We entered Guatemala at La Messilla – a bit of a gong show. The main road through was closed off with people setting up their market goods so we took a side alley that ended in a steep uphill and Lori stalled her bike and tipped it over at the top of the hill because she was afraid that she would run into people. A couple of big Guatemalan guys came to her rescue and lifted the bike up for her. Then we proceeded to customs and immigration and all went through uneventfully. Headed then for Panajachel on Lake Atitlan where we spent a couple of days (after Chris got lost in Solola). Pana is major gringoville so really easy (and correspondingly expensive). Nice for a couple of days. When we left, took a back road around the lake and over the mountain and Lori managed to drop her bike 5 times that day (and did in her windshield once and for all). The backroad trip we took around Atitlan and over the mtns. was fantastic…a tough ride (on us and the bikes) but it showed us another more rural side of Guatemala. Some really interesting boulder roads and another road made entirely of interlocking bricks.
Then we headed for Montericco on the Pacific coast. Loaded the bikes on to a flat bottom scow and cruised through the mangroves to the town and black sand beaches. Went for a mangrove tour out of Montericco using a poled boat…had to get up at 5 (so Lori said forget it) and saw a lot of different types of birds and not much else.
Then we turned inland and headed for the Honduran border and the ruins of Copan. (Took a wrong turn and nearly crossed into El Salvador, but Chris’ quick thinking saved us)
Surprises – Guatemala is cleaner than Mexico…(other than the diesel burning crates that spew out huge clouds of black smoke on any hill…I had to laugh as I saw Lori attempt to pass a bus and completely disappear in clouds of black smoke several times before giving up.
Prices in Guatemala seem to have about doubled for virtually everything since we last visited in 2000…but the place looks a lot more prosperous and that is nice as the people are great! (still cheaper than Mexico)
Lots of tourists in Guatemala…especially from Europe. (We still have not run into any MC riders that are completing the SA/NA trip….a bit of a surprise!)
