Cycling with Sally

How are we doing?  PURA VIDA!  Cause that´s what you say when you’re in Costa Rica.  You can use it as an exclaimation, a reply to how you are feeling or just to fill in a blank space.  It translates into ‘Pure Life’ in English and only became cool and a definitive part of Costa Rican culture after the President said it on television.

One would think at about 1500 meters it would be a free ride to the Pacific coast.  But our route had much more in store for us!  However, after climbing out of the valley from Alajuela we stopped for a well deserved coffee break at a restaurant perfectly positioned to appreciate the spectacular views of the farmland leading to the Pacific. 

After briefly taking in the resort beach town of Jaco we quickly left (as it’s not particularly our scene) and found a sweet campsite with our very own personal security guard and illumination.  Truth be told, we had pitched our tent next to a radio tower and so the guard also had to keep his eye on the tower too.

The coastal highway not only gave us teasing peeks of the ocean but two places to stay through Warm Showers.  14kms from Quepos we stayed at Elena’s Finca where she also runs a Bed and Breakfast.  We didn’t get to meet Elena but enjoyed a quiet evening to ourselves with the company of her dogs, with Shadow favouring our tent as an excellent sleeping spot.  A few days later and just for fun, we decided to cycle up a stupid steep hill for 20kms that didn’t help us in our endevour to go south.  However, the views from the top were amazing and also the road lead us to Scott, a fellow touring cyclist who had just completed a tour from Seattle to his home here.  It was interesting to check out his Finca and marvel at how he manages to live off the land and only spend 30 cents in a month and a half.  We were smoking hot on the way up and Big Bird was smoking hot on the way down (as you can see by the above video).

Next thing you know we are in Panama; our 10th country on this trip and the last before hitting South America.   From everything we had heard, the roads where flat with generous shoulders and in better condition than Costa Rica.  Yes, in parts and then a big FAT no in heaps of other parts.  To enhance team moral we splurged and stayed at the Purple Hostel.  It’s probably the cleanest and best managed hostel we have ever encountered.  Big Ups to Andrea who runs the joint, which is true to its name and is saturated in everything purple from mops to clocks to kitchen appliances and even the washing machine.

From prior success staying next to radio towers, another night we found one just as it was getting dark and starting to rain.  However, this one turned out to be on the property of a lovely  poor  farming family.  They were very surprised to see us first off and then very inquisitive with our tent, stove, bike and Roland’s hairy face.  We felt like fish in a fish bowl but were very grateful to again have a safe place to rest our heads for the night.  The following morning they gifted us a flag of Panama to add to our collection.

We cycled nine days straight to Panama City from Alajeula and two of the days where we had shelter above our tent it didn’t rain!  Go figure!  Our last night before reaching Panama City was spent on the front lawn of a eldery couple as the closer we got to Panama the more populated the highway became.  On checking with them if it was safe to be camping in the open; they quickly assured us as their son lived to the left of them, another son to the right and directly across the road was their daughter.  It was like the mafia.  They were super cute and gave us a table and two chairs to use, allowed us to use their bathroom and primed us with coffee in the morning.



Interesting stuff:

·         Costa Rica uses a wooden filter apparatus to prepare coffee.  They look pretty fun and simple to make so that’s on the list of things to do when we get back home.

·         It costs to go to the beach in Costa Rica, like $6.  We managed to get in for five minutes for a quick dip and a friendly chat with the security guard.  However, we found the rivers a better bet: they were free, cool, fresh, and close to the road.

·         The conditions for growing are so exceptional that farmers  ‘plant’ their fences, literally using trees that continue growing up and around the wires.

·         Roland has sunk to an all time low with his coffee addiction.  He drank coffee out of a cup that had been used to make tuna, mayonnaise and corn filling for our sandwiches.  I still can’t believe he even asked me if I wanted some.  I may have hairy underarms but I won’t sink that low…….. not yet.

·         We met some north bound recumbent cyclists from France (Antoine and Hoelig) and we lost track of time inquiring about the road that lies ahead and swapping stories.  This is their website: www.velos-andins.com 

·         We have a confession.  We are guilty of stopping into McDonalds for a cool treat or two, the occasional beef injection and the sweet sweet air conditioning.  In reality this was all of three times in Panama but we went into everyone we saw!!

·         We saw an abandoned cement truck’s mixing unit on the side of the road.

(We know the video is really bad quality and boring to look at but it's to give you a little insight into our day to day life on the road!)

Although the Costa Rica border seemed rather chaotic, we breezed through with no problems. On the other side of the border there was another 6km line of trucks. However, many of the drivers were prepared by setting up camp under the shade of the truck with their trusty old hammock. Once again, immediately after we crossed into a new country we noted obvious changes. There was less rubbish on the road side, more groomed properties with mowed lawns and colourful flowers, the cost of things were similar to US prices and in general the standard of living could be easily compared to life in New Zealand or Canada. Going into the supermarket, I felt like a kid in a candy store. There were so much more variety and products I hadn't seen since the US and parts of Mexico. It was killer because it was very expensive so all I could do was drool and stick to what I went in for.... porridge, pasta and peanut butter!

Our first night in Costa Rica was with the GATO tribe (couchsurfing). It was a real treat to have a thai meal (in Costa Rica of all places) and marvel at their home they'd built together from scratch. They had some really neat ideas. We just might tuck a few away for safe keeping!

