Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Still in Guatemala 11 10 11


Antigua

Antigua 


Monterrico Pacific Coast 


From da Canoe


Roberto  the Triumph Dealer, whom I got the bike off , he took me for a ride to Quetzaltenango (approx 200kms North of Guate city ).
What a great ride it was there , great weather and perfect temp , with fantastic views. We stopped on the way for  breakfast . We arrived in Quetz had a look around and headed back . About 20km out of Quetz it started to rain , as I have said before , when it rains hell it rains . So the trip home was very slow and wet , the roads are very slippery from all the diesel on the roads from the bus and trucks (I guess) . I had a couple of slips but da Tiger came through with a roar . 
The bike has done the 1000kms now for the first service and at the moment in in a cafe waiting to get it back .
On our way back from Quetz we run into a  Canadian couple (they both had BMW 650s) going to Panajachel (they are going down to Ushuaia) . We heard yesterday that they both dropped there bikes  and were robbed in Panajachel the next day ( poor little buggers ah !!) . 

Quetz is in valley about 3000mts above sea level 


Robertos famous relation in Quetz 

Highest Point on our way to Quetz

So now Im ready to move on and should be on the road in the next 2 days I hope , heading for El Salvador 







Monday, October 10, 2011

Ronda to Gibraltar to Morocco to Guatemala 9 10 11

After our beautiful Hotel in Ronda (Hotel Reina Victoria ) we drove on down to Gibraltar  , with hope that yes it can get even better . But yes you right life is not always like that .
We arrived and found an Information Centre and where told that there was really only one hotel with a room that has car parking . We booked it and off we go , well the closer we got the worse it got . I thought well it can't be that bad in side , as it is a 3 star . After being Hemingway back at the other place , now  I'm a refugee from where ever . It was a real tip and cost more than the Hotel in Ronda .
Roger Hemingway
Gibraltar is a bit of a dump really and not a lot there , it is kind of like a whole lot of Spanish people pretending to be Poms . They seem to speak a mix of Spanish and English . We went up the rock to see the Monkeys and the views , they were both great .

After a day in Gibraltar we thought we should take the ferry over to Morocco for the day (it is only 25mins by ferry  , well it should be ) . We had to get to a Town on the coast of Spain (cant rember the name ) by 11.00am . The travel girl said ,we should leave by 8am so we would be on time . Shit we were in plenty of time , it was only about half an hour away . Then to rub shit in the wound the bloody boat was about 2 hrs late .
We booked a tour of Tanger , which was a bus ride around the city , then lunch , then a walking tour of the old city (the Kasbar) and then time for shopping



We arrived late so there was no bus , then the guide says , we will have a walking tour first , from the port (great no bus and we are walking 2 kms to town good start, and its hot  ) . Then we are to go for lunch , but guess what the restaurant is full , so the guide say lets go shopping then . And guess where to , his fathers carpet shop (so much for shopping in the Kasbar ) . Next we are back at the restaurant for lunch ,( probably his uncles) .  Then its the bus ride , which is about 2 kms up the road and back to the boat , to take us back . But hey we can say we have been to Morocco (I have the frig magnet to say so )
He said he would like me meet Charlie and Basil .  Top of the Rock Gibraltar

Next London 

We had 2  full days in London and that was enough , we did all the usual stuff including a ride in the big Wheel (they call it the eye ) . The weather there was fantastic and quite hot .  The Hotel was very nice  so the memories of the Hotel in Gibraltar soon faded . Now it was time for Ruth and I to part ( a very sad moment)  . Ruth to go Home to NZ ,  me to go on to Guatemala and pick up the Tiger and start the Bike Trip . 

After arriving a day late in Guatemala, because the plane was late arriving into Madrid ,  I missed the connecting flight to Guatemala . 
Next day it was Tiger Day and finally to get the new bike . After picking it up I rode down to the boarder with ELSalvador (approx 200 kms return ) it felt good  to be on the road , it is a fantastic bike to ride and I love it .
 
My new theme song is RIDIN DA TIGER 
the record is being cut now 
And NO its not 
Droppin Da Tiger 

Next day a trip to Panjachel (about 125km north of Guate City ) , I took the mountain route there and came to a bridge washout . Parked up to wait for a car or truck to go through the river ,to see how deep it was . After a car came through I was off , but as I was about to turn on a bit of a rise the bike stalled and YES I dropped it . Can yo believe that , second day and I dropped it (lucky it was on grass). Well I was really piss at this stage  Here I am in the middle of nowhere and my  new bike is on the ground . I try to pick it up with tears in my eyes , but I cant ( because it is on a slope and it is to heavy) . I stand back and think what now , just then this little Indian guy comes running out of the bush , and yes he is going to give me a hand  ,great !!. He takes the back and im in the front , but I didnt see that he has hold of the seat , and yes just as we get it up , he rips the bloody seat off , YES broke the bloody thing . So I say thanks for the hand and he runs off . Now I have a new bike with a scratch on the Mirror only (lucky ) and a broken seat . I get on it and are ready to go with tears still in my eyes , now it will not start . Shit I get off and think shit what now once again . I think, I wonder if I have Coverage on my phone . Well you will not believe it, I had 1 bar . So ring the work shop back in Guate and Roberto tells me it has a Mercury Switch and to lean it the other way , it should be good and it was .
When I got back to Guatemala City I went straight round to Robertos shop and he fixed all the broken bits and it is back to  new again . Thanks Roberto !!! 


The next day I'm off the the Pacific Coast via Antigua , and Monterrico
What a great ride approx 350 km .
First it was a little cold , then as i got closer and closer to the coast , it got bloody hot (I mean hot ) 
Before I left Julio he said that there will be a Ferry crossing , but as you can see it was more like a Canoe Crossing . When I got there I thought , well here we go ,I'm going to drop the bloody bike in the river now . It was hot, but very beautiful , I was just smiling and sing da new Song all the way , thinking how lucky I am to be here in the middle of nowhere, on a canoe with da tiger . It was a 20 min trip (well should have been ) but the Canoe run out of petrol (you are thinkin Bullshit ) well it bloody did . And to boot as you can see in da photo , rain was a comin . We had to wait about 5 mins for da next Canoe to arrive and off we go . When I got back on da road it Pissed down all the way home (and when it rains here it bloody rains ) , but I didnt care because I was Ridin da Tiger  . I got back to Julios about 6.30  wet and I mean wet .
Riding the Mountains here is some of the best  riding ever, I just love it , great views and no traffic (thats out in the country, that is ) 

Thats it for now, I have to go , im at a cafe and it is going to rain again , so I had better get back to Julios . I will catch up some more soon . With more Stories of RIDIN DA TIGER