Vamos pa'l Sur: Mexico, Belize & Guatemala

Great RR guys, and thanks. I will be doing the same this August, Mexico/Belize/Guatemala/Mexico, & if insane enough come out at Frontera by Yaxilan/Bonanpak in Chiapas Mexico during rainy (hurricane) season.

You are traveling during shitty rainy season, and definitely have some HUGE cojones for doing that! Makes the winter RR's look like a Disney ride! Keep it on 2 wheels man, & thanks again!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

Excellent adventure! Make sure you give Tricepilot a hard time for not coming up to see his homeys in Austin very often...

Huehuetenango Guatemala is wonderful to drive to...but when you get there it's not that great.. We were kept up until 3:30 by a party...it was not my favorite town. We did have an ok place to stay and we only paid 4$.

Edma and her mom were very nice. We bought them a pizza. They were very happy about it. the pizza cost more than the room.



This is how most people get around in Guatemala. Those back tires take a beating. The finding of firewood seems to consume most people. It's how they cook and stay warm. Lots of wood being cut and delivered everywhere.



Paul and I made some new friends at the gas station. They wanted a picture. I don't think I've had as many people want a picture of me in my life as I have had here on this trip.



The road to San Cristobal de las Casas is very covered with pine trees. It sits at like 6200 ft.. Just like Flagstaff, AZ. Very cool, misty and green.



I had the best Mole ever at this restaurante. If you want to work washing dishes here though...you have to be dynamic. We don't want run of the mill dishwashers here.



I really loved this town.



They had a zip line for kids in the zocalo.



This Mayan salesperson did not know what she was up against. Paul did not buy one "recuerdo" on this trip. He wasn't about to start here.



A rainy shot on the plaza.





I have a few more shots of San Cristobal for the next post. I could have stayed here much longer.

Thanks for the support. I'll give him a hard time tomorrow when I see him. I guess Austin is too far for him. You could offer to meet him a little closer...Shlitterbahn possibly..

Like I said before... we liked this town...lots There were fireworks going off all night. It wasn't too bad. Then at 6:00 am they started again and then 6:45...the church bells calling the community to Mass. These were the guys in charge of the fireworks



I climbed to the top of the hill and this crowd was waiting for entry into the small capilla. While the band played the same song over and over.



There were lots of pine needles left over with the garbage from the celebrations from the night before. They do love their Virgin Maria down there.



San Cristobal has some quiet places in the morning...



Up on top of the hill there is some outdoor ex. equipment for the community. No one was using it...although many were running and cycling seemed very popular as well.



Here is morning mass.



A church in the valley.



In one of the plaza I shot the mist gathering around the cross.



This girl sold me some bracelets for my daughters. Very sweet. She was selling and babysitting her brother at the same time. Teaching him the words in English to sell...sell...sell.




At our hotel...(la media luna) they let us change our oil in the courtyard. Awsome.

We left San Cristobal heading North intending to go to Oaxaca. We got on the cuota towards Veracruz after leaving Tuxla Gutierrez. We had a little roadside powow and decided that the winds of adventure were blowing us to the coast. So we went with it and followed the road. We have found out on this trip that listening to intuition or whatever you want to call it has helped greatly and has led us to more fun and a safer trip. On the way to Laredo today the federal officer said...it's very dangerous here. I told him we did not feel in danger at any time during the trip.

Ok, Tampico, Mexico...5pm...what do this street...


And this image...


have to do with each other?....

Details coming...but let's just say we didn't let the ADV community down

Is that talent or just the ToKillYa?

Just finished the last 4 pages... wow. The architecture is just astounding, both old and "new". The cenotes.... just wow. The Guatemala mountains are amazing and that landslide is terrifying. How was communicating with the Indians, do they all speak Spanish as well? Are there still areas that speak their native dialects?

In the turist zone there are a lot of Indians (Mayas) who speak English and their native languaje, and is amazing that some Mayas know speak English and they do not know speak spanish but they are very friendly. Where there are problems with the lenguaje is the cities where there are not American turist.

There were a few times when we asked directions or something else and they didn't appear to understand us as we spoke Spanish to them, but most seemed to speak Spanish...a lady tried to teach me how to say hello and goodbye but I've forgotten!!!

The story...we're looking for a hotel and driving the streets of Tampico when two police officers wave us over (what would they have done if we had played dumb and rode on by...they were on foot?).

One talked to Jeff (guy in sunglasses) and the other talked to me...I got the nice guy. He kindly explained that we had violated section 143 of his little traffic rules booklet, and informed my that we would have to go to court to pay the 1600 peso fine...each ($120 roughly). Jeff's officer walked away to talk to another driver, but I started in with mine...

"Yes officer, I clearly see that I have violated rule #143."

("Jeff, what do you want to do?"....Jeff: I"M NOT PAYING"). That was all I needed to hear.

"Ok officer, I'd be happy to go to court, we have some extra days. Please write the ticket and we'll be on our way." No ticket is written.

"You understand that you'll have to spend lots of time in court, and pay the fine, correct? Or you can simply pay a portion of the fine here (400 pesos each) and we'll skip the ticket part."

"Mmmmm....No. I don't think so. Please write me the ticket so I can go to court and defend myself. I want to explain how Tampico police treat turistas driving through town."

"You don't want to go to court...lots of time wasted and you'll pay the judge much more than what you can pay us right now"

"Mmmmm...No, Please write the ticket."

Nada.

I say nothing. ...Jeff says nothing...My police officer starts in again with rule #143.

"Senor, I understand the regulation that we clearly broke (riding in the left lane...motorcyclists are limited to the right lane only as rule 143 so clearly states). Please, give me the ticket so we can be on our way."

No attempt at writing the ticket.

"Echame una mano" he pleads for some amount, any amount...We give no answer. Another 15 minutes of the same and finally..."Ok, you can both go now." No more mention of rule 143 nor of writing us a ticket. Just "you can go now". Cool. Jeff has the cajones to ask them for directions to a hotel, and they oblige!

So no mordida offered, none paid. A very good day...

Thanks for providing us all with a real world lesson in how it's done.

For a legit offense, I'm not sure,,,but this so quickly smelled of BS. My only regret is that I didn't ask the officer if I could take a close up pic of rule #143...he wouldn't let me take his pic--that would have been another fine, but I snuck in the one of his partner.

Awesome ride......

He was breaking a much bigger law - a crime, actually. And you were willing to take the ticket. I assume you had your "spare" DL with you?

Good job!

Willing to take the ticket...That's what I wanted to see happen...the first time I asked for it and he didn't start writing anything, I was thinking the game is up...and yes, he did have my AZ driving license....but I haven't used that since I moved away 10 years ago...