Quit our jobs, sold our home and everything in it, gone riding...

[MacDoc]

Thanks for detailed reply and much useful info there about riding in general and your trip.

Seems to match my preferences and reality except you don't ache I do tho I suspect 30 years difference in age may account for some of that.

I'm finding touring here - for instance yesterday 350 km takes 8-9 hours with breaks for photos, swlmming, coffee etc. It's just boring trying for distance with so much to see.

We are using Scala's but think the next round will be Sena from the price and reporting about Scala issues. The comms make a huge difference in enjoyment and safety.

With the heat here ( missing yesterday for once ) staying hydrated is critical. Usually carry 3 Litres and go through it. Learned my lesson on a long loop on the TransCanada - was dangerously dehydrated and not aware of it. Suckered by the cool weather - air mass was dry and I was riding into the sun all day.
BTW what do you do to ensure safe drinking water?

Again thanks for the effort on the blogging and the info.

 

[Lightcycle]

BTW what do you do to ensure safe drinking water?

Bottled water can be found everywhere. It's more civilized here than people think. Wireless Internet is better (and cheaper) in Central America than Canada and most of the US.

 

[Lightcycle]

Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/83.html

During the middle of the week our Spanish teachers, Susanne and Mario, take us out on a field trip to a local town just outside of Xela called San Andres Xecul to practice our Espanol.

Waiting for our "bus" to fill up before heading out

And we're off! Transportation Guatemala-stylez!

View of San Andres Xecul from the top of the hill

San Andres Xecul is a quaint little town set against the mountainside of the Guatemalan highlands. It's famous for its brightly coloured yellow church. After the Spanish invaded Central America, there was much suspicion of the Catholic church, so as a peace offering, this church was painted in indigenous colours to entice them to attend.

Thursday is market day, so the town square was filled with women either selling or buying stuff. And children supervising the process...

Candles sold outside the church

Spanish hymns were softly sung at the front of the church, the devotion is palpable in the air.

Most of the women wore the colourful, traditional clothing of the indigenous Maya

My teacher, Mario, is very knowledgeable about the history of the Maya. He told us that to this day, the indigenous population is largely discriminated against by the rest of Guatemala and treated very poorly. The main differentiator between the Mayans and the rest of the society is their native clothing, and some modern Maya (mainly the men) have given up traditional garb in order escape discrimination and to secure jobs. The women face less pressure as they either work in the markets or look after the children, and are more able to display the clothing of their past with pride.

Rearranging the "storefront"

Personal grooming is very important in sales

Accompanying mom to the market

Brightly coloured church overlooks all market transactions

Trying to get a good deal...

So much character in the people and the streets of San Andres Xecul

San Simon - not your average Saint...

Mario took us to a private residence, and we walked through someone's living room, through their backyard into a shed where a shrine was set up to the Mayan god, San Simon. Worshiped by the ancient Mayans as a symbol of male sexual power, today he is depicted as a man dressed in 20th century clothing, smoking a cigarette with bottles of booze around his waist, sometimes carrying a rifle. I am not joking.

San Simon has been denounced by the Catholic church and he has been identified with Judas Iscariot. All this makes the "outlaw saint" even more popular with the indigenous population. Many shrines are set up in private houses hidden away from the authorities, and different coloured candles are sold to visitors so that they can be burned at his feet to bring success, wealth and power.

Our teacher Mario looks on, while Neda asks San Simon for his blessings in our travels

Different coloured candles signify different meanings. Blue is supposed to bring good luck for travel, white is for spiritual well-being, yellow is for personal protection and red is for luck in love. There are also black candles, and those are meant to wish ill will or harm to others! San Simon is not really a saint, but an amoral Mayan god that is supposed to grant all wishes, good or bad.

It's easy to see the allure of such a deity amongst the downtrodden indigenous population.

The "patron saint of drunkards and gamblers" looks on in satisfaction while our candles burn at his feet.

The ground is covered in melted wax from all the other visitors who have come here with candles in hand and prayers in their hearts.

 

[DraginMiFeet]

Thank you for replying to my "what to take" on our trip to Cabot Trail. My wife and I read your entire blog. Amazing, Wow. Would I like to do that.

Good luck on the rest of your trip wherever that will take you.

Colin

 

[sid_for_speed]

I'm curious to know ...


WHAT ARE THE GAS PRICES LIKE IN S.AMERICA???

 

[MacDoc]

Good question and getting more important.
Can't answer SA but anyone considering Australia...it's about $1.70 Cdn a litre and you need to take that into account when budgeting for a tour. Ouch factor every time I fill up the 25 litre ST1100.
I would guess that there are places in Europe even higher.

 

[infernobuster]

Trying to keep up with the updates, lol.

I have a few co workers headed down to Mexico on Monday on their bikes. One guy bought a place down in Mexico, and thats where they are headed.

 

[sadrik]

Good question and getting more important.
Australia...it's about $1.70 Cdn a litre..

I would guess that there are places in Europe even higher.

Last summer, prices were (after currency exchanges) between CAD1.71/L (Andorra, essentially duty-free) and CAD2.46/L (Italy). The average for fillups around central and western Europe for me was CAD2.11/L.

 

[Lightcycle]

WHAT ARE THE GAS PRICES LIKE IN S.AMERICA???

I don't know. Haven't gassed up in South America yet...

Central America, the prices are all over the place depending on the country. Mexico's gas stations are government run by an organization called Pemex. Gas is about $1 CDN (or a bit less) per litre. Guatemala is about $1.30 (or a bit more) CDN per litre.

