Out of Rio Dulce... on to Belize

April 28 - 30

After a quiet day yesterday hanging around Rio Dulce, relaxing, and catching up on this blog it was time to get back on the road.  I left Rio Dulce early (6:45) to head for Belize.  When I stopped for breakfast El Pinguino decided he needed a little rest too and promptly fell over in the gravel in front of the restaurant.  (Can’t trust them penguins!).  Unfortunately, the kickstand of the bike had come apart and I had to find a shop in Poptun to re-thread the bolt at the bottom. 

I should mention, these kinds of things are common.  I’m always having to fix something, which is one reason I chose the Kawasaki: It’s a VERY simple bike.  Kind of the technological equivalent of a Model T. A lot of people use BMWs for crazy-ass rides like mine, and while BMW makes fantastic bikes, I want simple.  No computer, no injection, no nothing that I can’t fix with a piece of string and some chewing gum.  The Kawasaki fits the bill for this kind of travel in third-world countries. Anyway, I found a truck repair place that could fix the threads and a half-hour and three dollars later I was on my way.

The border crossing into Belize was the easiest that I have had so far.  There was no line at immigration and customs didn’t even want copies of my paperwork!  In many countries this can be a major time waster: getting stamps in your passport then having to find a copy shop to make copies of the passport with the stamps, etc.  In Belize they just wanted to see the registration, noted it in my passport, and I was off.  I did have to stop at an insurance office to get a temporary policy, but even that was a pleasure.  Since there was competition (there were three companies at the border), they invited me in, gave me coffee, the use of a clean restroom, and I was on my way.

One thing that really surprised me was that as soon as I crossed into Belize there were many, many signs in Chinese.  There is evidently a huge Chinese population here.  Although I asked many people, I still don’t know when they came to Belize, from what part of China, or why.  Other than that, the signs are in English.  Before it was Belize, this was British Honduras so the official language is not Spanish.  However, it is not an English that many of you (or me) would recognize.  

The other thing that there was was speed bumps.  They LOVE them in Belize.  Every town, every store, every drunk by the side of the road, seems to set up a set of speed bumps.  And if they don’t have “official” bumps made out of concrete or asphalt the people make their own out of thick rope or pieces of tires.  It really puts a strain on the suspension, to say nothing of one’s person al posterior section

Since I had a few days before going to San Pedro (Ambergris Caye) to meet Karen, I decided to head to the town of Dangriga.  This is supposed to be the center of the Garifuna culture (decended from African slaves).  Unfortunately nothing was open and the town was really a bore.  After one night I headed for Belize City.  Keeping with my philosophy of “take the road less travelled” I got off the highway and took the “coastal road”.  This was 37 miles of dirt.  While it might not be too nice in a car, on a bike it was fine.  First, no speed bumps.  And talk about no traffic… on the entire road I saw two cars, two bicycles, and a tractor.  I was however, a little worried that if I broke down out there they might not find me until years later!

Belize city is pretty much of a pit.  While the hotel I stayed at was fine (the Princess Hotel and Casino) I had been warned not to walk around the city, especially at night.  I followed that advice.  The next day I went searching the city for some motorcycle oil to do an oil change, and when I finally found it I was also told that the store (Benny’s) had a shop next door that I was welcome to use and where I could discard the used oil.  Perfect.  The manager, James, couldn’t have been nicer.  People are constantly helping out this way, just when you need them.  It’s one of the reasons I always try to help bikers who come through Panama… this “Pay it forward” (or pay it back) really seems to work.

One thing that DIDN’T work, however, was Skype.  I’ve gotten quite dependent on it.  But because in Belize there is a monopoly on internet and telephone, they have blocked Skype.  Can’t have them cheap calls going around the world, can we?  It was a major frustration for a week.

Tomorrow I fly to Ambergris Caye for a week of “upscale” relaxation and diving.

The Road to Guatemala and Rio Dulce

April 24

After Manuel finished painting El Pinguino I headed towards Tegucigalpa.  My intention was to get close to the Guatemala border and hopefully stay at a B&B / microbrewery at Lake Yojoa.