Next we made a beeline to Monteverde where our friend Ellen (who we stayed with in Mexico while learning Spanish) was staying. This town was set in a cloud forest high in the mountains with the only access a precarious dirt road. We opted for leaving our bike on the Panam and busing up. Also, we simply didn't have time to ride up as Ellen was leaving for Mexico the next day. It was so great to see her again. Especially since on this trip we are always moving and meeting new people; it was a treat to meet up with someone we already knew. She said maybe she could meet us at the finishing line in Ushuaia and we thought that would be pretty cool. Anyone else who is interested in doing that please let us know! It was a whirlwind visit to Monteverde. Although there is much to do up there: canopy zip lining, hiking in bioreserves, cheese factory etc. It was all pretty pricey so we jumped back on the bus the next morning and said our farewells to Ellen. I.e. To bus to and from Monteverde cost us in total $8US whereas to simply enter a bioreserve cost $17 each and to do a zip line whosamathingee cost $60 each. Anyway, it was far more entertaining watching the local soccer team trying to play with almost zero visibility, due to the clouds. The cost: PRICELESS! Oooo, just like the Mastercard ad!

The word on the street was that cycling the Panamerican Highway in Costa Rica is at your own peril. Although a more developed nation than previous countries we've been through, more money is spent on social and health needs rather than on improving road conditions. As cyclists, the main problem was there was no shoulder and vehicles were impatient to pass even with oncoming traffic. So the decision to get off the Panamerican seemed sensible. Our first mission was to get to Tilarán, 22Kms from the highway. This should have been a simple one hour cycle allowing us to have a carefree afternoon. Yet, true to our style we found ourselves doing it the hard way. Thinking our plan was fool proof after asking two different people if we were on the right road to Tilarán, we set off on our merry way. Ok, so the road has turned to dirt. That's ok, the guy said it was only for four kilometers before we hit pavement again. Turns out we need to start rewording our questions. Yes indeed this road went to Tilarán but it's not the main highway. You need some kind of serious truck to navigate this trail. It was steep, muddy and slippery and uneven. So we walked, pushed pulled and dragged the bike for the next 20kms. One step forward, two steps back. We even had to cross a river as it had been raining so much. In all honesty, it was a really beautiful route and very quiet. The only vehicle we saw in four hours was a beasty four wheel drive going in the opposite direction. It was at this point when we were told we were on the wrong road and there is a lovely paved road all the way to Tilarán. Next time I guess! It was also pointed out to us that this road was not suitable for our kind of bike. Really!

Once arriving in Tilarán we contacted our host Daniella from couchsurfing. She was good enough to meet me and Big Bird at a corner store while Roland walked for total of 90 minutes looking for our flag pole as it was missing, which we didn't notice until we arrived into Tilarán. Fortunately he found it after much perseverance... “it will be round the next corner, no, the next corner”.

We had a chilled out evening with Daniella and Pucca (her wee dog), spending far too long in the shower washing off layers of dirt and then falling asleep in front of a movie (it wasn't a bad movie, just a tough day). Nighty night! Daniella has a close knit family. It was actually her parent's house where we left our bike to visit Ellen. They not only kept an eye on Big Bird but fed us a typical soda meal* and gave us a ride to the bus station. You couldn't meet nicer people..... the story of our entire trip. We are so blessed!

We decided to go a longer way around towards San Jose (the Capital) which was very scenic, had views of lake and volcano Arsenal, and was much more quiet. There were many ideal and appealing places to have breaks so we did! We even had an espresso coffee. So gourmet and quite the step up from the endless cups of Nescafè we are so accustomed to drinking now. Also, passing through other recent countries our options were generally limited to bus stops surrounded by rubbish which wasn't always conducive to relaxing.

As a rule, along with secondary roads comes steeper hills. We had our work cut out for us the next two days and we also had our fair share of rain. First time we've pulled out our raincoats for cycling in a while. As you have just seen (well heard) from our video, our first night back in the tent since Belize was rather soggy. We found a perfect camping spot in the jungle and a nice flat surface. However once the rain started (and didn't stop) it was the perfect spot for all the water to collect. So we didn't get wet from above but from below. As Roland said, it was literally like a waterbed...... maybe one could say we were camping in style! We still slept reasonably well but I think it would have been quite a different story if it had been cold as well. Wet and cold: not a good combination. This is also the night Roland's trusty MSR stove bit the bullet. After 15 years of faithful service, the stove sprung a leak and the whole stove caught alight. Roland acted quickly and smothered the fire and (due to all the rain) the ground was very damp not allowing the fire to spread. The next country we can buy a MSR stove is Colombia. We thought we could go a couple of weeks without a stove and just improvise our menu. However, we have been kindly donated our host's stove that we are staying with now. Such a generous gift and ever so helpful for us, particularly as it will save us money being able to continue cooking our meals.

We are having a cozy break in the Ramirez household in Alajuela. We found Manuel through SERVAS but have befriended the whole family (Mercedes, Juan, Cecilia, Efrain, and Jafet). They have been very generous with delicious meals, use of the guest suite and computer, and helping us out with fiddly things we need to get sorted. It's been the perfect opportunity to tidy up some loose ends and complete chores that have been nagging at us for ages. For example, rust proofing BOB and the welded bit on our frame and attending to a back log of emails. Sounds boring doesn't it? We have also made the decision to fly from Panama to Colombia rather than go by boat. It's gonna be a bit of work disassembling the bike to ensure it meets the airline's requirements but doable. Now it's just a matter of deciding which city in Colombia to fly into: Cartagena, Medellin or Bogotá. The boat option did sound appealing but we are not sure if we are in the right head space to totally appreciate the ride, also it's raining a lot these days and it's more expensive than flying. We also remembered that back in 2000 we did a sailing trip around some Greek Islands for 5 days with the bus tour we were on so let's stick to the cycling for now.

