Tikal, Flores, Antigua, Guatemala

We crossed the border into Guatemala and started on a bumpy but not impassable road to Tikal. Before hitting the ancient ruins in Tikal, we spent a night in Flores a colonial island town not far from Tikal. Apart from Alex getting an electric shock from the shower our stay in Flores was comfortable and relaxing. When we hit Tikal we were refreshed and ready to see everything. We set up camp in the national park where the ancient city is located. The heat was unbearable as we were setting up camp and luckily a cold change came through before we went into look at the ruins. On our way into the ruins we saw spider monkeys and ant bears but thankfully, none of the wild cats or snakes, that do live in the park. The ruins were the most spectacular we have seen so far, and we sat in the ancient squares looking at these incredible buildings against a stormy grey sky wondering what the ancient Mayan lives´ were like. Tikal was one of the major cities at the time and the site is one of the largest Mayan ruins. We camped the night in the rain, which was more cheerful than it sounds considering the relentless heat of recent days. The next morning we finished exploring the ruins and found a huge ancient sky scraper. We ventured to climb the slippery ladder that took us to the top of the pyramid in the mist above the rainforest ceiling of tree tops where there were brids flying by, we looked over the whole city of ancient ruins emerging from the thick jungle. We wondered how many lives were lost building this steep enormous pyramid (pictures to follow).

We spent Easter in Flores and watched the locals spend hours creating beautiful elaborate pictures out of coloured sawdust and flowers on the roads. The humour and spirit of the people was incredible considering what the Guatemalan people have suffered in recent decades. An easter parade walked through the streets over the sawdust works of art in the evening and finished at the church. A peaceful and memorable Easter.

Next we headed to Antigua and planned to stop at Semuc Champey, a beautiful area of natural swimming holes and limestone. This journey was our toughest yet, we thought we had seen bad roads but we had experienced nothing like this. We ended up on a bumpy track carved into the edge of a mountain range that went on and on and on. The ¨road¨ did not have enough space for more than one vehicle so everytime a truck came the other way we had to wriggle our bike over to the side of the road to let them pass. The altitude of the road was increasing and it was a long way down. We were passing through what seemed like an endless mountain range where a few tiny villages without electricity or running water were the only signs of life. Locals looked at us like we were aliens and we were getting used to seeing people stop in their tracks and stare at us open mouthed. We were quite inadvertantly very much off the tourist trail. We were both wondering how we ended up here, we swore we would never do it this tough, but we were there, the real deal adventure motorcylcing, a little more than we bargained for. Our adrenalin was pumping and Alex drove incredibly well, his concentration was unwavering for the whole six hour ordeal, the bike did not fall once. Drenched in sweat and faint we finally made our way out of this nightmare by dusk when in the distance could it be a glimmer of sealed road, ashphalt never looked so sweet. We found a small town near Coban and stayed in the only hotel and enjoyed two days of sleep and rest.

Next we made it to Antigua and found that even this 100km journey on a sealed road took a whole day. We rode through a thick fog that was almost a white out, luckily that was only brief and we made into clear skys by the afternoon and hit Antigua by five. Antigua is every bit as beautiful as it promised to be. A gorgeous historic village surrounded by volcanoes.

Next stop? we aren´t too sure Lake Atitlan, Guatemala or perhaps we will head into El Salvador.

Hopkins, Belize

After Punta Allen we knew our time in Mexico was drawing to a close and it was kind of sad, Mexico has been warm, fascinating and surprising. After our reviving time at the beach we headed south to the Belize border. Along the way we met two fellow motorcycle travellers on their way down to Costa Rica. One owned a motorcycle store and was taking the trip with one of his employees to test the bikes he was selling. This friendly Costa Rican gentlemen informed us that he in fact held the record for being the first latin american to travel from north pole to south pole on a motorbike. He also had a newspaper article about his current journey, it reminded us of the film `motorcycle diaries´. It was great to meet a fellow traveller with such a passion for adventure and motorcycles. We had the honour of riding with him and his companion for some time and we will definitely pay him a visit when we make it down to Costa Rica.

We stopped for a night in Bacalar a small town by a large lake, we spent the night camped on the porch of a hostel, dwindling finances have encouraged us to make good use of our tent!

The next morning we woke early and filled with some nervous energy we set about packing and preparing for the border crossing, the first of many to come. Crossing a border is always a little scary, plenty of people give you warnings, the trouble always seems to be in the next town the next country the next port, or so people seem to say. Despite warnings we wanted to explore Belize, where at least the main language is English...hooray!

