Expedition Recovery

12/18/16 San Ignacio, Belize to Melchor de Mencos, Guatemala. 19.6 kilometers ridden. I started out slowly getting ready before taking a final shower in the small bathroom by my room. The ability to get the water temperature to something other than arctic blast or surface of the sun seems to be getting worse each day. We went out for breakfast at a place called pops. It was the most western place I had been too in weeks. It had vinyl diner booths in a deep red color that would be at home in any greasy spoon in the US. I ate a bacon and cheese omelet with pancakes but paid more for it than I would have at a less Americanized  place. We went back to our hotel and Aaron, Ed, and I sat around exchanging digital files of our photos and videos so we each had copies of everyone’s media from Belize. It took a long time so as each of us finished we set off separately to be ready to leave. I was the last one out at past 12:30 but when I got up to Ed's hostel he and Aaron...

A muddy CB in front of the Rio Frio Cave complex 12/17/16 San Ignacio, Bel. 108.5 kilometers ridden. Morning started off with a trip up the street for the  cheap breakfast Christine had told me about, it was a breakfast burrito and a large lime juice for the equivalent of about $2.50 US. The burrito was basic but tasty and the lime juice was a refreshing start to the day. After the beating the rough road gave the little C90, I went on a walkabout with Ed and Aaron to go get the exhaust on Ninty fixed. It took most of the morning but we ended up getting some clues and finding a Canadian welder who had emigrated to Belize. He did a great job TIG welding the exhaust and it came out looking better than new.  Ed March giving a we wink while he gets the tip welded. Just the tip, just for a minute. We managed to get a little twisted up on the route before walking across the low wooden bridge that had carried us into town. Along the way we wandered thro...

12/16/16 San Ignacio, Belize. 106.6 kilometers ridden. Woke up and got in a quick bit of relaxing before it was time to start getting ready to ride. Ed, Aaron, and I would be heading out to Big Rock Falls and 1000 Foot Falls on the bikes. I got most of the prep done and found out that Aaron had already eaten breakfast so I walked around to the bar and restaurant combo we had been drinking at the night before. I got an omelet with bacon, cheese and veggies and a side of "toast bread". The toast bread was more like fry bread and was very good. I went back to the hotel and Ed had arrived. We finished prepping the bikes but Ed and Aaron then want to go for a few things so we ended up at a smoothie shop where the guys grabbed wraps and I had a smoothie. Service took the usual forever I have come to expect in Belize but the smoothie was good. We went and geared up before setting off from the hotel Tropicool. The ride out was spectacular and full of both twi...

12/12/16 Hopkins, Belize – The Funky Dodo backpackers’ hostel. Zero kilometers ridden. While Aaron and I had both planned to move on today, a rest in this little hippie oasis that was The Funky Dodo seemed to be the answer we both needed.  Ed must have thought so too as he moved from his hostel up the road to join us at the Dodo. It had been nice to sleep in a bit and I was looking forward to a shower. As I joined the land of the living I asked Christine how the showers were.  “Great, nice and warm” was her response. She had apparently gotten the first batch of water from the sun warmed tank.  I got the freezing cold water being dropped from the shower head as it was pumped from the well. It wasn’t my first cold shower of the trip by any means but it left me lots to rib Christine about as we walked up the street to get a breakfast of liquid yogurt from the shop.  Once Ed got all checked in it was time for a walk to the beach at the ce...