This was the toughest day of riding so far.  Not too bad out of El Paraiso, but then I had to go through Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras.  Traffic was bad, the polution was killing me, the road is all through mountains, and their was a fierce wind the entire trip.  It was not fun!

I tried to find a B&B that I had visited a few years before on Lake Yojoa.  The owner is (was?) an Oregonian from Portland and also had a small brewery.  Unfortunately I couldn't find the place.  I rode all around the lake, but no success.  By this time I was worried that it would get dark, and I don't ride in the dark if at all possible. Fortunately I found a hotel in Villanueva for the night and continued on in the morning.

April 25

I should comment about maps in this part of the world:  They are invariably semi-accurate.  In general, if you use a GPS, a paper map, and ask three people (who will give you five answers) you have a 70% chance of getting where you want to go.  Today was no exception.

In the past I've crossed the border near Copan Ruinas, but this time I (brilliant planner that I am) decided to take a different route.  At least it looked like a different route.  The problem was that there was not actually a road through to the border crossing indicated on the map!  So I ended up going WAY around San Pedro Sula to cross the border.

They have a beautiful new customs facility on the Honduran side.  Offices and space galore.  Unfortunately, only one person working in the whole complex.  After an hour of waiting, I finally got my 5 minutes to get my exit document stamped.  The Guatemalan side was even easier, I thought!  About 5 miles from the border I went into the customs office.  The officer there was very polite, invited me into the nice, air conditioned office and took care of the paper work.  Again... I thought!  Then he told me that I actually had to go to another city to get the permit for the bike.  To make a long story short (I know... it's too late), there went the rest of the afternoon while I chased around Puerto Barrios for documents.  Finally got that done and rode the next 40 miles to Rio Dulce.

Rio Dulce is a town that I like.  The hotel I stay at - Bruno's - is right on the water and there are always a lot of American yachties there as it is a very protected harbor 12 miles upriver from the ocean.  The first night was someone's birthday, so I got to enjoy the party.

April 26

I decided to make a day trip to Finca Paraiso, about 17 miles away.  The last time I was there, about 4 years ago, it was all dirt road but now it was completely paved and a real pleasure.

This area is tropical cattle country.  Other than the thatched roofs and palm trees, you would swear that you were in Texas.






 The main attraction of Finca Paraiso is the hot water waterfall.  There is a thermal pool at the top of the cliff that pours over into the river below.  The water coming off the fall is probably about 150 degrees, so by getting closer or further from the falls you can control the temperature.  You can also get a nice hot shower while standing in the cool river.  The only downside is that there are some voracious little fish that like to bite any exposed skin.  This is not a place to go skinny dipping !


Friday was my day to hang around Bruno's (my hotel), relax, and catch up on this blog.  Tomorrow it's off to Belize (Yeaaaahhh!  A new country)

Somoto Canyon, Cigars, and El Pinguino gets a Face Job

22 April

I left Granada (Nicaragua) and headed towards the Honduran border.  I was originally going to stay in Estelli, but a woman I met at the Oasis in Granada told me about a canyon north of there that was worth visiting.  That's how my planning goes... head in one direction until somebody tells you about something else, then change course!

It was raining when I got to Estelli, so I stopped at Cafe Luna to have lunch and see if I could make arrangements for the canyon.  They were able to arrange for me to get a guide the next morning, so I headed off to the town of Somoto for the night.  Somoto is one of the truly most boring towns I have been in, only to be matched by the incredible POS (this is not an endearing term) hotel in which I stayed.  Then again, what do you expect for $12, even if it was the best in town!

April 23

I spent the morning at Somoto Canyon, and it was worth the detour. 










It was a hike of a couple of km to get there, then a hike down into the canyon.  It's pretty much just rock and desert this time of year, but interesting.
















The fun part was the river.  In addition to hiking, it was a couple of miles of just floating through the canyon.  Just me, the rock walls, and the river.  And of course the guide to make sure I didn't go over the waterfalls!


After about 4 hours they served me lunch and I was off towards Honduras.







I crossed the border at Las Manos without too much hassle (It's all relative... this is central america after all).  My biggest problem was that I was out of gas and the gas station at the border was too!  I was kind of operating on fumes, but fortunately the 5 miles to the next town was all down hill, so I coasted most of the way. 

