When we crashed the motorcycle outside of a small village in Guatemala we were taken aback to find that the vast majority of the villagers didn’t speak Spanish, but the Mayan dialect Q’eqchi’. After a little research, Guatemala officially recognizes 23 languages, Spanish, English and 21 Mayan languages. The commonly accepted number of languages in India […]
Semuc Champey – Lanquin Caves, Guatemala
I’m sure you recall the great Guatemala motorcycle wreck of ‘14. After getting the bike fixed in Cahabon we took off the morning of the fifth day on the final leg of our 80 mile trip to Lanquin, Guatemala. Upon arriving at the end of the pavement on the edge of town we take one […]
The Great Guatemala Motorcycle Wreck – Part Numero Tres
The 3:00 AM truck arrives promptly at 4:00 AM. The store owner is up and about to watch the show make sure everything goes smoothly. The driver parks the truck facing downhill on a 15 degree angle, further elevating its bed, and pulls out a 1”x8” 1” thick plank. He places it wobbly, on […]
The Great Guatemala Motorcycle Wreck – Part Numero Dos
The next morning comes quickly. Our problems haven’t changed. I make coffee with an audience and we break down camp. I remove the cam strap clamps from my cam strap and Gorilla Glue patch on the cranks case. It looks solid. I think I’ve finally figured out the correct amount of Gorilla Glue to use. […]
The Great Guatemala Motorcycle Wreck – Part Numero Uno
We are fine. We actually don’t even have a bruise or scrape between the two of us to show for it. The same cannot be said of the motorcycle. As I mentioned in my last post Spanglish Me, we embarked on the journey over 90 miles of dirt from El Estor to Lanquin, Guatemala. I […]
Spanglish Me – Rio Dulce – Hot Springs Waterfall – El Estor, Guatemala
I’m writing you from El Estor, Guatemala this fine January morning. As the story goes El Estor used to be a bustling port town on Lake Izabal noted for its large store. The town eventually became known in English as simply “the store,” which was Spanglished into El Estor. Get it? Good. Moving along. There […]
New Year’s in Flores, Guatemala
With 2 months, 5,000+ miles and 3 countries in the rearview New Year’s Eve lands us in Flores, Guatemala. We’re closer to the Panama Canal than we are to Ace Adventure Resort where this whole mess started. On a straight shot it’s about 1,200 miles to the tip of South America. It’s still 4 countries […]
Backpackers Hotel / Hostel – Rio Dulce, Guatemala – Review and Warning
99% of everything that I write here on freewheelings is positive and good natured. I try primarily to use the clout and reputation of this blog to promote the good things of this fine world in which we live. Every once in a while I run across a place that is so terribly terrible that […]