Guatemala and the New Adventure Starts at Home 20 11 2010

In was in hospital for 20 days in Guatemala after the operation and had some really good Physio on my knee and got it moving good before I left went back to NZ .

In the mean time Julio keep me busy by taking me out just about every day for lunch or dinner (and he is a great cook ) or to see the sites of Guatemala .

Guatemala city would have to be the most dangerous city in the world that I have been to ( and I have been to a lot ) . The guns and crime is just rife , the murder rate is Hugh and the with only around 1% solved it is not a nice place to live . Julio's son has been held up 3 times at gun point for this cell phone in the middle of the day , the day we arrived there was a big shoot out about 3 blocks from the hospital , there were 7 dead and 15 wounded . You know also when you are in a dangerous place when they have 3 armed guards in Mc Donald's . But the best or worst I saw was a Bus that was shoot up , we came across it up on the medim strip with bullet holes all down one side and the front windows blown out (this was 7 o'clock in the morning ). The bus driver was not hit but the 2 guards on board were seriously ill in hospital , they never said how many Indians were killed (there must have been some) . Anyway the driver had not paid his protection money to the gangs and so they just shoot them . It is quite common as they told me back at the hospital , and it was quite sad that they were just so blazie about it and were not that taken back by it . They just seemed so accustomed to it as if that is the way life is , and there I guess it is .

Unfortunately the surgeon has made a real mess of my knee and now it looks like there is not a lot that can be done other than a new knee at some time in the next couple of years or so . But time will tell and we will see how well i can walk on it . If you look at the Xray you can see that the pin is not even up against the bone and that it has been put in crocked , but the real problem is that half of my bottom knee joint is a lot lower that the other side . All that i hope is that i can walk good enough to be able to continue with the trip next year and then maybe a new knee .

Anyway that is life's journey and you just have to live with what ever goes your way , because that is the way it is .

I will post a new posting at least once a month as to how I am getting on with my leg and with plans for the return

Photos

1. Julio and Lisa , who helped me so much when I was in hospital

2. Me and some of the staff at the hospital in Guatemala , they were just so good to me .

3. Julio took me to some Mayan Ruins just out side Guatemala City , this was the day of the bus shootings

4. Xray of the f##kup of my leg

Guatemala and Disaster

Disaster

The Day started very good with a big breakfast in San Cristobal and then on to the Guatemalan border . We had wanted to be at the border by 9am , by the time we buggered around it was not until about 1pm that we arrived . Well it was like stepping back in time and entering a Medieval Village , it started about 1km before that border and went for about 2km after . There were people every where all just doing business on the side of the road and only leaving enough room for 1 vehicle to pass through at a time .

The border was very easy and we had no trouble at all (after all the stories you tend to hear , it some times makes you wonder if they are just that stories ).

With the bikes all cleared, off we go heading to Quetzaltenango , it would be very hard to get lost as there is only one road out of town and the border . All was good and them it all turned to shit and a new unexpected adventure .

About 20kms from the border I got side swiped by a pickup and went down , not that hard but somehow I landed wrong on my Left Leg so the new Adventure begins

After about 5 mins on the ground and about 30 people all looking at me and wondering what planet I came from, Damon and Jaime got me into a taxi and off to the local clinic for an X Ray .

Well I think that the Xray machine was the first one ever built and took ages to do its job . With that done and about 20 Mosquito Bits (as the clinic was full of Mosies) the doctor arrives and says that my knee is only dislocated and that I should get to the next Town( Huehueitenango) 1 hr away to have it put back in . When the taxi driver heard that my knee was only dislocated he says his brother can put that back in , we quietly refuse .

An ambulance is called and it was not quite what you would expect , it was a Toyota Station Wagon (I would say about 20yrs old ) and they put me in the back with all my gear and strapped me down with car tiedowns onto a mattress , then off we go flatout on a very windie road Huehueitenango .