San Jose and the surrounding area (including Alajuela) are set in the central valley highlands, so we are about 1000 meters up from sea level and it's amazing what a difference it makes. We are thoroughly enjoying not breaking out in sweat and wearing pants for a change. We spent a day in the big city with Manuel and simply did lots of walking, checking out used book and clothing stores, people watching, sampling various snacks* that are special to Costa Rica, having a bit of fun dressing up in matching hats and finishing off the day watching Robin Hood at the movies.

Finally, this is where we had some parts for our bike sent from Co Motion (our bike company in the US) after our “out of this world” experience in Honduras (see past blog). We have been so impressed with the guys at Co Motion and can't say enough nice things about them. We would also like to thank 'Suspensiones' for receiving the goods for us and to 'Kiwi' Bike Shop for giving Big Bird a makeover. Yes, that is the actual name of the bike shop here in Costa Rica. Obviously, this shop is exclusively for New Zealanders!

Next we are off to the Pacific coast again and then into Panama. We will next update our blog from Panama City – the end of the road for us in Central America. Just a bit of a milepost!

Interesting points:

• 'Pastelillos' are snack sized baked pastry pies with savoury fillings. Manuel took us to his favourite pastelillo joint where all they sell is these taste explosions. You have two choices: chicken or potato. After that it's just a matter of deciding what you want to drink; which is an assortment of natural fruit drinks. We opted for 'Cas' which is a fruit similar to guava but only found in Central and South America. Oooo, how exotic! These places seem to be the equivalent to taco stands in Mexico. Quick, cheap and tasty.
  
  
• 'Sodas' are not something you drink here in Costa Rica but restaurants that serve typical Costa Rican cuisine. For example for breakfast they would serve: gallo pinto (a mix of rice and beans), natilla (a semi-sweet sour cream), fried plantain (unsweet large banana), tortillas and eggs.
  
  
• Costa Rica hasn't had a military army in 60 years.
  
  

The 12 days we spent in Nicaragua activated all our senses and emotions.  This country is the poorest in Central America and yet we meet nothing but encouraging, friendly, and content people where ever we went.  Often this is seen as a strange concept by 1st world nations and always commented on after visiting a 3rd world or developing country as so much of a 1st world person's perceived happiness is wrapped up in money.  Interesting!  A benefit for us cycling through this country was not only the beautiful landscapes and good road conditions but the cost of food.  You can buy so much for so little, especially if you eat what is locally produced.  For example, for 20 Cordobas (approximately $1US) we bought four eggs, four mangoes, seven sweet buns and a loaf of bread.  And this was even on an island where they could have charged anything they wanted!  Again though, it may seem ridiculously cheap for a traveller however it's all relative.  When one may earn only $50 a month, one needs to seriously consider how their earnings will be spent.

Upon arriving into Nicaragua we enjoyed the very green and lush landscapes due to the start of the rainy season and fresh mountain air.  Our first few nights were spent in Esteli, a pleasant and very friendly working town which is renowned for cigar and coffee production.  We stayed with Isabel (couchsurfing) who is working for an NGO from Luxembourg.  She has the command of five languages!  We enjoyed a day off here of 'doing nothing inparticular' apart from soaking up some home cooking, daily life in Esteli, and not worrying how much time is passing over coffee and conversation.  Thank you Isabel for making us feel right at home!  There was a ton of second hand stores here and we thought this would be the perfect place to get some new sneakers.  We ended up finding some for the equivalent of $10, however after my (Belinda) first day cycling in them they didn’t cut the mustard.  So after a few handy repairs with dental floss from my lovely husband, I’m back in my old trusty sneakers once more.  We donated the new/old shoes to the dump for someone else to make good use of them.Managua (the capital) is sticky hot and sprawls from one suburb to the next.  Devastated by past earthquakes, many central areas were destroyed and due to no funds and the inevitability of more quakes are now left abandoned.  The Parque de Revolucion was a perfect example.  Right in a prime location near the waterfront with lovely large parks, museum, government buildings and cathedral was like a ghost town.  We were waiting to see tumbleweeds roll past any minute.  Instead, we had to settle for watching numerous student drivers taking advantage of the quiet streets.

We stayed with Lillian (couchsurfing) who is originally from the US but has been living in Nicaragua for 26 years.  We really felt at home with Lillian and loved hearing her thoughts and ideas about poverty, volunteering and the such like.  She is one heck of a woman and is really intertwined with the local community.  She coordinates delegations from around the world wanting to experience Nicaragua.  It is based at the Quaker House in which the funds of this venture goes towards ProNica; which helps support local initiatives i.e. La Chureca (see previous blog entry).  While we were there we got to meet an Inuit group from Canada (http://www.nsinnicaragua.blogspot.com/).  It was a group of young people at the end of a year of learning about their ancestry, traditions and government legislation relating to their territory.  We got to see and listen to throat singing which is like nothing we’ve ever heard before.  This is traditionally done between two woman to pass time and create a little bit of friendly competition.  It really did sound cool and appears to be very hard to master.

Next stop is Masaya only 40kms down the road.  It is known for its artisan market so we took advantage and bought our first serious souvenirs of the whole trip.  There was hammock workshops a dime a dozen and we really liked some of the typical paintings of the area.  Fingers crossed they make it in the post back to Canada and New Zealand.  We got lots of attention in the market and had many gifts given to us made out of palm leaves that we hung off our bike.

