Canyons and Guatemala party time

Hello from Guatemala and what a country this is turning out to be. Before I bang on about it we had a place to go before leaving Mexico -Tuxla Gutierrez. This was on the recommendation of Haallem, our host in Puebla. He told us of a canyon there that we MUST pay a visit. Anyway it was a long ride to get there, (some 10 hours on the bike) so Sandra and I decided to stay for two days to get over the long ride. A busy town with lots of traffic and poor sat nav mapping which meant we had a hard time finding the road to the canyon. I think we did a u turn at the same junction 5 times. A very tight and twisty road which was a joy to ride took us to the Canyon. Almost deserted and free from tourists the Sumidero Canyon was just magnificent. Vertical walls rich in forestry led to a deep river. Quiet and peaceful, super big red and Blue Butterflies I found it one of the most amazing sights I have ever seen.


However we had time constraints pressing. The bike insurance was about to run out so we had only one full day to reach the Guatemalan border. So it was all aboard the shed and south we went.

The border crossing atTapachula was the usual messy affair. Lots of people trying to extort money from the gullible adventure bikers (which they were particularly successful at in our case) It was hot and very humid even though it was early in the morning however, being Sunday, we were just about the only ones there so this gave the opportunity for all the "helpers" to focus on us. It only took about an hour and a half but in that heat it was long enough.

Now our journey through Guatemala started off a bit odd, poor roads and the now usual bonkers driving. However, we managed to get into the swing of things soon enough. We had decided to go straight to Antigue Guatemala on the recommendation of John Mundy an adventure biker we met in Fairbanks who is doing the same trip but is a month or so ahead of us. As we moved south the roads improved and both Sandra and I noticed a certain order to things around us. As we passed villages and towns we noticed a subtle difference to those in Mexico. Much more organised and orderly, the streets cleaned and the roadsides and gardens well kept.

Now we had heard that Guatemala had been through a resurgence over the past few years taking it's own economy to one of the best in central America. As we traveled we could see actual evidence of this resurgence in new roads and investment in infrastructure, but also we can see it in the people too. Not gushingly helpful or over friendly, they are to the point, no nonsense, kind, courteous people who are focused on putting things right, and it seems to be working very well.

Still hot and humid we approached Antigue Guatemala, a town nestling between three, yes three volcanoes.

Twinned with Pompeii, this town is colourful and old, cobbled streets with the volcanoes dominating the surrounding areas. Yes it's a tourist town, but seems unspoilt by it. The town square last night was just heaving with people eating drinking and having a great time. We like it here so we will be staying a day or two.

Stop press:-...... Today (15 September) is Independance day and we find ourselves in the center of a week's long celebration here in Guatemala.

The whole town turns out day after day to see marathon torch bearers and hundreds of drum bands all doing there thing. It is not a stuffy or regulated affair but a free for all with everyone and every age having a wonderful time. This is one of the most incredible experiences..... so much so that I believe we need Spain to conquer the UK, just for the afternoon you understand, so we can declare Independence by tea time and then party like the Guatemalan's do......... Fan ... bloody .... tastic.