Antigua, Guatemala

Antigua is beautiful. Perhaps because it is a World Heritage site, this place is clean and ran pretty tightly. Everything is shut down and quiet at 1am, no exceptions. The policia and military seem to have a strong presence here as well. Here is a slew of pics, which only provide a small glimpse of this city.




and one last shot of yours truly checking it all out, waiting for a coffee shop to open!

Peace.

HOG-ing the roads...

Here are two links to maps showing the route the HOG has taken. The first is from Denver, CO to Sonsonate, El Salvador...
Route to Sonsonate, El Salvador
The following map shows the roads traveled from Sonsonate, El Salvador to my current location, in San Miguel, El Salvador
Including the side trips from the cities of Palenque and San Cristabol de las Casas, in Mexico, and 'Xela and Panajachel, in Guatemala, the HOG's odometer is showing 3653 miles as it rests in the parking lot of a Comfort Inn.
No really, a COMFORT INN, right here in good 'ole San Miguel, El Salvador. I splurged for the digs tonight, $40.00 US. It has Air-con and all the typical luxuries you would expect from a nice Comfort Inn anywhere in the USA. In comparison, yesterday, (in Ahuachapan), I spent 18.00 US for two big meals, 2 bottles of water, and shelter, which has been my typical spending in Central America to date.
Here is a pic of the shower head in the digs at El Mirador, in Ahuachapan...
This set-up provides two ways to get a hot shower... Let the water run for about an hour through the heating element on the shower head, or simply turn on the water, jump in, and touch the live wires above it! If you ever find yourself in Central America, and the Hotel proclaims, "Hot Showers", ask them exactly how this happens.
Sorry, for the digression. Here are some pics of the backroads coming out of Panajachel enroute to Antigua, Guatemala. This pic was taken above Lago Atitlan, (also shown in the previous post), as I was climbing up and around the Volcanoes opposite the one your looking at. (If you look to the lower right hand side of this pic, you can see the road the HOG climbed for some perspective).
HOG at rest above Lago Atitlan...
On the way to the border of El Salvador, I met several youngsters, diggin the HOG...
I met these kiddo's at the unfortunate scene of a tragedy. The truck and the car beneath it were still smoldering upon my arrival...Quote of the Day: "I don't know where I am going but I sure hope to when I get there".
Hope all of you are well. I will post some pic's of (Swiss)-Antigua, Guatemala soon!

Feliz Navidad Everyone!

Hope your all getting to spend the holiday with your families. Am thinking about all of you.
I was treated to tamales from the family that runs the hotel and then watched a rousing fireworks display that went way past my bedtime. Happy Birthday Jesus.
Peace.

Lago Atitlan and surrounds

The following shot isn't much to look at but there is a bit of a story behind it. For the last ten years or so, I have been shooting pictures with a theme I have come to call, "life in the spaces in-between". I have a thousand, or more, images of life in alley's, lean-to's along various rivers, and other nooks and crannies where the mainstream normally don't tend to travel. Anyways, in taking these kinds of shots, there are usually a few surprises happened upon. In this shot, I had to hop over the edge of what I think was like a retaining wall along the edge of a cliff. I saw a very old man, pulling feathers from some kind of bird on the stoop. I didn't think he saw me but as I pulled up my camera to view, he put the bird down and started spitting out what had to be some harsh expletives my way. He was obviously pissed. I said, "Yo lo siento, yo puedo a fotographica? (which I think means "I am sorry, can I take a picture"?). He just walked directly into his crib as I was asking the question. I didn't stick around to see if he was going to return with a gun, but I did manage to take this pic. I think I scared him more than anything else. My bad.
I guess that wasnt much of a story after all, huh? Not much of a photo either but here it is anyways...

Purty Lago Atitlan pic...

Sunday was market day. All the villages that hang from the cliffs around the lake sell their goods. I am betting that the wise woman in this pic has some stories to tell. I an hopeful that at some point I will be able to sit down and actually have some semblance of a conversation with the locals here...

Here is a shot of the three volcano's that surround Lake Atitlan... (they are no longer active).

They have cats here too...

Hows about these apples??

I sat watching this scene for about thirty minutes while in a small village across
View Larger Map">Lago Atitlan from Panajachel, Guatemala. I almost missed the panga back across the lake because I couldn't pull myself away. The woman in the photo simply sat there the entire time.


Thought the Majicman might appreciate this photo?
Want to rent a canoe? I didnt either but they had lots of character, though am not necessarily sure thats the main feature I am looking for in a canoe....

On the move...

Three Amigos...

The town is beautiful but definitely for tourists. Getting across the lake helps. I will post more pictures and more tales from the Hog In Motion, soon. Hope your all getting to spend some time together for the Christmas celebration. Happy Birthday Jesus.
Parting shot from the market at San Marcos...

PEACE.

"Xela, Guatemala

Before pics of
View Larger Map">"Xela, here is a shot of me and my language instructor at SolMaya in San Cristobal, Mexico.