The first town was El Paraiso. I had been there with my cigar group about a 18 months before when we were guests of the Rocky Patel cigar factory.  I decided to stop by their guest house to see if I could make contact with Gustavo, one of the managers I had become friends with on the last trip.  As luck would have it the sales manager, Christopher, was there with a group from Florida and invited me to stay for the night.  I ended up having a nice dinner, a few cigars, and many drinks with the group. 

Gustavo also showed up and we had a great time together.

El Pinguino gets a face job:
One of the things I had wanted to do before I left Panama was to get something appropriate painted on El Pinguino, like a penguin (duh!).  I just didn't have the time.  I asked Gustavo if he knew anyone who could do this and he sent Manuel to meet with me.  We agreed on a price, I gave him some money for paint, and Manuel promised to come by in the morning and do the job.






And do the job he did.  He had made stencil of the drawing that I had and proceeded to paint.












The final product:  El Pinguino with a complete identity.  A Penguin with ATTITUDE!  Don't ever tell this penguin he can't fly !

Out of Costa Rica... into Nicaragua

19 April
After leaving Cahuita -- and the puppies and colt, :(  -- it was off into the rain.  It had to happen eventually, and if you're not going to ride in the rain you may as well not get on a motorcycle.  I rode to La Fortuna, at the base of the Arenal Volcano, hoping to get a glimpse of the mountain.  Alas, it was not to be that day.  The mountain was (as the other times I have been through here, covered in clouds.  So instead, I found a great massage for 1 1/2 hours and relaxed.  You will find this a recurring theme of my trips... sitting on a bike for hours takes a toll on the back and backside.  Need to rub out them kinks !

I stayed at a mediocre hotel (Las Palmas) which would have been fine except for the Fricken Chicken that decided that I had had enough sleep by 5 am and proceeded to show me just what his vocal chords were capable of.  After contemplating the many ways to make chicken soup, I was on the road before 7.


 April 20

The weather cooperated this time .  It was a beautiful day and I got a great view of the volcano.

I also had a fantastic ride through the countryside from La Fortuna to the Nicaragua border.

Random Thoughts (This will be a new occasional section just to share some of my thinking, as opposed to activities, on the trip).

 

This trip is starting out very different from my South American adventure, at least in terms of my thinking.  South America was a totally new adventure.  While I had been there before for business, riding a bike around the continent was going to be a venture into the unknown.  This trip is starting out different: I've ridding through Central America twice before and many of the roads that I'll be taking and places I will visit are familiar.  There's something that I enjoy about this familiarity (such as having some favorite places to re-visit) but there's not the same feeling of the unknown.   I'm sure there will be adventures and new experiences, but it's not quite the same.

I'm really looking forward to Mexico because while I've been there many times for business and a few times to tourist resort areas I haven't really explored the country.  After that, of course, I'll be in the US and Canada.  I really don't know how I'll deal with having to speak English all the time!

The border crossing into Nicaragua at Peñas Blancas was a snap.  Only one hour for both Costa Rica and Nicaraguan customs.  Then it was on to Granada, a beautiful colonial town (and major tourist destination).  This is my fourth time here, so there we go with the familiarity issue.  I stayed at the Oasis Hostal, a very nice place (as hostals go) with a swimming pool.  I enjoy staying in hostals, as long as I can get a private room, because it's so much easier to meet people than it is in "regular" hotels.

Since the last time I was in Granada they've developed a whole area that's a pedestrian street filled with restaurants and bars.  My first discovery was the Mombacho cigar factory.  I had a Cuban cigar with me, which seemed to give me some credibility with the manager as a serious cigar aficionado.  He invited me in to meet one of the owners and we had a nice conversation and smoke.

Then I was walking along the street and I was literally kidnapped by a couple of mimes!  They picked me up, put me on a stool, and carried me over to a table filled with a couple of other gringos.  We ended up having a few beers and watching the mime show in a local cabaret.  The group was started to give street kids some skills, and trains them in mime, acting, juggling, etc.

So, it turned out my "familiar" stop in Granada still had some adventures in store for me. 

