After
our quick stop in Santa Rosa, El Salvador we plotted a course to the
beach village of El Zonte. El Zonte is a destination for surfing
enthusiasts from all over the world and our plan was to try our hand at
hanging ten. After about 5 hours of riding on curvy mountain roads we
arrived at the coast to find a small town with dirt roads and a few
shacks along the ocean. We found a hostel that was reasonably priced and
relaxed for the rest of the day while watching some surfers navigate
the tumultuous waters. How hard could it be? The next morning Tim and
Shaun woke up with a case food poisoning picked up from a few days
earlier and Tim decided to give the surfing a pass and be the
photographer for the occasion. We found some surfboards to hire for a
hefty $5 and headed for the rocky shores. What makes this area famous
among hardcore surfers is the rough and unpredictable waves that break
against large rocks and in some places, shear cliffs. After watching the
waves rush in for a little while, Chris and Shaun grabbed their boards
and proceeded cautiously over the slippery rocks to get to the water.
The budding surfers paddled out through massive waves, getting
cartwheeled through the water a few times, until they were out far
enough to catch a wave. With the determination of a house cat hunting a
fly, we timed our paddling and kicking just as a wave came through and
the years of training and preparation took over as we stood up
triumphantly and carved through a folding wave. I guess it looked
differently in real life than it did in our heads, unfortunately there
would be no carving of waves, standing up, or much of anything that
resembled surfing. But we did learn some basics and got a feel for how
to navigate treacherous shores that will be helpful when we are at a
more beginner-friendly beach later down the road.
The next day we packed up and rode towards our tentative destination of Antigua, Guatemala. The ride was fairly straight forward and we arrived at the border before lunch to find the usual disarray and lack of logic. After a frustrating time trying to decipher what one of the border officials was saying, we learned that we needed one of the papers given to us over a month earlier when we first entered Guatemala. Luckily Tim and Shaun were able to dig theirs out but Chris cleaned his file-cabinet of Central American papers in Panama. The lady behind the glass told Chris that he must walk a mile down the road into Guatemala and find a police officer to obtain a complaint slip that would allow him to enter the line to get a new paper printed. After 25 minutes of walking through the sun and heat, no officer was found and the lady refused to help. She had the required paper on her monitor and would not print it. Weighing the options we decided to proceed without this paper and hopefully deal with it when exiting Guatemala. Angry, hot, and frustrated we sped away from the border and thankfully did not hit any police checkpoints along the way to Antigua.
Antigua is undoubtedly the most picturesque city we have seen. After settling into a small hostel downtown we went out to explore and take some pictures. We learned of a nearby volcano that was accessible via horse and decided that was going to have to make it on the agenda. So a day later we took a shuttle to the base of the volcano and hired three horses from locals to ride up the trail to the top. We saddled up and trotted into up the trail that winded around Volcan Pacaya eventually giving way to a view of the summit and surrounding region. Having erupted less than two years ago, there were still areas that were hot enough to roast marshmallows over so we all grabbed a stick and tried our first volcano-mallo. It was one of the most enjoyable experiences of the trip so far! That night we had dinner at a restaurant owned by a man from Texas who had been living in Guatemala for over 8 years. We discussed our route to Lake Atitilan and he warned against the road we were planning on taking as it is famous for being host to many muggings and vehicle thefts. His recommendation was to park our bikes in a town on the opposite end of the lake and take a ferry across to San Marcos.
So the next day we traded in our horses for our familiar iron ponies and began heading North. After a few hours of riding and a few wrong turns, we found ourselves with an amazing view of lake Atitlan. The remaining road was filled with gentle twists that lead down the city of Panajachel where we were met with a parade that was moving unfortunately slow. Making our way through the crowds of people and vehicles we found a secure place to park the bikes and make our way to the dock to catch the ferry to San Marcos where we found a cheap and quaint place to stay called Paco Real. This small village has one road and the rest of the town is accessible only by footpath. Most of our time here has been spent relaxing and enjoying the scenery but we took some time to do some cliff jumping at a nearby park and Tim and Shaun went scuba diving in the lake to see some underwater ruins. So far our time here has just been a chance to relax, plan and regroup as we prepare to head back into Mexico.
The next day we packed up and rode towards our tentative destination of Antigua, Guatemala. The ride was fairly straight forward and we arrived at the border before lunch to find the usual disarray and lack of logic. After a frustrating time trying to decipher what one of the border officials was saying, we learned that we needed one of the papers given to us over a month earlier when we first entered Guatemala. Luckily Tim and Shaun were able to dig theirs out but Chris cleaned his file-cabinet of Central American papers in Panama. The lady behind the glass told Chris that he must walk a mile down the road into Guatemala and find a police officer to obtain a complaint slip that would allow him to enter the line to get a new paper printed. After 25 minutes of walking through the sun and heat, no officer was found and the lady refused to help. She had the required paper on her monitor and would not print it. Weighing the options we decided to proceed without this paper and hopefully deal with it when exiting Guatemala. Angry, hot, and frustrated we sped away from the border and thankfully did not hit any police checkpoints along the way to Antigua.
Antigua is undoubtedly the most picturesque city we have seen. After settling into a small hostel downtown we went out to explore and take some pictures. We learned of a nearby volcano that was accessible via horse and decided that was going to have to make it on the agenda. So a day later we took a shuttle to the base of the volcano and hired three horses from locals to ride up the trail to the top. We saddled up and trotted into up the trail that winded around Volcan Pacaya eventually giving way to a view of the summit and surrounding region. Having erupted less than two years ago, there were still areas that were hot enough to roast marshmallows over so we all grabbed a stick and tried our first volcano-mallo. It was one of the most enjoyable experiences of the trip so far! That night we had dinner at a restaurant owned by a man from Texas who had been living in Guatemala for over 8 years. We discussed our route to Lake Atitilan and he warned against the road we were planning on taking as it is famous for being host to many muggings and vehicle thefts. His recommendation was to park our bikes in a town on the opposite end of the lake and take a ferry across to San Marcos.
So the next day we traded in our horses for our familiar iron ponies and began heading North. After a few hours of riding and a few wrong turns, we found ourselves with an amazing view of lake Atitlan. The remaining road was filled with gentle twists that lead down the city of Panajachel where we were met with a parade that was moving unfortunately slow. Making our way through the crowds of people and vehicles we found a secure place to park the bikes and make our way to the dock to catch the ferry to San Marcos where we found a cheap and quaint place to stay called Paco Real. This small village has one road and the rest of the town is accessible only by footpath. Most of our time here has been spent relaxing and enjoying the scenery but we took some time to do some cliff jumping at a nearby park and Tim and Shaun went scuba diving in the lake to see some underwater ruins. So far our time here has just been a chance to relax, plan and regroup as we prepare to head back into Mexico.
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