On the way my thoughts are of a nice hospital and no Mossies (wrong) . We arrive and they backed me in and get me into bed in my cell with a steel door with a string to open it . Then it is to the Xray Room (cockroach's and mosies everywhere) well this is no2 Xray machine that was ever built, with this done the doctor comes and tells us it is badly broken. Also that I need surgery and that no worry he can do it tonight , because it needs to be done within 24hrs to stop any complications . Again we quietly refuse without trying to offend the guy because the last thing we want was for him to through us out in the nite . We had no cell phone coverage or Enet and me with a broke leg that needs to operated on within the next 24hrs . Lucky for me Jaime was on the job and found a girl with a Cell Phone that worked and borrowed it from her .

He then arranged a plane for the morning to fly me to Guatemala and Hospital , we all spent the night in the cell block (lucky I had a can of fly spray) and were up early to go . Jaime checked the plane in the morning and with that arranged another one to come earlier and a $1000us cheaper to pick me up a 7am ( it cost $1500us to fly me out .

We had by now been in touch with the Travel Insurance Company and they were doing all they could to help .

Jaime and Damon had to leave early because it was an 8 hrs ride to Guatemala City , so I was left in my cell to wait for the plane and it was pretty scary . The plane was 3 hrs late due to weather , I was in a panic thinking shit the plane is not coming , Jaime and Damon are going to be 8 hrs away and to top that, I have a Doctor who wants to have a go at my leg in his garden shed and shit nobody speaks English . But all was good and the plane arrived and I was airlifted out ,and arrived in Guatemala about 1hr later , into a beautiful Hospital (what a relief ) . I had the operation that night (it took 4hrs, including a bone graft to my knee).

The guys stayed and helped for a week and arranged to get the bike shipped to the Hospital, then they were on there way , Damon and Jaime were fantastic and I wonder where I would be without them. They fussed around me like a couple of old women (and I loved it )

In the mean time through Horizons Unlimited (a biker web site) I got in touch with Julio Hartmann , he has been fantastic and has arranged every thing about the bike . He has arranged for it to be sold rather then sending it home (it was just to expensive to send home ) . He has been in touch every day and has taken me out to his house for dinner with his family and a day trip to Antigua and tomorrow we are off for breakfast somewhere .How is that for hospitality !!

I am so very lucky to have meet so many nice people on this trip . Especially people like Julio ,Damon, Jaime who even though I have only known them for such a short time , they really put in the time to help me and it very much appreciated . I really feel that I have made alot of new friends for life on this trip .

I have been in Hospital now for about 2 1/2 weeks and have been treated like a king and have been lapping it up .

Wednesday the 3rd I fly back to NZ and to Ruth and the family and I can't wait it will fantastic.

THE NEW ADVENTURE

This is not the end only an interlude , I often think that maybe in am luck to have broken my leg , because if I had not, I would not have meet all the fantastic people in Guatemala.

I will be back next year to finish the trip , if I didn't it would leave a big whole in my life . To have planned the trip for so long and not to finish it, would just not be right .

So thank you very much to all those people who I have meet on the way and all those people that have followed my blog and to all those that have helped along the way with there kindness .

I will be in touch

I THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH

I will update the blog as to my progress with my new adventure, every month or so .

Photos

1. 2 .3 Me a village and Damon and Jaime on the way back from Palneque

4 . 5 The Border Mexico / Guatemala

6. Me being air lifted to Guatemala City and Hospital

San Cristobal to Palenque and Back

After a lot of buggering around with bikes and what ever we were finally off to Palenque .

We had a great time in San Cristobal , the food was great and the beer even better . There was a lot of tourist and also a lot of ,how would I say hippies I suspose . I would go as far as to say Cristobal was my favourite stop over city wise in Mexico .

Anyway off to Palenque 211kms and we thinking 3hrs (wrong when will we learn) , it took us 7 hrs again over some beauitful mountians an very windie roads , mostly in very good condition with only a few washouts . We had a stop off to visit the Azul Falls , just before the Falls the road was blocked by some rebels (cant remember there name ) but we had to pay them 25peso each to get through .

Next was the kids , as soon as we stopped they came out like bees on honey and all saying the samething

"Mr I watch Moto 10 pesos" , "Mr I watch Moyo 5 pesos" , "Mr I watch Moto 2 pesos" , and so it went on . Anyway this kid about 4ys old was there so "I say 2 pesos you watch my Moto" , he says "si" . Then I made the big mistake I gave him 2 pesos and then he was gone , I yelled out "hey what about my Moto" . With that he just smiled and keep on walking (little bugger).