 

The next day I rode to Laguna de Apoyo, and spent a relaxing day sitting around the lake.

Life is tough!

On The Road Again...

Sing it Willie: "On the road again.  Can't wait to get on the road again".  And so I FINALLY AM.

The Flight of the Penguin has lifted off.  I finally left Panama City on Saturday afternoon.  It was a week of "challenges": a aproblem with the car, computer problems that I didn't want to leave Karen with, no internet access... and a general "bad hair" day.  So I was more than ready to get on the road.  The last weeks of preparation and packing are a hassle under the best of conditions, and then once you start you have to pretty much pack everything all over again.  It's a matter of "why the hell did I bring this, and forget that" for a couple of weeks.

I finally got on the road a little before 5 pm, and since I was only going about an hour and a half up the Panamericana Highway I figured no problem getting to El Palmar by dark.  Wrong!  First issue: a large  bus blocking the Bridge of the Americas caused a traffic jam that stretched from Colombia to El Salvador.  Took about a half hour to to 1/4 mile.  Fortunately I'm on a bike and can somewhat scoot among the cars.  But I don't like to ride at night (especially on that road), so I had to make time.  I got to my friend Hawk's place just as it was getting dark, so celebrated the first "mini" leg of the trip with a few beers and a good cigar.

The next morning my friend Wadi met me to accompany me to the Costa Rican border.  He was hoping to go with me to Cahuita, Costa Rica, despite the lack of a few documents (OK, pretty much all the required documents).  Oh well, this is Panama... we can get anything done (over or under the table), right.  We had a great ride across Panama and over to the Carribean side, and then arrived at the border to find that immigration was closed for the night.  At least the officials in customs were friendly, and offered us a couple of beers as compensation.  They also turned off the lights, since we were doing our drinking in the customs office.


Then it was back to Changuinola for the night, where we met up with these same guys for a few more beers.

The next morning it was back to the border.  I found out that  I was missing a document, and Wadi was missing many, so it was back to Changuinola again.  More hours getting my documents, and more frustration for Wadi trying to get his (without success).  Then back to the border for more of the same.  Finally, Wadi decided he wasn't going to get through to CR and turned back while I went on.

The next challenge was the Sixaola bridge, which goes across the river from Panama to Costa Rica.  This is an old railroad bridge dating from the 1800s.  It was built by the Chiquita Banana company to haul fruit.  I don't think it's ever been repaired, and it is SCARY!  I mean sweat buckets, tremble in fear, and brown-your-shorts scary.  Missing planks, holes going to the river, many places with no railings, and the sure and certain knowledge that if you fall you not only will break every bone in your body but you will also be eaten by alligators in the river below.  I walked the bike across the river, stopping frequently to wipe the sweat from my eyes and reconsider joining a monastery and giving up this insane travel idea.  But I finally made it across alive, and endured a few more hours of Costa Rican bureaucracy before getting away from the border.

Total time in border crossing: 5 1/2 hours.  New pairs of underwear needed: 1.   Memories: Priceless

Finally it was off to Cahuita, about 40 miles from the border.  I had been there before and remembered it as a nice quiet little town that would be great for de-stressing.  And right I was.  I remembered a place that I had stayed four years ago that was right on the beach and set out to look for it.  I found it, but it is no longer a hotel.  However, there is a cute little set of bungalows next door called the Blue Spirit, right on the water with individual cabins, each with a little patio, a hammock, and a sleeping loft.  But what convinced me were the critters.  The also have three dogs, 6 five-week old beagle puppies, a cat, a horse, and a 5 day old colt. How could I turn that down?

The first night I heard a noise outside my room and found that the equines were getting curious about my bike.  I guess that mom just couldn't resist the horse-power (sorry about that).

The following day I rode a few miles up the road to visit Aviarios del Carribe, a sanctuary for sloths.  I had been there before and met the owner, Judy.  This time I had another mission: to visit my friend Binnie's two sloths (Thunder and Lightning) that she had left there and send back pictures.  I also got to visit with Buttercup, the resident "ambassador" sloth.

 It's now Thursday morning and I'm getting ready to hit the road again.  Probably the Arenal Volcano and La Fortuna tonight, then on into Nicaragua.