Recently I discovered a verse in Death Cab For Cutie´s aptly named and beautifully sung ´Brothers On A Hotel Bed´ that goes something like this:

On the back of a motor bike
With your arms outstretched trying to take flight
Leaving everything behind
But even at our swiftest speed we couldn't break from the concrete
In the city where we still reside.

I can´t tell you how many times I have felt like that and have even stretched out my left arm, feeling the rush of air and that slight sense of lift. It is as though it was written for me or I could´ve wrote that. One of the two. I see the pavement going by so quickly beneath me and in a blur I wish I could rise up on high like eagles´ wings. Don´t we all wish that?

On a very snowy Sunday in February, I was preparing to truck the bikes to Vancouver for their shipment. It truly marked the beginning of this journey. As I pulled the bikes out from my house and awaited for the boys to help me load up, I noticed an eagle in the tree. Just sitting there, watching me. Whenever I see them, I seem to stop whatever I´m doing and I can´t take my eyes off them. The Kootenays has eagles, but they are
elusive and you don´t see them often. They are such cunning predators and the most graceful bird to watch as they soar high above at times hardly even flapping their wings. It was a beautiful moment and somehow and someway, I knew that I was in good hands with this journey. By the time the boys had arrived, I went to point it out, but it was already gone.

About two hours west of Nelson, I was driving along and noticed another eagle flying with tenacity above the river valley, in the same direction as me and pretty much at eye level. Two eagles in one day! I gradually caught up to it all the while listening to the song Homesick by the simon&garfunkelish Kings Of Convenience. I had never even heard it until then. As I caught up to it, there was that brief moment in time where I could look right into its eyes before it became lost behind trees and I had to put my eyes back on the road. It was one of those moments you never forget in your life. Everytime I hear that song I will always remember the eagle.

We seemed to be the only gringos around since leaving Costa Rica and all the way into El Salvador with the exception of running into my friends Chad Unser and Troy Pyett in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua. We crossed into Guatemala and were blown away by its stunning natural beauty. It was gorgeous and green. It got me thinking about my old friend Saul who loved Guatemala and spoke of it often. The GPS came through huge on that day because there is a road from Palin to Antigua that is a 20 km stretch of dirt but it´s very difficult to find because it is begins as a trail underneath the main highway. The other option is driving 120 kms via Guatemala City. These bikes will go anywhere. While Antigua was actually out of our way, I really wanted to check it out. Somebody somewhere once said it was one of the most romantic cities in the world.

Antigua did not disappoint. It is as though the entire city was built from an old fortress. Cobblestone streets with funky yellow and orange buildings that appear to have come straight out of Spanish colonial Europe. Completely different from any other town we have seen. Excellent restaurants and shops all throughout as well. The best part was where we stayed which we found simply by asking a local where to go. The Casa Santo
Domingo (casasantodomingo.com.gt) just may very well be the best property I have ever stayed at. You would think that it was a few hundred years old but it is only fifteen years old! The property was built on ancient ruins whereby the old walls were used for the foundation of much of the grounds. There is no overhead lighting in any of the common areas which are adorned only by candlelight. The staff wear very traditionally ancient garb and were very friendly. It was classy without being pricey. It was elegant without being pretentious. The ´standard´ room we had was huge with a fireplace, outdoor patio and the best part was the shower, it was everything you want a shower to be and more! It was worth every penny of
the hundred bucks we splurged to stay there. I will definitely go back to Antigua someday.

Until Guatemala, there was pretty much only one road to take us home. But now, the roads were many, criss crossing every which way. Finding our way to the Mexican border was not easy. The GPS was even having a hard time and after riding about 60 kms. around a beautiful lake, we realized we had
done a complete circle getting us nowhere. It is so mountainous. We were cold, wet and getting frustrated. We had to wear our full gear the entire day until we finally descended down to a warmer altitude at the Mexican border.

Border crossings are a challenge. It is always a 4 step process which entails exiting the country, handing in your motor vehicular permit, entering the new country and finally applying for a new permit. Just when you think things are progressing nicely, that last step of permit acquisition can be slower than a Costa Rican paving crew. It really tests your patience of which I admittedly don´t have a lot of. As well, the
process is always completely different from every other country. Sometimes it is free and sometimes it is about $10 bucks plus a tip for the amigo that is keen to help us out. We were seriously ripped off by the Hondurans charging us almost $50US each. I called them on it and they couldn´t even
look me in the eye. Corruption is a way of life down here. However it did help us receive our bikes when we didn´t have insurance and it even got me out of going to the police station for speeding...twice. But here it unveiled its ugly side and everyone seemed to be in on it. I can´t imagine the obscene corruption at the highest levels of government which is one of the many reasons for the level of poverty we are seeing.

We have now begun our assault on Mexico. It is so vast. I knew it was big, but not THIS big. The last two days have been our longest yet at 630 kms. each and it has hardly taken a bite out of its coastline. However, one thing remains for certain. It is o ours to conquer.