You Get What You Put In

As in most things in life, this is definitely true in cycle touring.  It’s easy to take the biggest, fastest road and speed through to your next destination.  Or you can spend more time and effort, and take a longer route, linking the places you want to see.  This sentiment has certainly been true in the last two countries we have travelled through: Honduras and Nicaragua.

Honduras is known to tourists for spectacular Caribbean beaches on Roatan and incredible Mayan ruins at Copan.  Unfortunately neither of these places were convenient for us, so we just rode right through along the Pacific Coast.  The road was hilly and in poor shape, with temperatures over 40C.  To top it off, all the kids screamed “GRINGO!” at the top of their lungs as we passed, even from less than 2 meters away.  Guess what … Honduras didn’t make a big impression on us.

Welcome to Nicaragua (and Japan apparently).  Famous FSLN president Daniel Ortega’s pink political billboard is the first thing you see when entering the country: “Christianity, Socialism, Solidarity”.

You like this kid? … Take him to America!

Since our last post, we’ve been back on the bikes working out the kinks from six weeks of inactivity.  Things are feeling a little rusty for both of us and we had two very avoidable crashes in the first two days!  One was caused by the ever frequent distraction of cows on the roadside.  Hopefully we’ll be quick to get back in the swing of things.

Jenn and her bike crammed in the boat across Lago Atitlan.

The descent from Lago Atitlan was steep and fast.  We were followed by police trucks three different times during the descent.  They claimed to be escorting us for our safety.  But the way it was carried out was a little fishy and it seemed they were in it for some other reason …

Making a Mayan

During our six weeks learning Spanish in Guatemala, San Pedro really started to feel like home.  We had our family there, our preferred coffee (and therefore study spots), favourite foods and a routine.  All things we are going to miss, being back on the road again.

Playing “helicóptero” with Angela on the roof.  Lookout for the stray pieces of construction materials and drying firewood!

As you can see, even when playing Angela is wearing the traditional traje (suit) for the women of the local area.  The Mayan culture is still very strong in the highlands of Guatemala and I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to experience and immerse myself in it.

Life Off the Bikes

Since our last update we’ve switched from physical to mental exercise here in San Pedro, Guatemala.  Right now we are halfway through a planned 6 weeks of Spanish classes.

So far we have loved our Spanish school “La Cooperativa”.  Starting at 8AM, 5 days a week, we have four hours of one on one Spanish instruction at the school.  In the afternoon we usually spend 2-4 hours studying at one of the numerous cafes in town and drinking coffee.  We are staying with a local family here: Miguel, Maria, and their three girls Ana-Maria, Norma, and Angela.  We couldn’t have asked for a better family.  They have welcomed us into their home with open arms and Maria is an excellent cook!

During our free time we’ve been hanging out with the other students or exploring the surrounding area.  In addition to providing assistance to local families, the school organizes activities for students outside of class time.  These include salsa class once a week, Spanish movie night, lectures on Mayan history and issues, and activities on the weekends.  Here are four of our most memorable activities so far:

Guatemalan Charm

Since our last post we have left Chiapas, Mexico and continued through the Guatemalan highlands to Lake Atitlan, Guatemala.  We’ve experienced Guatemalan hospitality, our first border crossing, Guatemalan drivers, and the beauty of the Guatemalan highlands.

The people so far have been poor, but very friendly.  Many have approached us for a conversation, giving us an opportunity to practice our Spanish.  It’s almost tiring on the bike to wave and say hello to everyone we pass, as they all give us big silver grins (dental hygiene is a work in progress here).  They also have an incredible knowledge of random English phrases, such as: goodbye, how you doin’, what’s up man, hey you, etc.

Colourful Mayan necklaces made from corn, peas, and nuts.