Getting to 'Xela was a difficult ride; dirt and sand, cobblestones, you name it. I was really puckering up the last few miles into town. Didnt spend a whole lot of time here, spent most of it sleeping... 12 straight hours!
Border shot. Was really happy to see it open today... Yes it does say "Welcome To Mexico", as I was facing towards Mexico for the shot. I didn't see a welcome sign for Guatemala. Was it an omen?

Nah, so far Guat. is beautiful, as are the people. Here is a shot on the way to 'Xela in the Volcanic region...

Backing up to San Cristobal, here is a pic of the hostel I stayed in...

They had chickens there. I ate their egg's. You ever had a organically raised chicken egg freshly laid? Oh, My God. Explosive orange yolk and the tastiest egg I ever had. Thanks you crazy chickens!

I didn't research the history of "Xela but it's ez to see that there was a heavy German influence at one time. Many buildings similar to what you would see in downtown Milwaukee. The following shot reminded you that you were indeed in Guatemala:

My arse hurt after a few miles of this...


I thought this mans sweater matched the colors of the wall nicely...


Sorry thats about it. Will add another post in a few days. Love to all of you and Peace!

Guatemala

Arrived in
Ver mapa más grande'>'Xela Guatemala , or Quetzaltenango, early yesterday evening and will be spending the next two nights here before heading to Antigua. The border crossing was fairly painless, relatively speaking... I will share more about the experience later.
Will get the scooter serviced in Guatemala for an early XMAS gift early next week. Ho-Ho-Ho!
Sorry no pics. No access to wifi at the hostel so am at an internet cafe.
Thanks so much for checking in. Its really, really nice to hear from all of you!
Peace.

San Cristobal de las Casas 2008

Here's a new spin on a classic. Turn up the Volume!

Here are a few shots of the HOG's current tribal dress.  In the center of this pic. directly below, you will see the St. Christoper medal my sister sent my way.  I acknowledge it's spirit every time I slip on my riding boots.

There is also a dreamcatcher, and a strap of leather in spirit of the Zapatista's...  

I also had some skunk urine in a vial, purchased at the Maya Medicine Development Center, (an interesting place), here in San Cristobal. It is used to cure something or another. I thought it was a good idea at the time to maybe add it to the HOG's tribal dress, but cant for the life of me remember why. Consequently I left it with a rastafaran,  (from Italy!), who thought it was pretty kool...

Peace.

San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico

Life is rich and it truly is a beautiful world.  I cant wait to discover more of what I don't know...

Mexican Mountain Cow...

grazing near the dreaded Tope.  The topes are killer, the one in this shot is broken up leaving a pretty good sized hole in the ground.  They are usually located at the entrance and exit of every town but you can never be sure.  They come in all shapes and sizes too.  I hit one at speed when the shadows were long and came really close to dropping the HOG. I had to pull over to change my shorts and pull myself together before moving on...

Speaking of Cow, or Res, in espanol; You ever had a Mexican hamburger,  (hamburguese, in espanol)?  Esta muy bueno.  It has a thin piece of hamburger meat topped with avocado, tomatoe, ham, bacon, sauce, and they toast and butter the bun.  Es fantastico!  Just dont go to the local mexican Burger King...  If you are on a diet, DO NOT LOOK AT THIS PICTURE!!

the road to San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico

In my last post, I had not yet loaded one of the most important pictures of my ride to Palanque, Mexico. Let me introduce you to Alejandro. He led me through a very busy town, on his Yamaha, to a safe and secure hotel. Had it not been for him, I may have had to sleep on the bike...  (Thanks Alejandro and I told you I would get you on the Internet)!

The ride from Palaneque was filled with good drama. I spent some time with this Mexican soldier at one of the checkpoints...

He sure liked the Harley.  He was much kinder to me than he needed to be. As I understood him, he just so happened to have worked in Denver, CO for a period of time but wanted to be close to his family so moved back to Mexico and joined the Military. He is a good man.

Chiapas, Mexico is the poorest state in all of Mexico but so very rich in spirit.  The road from Palaneque to San Crisobal de las Casas was a five hour ride covering about 150 miles, filled with switchbacks through the mountains and jungle. 

This shot was taken on one of the very few shoulders, on the best section of this road. The HOG took a beating and was wishing for a beefier suspension but it came through okay.

The ride was spectacular.  Again, I think the pictures speak for themselves.  I really wish I could have taken some pictures of the people living in these mountain communities but they absolutely do NOT appreciate it. They believe pictures steal their spirit. Given their spirit is so beautiful, and about all they have, (which if you ask them, is plenty), I respected their wishes.

The following shot is of a small village called Ocosingo, about 1/2 way to San Cristobal. The people were way kool.  I stopped and had some street food, (excellent pollo), and had about 20 children milling around with the biggest smiles on their faces, all interested in where I was from and where I was going.

I will be sharing much more on San Cristobal soon.  At this point, I may never leave here.  It's an incredible city with an incredible story...  some of which centered around this movement...

which erupted here in 1994 and is still quite active.  In fact I am sticking around another three weeks or so to take part in their festival the first week of January.

Peace.