The falls were ok but not that great, it was hot so with all the gear on and time running out , we were on our way .

We arrived in Paleque found a hotel and had another great meal (Damon loves his food), we all bunked together at a cost of $10 each .

Next day to the long awaited Palenque , I had heard a lot about this site and it proved to mostly up to my expections . The only dissappointment was that it has had alot of it rebuilt (even though they only say 20% )

. We did get sucked in though by a local boy with promises of hidden temples and the like deep in the Jungle . We paid him 200 pesos and we were away ready to see what no man had ever seen before (we were excited and all felt like Indiana Jone's) , but he took us about 50 yards into the bush and showed us a few rocks and that was about that . When he walk away we all just looked at one another a laughed , we had been shit on and from a great height.

We were very lucky that there was a lot of howling monkeys in the trees which gave us much entertainment with all the howling . The whole site is very well done, boarding on beautiful rain forests and well worth the trip .

Back to Cristobal

We were told by a taxi driver to take a different route back (through Villamosa) as it would be 3 hrs quicker (wrong again we must be thick ). It was 395kms and took us about 9 hrs , it rained a lot of the way and at places the road was very slippery , we also had some very high passes to get over with very narrow roads and quite cold at times with heavy cloud cover it made it very hard to see . We wound our way over mountian after mountian after mountian , stunning absolutey stunning , the amazing thing is that you maybe at the top of some mountain in the middle no where and there will be a village this is a very special peice of the world

. I had a near tumble on diesel , it was almost like someone had just tiped a bucket of diesel on the corners . But also it was another one of those great rides scenery wise, road wise and of course the adventure , we never got back into Cristobal until about 8.30pm (and very dark) and more great food a few beers .

Next Guatemala and DISASTER with a BIG D

Photos

1/2 Palenque

3 Azul Falls

4 Outside our Hotel San Cristobal De Las Casas

The New Beginning Oaxaca to Junction de Zaragoza to San Cristobal de las Casas 1110 2010

Damon and I left Oaxaca, the day after Ruth had gone home . We were headed for Juchiton de Zaragoza approx 300kms . Our first stop was to see Tequlia being made in some little town approx 1hrs from Oaxaca and then on into the Mountians . Just before the Mountians we had a lot of very strong winds and I mean very strong , it was scary watching the trucks as we passed them , they were on such a lean that I thought that they would blow over ( I came very close to a knock down myself ).

The road through the mountians again was great with nicely banked corners and some great mountian scenery .

The truck and bus drives are just crazy and you have to be very careful not to out ride the corners ,as when they come around the very tight corners they take up most of the road . It is not uncommon to see them passing on very blind corners . I saw a bus pass a truck with so little room and on a blind corner that the mirrors smashed together , I was just amazed and this happens alot . Not long after this we came across a fuel tanker off the road and just about to roll down a steep bank . We stopped and saw the driver was ok and then we run , because we were not waiting around, any minute we could see another truck roaring around the corner and running into the petrol truck . After leaving the mountians it started to get very hot again and memories of Acapulco started to come back , it did get very hot but not so humid

We arrived in Zaragoca late , found a hotel and were up early for the trip to San Cristobal de las Casas approx 400kms .

The road again was very good (well for Mexico , still alot of Potholes and only a few 1000 Topes ) . San Cristobal de las Casas is probably the one of the nicest cities in Mexico I have seen , we stayed 3 nites , had great food ,great coffee and a very nice hotel at only $150 pesos each ($15NZ) a nite (Damon and I share a room ) .

On the second day we came across a young Mexician Guy ( Jaime Sandoval 24) on a BMW in the main plaza , we started to chat . Only to find out that he was on this way down to Brazil with his uncle , at the Guatemala border he found that his passport was invaid . So he had to back track and get a new passport in Tuxtla (about 50kms from San Cristobal ) the next day . We arranged to meet a few days later and cross the border into Guatemala together .