The paper work was not as bad as we feared and the relaxed manner of the border staff was immediately endearing. Belize is a former English colony and was originally partially populated by retired pirates and their African slaves. At present there is a large population of African descendents, known as the Garifuna community. There are also Asians, Lebanese, Europeans and Mayans. The diversity of Belize is a large part of what interested us about the country. As soon as we crossed the border the landscape changed and there was a lush green quality to the terrain and the lakes seemed to be perfectly still, their surface was as smooth as silk. Even more charming were the friendly locals, we took a wrong turn and dozens of people were stopping us to tell us we had gone the wrong way. We made a road stop for some lunch and a large group of locals of African descent were eating at the road stop. They were so warm, funny and relaxed we knew we had made the right decision in coming to Belize. The bike attracted a lot of attention and one man told us, in the thick Jamaican accent common in Belize, that BMW stands for bad man wagon, which was hilarious, especially in that accent. He then told us to take care and be safe. Another Belizan later told us that BMW stood for Bob Marley and the Wailers, we liked that one too!

We had decided to head to Hopkins, a Garifuna community in the south of Belize. The road was long and for a large part unsealed. The afternoon was advancing and the sunlight was softening. We were in the midst of miles of dense tropical rainforest on a rough road and at times our speed was not far off walking pace. We knew the jungle was full of wild cats, snakes and other exotic creatures and the passers by were few. We had no water left and the balance of our bike on the red dusty road was precarious. We were longing to reach our destination but the road did not seem to end. Finally ahead we saw a grey black surface! at last a paved road. We finally made it to Hopkins at dusk and found a wonderful lodge run by Dutch/German lady, Ingrid, immeidately I knew we would be in for a treat. Her lodge was a civilized oasis full of all the comforts from home that you miss. We stayed in beautiful rooms and were invited to have dinner with Ingrid and some of her friends. The meal was prepared by one of Ingrids friends, a top chef working in a local resort and we still think fondly about that meal, it was one of those memorable meals. The meal was matched only by the company, we met a fascinating group of people who had all wound up living in Belize for one reason or another. Another interesting local was an artist who was painting signs in the courtyard of the lodge and who had lived in many different parts of the world and who had cycled over large parts of central america. This trip has been so incredible because of the people we have met. Thank you so much for your hospitality, it makes all the difference!

After spending a couple of days in Belize it was time to make tracks for Guatemala!
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Next stop: Guatemala

Campeche, Chichen Itza, Tulum & Punta Allen, Mexico

After surviving illness in Palenque we were finally well enough to move on, we had to head north through the Yucatan Peninsula to pick up some vehicle documents in Cancun, so we decided to see the sights and enjoy our final days in Mexico. Campeche was a great little town on the way north, it has a long history of being attacked by pirates so there is an ancient wall, still standing in parts, around the city that used to extend out to the sea. The houses are all so old and colorful and the place has a slow easy colonial charm. The pirate history is all very charming and kind of exciting now, but it must have been terrifying at the time. The city was a wealthy trading port, so it had a lot to offer pirates.

Cancun to pick up our bike documents. Chichen Itza was gorgeous, these proud ruins fill you with a sense of grandeur and awe. We had to fight the crowds but it was impressive nonetheless. Our next stop was Tulum, here we stayed in a greaAfter Campeche we headed off to Merida, but we didn't really get a chance to see it at all as we wanted to make tracks for Chichen Itza thent camping ground called Tribal Village and we met the nicest bunch of people, it seemed that everyone there was from a different country, age group and walk of life. Each night there was a shared meal around a long table under a thatched roof that served as the restaurant and it was great to hear so many interesting stories and get to understand a little about so many peoples' lives. We met a great couple who seemed to be the life of the party there at the "village", they work in the entertainment industry and they had a thousand interesting stories to tell. Another couple were basically professional travelers and they had years ahead of them to fill with adventures and experiences. Meeting people like this is really one of the best things about travel, so many different lives are possible. We also enjoyed the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean and saw a town in ruins right by the sea. Tulum was an awesome stop.

Next we took a dirt road down to Punta Allen. The drive was glorious: stunning beaches totally deserted for miles. Eventually we camped down on this beautiful beach, it was the kind of place that makes you whole again. You just had to relax in this sandy little town the pace was hypnotic and it was here that we turned a corner and really felt ourselves relaxing into this trip and opening up to what it has to offer us.