Pan America-Deadhorse to Panama

[digitalnomad]

I started in Texas in mid-June, 2008. I went to Deadhorse on the Arctic Ocean and now I'm back in Texas ready to head south to Panama. There are details of the trip on my website: www.digitalnomad.orgi

I plan to cross the border around 28SEP08. Let me know if you're going my way. I'll stick to the Gulf Coast of Mexico around Yucatan and then try to take the boat from Belize to Guatemala. From Guatemala I'll visit El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.

[Gadget Boy]

You've got lots of great pics on your site! Thanks for the link and best wishes for a safe journey to Panama

[digitalnomad]

I'm enjoying my ride through the Yucatan. Yes, there are topes (speed bumps) everywhere but with a KLR650 they are like passing zones. The bike goes over them like a jumping horse.

I visited Chichen Itza today. It's cool. But, so were the pyramids, the Taj Majal. the Great Wall, Petra, Angkor Wat, the Terra Cotta warriors, etc. Is it possible that I'm wonder of the worlded out?

Well, on to Cancun (maybe I'll do a Cenote dive) then Chetumal and into Belize.

[digitalnomad]

I enjoyed riding in Mexico. The roads are generally good and the traffic realatively sane. Topes (speed bumps) are common espeacially near and in every little town. Cars and trucks slow to a crawl. So, with a suspension like I have on my KLR it's more like a passing zone.

Tolls are really irritating. I learned the hard way that "cuota" means toll and "libre" means free. The libre roads are more fun. Usually they have more curves and the towns are more interesting than the toll roads. Unfortunately, toll bridges can't be avoided and there are lots of them on Highway 180. They cost from $2-$5usd. Only one had a special rate for a motorcycle.

Motels in Mexico are a little different. If you don't mind a mirror on the ceiling you can check in for 2 hours or all night. The best part is the garage door or privacy curtain that hides the covered parking right outside your door. Motorcycle friendlly and around $20usd a night outside the big towns.

I liked the area around Villa Hermosa and the Yucatan Peninsula. If your a diver don't miss the Dos Ojos Cenotes near Tulum. The Amigos Hotelita near Lake Bacalar was also very nice $30usd off season.

The Mexican people are just as friendly as I remember them from the 60's and 70,s. I felt secure riding in Mexico.

[Gadget Boy]

Sounds great... thanks for the Mexico wrap up, looking forward to your next installment.

[digitalnomad]

Belize 10/25-11/2/08
It's a little hard to judge the quality of motorcycle travel in Belize because I arrived during a national disaster...a big flood. So, there were closed roads and closed tourist attractions.

The border crossing from Mexico is pretty easy. I got hung up because the Bancercito (motorcycle import deposit) closes at 3pm on Sat, Sun, and holidays.

I visited Ambergris Caye via water taxi and found it ok but touristy. Cheap lodgings at Pedro's Inn. Peter the owner is friendly/not friendly depending on the weather. The pizza is great.

Be very careful who you get to look after your bike at the water taxi. My bike and helmet were ok because I cabled them to the building. But my jacket and leathers disappeard from left luggage. Good bye ol' friends...you served me well for 40,000 miles!

I liked San Ignacio better than Belize City. It's cooler, dryer and on the way to Guatemala. Hotel Malorca on Burns Street (main street) is motorcycle friendly and the manager Yolanda is just plain nice. A decent room, wireless internet, coffee, cable TV, hot shower, a locked parking place and a clean room for $20-25usd.

There are some good tourist attractions around San Ignacio but the flood had them shut down.

Great food at Hanna's and Amore Mio's. Food prices are comparable to US.

Road conditions in Belize go from pretty good to terrible (maybe due to the rains?). Traffic is fairly tame. Beer is mediocre at $2usd per bottle.

Today, I'll head for the border. I understand there is a $20usd exit fee.

[digitalnomad]

3-11 November The Belize/Guatemala border was pretty easy. There was a Inguat representative at the border who spoke English and told me what I needed to do to import myself and my motorcycle. The fee was small and I had to visit one desk for me and one desk for my motorcycle. The first 30-50 miles of road was unpaved and potholed with some good patches of asphalt ending in surprises. Once I reached the tourist area near Flores and Tikal the roads improved and were good throughout the rest of Guatemala. Guatemala's curving mountain roads are a treat for riders. I stayed in some good places. I recommend Hotel Backpackers in Rio Dulce, Pension Meza in Guatemala City and The Green Hostal in Antigua. Antigua is a particularly beautiful city with classic colonial architecture. See my website for more details. I really enjoyed Guatemala. The people were friendly and the food was good and the prices were reasonable.