We spent one night with Jorge Luis who was new to couchsurfing.  We hope we gave him a good impression of couchsurfers!  He lives on a beautiful Finca (lifestyle/farm section) with great views of the surrounding countryside and some good looking dogs too.  He is the Director of the Canadian Christian Children’s Fund and it was interesting to learn about their involvement in Nicaragua.   Jorge Luis also made it easy for us picking us up and dropping us back to the city center as the road to his place would have been tough to negotiate on tandem all loaded up.  Also he is a scrabble fan, a world traveller and has a great sense of curtain style and home decor.   Therefore there was no question we had a lovely time with him!  Masaya is surrounded by volcanoes, parks and crater lakes.  It made sense to stay another couple of nights and so we were kindly hosted by Michael (SERVAS).  Originally from Germany, he now calls Nicaragua home.  He is very experienced and knowledgeable about waste management and has a keen interest in environmental issues.  He openly shares this knowledge with organisations in Nicaragua in the hope of improving standards.  His current focus is a bike race raising awareness about the concerns of global warming which happens in the next couple of weeks.  Michael was very generous and nourished our bodies with delicious home cooking and gave us access to a laptop where we could make some calls home.  He was an excellent tour guide and took us on a driving tour around Masaya.  Our final night we shared a meal together at his family-owned Mexican restaurant where we enjoyed some cuisine we hadn't eaten in a month or so.  Mexican food is ever so good!

In the end we missed out seeing Granada which is apparently a gorgeous, colonial city set on the waterfront of Lake Nicaragua (the 7th or 10th largest lake in the world - can't exactly remember!).  We were happy with our decision though as we got to spend two nights on Isla de Ometepe;an island in Lake Nicaragua which has two volcanoes that can be seen from the mainland.  After cycling and pushing our bike over sand and dirt roads we were happy to rest our tired legs and feed our grumbling tummies at Karin's (SERVAS) place in the small village of Balgue.  Karin is originally from Germany but has officially become a Nicaraguan citizen.  She is very well respected in this community and does a lot of work in schools promoting sustainable and environmentally-friendly living.  We spent our time with Karin making costumes for an upcoming play that the theatre group she runs will perform.  Roland's job was making a horse's mane out of a mop and I was sewing roses to decorate the mane.  Again, this was a very insightful time for us talking with Karin.  Something that really stuck with me was does one have "poverty of resources or poverty of the soul".  For example, maybe even with a hand-up and all the help in the world, someone with 'poverty of the soul' may find themselves back in the very same situation not far down the track.  Karin is always needing volunteers to work with her so if you are interested please let us know.

Our final destination in this fascinating country (that is still clawing its way back from the devastating 'Contra War') was San Juan del Sur.  It was a great way to spend our last evening in Nicaragua as it was restful with calming views of the Pacific ocean.  We cycled into town early so enjoyed some time sitting on the beach and planned our route to Panama City (which since has been changed about five times!).  While waiting to meet our host (Jason from couchsurfing) we were shouted free drinks by the owners of the Irish Pub we agreed to meet at.  What was cool about this Irish Bar is that there was a 'real' Irish couple running the joint.  Jason welcomed us in to his home and left us to it; which was exactly what we needed.  It was wonderful to have a chill evening to ourselves.  Thank you Jason for having us and being so generous with the use of your home.  We think you've made a great choice moving to San Juan del Sur, it's a neat spot!  

The next day we cycled towards the Costa Rica border.  Nearing the border we started to pass a queue of trucks so thought we were almost there.  Wrong.  It was a queue that was six kilometers long!  Apparently, they can be there for days or even weeks.  So glad we are on a bike.  It felt pretty good flying by!

Please note:

• The picture with the bread, peanut butter, and bananas also has 'Nutty' in it too.  Nutty is the little guy on the spoon.  He is now a vital member of our family and has the important job of daily scooping out peanut butter from the jar and being spread on the bread.  He really is quite good at it and didn't need much direction.  Now our Swiss army knife can stay clean and pretty looking for more 'not food' related jobs.
  
• Belinda is refusing to post crib scores until something seriously changes i.e. the scoreboard reflects her skill and talent which at present is not being showcased or in other words.... absolutely whipping my husband's cute little bottom!
• Roland is my super hero and I love him very much.
• Check out ourSalvation Army Journal Page for recent blog entry.
  

Belinda is still waiting for:

• a grand epiphany on what to do for work after this trip (except for having lots of babies).
• rock hard, six pack abs.
• the day when she can get up a really hard hill without shedding a tear or two.

What's on top for Roland?

• How accountable are mega corporations to environmental issues.  For example, on Isla de Ometepe (an island in a lake) receives 9 million bottles each year without an exit strategy.  So where do the empties go?  In the lake.  Out of sight, out of mind.  And this is just a micro example!
  

This section of our travels has been emotionally charged to the max, something that you can only experience to appreciate.  Thanks to our Managua host, Lillian we were able to spend a couple of afternoons visiting the city dump. This is the home to 1000 people and the workplace to 1000 more.  These people make a living through sorting out the rubbish.  Infact, the rubbish that arrives at the dump has already been sifted through many times prior, so pickings can be slim.  Several organizations have initiatives for this area.  We visited a safe haven inside the dump that provides meals, assistance with school work and somewhere pleasant to be.  Lillian suggested we visit this place and just simply give the kids some fun time.  So we went up and literally just hung out and played.  It wasn´t long before we were having wheel barrow races, kicking around a ball, drawing and discovering a 1001 things you can do with dominoes.  We were unsure whether or not to take photos, however Belinda was very grateful to be quickly relieved of this conumdrum.  Only minutes after meeting everyone, Joseline (approximately 5 years old) confidently took the camera off her and began capturing dozens of photos of whatever took her fancy.   Many of the photos are really good as you can see for yourself………….