The next morning( we had planned to go to Palenque) just as we were about to leave I started the bike and noticed petrol leaking from the motor . So that was that we were off to Tuxtla with Jaime to go see a Suzuki shop and get the fuel problem sorted out. We took the back road to Tuxtla , another very windy road but again very scenic and over some great mountian ranges . On the way we came across a village that was flooded from all the resent rain and looked like it was about to stay that way for a very long time .

Tuxtla was just a big city full of crazy drivers and not that nice at all , but we found a hotel and the next day Jaime got his passport and the Suzuki Guy found the problem . It was a leak from the hose from the tank to the motor , I will try and get a new hose in Panama . The Suzuki guy did not have a replacment, so he just switched the hose and said it should be ok , till we get to Panama ) .

That afternoon we rode back to San Cristobal , then it will be Palenque with Jaime to come as well , it is great to have a guy that speaks Mexician along, but also Jaime is a real nice kid and great company to have along .

Photos

1. 2. The floaded Village just out of San Cristobal , they have had some of the most rain ever lately

3. 4. San Cristobal de las Casas

5. The Truck off the road

6. Making Tequila

7. Leaving Oaxaca

Oaxaca 5 10 2010

.

Ruth Returns Home to New Zealand

It was a very very sad day Tuesday 6th, my Wife Ruth , Best Friend , Navigator , Health & Safety Officer, Organiser , Dictionary ,Love of My Life, had to return home, she will rejoin me later on down the track at some point .

So we have spent a week in Oaxaca organising the trip home for her and also for me to wait for a Kiwi Guy (Damon Good , I met up in Montana) who is travelling around the world to catch up , we will be travelling together for the rest of the trip (He has a BMW bike).

Oaxaca is an other very Colonial city and a nice city to spend our last few days to gether before Ruth went home , great weather and very interesting just to wonder the streets and enjoy to City .

Next stop San Cristobal De Las Casas , it should take us about to days to reach there .

Photos

1. Ruth just about to leave for Home

2. 3. People at the Plaza Oaxaca

4. Another photo of Jango

5. 6. More peole at the Plaza Oaxaca

7. Ruth with a bottle of Katsup , what we call tomato sauce

8. Church Oaxaca

The trip to Hell San Miguel de Allende to Zihuatanejo to Acapulco to Puerto Escondido to Zipolite to Oaxaca 28 09 2010

THE TRIP TO HELL AND BACK

We left San Miguel de Allende early for the West Coast , we were looking foward to seeing the sea again after so many months of being in land ( we live on the sea back in NZ ). It was approx 538k kms to Zihuatanejo and we had great expectations for a great ride and a great destination .

But first I must mention the Toll Roads , all the good roads are Tolled and for Mexician standards very heavily . The toll gates seem to be about every 20 to 30kms , and can vary from around 20peso to 150pesos (.40c to $1.50 NZ) , and as you would expect no cars just a few trucks .

Well Ruth found this a bit of a piss off , because if it was a 100pesos to her it was like a $100 and this was just not on , especially when you had to pay them every 20 to30kms on the same road . When we got to the next toll gate she would wave the ticket at the toll person and say We paid just back there and fix the bloody pot holes and we have not got any money left because we gave it to the last bloody toll gate . The toll guys just looked because they had no idea what she was saying and she had a helmet on any way , I laugh to myself and thought Aggie,Ruths Grandmother, she would have got out and attacked them. She would have been proud of Ruth .

Anyway back to the story , the first 350kms was great all highway, tolls but no cars, we were in heaven (well me anyway , Ruth was mumbling about the bloody tolls , she had givin the Barstards $300 in her mind ) . Then as we came over a very high Mountian range, we hit it , it was like riding into a huge bowl of jelly . The air was so thick that it almost stopped us in our tracks , I would say 5000% humidity and bloody hot . Every thing changed , the climite the fauna and flora (we were now in the tropics ) the roads ( they were now absolutley rubbish , pot holes , so narrow that trucks took up more than half the road and the vegetation was right to the road edge and about 10feet high ) the people (they kind of look more Polynesian now) and the rubbish , it was every where . Quite the opposite from the Mexico we had left , it was very clean . We also saw a hugh snake crossing the road , it was nearly as wide as the road .

