Guatemala

(SORRY NO PHOTOGRAPHS - STOLEN)

The border crossing into Guatamala from Mexico went smoothly. No bribes asked for and none given. The whole process only took fifteen minutes. I crossed at La Mesilla on the CA1 highway.

The Huehuetenango province has a majority Mayan Indian population. These people are more confident and communicative than the indigenous people in Mexico. The mountain sides have been terraced for horticulture and the food stalls are loaded with fruit and vegetables.

Worked my way through the mountains to the city of Quezaltenango and stayed the night.

Went down the mountain the next day to the Pacific side of the mountain range. It is a sugar cane industrial area. Trucks, cars and motorbikes abound and congest the roads. Got through all that and got to Guatemala city late afternoon.

Guatemala city deserves the description of being big, crowded, dirty, smelly and unsafe. Got secure parking for my bike and put myself into a hotel where I stayed. Didn´t bother with any sight seeing although I got a good taste for the town looking for a decent place to stay.

This hotel while being modest was not the worst available. They let out rooms for an hour at a time and I thought I had selected a brothel to stay at. I have since found out that is a common practice in Central America because of the housing situation being so crowded. Even married couples wanting a few moments of privacy go to hotels.

Through the mountains again I travelled to El Salvadore crossing at Valle Nuevo.