This is not an easy place to visit.  Driving through the entrance you see cows grazing on plastic, smoke and dust that swirls around and coats your body with a layer of grime, and amongst the machinery are adults and children digging for treasures they can cash in for money.  On leaving, you instantly feel relieved to be nearing a shower, clean clothes, a tranquil and safe home; which is then followed by a pang of guilt, realizing these people are deprived of these simple necessities.

We only had a brief experience there but you can learn more about various organizations trying to encourage sustainable and realistic lifestyle changes.  There´s feeding, schooling, clothing, medical and vocational training programs currently up and running.  The following two charities are groups we directly had contact with and learnt about their roles in the community.

Los Quinchos  www.losquinchos.it

Pro Nica http://www.pronica.org/
http://www.lensofvisionexpression.org/

Nica Hope    http://www.nicahope.org/main/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mfo4uen5MY&feature=related

Honduras wasn’t very nice to Bid Bird.  We ducked into this country twice, before and after El Salvador and both times he got hurt.  As you’ll learn from watching the video, we cycled right into a pothole on a downhill (that seemed to resemble something more of a crater on Mars).  After continuing cycling for some time we realized Big Bird wasn’t in good shape and discovered both rims were cracked.  Really, both rims!  It then became apparent we weren’t able to get our bike tended to in Honduras and so after five rides, one flat tire and 100kms later we found ourselves in El Salvador a day early.  Fortunately, we have been carrying a spare rim since San Franciso and that was put to use on the back.  We bought a second hand wheel to go on the front while we wait for a new rim to arrive in Costa Rica.  All was well with the world again.

One thing you have to accept, particularly in these parts (Central America), is that you just have to roll with the punches and realise that things may or may not go according to plan. We have found ourselves constantly making decisions and then changing them numerous times to adjust to whatever the current situation reflects. This place teaches you the art of patience, acceptance, flexibility and to just let go of things that are out of your control – it's not an easy thing to do but we are definately getting way better at it.

Although, Big Bird doesn’t have fond memories of Honduras, we thought otherwise (but we won’t tell Big Bird that!).  It had beautiful countryside, pleasant towns, our favourite Mayan ruins to date and friendly locals.  The Copan Ruins are famous for their sculptures and artistic detail.  We also thought the entrance walkway filled with parrots, squirrels and an animal (that even the locals we’ve asked don’t know the name of) scuttling around was really cool. 

Christopher (Warm Showers) was our host in Copan Ruinas and together we were also fortunate to take in a tramp to a rugged waterfall, an evening dip at a natural hot spring and try the national iconic food (called a baleada, which is a giant flour tortilla stuffed with any filling you’d like).  Actually, Roland went with Chris while I tried to get over my second lot of food poisoning.  Chris is from the US, working in a school, has a bunch of knowledge about the area and makes a mean pasta to satisfy even the hungriest cyclists!

The ride between Copan Ruinas and Santa Rosa de Copan was highlighted by a quick visit to a coffee harvesting plant embedded in thick lush jungle. Here we also caught a glimpse of an unusual looking feline.  It was a young tigrillo cub, who could only be enticed to come out from his cool resting place with the bowl full of chicken. Roland even snuck in a quick pat, even though this was probably not a clever thing to do!

In Santa Rosa de Copan we had to opportunity to spend two nights with a Honduran-American family.  They own and run ‘Weekend Pizza’, a restaurant making delicious organic pizzas from scratch.  Claudia (Couchsurfing) had just had her boyfriend from Germany arrive and it took us back to when Roland first moved to New Zealand to be together.  We actually ran into Claudia’s mother as we approached the city and immediately knew we were going to be in good company.  Claudia’s grandmother was a sweetheart and ensured we were fed, washed and well rested before heading on our way. 

Although El Salvador is a small country, it’s packed with people and volcanoes.  Our memories of El Salvador will definitely be the people we stayed with as we didn’t do anything particularly touristy here. 

In San Andres, we stayed with Mauricio and Gloria from Couchsurfing for three nights to get our bike fixed in San Salvador and help out on their property.  They live in an eco village in the jungle and have a very simple and healthy lifestyle.  We had initially planned to volunteer with the Salvation Army, however the contact information and address we had was out of date (the hair salon to which the address directed us to, also assured us they didn’t need any help either ). Still we thoroughly enjoyed the many new experiences of working the land and making bread with some of the local kids, learning how to prepare/grind corn and eating wholesome meals. 

We also saw our first real live scorpion here.  Eeeekkk.

From San Andreas the plan was to go around San Salvador, but we missed a crucial turnoff and proceeded to get digested into the belly of this congested city. And of course, who should we bump into but the El Salvador Salvation Army Headquarters. So we joined in on the service with major Wilson and his wife and got some updated contact information.  

In San Vincente we joined Brad and his host family for a special El Salvadorian dinner of Pupusas, which are like Gorditas in Mexico. We thoroughly enjoyed chatting with Brad and learning some unique El Salvadorian customs/rituals.  For example did you know that people in El Salvador cover all mirrors in the house when there is a thunder storm, and to avoid getting arthritis, people do NOT have showers after working or exercising.