We arrived in Zihuatanejo a small town not unlike any Polynesian town and found our hotel after about a 1 hrs of crossing streams ,mud filled streets (in all fairness the day before we arrived there, there had been a huge storm that had washed out the entire coast line . Just our luck !!). There was so much humidity that the sweat was just running off us (very pleasent ) and we just got to our room and laid on the bed until dinner time and hoped it would cool down (it did but bugger all ).

The next day we were off to Acapulco , and thinking well paradise will be found . It was about 430kms to Acapulco and were expecting to get there early afternoon and we did arrive around 2pm , after a wrong turn which took us off the resonable road to a Mud filled, car fulled , truck filled , people fulled , dog fulled , pothole fulled , stinking mess for about 2 hrs . There was so much traffic it was like a Dodgem race , it was only a 2 lane road with 8 cars wide , and to boot the 5000% humidity and car fumes (we were in hell for real ). When we finally arrived in Centro Acapulco , we run a Red light with about 20 other cars (I said to Ruth when in Rome do as the Romans do , my mistake ). Well 2 minutes later the police pull us up , and the Guy says you run red light , you in big trouble and his mate comes over and say you have to pay 2,500 pesos . The other guys says you pay me now other wise you have to got to station and pay tomorrow and we take your licence . Well Ruth says we have got no money because we gave it all to the bloody toll people . I pull out 40pesos and the Cop say no good you in big trouble you pay now 2,500pesos , Ruth say we gave all our money to the bloody tolls , and goes through her bag and pulls out 150pesos so that makes it now 190pesos . The Cop say no no good not enough , and we just look at him and say we got no more money , he say again you in big trouble . Then he gives up and takes the 190 pesos and shakes my hand and say you have good time in Acapulco and gives us directions to where we can go to a hotel (and remember it is still 35degc and 5000%humidity , with all our gear on, sweet running down my legs , by now my boots are full and over flowing ).

It rainned all night that night and very heavy , but was fine by the time we left the next day

The next day we think, great only 380kms to Puerto Escondido and Zicatela (supposedly the 3rd best surf beach in the world , and they say it is beautiful . We get away early to try an avoid the worst of the humidity . It took us 8.5 hrs to cover those 380Kms , it was the worst road I have ever been on , the potholes, and potholes ,OH and to mention the bloody Topes 100,000 of them (speed bumps ) some gave warning and some not , it seemed that they were every bloody kilometer about 4 of them about 20 mts apart .The V Strom and Ruth took a pounding for 8.5hrs and we only covered 380kms , the road took us over some great mountians (not that I could see them as I was looking for the Bloody Topes ) .

We arrive in Puerto Escondido and it is an other dump , heaps of washed out road , mud ,rivers to cross and this is in town again . We get to a hotel and I kid you not I was asleep by 6.00pm and never woke till 6 am , I was F###ed totally and never even had any refried beans for Dinner (I must have been tired ). And again it rained all night and again very hard , we never had any rain during the day , baring the odd bit of drizzle .

The next day we are up and packed by 7.30 am (that is when it starts to get light ) and ready to go and a guy comes over and asks where we are going , and say the road is washed out you had better stay and go tomorrow ( f######k we cant get out of this stinking sweltering Topes filled hole ). So we decide to go on to the next town which is 70kms away and close to the turn off to Oaxaca and relief from this heat and Humidity .

We arrive in Zipolite and we thought the last stop was bad , this was Pheng Prison Camp , we rode into town again ,mud and shit every where ( I suspose with all the rain we were getting the wrong impression, maybe!! ) . A young guy came over(Marc from New York with his dog Jango. He is living in Mexico City playing the Trumpet for the Mexician National Orchestra, a bloody nice kid ) and said that he was riding a bike (BMW KL100) and we asked if there was a good hotel in town , he said yeah where he was staying , so off we go and book in 200pesos ($20nz).

Well now I know how Sharpel Corby must feel in Peang Prison Thailand , again the heat ,humidity 5000% , ants , mosquitos , no hot water , the hand basin water just run straight through onto the floor (at least this did help wash away some of the ants ), windows with no glass just bars . I just lay on the bed all day and sweated and sweated and sweated somemore , it had a fan which really didnt work . That nite I went out and brought some eggs and bread and had eggs on toast (relief from Refried Beans at least).

