Pacaya Volcano, Guatemala

Posted by Fin on 30 January 2010

Eric and Paul passed us on their motorbikes again on the way south through the Volcanos to Antigua. We told them to reserve a room in the hostel for when we eventually caught up with them in Antigua. After catching up on stories from when they last passed us in southern Mexico, we decided to ride out on the back of their motorbikes to Volcan Pacaya. Paul had a spare helmet, a crappy pink thing he had invested in for all the hundreds of 'hot chicks' he was going to pick up on route. Sadly, I was the only 'hot chick' he had had on the back of his bike in the 4 months he had been travelling.

The Highlands of Guatemala

Posted by Fin on 27 January 2010

I left Mexico with mixed feelings. The northern half of the journey had been tough and I had found it hard to make the transition from the relative ease of touring in the US. The roads had been busy and dangerous at times due to traffic and lack of shoulder making cycling difficult. But the people and places we had visited left me craving more. The last half of Mexico has been amazing; the Pacific beaches, the atmospheric and bustling colonial towns and the superb ancient ruins. But it was time to move on up and into the Highlands and volcanos of Guatemala.

1 comments. Tags: Fin, . Location: Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala

The Highlands of Guatemala (photos only)

Posted by Fin on 27 January 2010

Some other photos....

1 comments. Tags: Fin, . Location: Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala

Sud Lipez- into the wild

Posted by Asa on 23 January 2010

We finally arrived back in the civilization again, in Salta (Argentina). Having our clothes washed, a good shower and hearty meals after a tuff off-road ride through the south of Bolivia.

5 comments. Tags: Asa, . Location: San Rafael, Argentina

More pictures from Sud Lipez

Posted by Asa on 23 January 2010

And even more great picture

2 comments. Tags: Asa, . Location: San Rafael, Argentina

Leaving Mexico

Posted by Alex on 21 January 2010

Some places will strike a chord within you and make you never want to leave. Barra de la Cruz was one of those places... A small community ran beach, kept impeccably tidy, with fantastic surf. A small fee to access the beach and the community operated restaurant and facilities on the beach ensured that this sand bar provided the perfect chill out spot for travelers but also economic benefit for its owners, most of the money going towards local clean water infrastructure projects and schooling.

3 comments. Tags: Alex, fin, beach, mexico. Location: Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico

The Final 600km of Mexico

Posted by Fin on 21 January 2010

With only a few days before crossing into Guatemala, the cycle computer broke the 10,000km mark. With enoromous satisfaction as it hit 9999.9km the odometer then proceeded to return to 0. By the end of the day we had cycled a grand total of 14 km since Prudhoe Bay, Northern Alaska...awesome.

5 comments. Tags: Fin, . Location: Tapachula, Mexico

Oaxaca and over the Mountains.

Posted by Alex on 21 January 2010

Like the history of all countries, Mexicos past is infinitely more complex and eventful than the simple dichromatic picture of Aztecs and Spaniards that I entered the country with.

Oaxaca, Mexico

Posted by Fin on 15 January 2010

Having consulted Ron, our cycling guru from Anchorage, Alex adjusted the height of his saddle to see if it would help his knee pain. Since doing this we have had one of our greatest tests yet, a climb uphill to 2700 metres (approx 8500 feet) in Oaxaca State up and over the Sierra Madre del Sur, to get back to the coast from the city of Oaxaca. Amazingly Alex's knee has held up fine. Its incredible how a tiny adjustment to the bike can cause such a great problem and then at the same time sort it out with another tiny tweak.

2 comments. Tags: Fin, . Location: Oaxaca, Mexico

Beauty and the Beast

Posted by Alex on 7 January 2010

Turning inland from San Blas, we started climbing into the Sierra Madre and caught our first glimpses of the volcanoes that characterise this whole area. We were told that the colonial towns in the mountains were stunning and we were not disappointed.