Honduras to Nicaragua 21 10 11

Lago Yojoa

The Tiger is needing a clean 

After leaving Lake Yojoa (northern Honduras) I headed for Valle De Angeles . It is a small Mountain Village just south of the capital of Honduras , it was nice to get back up into the mountain air . 

Some of the Country side on the Way 

It rained on and off most of the Day (you wouldn't think so by looking at the Pic)

Valle De Angeles Honduras

I usually stop on the way for a Coke and a Snickers

THE BORDER CROSSING Honduras Nicaragua 

I had been told that this border cross is a real problem , because of all the people there trying to make a living out of helping the Gringos (like me ) out of there money , for helping them get through the border . Well the minute I arrived they were on me like Flies on Shit .  With in 1 minute I gave up , said shit go for it . I laughed to myself and said shit im going to be done like a Dogs Breakfast , and yes i was . but you know I enjoyed it . They did every thing and I just looked on and handed out the money . What should have cost about $20 cost me about $100 , but it was over quick and i was on my way in no time , with lighter pockets  . They were happy, I was happy , all except for a kid about 7 who keep looking at me and saying I look Moto . When I was about to go he says , I looked Moto and i said hell boy, this Gringo is all paid out . with that he started to cry (it's a tuff world out there)

Above is south of Esteli Nicaragua

Next stop was Esteli Nicaragua the only thing nice about this city was the Hotel .

It was here that I picked up my first Sponsor 

Zengotita Cigar Co 

Sarasota

At the hotel there was a whole group  of Cigar manufactures , Esteli is one of the biggest cigar manufacturing areas in the world , or the best which ever  . Terry Russell from Zengotita Cigars gave me 2 of his Cigars , on the pretext that I send him a photo , of me smoking them  somewhere  excotic . So now I have a Sponsor , I tell you they smell so good , I may have to have a try  real soon 

This is someone I met on the way , he said to say hi to those Gatos (cats) at home 

After Esteli it was on to Granada , a very nice lake side town in Nicaragua . Above is a spider (Tarantula) that I found on the floor, by my bed in the middle of the night .

I went up the Volcano Mombacho above is a Caterpillar I saw . The trip up was great with great views all over the area . There was another Kiwi guy on the bus David Spies from Auckland 

  

Next stop  San Juan del Sur

Guatemala to D&D Miro Brewery Honduras 17 10 11

It finally stopped raining , so Julio pushed me out and said about bloody time  .  Julio and Luisa  are such great people and it was sad to leave after 11 days .  I would not be here with out all the help from Julio 

The first stop after Guatemala City was Copan Ruinas  Honduras .

 I had a great ride and it felt good to be on the road finally , there was signs of lots of land slides from all the rain  , but I had no hold ups . 

Until about 100 mts from the border , there was a  landslide right over the road , with a huge truck on its side right in the middle . They said  road closed come back tomorrow , I just thought what now , hell it is a long way back to Julios . Just then a guy in a Tuk Tuk came up and said follow me , well the next 10 mins was pure hell .

Off we go back and through a little village and out into a clear field of mud , more mud and more mud . It started out not to bad until we came to a drop down to a river , the Tuk Tuk was gone , light enough to almost float down  .  I stopped a looked and looked and said #&@# I cant go down there (it was I tell you just a mud slide ) , but the only problem was I couldnt go back either (I was in for what ever happened , I was sayin to myself , here we go again , im goin down   ) . After what seemed like hrs I plucked up the courage to go  , the sweet was running off me as very slowly I slid down that bloody hill . Hell I made it , now the river , half way across I got bellied  . Two guys came running and helped me out , next its up the other side , but I made it Great . 

So the good thing was , I was the only guy going through the border , so it was very quick and I was underway . Bit still sweating for about 2 hrs later . 

Afetr finding a hotel ,out to the Aztec Ruins  I go , they were great , but for me not as good as Palenque Mexico . They were rediscovered back in the 1500s

This is how they would have looked 

Next stop D&D  Mico Brewery Hostel . it is by Lake Yoyoa , I had a great ride down here ,the weather is great , warm but not that bad . It gets pretty hot once you stop and get off the bike though 

Its quite beautiful,  set in the jungle 

Honduras is very beautiful , with lots of mountains ,and not  so many cars ,  the roads are just ok . 

,    

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 

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