The route from San Vincente to Amando Lopez, (don’t bother looking on a map, you will not find this tiny village) was surprisingly still blocked off to motorists due to a flood 4 months ago. We still managed to negotiate the damaged road and turn a few heads in the process. Getting off the Pan-American Highway (Hwy1) and on to the coastal Highway (Hwy2) brought many overhanging trees and beautiful views onto the country side. In Amando Lopez, we met up with Nedal, a German Couchsurfing host, who volunteers in the community. Here we had a swim in a nearby river, played and taught soccer to a group of women and had a chilled out evening. Again, guess what we saw.. .. another two scorpions, in fact one managed to make his way on a girl’s leg, very scary!

We had planned to exit El Salvador by the north, but while having a break under a tree we met Jose who had cycled his recumbent bike from Montreal, Canada to his current home of Chirilagua,  El Salvador. It was interesting to learn of all the other cyclists we knew who had also made a slight detour and stayed with this very friendly and generous man.  This being said, we now opted for a coastal route out of El Salvador, which meant a few more miles but less hills, not a bad trade off.

 

We’re onto our third country in two weeks; which is pretty good for us!  Never mind these countries are tiny compared to Mexico.  It’s been really great experiencing some different cultures and again being amazed at how the change is immediate as soon as you cross over the border.  Within minutes of arriving in Belize we were seeing English signs, people playing cricket, more wooden houses and the condition of the roads deteriorate.

We spent all of five days in Belize and to be honest enjoyed not doing anything touristy in that time.  However, there is much to see in Belize, even though it has only 300,000 inhabitants and is roughly the size of Massachusetts.  Such as, coral islands and reefs, caves, ruins, waterfalls and reserves.  Belize has a real mix of ethnicites with Creole, Mayan, Taiwanese, Mennonite, Garifuna and Spanish making up the bulk of the population.  Belizean cuisine primarly consists of rice, beans, chicken, coconut based products and fried plantain (large, unsweet bananas not usually eaten raw).  For us, Belize felt very much like an island due to the size, laid back culture and steamy climate. 

In Orange Walk we stayed with Couchsurfer host and Peace Core volunteer, Jacob who originally hails from the USA.  He gave us a great introduction to Belizean culture and we enjoyed listening to his Creole accent he had mastered in his time living in Orange Walk.  This is where we first tried Johnny cakes, which look similar to scones but are made with coconut milk and are eaten with meals in the same fashion as tortillas or bread.  We also tried a cheap treat, choco-bananas; which are literally frozen bananas dipped in chocolate on a stick and are a favourite with the locals. Orange Walk has a pretty river; which is not only used for tours but the transportation of sugar cane (that grows abundantly in this area).  In fact, cycling into Orange Walk we were passed by at least 20 full trucks of sugar cane off to the factory to be refined.  This town is also where Roland had his hair ‘dreaded’ Belizean style.  His hair was twisted and then wrapped in string.  The idea is that after a few months his hair will naturally dread and then the string can be taken out.  So we will see how that works out…..

While camping on some farmland one night we witnessed a spectacular lightening show that lit up the whole sky.  It was several hours later before we heard the thunder and the rain start.  We were grateful to have a shed roof to sleep under. Our last two nights in Belize were with Ben (couch surfing) who is really friendly, really chill and really trusting.  He left us the keys to his house and we appreciated some downtime to ourselves and volunteering with the Salvation Army (see our SA Journal Page).   We were pleased to get the opportunity to meet Ben on the following night when he returned from a weekend away in Mexico.

Crossing over in Guatemala, meant we were back into Spanish and cheaper eats. The area between the border and El Remate (our first nights accommodation that had views of lake El Peten) is known for highway robberies, however we had no trouble and encountered many warm and encouraging faces.

Tikal took the whole day to see, as it’s super duper big with some of the pyramids over 60 metres high.  There are two rates to get into Tikal, a cheap rate for Guatemalans and a heavy marked up price for international visitors.  There was no convincing the ticket operators that we were Guatemalan so we lumped it and paid full price. Also, there is a lot of restoration projects going on right now and was interesting to see the before and after pictures.   It’s currently the largest Mayan Ruins, however we heard about another site that is currently being excavated and is only accessible by tramping in and out, called El Mirador.  It covers an area of 23 sq kms.  It would definitely be cool to check out as it’s quite the intrepid journey found between the Mexico and Guatemalan border….. another time I guess….

There were apparently monkeys there that like to poo on your head so we waited patiently for this to happen with no luck.  We have still yet to see a monkey just hanging about in the wild ….. but we keep hearing them! 

After two days of cycling and staying in beautiful Finca Ixobel, we found ourselves in Rio Dulce with three more broken spokes.  All original spokes are staying strong, but 4 of the 5 replacement spokes are not cutting the mustard.  Amazingly we were able to find a bike shop and locate some spokes that fit our wheel.  The previous towns had bike stores that doubled as half barber shop half bike mechanic, weird.  

An observation we have made is that the Guatemalan towns are way more intense, congested and bustling with activity.  Fruit and vegetable stands tend to overhang into the streets causing traffic to be slow and messy. And the heat does not do any favours for anyone either.