[Charles Seguin]

Hey there,

Looks you´re doing the same ride we just did. We went through Belize, got flooded out there, liked San Ignacio better than Belize city, went to Flores and Antigua. Stayed at that same hostel in Flores.

We´re in Panama city now killing some time before our boat to Colombia on the 17th. I don´t think you´ll catch up, but if you do look us up.

Rubber side down! And if you go to Honduras by way of El Salvador check my post in the regional forum regarding the border

[digitalnomad]

I didn't enjoy my ride through Honduras. The quality of the roads, food and lodging was spotty. It rained or drizzled during the entire week of my ride so this probably affected my opinion. And, for the first time on my trip I had to pay a bribe to a policeman who stopped me for no reason.

On the other hand, the much dreaded border crossing was easy. I crossed from Guatemala at El Poy in less than two hours thanks to Celso. At first he told me that I would have to return on Monday. I was crossing on Sunday and the bank was closed and I needed to make a payment of approximately $40usd. Then he said he would look for the form and make the payment for me when the bank opened.

So, I crossed with no trouble and headed for Tela. I stayed for two days waiting for the rain to stop. Then I went to La Ceiba and stayed for another two days. The rain continued with a few brief windows for riding.

As I was leaving La Ceiba I got a special treat. A policeman started walking after me signaling me to stop. I pulled over and he said I had not stopped when he blew his whistle and said the fine was 2000 Lempira (about $100usd). After considerable negotiation he settled for 200L. This event also colored my opinion of Honduras.

I took Highway 34 from La Ceiba to Yorro. It showed up on my GPS as a major road but in reality it was little more than a dirt track. It was rutted and narrow and had several water crossings. It took me many hours of tense riding. There were places where the rain turnedthe clay into "peanut butter".

The next day the experince repeated again on Highway 43 from Yorro to Danli.

Unless you're looking for a challenging ride, it would be easier to skip Honduras and travel directly from El Salvador to Nicaragua.
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[digitalnomad]

After struggling through rain and bad roads in Honduras, sunny Nicaragua was a big relief. The roads were generally good and the people friendly.

I stopped in Leon and Granada, a beautiful colonial cities. And I spent more than a week on Omotepe, the big island in Lake Nicaragua. I finished with several days in San Juan Del Sur on the Pacific Coast. It's a surfer haven but I enjoyed the nightly parades leading up to Christmas.

I had a SORE (spontaneous off road event) but my arm and wrist are mostly good now.

Hostels were cheap and the food was generally good. Good bye tortillas, though. Most meals here and in Honduras are served with a slice of bread.

Leaving Nicaragua was not fun. The border crossing on Highway CA1 was a nightmare. They closed the border at noon to have a meeting. This resulted in a big crowd of people and so it took me three and a half hours to get across. And, there were lots of steps and stamps to be obtained. I actually paid a guy to expedite the process.

[Gadget Boy]

you're making great progress, thanks for the update on your great adventure

[digitalnomad]

Costa Rica was my favorite country on my last tour. Probably because my German Friend, Frank, joined me for a month.

The roads were generally good except in remote places. The best ride was from Cartago to San Vito. This road takes you over a 9,000 foot pass on some wonderful motorcycle roads.

Marvin from San Vito stopped his motorcycle to give me and Frank some help and invited us to stay at his place in San Vito. After my trip to Panama he helped me sell my motorcycle. Friendly, kind people.

There are lots of good, inexpensive places to stay in Costa Rica. I recommend the Bekuo Hostel in San Jose. They have a parking garage for motorcycles.

[digitalnomad]

Although I only spent a week in Panama, I enjoyed the ride. There is a great road from the border at Rio Seranno (Panama)/Sabalito (Costa Rica) that runs to the Panamerican Highway.

The traffic in Panama city is no fun but the road south to Yaviza (the end of the Panamerican Highway) is now mostly paved.

[digitalnomad]

My journey from Dallas to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Yaviza, Panama took 6 months and 22,000 miles. It was a great trip.

[Gadget Boy]

You've certainly had an adventure of a lifetime. How did the bike perform?