The next day after a shit nite sleep we are ready to go around 7.30am to Oaxaca (240kms) and relief from the heat . Young Marc (24) and Jango are going to join us on the ride to Oaxaca , we had been told it was a 6 hrs ride over very windy roads and mountianous . I didnt give a shit I just wanted to get way from this bloody heat and humidity , I just longed for the mountians .

It took us only about 1hr to climb out of the heat and up in the mountians , it was a very very very windy road and took us about 4 hrs to get to the top (and down the other side) approx 2600mts above sea level and I was cold and loving it . The road was in very good condition with a few washouts but not that bad, great corners but tight and you had to be careful not to out ride the corners as the traffic coming the other way had no room to move, the roads are very narrow ( Marc and i had a great time). We passed through lots of Mountian villages , often wondering who was better off the people living up in the mountians or the coast people .

After we came out of the mountians Marc says it is a straight ride into Oaxaca (wrong) , we had about 70kms to go and this took us another 3 hrs , after detours that took us 50km in the wrong direction and road wash outs and Topes (f#####king Topes I hate them (speed bumps ). Anyway after 9hrs and only 300kms we arrive in Oaxaca . But first we had to duck and dive through the traffic for about 50kms , bedlum .

Young Marc (24)and Janjo stayed with us the night and went on to Mexico City the next day .

The most amazing thing about this trip in the last few days is that you can be on beautiful roads for say about 20 or30kms and then you get to a town, and right on the town limits the road through town are absolutely shit . The road turns to mud , potholes hugh potholes , rivers of mud , cars , busses , trucks , donkeys , people , people , people , dust , diesal fumes , sewage stink , all congugated into a small area , you have to duck and dive to get ahead or you just get left behind or run over , if there is a gap you have to go for it before the bus or donkey or car or what ever does before you . We only wish we could have taken a pics going through but it is impossible because you are just in survival mode . And just as you think this is going to go on forever it is over and you are back on a beautiful road and all alone Amazing .

Photos

1. 2. Mountian Villages on the way to Oaxaca

3. Jango outside our Peang Prison Hotel in Zipolite

4. Smoko stop on the way to Zihuatanejo

5. Veiw from our prison window Zipolite

6. Our Prison Cell Zipolite, Ruth reckoned that it was not that bad , I we let you be the judge from the photos

7. Puerto Escondido

8. Acapulco

9. Zihuatanejo

Now you guys are going to look at the pictures and say beautiful , well first put your head in the Oven for 2 hrs on high and rub shit under your nose and then you may see them in a different light .

Also in fairness you must also remember that they had just had a lot of rain , I mean a lot and things alway look worst I guess when it is or has been raining and the humidity is 5000% . MAYBE !!!!!!

Zacatecas to Guanajuato to San Miguel de Allende

Sorry to be so long without a post , but Internet has been a problem and time .

It seems so long ago that we were there but the road from Durango to Zacatecas was very good and we had no problems (i think about 300 or so kms ), but I did see a big snake crossing the road .

Zacatecas was another very beautiful old town with lots of charater an small cobbled stone streets and again very European in buildings and set out . We had a great room with a view , but we had to cart all our gear up and down 6 flight of stairs (keep us old buggers fit ah ). We had 2 days there , first thing in the morning after breakfast we walked up the big hill just behind our Hostel , great veiws of the city (and there is a story but maybe for another day) . Then just buggered around the rest of the day .

