Eventually you reach the border, pay the bribes to exit one country and enter another and off you go. You’re in Honduras baby. Just one more climb and one descent to go and into town you are. Now, where’s Sofia? Perhaps you shouldn’t have left her behind. Oh well, four times in four days you’ve played this game. You find each other in the end. And you do. But she isn’t happy so best just let her be for now.
Back into Guatemala.: A crowded minivan
Monday October 22, 2007, 24 km (15 miles) – Total so far: 5,497 km (3,416 miles)
Yesterday you saw the ruins of Copan. They were interesting and all but with all the hype generated they were a bit of a let down. Still, you got your requisite photos. Tensions remain high between your comrade and yourself and don’t really settle down again until today. Will you go your separate ways? Is enough enough? Not yet apparently. You both still get something out of this relationship. Aren’t you? Perhaps you’ve been alone for too long. You don’t know how to relate to other people anymore.
You get a lift in a pickup the ten km to the border for five Americanos. Then across the other side for little more than the same amount you get a minivan the forty km to Vadu Hondo back on route 10. Everything is fine. The van is at most half full. Then, with only maybe ten km to go you pull into a town and change vans. You jump on the top of one van and help lift the bikes over. Then you all cram into the overflowing van for the rest of the journey. As overflowing as it is there is always room to cram one more in, which they do.
Finally out of the van you cycle the twenty km into town. It is still early and you’ve spent barely two hours on the bikes but you’ll call it a day. Only twenty km till the border. El Salvador awaits.
Welcome to El Salvador.: To Santa Ana
Tuesday October 23, 2007, 97 km (60 miles) – Total so far: 5,594 km (3,476 miles)
For once you get an early start on the day. But there’s no beating that heat. It’s another 33 km until the border. And..
Welcome to El Salvador!!!
An early afternoon downpour coincides with lunch. And off you go again. Most of the way on this side of the border is downhill. The roads are good here and there is a nice shoulder to enjoy.
At last Santa Ana comes into view. Dark clouds, well, darken the sky. You find a cheap place to stay mere moments before they open up. Heavy rain and thunder is heard. Maybe stay in for a little while. You have an 8:30 curfew tonight. But why?
San Salvador.: A lift up.
Wednesday October 24, 2007, 65 km (40 miles) – Total so far: 5,659 km (3,516 miles)
It’s not so far to San Salvador so you leave relatively late on the autopista. Out of town the road gains shoulders and for thirty odd km you enjoy a nice smooth mostly downhill ride. Then the road goes crap. Road works drag on and on and you find just how bad El Salvadorian traffic can be. Later on you grab hold of a slow moving truck on the ascent. Sure, it’s cheating but why the hell not.
Traffic in San Salvador equals that of Guat. city. It is a big adrenalin rush. Sofia doesn’t see the fun side of it.
You make your way into town to the hostel and off to find some food.
San Vicente.: Heading east
Friday October 26, 2007, 60 km (37 miles) – Total so far: 5,719 km (3,554 miles)
San Salvador is surprisingly nice to visit. The centre has a pretty cool market where seemingly anything can be bought. A couple girls say some things to you. Are they prostitutes or do they just want to sell some clothes? And why does everyone want to sell you the most ugliest clothes?
You leave Sofia in San Salvador. She wants to see a couple of things and you want to ride on. Besides, it will do you both good to spend some time apart. Traffic isn’t so bad with the notable exceptions of course.
The road is nice and gets nicer further out of town with a nice wide shoulder. Some ascents and a couple long deep descents. You get a flat. You change it easily enough but with the new rims you cannot inflate the tube. But you get by.
You leave the highway for a nice descent down to San Vicente. It is a sizable town yet only has the one restaurant. Nice.
To San Miguel.: Riding at night
Saturday October 27, 2007, 80 km (50 miles) – Total so far: 5,799 km (3,603 miles)
With the most popular bar in town a mere three metres down the corridor from your room you couldn’t help but have a few beers. And after chatting to a few guys you couldn’t help but have a few more. You are invited to stay another night for a big fiesta in town. Perhaps you should but then again you really just want to ride on. TV and wifi internet also help to waste your night away.
So you wake up late. You go to the only restaurant in town and have a look around the market. Much like San Salvador many people are over eager to show you some very ugly shirts.
You climb the hill back up to the panamericana. There are some shops to buy food there but after that is nada for a very long time. Along the road people sell a myriad of different foods. You see your very first live armadillo. Maybe. And it is yours for only ten dollars, cooked and served on a platter.
Eventually you find a restaurant but after wasting too much time waiting for your meal you waste even more time arguing over your bill. Darkness comes way too soon and you spend an hour or so riding in the dark. From here it is mostly downhill though so it’s not too bad. There are nice wide shoulders but their condition is variable so you stay on the road. You need to concentrate hard on the road. But wait, headlights coming straight at you are cause for concern. But traffic isn’t that bad and it is a nice cool evening.
You come into San Miguel. Someone drives by and offers to show you to a hotel. So you are shown to a hotel. Apparently it’s not too safe in town. So you stay in for the night. Perhaps you should have stayed in San Vicent after all.
Welcome to Honduras. Again.: To Nacaome
Sunday October 28, 2007, 95 km (59 miles) – Total so far: 5,894 km (3,662 miles)
The first order of business is to find a bike shop. Unfortunately it is Sunday and they are all closed. So you press on. It’s 58 km to the Hondouros border apparently. The road is nice. The traffic is nice enough. You have a late lunch in Santa Rosa. From there it is 30 km to the border. And the border closes at five. Better get going then.
It’s not 30 km to the border. It’s ten km max. You go through the usual border formalities including half a dozen guys wanting to change your money. There’s at least one hotel on either side of the border. But there’s at least an hour of daylight left so why not use it.
Oh yeah. Welcome to Honduras.
Apparently the next hotel is 35 km away in Nacaome. You better get going then. You pass some young men standing by the road. One calls out to you in English. “Get the fuck outta here man.” Best keep going then. Apart from the one antagonistic almost everyone else is happy to see you. You get more than enough ‘hellos’ of various descriptions. A lot are actually ‘bye byes’ and ‘adios’”.
Then it gets dark. There are a lot of insects about which makes the going even more difficult. Just before town you spot a nice hotel. You pull up outside. Two men battle with a snake. “It’s not poisonous. I think.” So says one. The hotel is too expensive so you keep going. So is the next one. You head into town where two more hotels are. They are still more expensive than you