 

[Grimmy]

Wow, what a great trip and the things you've seen, done people met. Just the total experience and adventure of it all.

I ask myself a lot of questions, like what they did for employment before the trip (clearly well educated, solid and well above average incomes), where the ideas come from, contingecy plans, what the end game is, how you return to a normal work day after a trip like this, or a normal life for that matter. Basically I think about the whole massiveness of such an undertaking, and somewhat how jelly I am that you get to do it, and how much more of an undertaking it would be for someone like me to even try, let alone succeed in such a venture.

Keep the updates coming. Just plain kewl. I plan to show a friend of mine your pics when you get to her home country of Colombia, if you are going that far, considering the issues with militants in southern Panama and northern Colombia.

 

[jc100]

Wow, what a great trip and the things you've seen, done people met. Just the total experience and adventure of it all.

I ask myself a lot of questions, like what they did for employment before the trip (clearly well educated, solid and well above average incomes), where the ideas come from, contingecy plans, what the end game is, how you return to a normal work day after a trip like this, or a normal life for that matter. Basically I think about the whole massiveness of such an undertaking, and somewhat how jelly I am that you get to do it, and how much more of an undertaking it would be for someone like me to even try, let alone succeed in such a venture.

Keep the updates coming. Just plain kewl. I plan to show a friend of mine your pics when you get to her home country of Colombia, if you are going that far, considering the issues with militants in southern Panama and northern Colombia.

The FARC isn't what it used to be. Things are quite a bit calmer now.

 

[Lightcycle]

Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/84.html

We met Craig and Chihiro at our Spanish school in Xela and got along really well. They're also two wandering souls who have travelled much of the world together and by themselves, so we had a great time comparing notes. They were going to visit Las Fuentes Georginas hot springs outside of Xela on the weekend, so they invited us to come along!

We boarded a Chicken Bus with a whole bunch of indigenous women!

The primary mode of public transportation in Guatemala is a Chicken Bus. Not Pollo Autobus, they actually call it a Chicken Bus. It's usually a retired American school bus that's failed safety and emissions tests. We play a game of Rate The Chicken Bus as we pass them. We boo and hiss at the ones that still have the yellow paint showing and very little decorations and cheer the buses that are multi-coloured and are blinged out with chrome and additional foglights.

This is actually a poor example of a Chicken Bus. Not decorated enough...

We're on our way to the town of Zunil, at the base of the hills where the hot springs are located. Along the way we pass many farms and workers in the field.

Patchwork of farmland outside the town of Zunil

Workers harvesting green onions

From Zunil, we negotiated a truck ride up to the hillside spa. It's a narrow, twisty road and we regretted not bringing the bikes, but we wanted to be social and spend the day with Craig and Chihiro. What started out as a simple trip to a hot springs actually turned out to be an agricultural tour.

Thoroughly enjoying riding in the back of a truck!

Taken from the back of the moving truck!

As we climbed higher, the farmland started to resemble a colourful quilt

Surprised to see how far up the tracts of farmland extend up the sides of the hill

Some of the tracts must have been almost vertical!

We weren't the only ones enjoying the view

I think we got a very skewed view of agriculture in Guatemala, because when I did some research later on, I was surprised to learn that the country cannot grow enough crops to feed their own population, having to import grains and other foods. Although we were travelling through fertile lands, there is a large swath of the country to the north called the Dry Corridor, which receives very little rainfall and is prone to chronic drought.

Arriving at Las Fuentes Georginas

The air up here is misty as we pay the foreigner prices (double what the locals pay) to enter what looks to be a very exclusive spa. Well-fed locals hang out at the pools that are fed by thermal springs from the Zunil volcano. They're joined by a busload of college kids from the US. Although it's a very picturesque site with relaxing hot waters, it's not probably something regular Guatemalans are able to visit. In Zunil, there are dirty bath houses with small concrete basins that are fed thermal hot water from hoses. These are types of luxuries that that the regular townsfolk treat themselves to.

Nice lookouts at the Fuentes Georginas spa

The main pool, temperature must be about 40C

Neda confirms it: 40C!

After a while you get used to the heat

Neda doesn't want to leave

Last look at Las Fuentes Georginas

Having a good time back in Xela. Having dinner in our new favorite restaurant owned by a Singaporean woman, specializing in all Asian cuisine!

 

[Wingboy]

The Spa looks a bit like the Tapacon Resort in Costa Rica.It was very close to the Arenal volcano.

 

[Lightcycle]

The Spa looks a bit like the Tapacon Resort in Costa Rica.

I just checked out the Tabacon on-line. Nice place, but $45 for a half-day pass! Mui caro!

Las Fuentes was $6 to get in for the day. $3 for locals...

 

[RockerGuy]

Looks like fun. I wish we had a hot spring in Toronto

Sent from my Phone, dont judge the grammar

 

[nfq]

Looks like fun. I wish we had a hot spring in Toronto

Sent from my Phone, dont judge the grammar

No you don't. It would be overpriced, polluted or worse, hipster elitist!

Lightcycle: loving the write-ups and the adventures! keep 'em coming!

 

[RockerGuy]

No you don't. It would be overpriced, polluted or worse, hipster elitist!

The things I would sacrifice for a bit of warmth & outdoors during winter...

 

[MacDoc]

are you stunting young man???

and no helmet!!!!!

 

[el_felo]

If you guys do hit Colombia and need a few contacts please let me know

 

[sonnythebull]

Looks like fun. I wish we had a hot spring in Toronto

Sent from my Phone, dont judge the grammar

closest you can get is la Scandinave in collingwood. Not natural but...