I slept well last night, surprisingly - perhaps it was the sound of the ocean, or maybe that concrete bed with 2 inch straw mattress reminded me of sleeping on the ground in my tent. Regardless, I was up early and on the road at 6:30.
The highway around San Salvador was much easier to find and navigate than those of Guatemala City or Tegucigapa (Honduras' capital, which I had a heck of a time riding through yesterday). It was so easy that I wanted to go in and check out the cool spots. Then I realized that I know nothing about this town, and there don't seem to be tourist information centers in El Salvador.
I kept going, around some beautiful volcanoes and a much more pleasant climate than the lower half of the country, and ended up in a town with a big market. I stopped and had breakfast of eggs, beans, rice, cheese, and coffee (sounds familiar?), all for a dollar. Before I knew it, I was at the border to Guatemala.
Border Crossing:
On the Salvador side, I didn't even have to leave the bike or go inside buildings, since I didn't need a visa. I stopped at the checkpoint, the guy took my vehicle permit and checked the VIN number on the front fork of the bike, and I was done. On this crossing there is an international bridge - I like these, it makes me feel like I'm really crossing some boundaries.
On the other side of the bridge is the Guatemala customs and immigration building. It is modern and nice, with lots of windows and walkways and stuff. The problem with the windows is that there are very small openings and with all the people talking outside, it's nearly impossible to hear what the people are saying. This is where I found out I didn't actually have to cancel my permit when I left for Honduras. Grr. Another 40 Quetzales, copies of paperwork, etc etc, and I have another sticker and a permit, and I'm back in Guatemala.
This southwestern part of Guatemala is hot and arid, but the roads are nice and twisty and I got to do some good old peg scrapin'. My top luggage case was still bothering me though, and I had to frequently stop and adjust it. I decided to see if I can get it fixed.
Soon after, I got to a town with a strip of auto mechanics. I found one that said "solderadura" and also had a couple of old Suzukis parked in front. The guy took one look at it, told me it was no problem, and got to work. This guy was a pro - he seemed to know better than I did how to get the pieces apart, and also found some bolts to replace the ones that rattled off. In less than an hour, the bar was welded back, and everything back on the bike good as new. All this for a whopping 50Q, about 6 bucks.
At about 4:30 I was getting tired and it started raining a bit, and I decided to stop at Mazatenango. It's a really stinky town, and I'm staying in a windowless room for 50Q that smells like crap. This could partially be the rain - this time of year, it doesn't rain much, so when it does it brings all the garbage and sewage out into the street. Tomorrow I'll be done with Guatemala and back into Mexico - 3 borders in 3 days. I do miss Mexico, so it will be a welcome change.
The highway around San Salvador was much easier to find and navigate than those of Guatemala City or Tegucigapa (Honduras' capital, which I had a heck of a time riding through yesterday). It was so easy that I wanted to go in and check out the cool spots. Then I realized that I know nothing about this town, and there don't seem to be tourist information centers in El Salvador.
I kept going, around some beautiful volcanoes and a much more pleasant climate than the lower half of the country, and ended up in a town with a big market. I stopped and had breakfast of eggs, beans, rice, cheese, and coffee (sounds familiar?), all for a dollar. Before I knew it, I was at the border to Guatemala.
Border Crossing:
On the Salvador side, I didn't even have to leave the bike or go inside buildings, since I didn't need a visa. I stopped at the checkpoint, the guy took my vehicle permit and checked the VIN number on the front fork of the bike, and I was done. On this crossing there is an international bridge - I like these, it makes me feel like I'm really crossing some boundaries.
On the other side of the bridge is the Guatemala customs and immigration building. It is modern and nice, with lots of windows and walkways and stuff. The problem with the windows is that there are very small openings and with all the people talking outside, it's nearly impossible to hear what the people are saying. This is where I found out I didn't actually have to cancel my permit when I left for Honduras. Grr. Another 40 Quetzales, copies of paperwork, etc etc, and I have another sticker and a permit, and I'm back in Guatemala.
This southwestern part of Guatemala is hot and arid, but the roads are nice and twisty and I got to do some good old peg scrapin'. My top luggage case was still bothering me though, and I had to frequently stop and adjust it. I decided to see if I can get it fixed.
Soon after, I got to a town with a strip of auto mechanics. I found one that said "solderadura" and also had a couple of old Suzukis parked in front. The guy took one look at it, told me it was no problem, and got to work. This guy was a pro - he seemed to know better than I did how to get the pieces apart, and also found some bolts to replace the ones that rattled off. In less than an hour, the bar was welded back, and everything back on the bike good as new. All this for a whopping 50Q, about 6 bucks.
At about 4:30 I was getting tired and it started raining a bit, and I decided to stop at Mazatenango. It's a really stinky town, and I'm staying in a windowless room for 50Q that smells like crap. This could partially be the rain - this time of year, it doesn't rain much, so when it does it brings all the garbage and sewage out into the street. Tomorrow I'll be done with Guatemala and back into Mexico - 3 borders in 3 days. I do miss Mexico, so it will be a welcome change.
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