Our camping accommodation in Rio Dulce proved to be the perfect remedy, except camping was not an option at Finca Tijax (Lonely Planet had it wrong). It was a spectacular location set amongst jungle with lake side access. It even had a pool! Although a week late, this quickly became our 2nd wedding anniversary, and we were not in any great hurry to haul our bike back over the200 metre  board walk suspension bridge entrance.

The thing to do in Rio Dulce is to cruise the lake and river down to Livingston, so we did. On route we met up with other travelers from America and had some lovely conversation stories about past and future travels, volunteering and foreign aid.  Livingston reminded us of Belize with its Garifuna culture, offers of Marijuana and unique store names i.e. Jake’s cool spot, the friendly store, Positive vibes F.M. The day finished with a surprising phone call from Belinda’s mom who managed to track us down during our evening dip in the pool.

We got it wrong.  Instead of a challenging 140 km day from Rio Dulce to Chiquimula, it turned into a ridiculous 185 km day coupled with the hottest weather we have experienced to date  (47 C).  Fortunately our couchsurfing host, Raul saved the day by giving us a ride to his place some 20km out, as the road began to deteriorate, light was fading fast and muscles were tiring. We had a tranquil evening with Raul, his family Monica, Andreas, Gabriel, Zoey the dog, neighbors and friends with a Bbq in the communal gazebo. We sincerely hope our conversation was not too boring, as we were feeling really exhausted. Our night with this family prepared us for the border crossing into Honduras the next day.

Belinda wants…..

• Junk food from New Zealand
• A dinky bell for her handlebars
• To absolutely thrash Roland in crib

 Roland wants….

• His own personal fan that is somehow permanently attached to his body.

Crib Score:
Belinda 84
Roland 136

Things seen on the side of the road;
half of a hand gun,
bags of drinking water 500cc

The draw card of Tulum was definitely the setting.  Once again the ruins weren’t particularly distinctive apart the wall that surrounds the compound.  It was pretty toasty walking around this site and the turquoise water of the Caribbean called to us…. Incessantly.  We obliged (along with the rest of the bus loads of tourists) and took a refreshing dip.  Two iguanas were chilling out near to our spot on the beach, with one being particularly interested in our lunch.  Roland, in all his wisdom hand fed the iguana some banana; however it decided Roland’s finger was on offer too.  Roland was not impressed! 

Sad and yet exciting….

This is our last day in Mexico as tomorrow we cycle to the border of Belize which is only 10kms away.  Looking back to when we first cycled into Tijuana, we would have never expected to stay this long or see and experience so many different and amazing things and meet such special people.  And who would of thought, we do actually know some Spanish now too.  We hope our ride through Central America continues to blow our minds………

Crib Score

Roland 135

Belinda 78 (I got skunked twice in a row!)

Tick Count

Roland 0

Belinda 3 (one on my bum, stomach and wrist)

A new addition…

We are excited to (in the near future) introduce a new member to our family.  All we can give away right now is his name is “Nutty” but he is still getting acquainted with Atony, Big Bird and his chores.   


 

After Uxmal we made a bee line to Merida to meet our host family.  Yapur found us through reading the CNN Mexico online article about us and invited us into his home.  It turns out that he is a professional racing cyclist and has won many competitions in Mexico and Central America.  It was a honour to met him let alone stay with him and his family.  His wife (lisa) and two children, April and Manuel were very easy going and a pleasure to get to know as well.  Manuel even gave up his own bed for us which was a huge gesture and his room had air conditioning with was amazing in the 40 degree and very humid climate.  It was very interesting for us learning more about racing and is in stark contrast to what we are doing.  Yapur's bike is like a porsche and ours is like a motorhome!  Yapur and Lisa generously gave us some new bike shorts as they were horrified of the condition of our current ones that are in a sorry state.  Yapur was able to refer us to an excellent bike mechanic as one of our rear wheel spokes broke and we didn't have the tool to remove the cassette.  They did a fantastic job and even gave Big Bird a scrub behind the ears and a new tape job on Belinda's handlebars.

We spend the better part of a day in Celestun, a nearby beach town that is known for it's flamingo viewing opportunities.  We jumped on a boat and got to see these rosy birds and was surprised to see how long and flexible their necks are.  The tour also went through some mangroves and we got to have a dunk in water with some fish too.

We ended up staying four nights in Merida and it was hard to leave such good company, however Yapur made our exit a little easier by cycling out of this relatively large city with us.  THANK YOU!

Crib Score
Roland 128
Belinda 77

Things we've seen on the side of the road
+ Body building competition on the beach
+ Police on Segways patrolling the Campeche waferfront
+ Burning (could see flames) milk truck
+ Monkeys and Iguanas
+ Baby bag with ID so handed in to officials
+ A cowboy hat that Roland gave to a guy on a bike taxi (these are abundant here in the Yucatán)
+ Small fires burning rubbish and vegetation (everywhere!)
+ Bus stop after bus stop after bus stop (which is awesome for us in this intensive heat and sun)
+ Trucks selling gas around suburban streets get attention by dragging a chain and metal rings under the truck.

Firstly, we would like to thank the FOUR people that entered into our wee competition.  They were all great names and it was difficult to decide on a winner so into the pot they went.  A special congratulations to Shelley who had the winning name 'ATONY' which means ´surprisingly small animal or fairy'!  Once again, thanks to Tessa (my niece in Aussie) for generously gifting one of her 'My Little Ponies' from her own collection.