Guanajuato (it is said nothing like it is spelt , the closest I think is Wanahento)

Another 2 day stop and an even better town to stay , a Uni town (and very Colonial) so it was full of kids and a lot of colour . One thing we did do was go to the Mummies Musum , it was bloody hidious ( i'm over dead people stuck on show ) they dug them up and found that with a lot of lime in the soil they had been keep near on perfect . I think that there was over a 1000 of them and to think that idiots like us pay to go and see them (the only reason we did go was that a guy at our hostel had said that it was great) . We went out to this Museum by bus and got a taxi back , well we thought we were getting a taxi back . I called him down and in my flunt Spanish said Centro please , and asked how much it cost . He said 30 peso and in we get , well off he goes in the completly wrong direction . Ruth says where he taking us , I say buggereed if I know . Ruth had bought some post cards of the city, so a take one out and point to the card and show the driver and say this where we what to go . He nodds his head and says good , (cause he doesnt know what im say at all ) . Well we end up at the Centro Bus station about 5kms out side town . So when he stops we both say no no we what to go here pointing at the card and he say after a few minites OH !!. So off back to town we go and I payed him 50 peso for this troubles and with great relief we got back to our Hostel

Most of the roading system in Guanajuato is under ground , it is like a maze and we had a lot of fun trying to find our way into town and out .

San Miguel de Allende

It was only about 84kms from Guanajuato and reported to be the best of all the little Mountian towns in the area . Well it was another great little town a full of very interest people , we had probably the best hotel of the trip there and only 300 peso a nite ($30NZ) . We met some very nice peole there from the USA who offered us there help and gave us the numbers of people who we could get in touch with on our trip if we needed help .

Next blog the Trip to Hell and Back .

Photos

1. San Miguel de Allende

2. Guanajuato our Hotel and very nice to, but it had a night club on the corner and a school just across the street again we were sayed by a very nice Americian Lady who found us the hotel , The one that we were going to had closed down .

3. San Miguel de Allende Plaza

4. Ruth getting her boots cleaned in Guanajuato

5. The Mummies

6. Guanajuato

7. 8 Zacatecas and our Hostel and the view from our room .

Creel to Hidalgo Del Parralo to Durango to Zacatecas 20 09 2010

Creel to Parral was one of those great rides , 450kms of excellent winding roads , no cars , Pine tree covered mountians and great weather at the right temp.

Parral was just a small city with no great charm and we arrived late and were gone early . The only charm was our hotel which was very 70s in deco and age , we parked the bike in the lobby and I would say we were the only people staying there .

The Meal that night nite was grand , we ordered the meal Tortillas with Pollo (chicken) first they brought out a big bowl of corn chips and bread with dips (hot but not that hot ) then the meal (with heaps of Refried Beans (yum ) and we also had 3 beers . There was plenty and we left very full for 200 pesos or $15.50 US ($21nz) a bloody bargin , the room cost us 300pesos or $24us (aprox $30nz ) for the nite, Bloody great I love this country .

Parral to Durango (approx 450kns)

Was the complete opposite from the day before , it was just straight roads and a lot of Valley riding with a few small hills to get over . But in saying that we were at approx 2500mts above sea level most of the time on both days , so it was a perfect temp for riding .

Durango is very European , you could have been in Italy or Spain no problem . Our Hotel was about 200 years old and again only 250 pesos a nite, we parked the Bike in the Lobby for the 2 days we were in Durango . We really enjoyed Durango, had McDonalds for Dinner with no Refries (thought we mite give out bellies a rest , because on our way to Durango I looked up to see the Buzzards circling around , to which we had to stop and get off the bike, so I could yell up to those Buzzards, that we weren't dieing and that it only smells that way . Go those Refried Beans . because as the saying goes .

Refries are good for your heart

Refries make you fart

The more you fart, the better you feel

Refries for every meal

Durango to Zacatecas (2400mts above sea level)

Another great ride ,no cars and a great road over mountians and down again to Zacatecas (approx 300kms ) .Zacatecas again is very European and a bit of a tourist spot , at our Hostal (250peso per nite) there are a few Poms and a lot of Mexicians on holiday . We walked up the hill behind Zacatecas (approx 1hr) and then rode the Cable Car back over the city , then we had our first Starbucks Coffee in Mexico (things are looking up ) . We are having rain and thounder most afternoons around 4 0clock and it lasts for about 2 hrs

We have crossed the Tropic of Cancer on the way to Zacatecas so next mile stone is the Equator in Ecuador .

Tomorrow we are off to Guanajuato approx 300kms , and guess what more refries for Dinner hee haa

Photos

1. Durango Plaza

2. Zacatecas

4. Durango

5. On the way to Zacatecas

6. Parral

7. On our way to Parral , having lunch with a view