Parting ways

12/19/16 Melchor de Mencos, Guatemala to Flores, Guatemala 

182.2 kilometers ridden. 

Aaron, Ed, and I awoke near 8:30 am. It had been an on-and-off night of sleep for me as the AC was pointing straight at me so the guys had it rather high to get them cooled off. I was cold enough to have to get up in the night to layer. I checked my laundry first thing but even with the heat it had not dried overnight on the line outside the door.

We went for breakfast just a few doors up the road from the hotel. It was a small place but we were able to get Wi-Fi so it was an easy win. It was a basic breakfast of eggs scrambled with ham (the menu had said bacon), some fried beans and a side of tortillas. We all worked on our phones to get caught up on admin we couldn't do without Wi-Fi. These sorts of meals with all of us looking at our phones were starting to happen more after a week of travelling together.

Following breakfast we all headed back to the room to pack. All of my clothes were still not dry and I had to begin rotating them down into the sunniest spot and rolling those that were mostly dry. It made me the last to get things packed and loaded up on my bike. There was some money changing hands between us to get everyone caught up after the costs of the border crossings and to cover the room. They didn't take credit cards so I had to play banker since I was the only one who had managed to get a decent amount of cash out since entering Guatemala

We all moved our bikes out of the gated courtyard and rode out front to the restaurant we had eaten breakfast at. Since it was time to plan each of our ways around the country Wi-Fi was again the deciding factor. Ed and Aaron decided they needed to go to town for local sim cards for their phones. Since my phone was supposedly covered I opted to stay in place and wait for them. I used the time to get some on-line stuff caught up as well as to upload a video from my last day in Belize.

The guys were able to get their sim cards but didn’t want to burn their newly acquired data and so we chose to eat lunch in the same place so we could keep using the Wi-Fi. They both had burgers which were tiny and looked terrible, while I had a roast chicken with onions taco. Mine was pretty good right up until I found the bone in the middle of a bite and managed to do some damage to my tongue and gums. Besides a little pain, it was good on all other counts though.

We had each individually chosen Flores as our next stop but left out at our own pace. Aaron was out first, then Ed and finally me. I passed Ed and Ninty on the road, but never caught up to Aaron. Despite many more conversations on-line, this would likely be our last time to see each other due to diverging plans. I was also uncomfortable traveling with others after so long on my own and was really ready to get back to solo travel.

Along the way I stopped to take photos of a beautiful tree along the road and managed to have the bike a little too upright on the stand and the wind blew it over on its side and off the embankment.  I unhooked the bags that hadn't just dumped their contents on the ground and tried to stand it up. While it had been pretty simple to stand it up when it was on flat ground, with it laid on its side with the bike on the embankment I just couldn't quite manage it. Just as was getting it spun around a van of guys jumped out to help and we got it up easily.

Lazy bike.... just naps wherever it likes.

As I was getting the bike loaded again, Ed arrived and asked what was up. I explained the situation and he just smiled and agreed that it happens. I told him I was good and he set off. I got the photos I had stopped for and headed on down the road.

The ride to Flores was simple enough, though I caught some rain. The road here was okay asphalt with far fewer topas than Mexico. The route was initially curvy and lined with spectacular views but turned into more of a thoroughfare as I got closer to Flores.

I got into town and did a quick lap just to see the small island at the end of the isthmus. It was a nice enough place, but it looked expensive. Since it was still early in the day I left and opted to take Aaron's idea and just ride the loop around the outside of the large lake. As I made my loop the rain came on hard and drenched me pretty solidly. I kept riding and found some of the slick-topped hard-packed mud and almost went down at speed when the back end did a shimmy several feet to each side and threatened to make the day rough. I was able to ride it out and a bit after dark I finished the 90 or so kilometer loop wet, but without incident.

I went to the Burger King in hopes of using Wi-Fi to find a cheap place to stay. I wasn’t interested in eating their and the lack of available internet meant I had no reason to stay. I fell back on using the Garmin to find the nearest hostel, which was listed as the Green Monkey on the island of Flores. I set out but didn't find it where the GPS said it would be. I looked around but found no signs to indicate where to go. The next closest hostel was around the corner so I went there. It turns out that it was actually a hotel, but the price for a single private room was 100 Guatemalan and she said told me it was a hot shower so I figured it was worth it. I got the bike unloaded before changing and heading to find food.

I met a few Swedish women while I was looking for a place to eat and they told me that a spot around the corner was good and cheap. I had complimented one of them, Emilie, on her sleeve of tattoos and so after the brief introduction I was invited to dine with them. We all got the same chicken burritos with salad instead of fries. The meal was great and both seemed really nice. Following dinner I walked them back to their hostel, the Green Monkey, which was right where the GPS had shown it but not labeled at all. I went back to my room to spend the time talking on-line and trying to catch up journals.