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
