed it down with a couple of Guatemalan specials brews.
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The oasis...
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Preparing to leave...
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Through the local town...
The next morning we were up early with the intention of getting to Livingstone for our boat trip. The estimated distance was 175 miles but based on yesterdays progress, we knew this could take a very long time. We shared the breakfast table with an elderly Swiss chap at the same restaurant as last night and he kindly let us look at his map as we still hadn’t been able to obtain one. It helped us getting a better idea of the route options we had. We set off after breakfast back onto our bumpy track and this became a very narrow road at points following the curvature of the surrounding hills and mountains. It is impossible to put in writing or perhaps even in a photo what it was like following this road but there sections where it was steep covered in loose and fixed rocks, others where it was semi-dried mud, others where there were pot holes everywhere, and others again where it was large diameter gravel. The bikes bounced and bucked along, either temporarily delayed by a slow lorry full of rocks selected for some project or a lorry with a few workmen trailing a huge cable drum on an axle, or by an oncoming minibus, lorry or truck.
At points it was frightening, one misplaced front wheel on a rut and we would have been over the edge-there are no second chances on these roads. To be fair to the Guatemalans, on these roads, all the drivers we met were considerate and tended to help us get by them if it was in their power to do so.
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One of many trucks on route...
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The local bus
We stopped after 2 hours for a drink as the riding had been hard on us physically and mentally. Mike did a few sums and worked out that we were averaging about 12mph, which is about the same speed as a Marathon runner.
A quick break from the dust...
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<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/9242957/129465056.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
If the drivers on these rough roads were considerate, the same could not be said of some of their ashfelt road driving though, albeit they do use their indicators and hazard warning lights far more appropriately than the Mexicans who seemed to think thy were more ornamental than functional. Their main habit/fault, is overtaking on blind bends and cutting corners, so you may well find yourself facing the front of a lorry, minibus or car and we did on a number of occasions.
However, all this pails into insignificance when measured against a couple in a car that I came across this afternoon.
Picture this:
I was going along at a decent pace on the tail of a lorry waiting to overtake, when up on his left hand side a car comes along with the passenger offering me a bottle of water, which I decline….whilst this is going on, the couple in the car realise that they are now facing oncoming traffic, so they overtake me and cut me up to avoid an accident!! They then move on my right side-this time the driver, no doubt under the impression that I MUST be suffering from dehydration, starts to offer me the bottle of water from his window. I continues to resist. When they do finally turn off the road they wave to me like good old friends.
I, meanwhile, could only think of the benefits of carrying a gun. All this happened after we had decided to opt for a longer route to Livingstone but on paved roads.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/9242957/129465514.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
A little dust?
The route wasn’t that inspiring but we did make good progress and finally got to Rio Dulce, the opposite end of the lake to Livingstone by about 6:30. We found a more upmarket Hotel at about £25 for the night, but the room didn’t have hot water, which struck us as a bit odd. Oh well, we were tired and the location suited us quite well. Not long after settling into the room the rains started to come down with a vengeance.
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A quick shower
The next morning we decided to change hotels as the current one is too expensive. We have a quick look around and decided on the Backpackers which was on the waterfront and much cheaper.
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Back packers
We couldn’t check in until later so we decided to ride through the town on the other side of the bridge then on for a while to kill time. My bike had the fuel light up for some time, but Mikes still wasn’t on. Also mine had been playing up and coming on for no reason for some time so I decided to ignore it. You guessed, I ran out of fuel. So our leisurely jaunt turned out to be me sitting by the road whilst Mike went for more fuel. By the time he came back it was time to move into the new hostel.
The room on the hostel was built on stilts on the water and was accessed via a wooden walkway. It was good to be on the water because it reduced the temperature which was fairly humid.
Once settled we wandered back over the bridge to find a tour to take us up the river Rio Dulce to Livingston. After wandering around for a bit we found a place that would pick us up from the hostel so after sitting out a long lunch through another major rain storm we booked the trip.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/9242957/129466668.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
Rio Dulce town centre
We were awake fairly early as all the locals are up and moving by sunrise. As we are on the river we are woken up by the constant passing of the two stroke outboard motors and all the associated yelling at each other
Today is our trip down the river from Rio Dulce to Livingston. The Lonely Planet rates this as one of its must see tours so we are all set in anticipation. When we booked the trip salesman says we will be picked up at 9 so we were all fed and watered before then.
Mike fished the ticket out of the wallet and this said 9:30. So we sat back waiting for the boat. Good job we were early as it turned up at 9:15 and promptly took us back to his original quay where more people loaded and we were soon off on the trip.
The first stop was an old Spanish fort on the lake. Not much to look at then we returned past the original quay and stopped again where we were told to change boats. This over, we set off again to only go just where we had been picked up to refuel.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/9242957/129465424.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
Water front gas station...
Then we set off only to stop a few hundred yards up shore where we waited again and more people got on board. By now an hour had gone and we could still see our lodgings!!! The boat finally set off at top speed as the rain started. Being well prepared travellers we left our waterproofs on the bikes so we got rather wet.
The boat only stopped briefly at some birds on an island, some water lilies growing wild at the side of a lake, drop some people off and at an oil pumping depot where a number of gulls sat in a line on the rigging. Then it was full speed to Livingston.
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Rio Dulce...
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Heron pre - take off...
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Heron in flight
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We travel all this way and still can't park for free!!!
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Water lillies
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Clear for take off...
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All the ducks lined up in a row...
The promised 3 hr trip was completed in 2.5 hrs including the 1hr delay!!! On the boat we met two Canadian guys (Dan and Dan) and arranged to have lunch in Livingston together and a quick tour before the boat took us back to Rio Dulce.
Livingston was one street with restaurants and a few touristy shops. We walked end to end at a very leisurely pace in about 20 mins so stopped for a coffee whilst waiting for the boat to get ready to depart. Dan & Dan, two Guatemalans and ourselves were the only ones on the return trip.
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Boat at Livingstone
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On the beach in Livingstone
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For Sale... sold as new, one careful owner, garaged!!!
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You don't get finishing like that these days...
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A shop front in Livingstone...
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Palm Trees... a couple of the thousands we have seen on our way down...
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Ooow young man....
The return trip did not stop, nor did the rain!!! As it was the same as before it was rather boring… So boring Mike fell asleep. For us the trip was a disappointment.
Before we left we arranged to meet Dan & Dan for dinner. In the mean time I had some checks to do on the bike (Tyre pressures etc) and Mike settled down to complete another Web update. Bikes and Web all sorted and prepared we met the Dan’s for a pleasant evening meal before retiring early. The Dan’s had to be on the 05:45 bus back to Guatemala City and we had to be up and ready for he Honduran Boarder.
The lodging had been really quiet the previous night and this was the reason why we decided to stay. Not tonight!!! The bar stayed open playing music until 12:30. Great when we knew we would be woken up at 6:30 by the locals.
John