The ride to the coast from Miahuatlan was beautiful and even had a heavy dousing of rain and hail for one hour before the sun shone once more.  We rose up into pine forests and then descended into humid jungle-like foliage before dipping our toes in the water at Puerto Angel.  Then it was a short ride around a couple of bays to Mazunte which is totally all hippied-out!  We stayed at El Neem Agama Yoga Center which we found through Couchsurfing.  You can stay for two nights free and participate in one yoga class if you so choose.  We really enjoyed sleeping under the stars in the mosquito nets as it was very toasty there day and night.  Thanks to Geoff and Hector for making us feel welcome.  It was wonderful to have a dunk in the old ocean and let our super white feet (really bad cycling tan going on right now) see daylight.  We checked out the Tortuga (turtle) Research Center which was established in 1994 after fishing for turtles was banned (which was really big in this area).  It was great just to mooch about for a day wandering the streets of the small town, strolling along the beach at sunrise, finding a car all decked out in New Zealand goodness (we didn’t meet the owners who seem to be on a surfing safari from my homeland) and with the highlight being watching the sun set from a rocky outcrop at the east end of the beach.

Now all of this sounds pretty perfect, however all the while these lovely experiences are happening, I found myself still feeling nauseous, bloated and unable to eat much else aside a few crackers.  Fortunately though, we met a girl at the retreat center that was a herbalist and she gave me some foul tasting herbal tea (Chaparro Amargo) that clears out parasites and the next day I felt hungry for the first time in a week and have been good since.  YAY! Cycling and not eating is not a good combination as it turns out!

After leaving Mazunte we found the coastal road (Highway 200) doesn’t really hug the coast and to go to the beach you need to turn off and cycle about 10 km’s.  So we took some dips in rivers we crossed to cool down along the way.  Also, it turns out the Oaxaca coastal road is not that scenic.  There’s a lot more rubbish than other roads we’ve cycled on and it’s lined with very dry-looking barren trees.  However, from time to time we did get a glimpse of the water from a distance and that’s always nice. 

So it’s the Isthmus of Tehuantepec for all those that just watched our latest video.  The day after we took that clip the wind got way stronger in a gusty kind of way.  Roland did an amazing job steering the bike however we found a portion of the day too dangerous to cycle and got a ride for 40 km’s just past Juchitan (where all the wind turbines are spinning furiously around).  We weren’t so concerned with falling off our bike but rather being swept in front of a truck as we did swing into the middle of the road a few times but was lucky as no vehicles were behind us.  It’s not our favourite thing in the world to hitch a ride but we like to think we have sensible heads some of the time.

In between camping for a few nights under a bridge, behind an abandoned shack and in a cabin used during the day for loggers and the such like; we stayed with two other couch surfers.  One was with lovely Nizbeth and her family in Juchitan (we were their first couchsurfing visitors which was cool) and then for three nights in Tuxtla Gutierrez (the modern Capital of Chiapas).  After doing a 150 km cycle day we were greeted by Claudio and Angel in Tuxtla and promptly booked into the Camino Real Hotel which was totally unexpected and very generous.  There was another couchsurfer already staying with Claudio and he felt bad that we would be using our mattresses on the ground.  No amount of trying to assure Claudio that we were accustomed to sleeping on our mattresses and that we were simply appreciative of a place to stay worked.  We were ushered to the hotel where we slept soundly in a king-sized bed and had extra long showers.  

The next day after a lazy morning we took in the Canyon El Sumidero in Chiapa de Corzo via boat.  It was really pretty and the temperature was perfect with the breeze and shade of the towering canyon above us.  We saw crocodiles and heaps of vultures but missed out on the spider monkeys that apparently hang out there too.  That night we shared a meal out with Claudio and Angel and the other couchsurfer (Maddy, who just finished a cycling trip in the US).  I even ate some seafood (go me!), watched Mexico versus Iceland (Roland represented Iceland), had a bit of a dance, and drunk one too many ‘Micho Sabores’.  Eek!

We arrived in San Cristobal de las Casas after climbing from 430m to 2100m.  We stayed with our friend, Alejandro who we met back up in the Copper Canyon around Christmas time.  It was so great to see him again.  We got the house to ourselves for two nights as Alejandro is a doctor and volunteers in rural villages offering advice, education and treatment at no cost, which we think was pretty amazing.  We really liked San Cristobal and even though there were a few more tourists around, it had a really good vibe, felt safe and there were lots of interesting things going on.  For example, Alejandro lives across the road from a small plaza and every night we stayed there was live music and yummy food stalls and a buzz about the place.  Our favourite thing to do in San Cristobal was strolling around the pretty streets, plazas and markets at night, lit with thousands of lights and fulled with entertainment and a good opportunity to people watch. 

We went to a local village called Chamula.  They are an independent Tzotzil group and follow some unique religious practices, to the point where Chamulans practicing other kinds of Christianity (not Chamulan Catholicism) are expulsed from their villages.  Unfortunately, when we where there we were totally bombarded with vendors (including children) pushing for a sale or to be given a gift.  It makes for a tricky situation and generally makes you feel pretty stink saying 'no gracias' constantly.  We weren't allowed to take pictures in the church but there were many locals chanting and praying with many lit candles and even sacrificed chickens at the alter.  We also went to the graveyard that has black crosses for old people, white for the young and blue for others that have died. 

Off to Osocingo in the morning to see Tonina, some Mayan ruins and then onto the grand Palenque!

What did we find on the side of the road?

• Fireworks that (to Roland’s utmost disappointment) didn’t work.
• Two hair combs
• A climbing carribena
• A bunch of mangoes that had fallen off a truck.... yummy!

Crib Score

Roland 120
Belinda 71