DAY 13 - 10th FEB

"YOU GOT TO BE CAREFUL IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING, BECAUSE YOU MIGHT NOT GET THERE". Yogi Berra

I left Belize at 7 am on the Western Highway, there are speed humps throughout the road i thought i was done with them but there u go. Other than that the road is excellent, as well as being picturesque. It is fairly flat with occasional mountains. Also occasionally you come across blokes with machetes, at first they scare you a bit but now i've gotten used to it. The blokes cut the grass along the highway.
On my journey i went passed Belmopan and San Ignacio, not too far from the border. The petrol in Belize is 9.6 BD per gallon (nearly 4 lts.) of regular.
At the border and the end of western highway, i payed 37.50 BD to leave Belize, i wasn't happy with that. They also took my bike papers. Luckily I wasn't fumigated otherwise i would of had to unpack all my bags, etc.
A few metres later I started the queue to immigrate into Guatemala. $US 2 for a visa and $40 quetzal ($US 5) for Angelina. You also need to leave a copy of licence, passport and motorbike papers which luckily i had available (so organised). All up i spent around half an hour there.
Back on track i started towards Flores in San Andres, Petén Guatemala, However, 30 or 40 kilometres into the journey the road becomes dirt track, with deep holes. Everytime a truck or a 4 x 4 went passed i got sprayed in dust. Just when I was about to pull over and cry, alas the pavement began... but the holes continued. I managed to swerve around most but every third hole I had some type of contact with, i suffered more for Angelina than myself. Finally closer to Flores I turned into Tikal National Park and everything improved. I immediately found a place to stay: Hotel Muelle, 2 nights plus restaurant: 600 quetzal (aprox 78 US). Hotel Muelle provides air con that doesn't work too well, internet that doesn't work, cable TV that also doesnt work, BUT the view of Lake Petén was breathtaking, a masterpiece and i had it from my room on the second floor.
Parking for Angelina was good and secure, no roof, there was a hose there so i gave Angelina a nice bath to the tune of a nearby parrot saying "hola hola"
For 47 US dollars i'll get picked up at the hotel around 4 in the morning to go up to the ruins. At that time you also have the privilege of hearing wild jungle noises.
hotpeten.JPG tika.JPG
SAME TEXT HERE IN SPANISH: Dia 13 Domingo 10
En Belize no hay topes pero hay speed bumps, crei que me habia librado de esas cosas. Sali a las 7 a.m y tome la western highway, excellente, estaba todo nublado y empezo a llover, el camino lindo y pintoresco, chato con algunas montañas.En la carretera en mex Belize y guatemala se ven muchachos con machetes que al princiopio asustan un poco pero son trabajadores y es asi como cortan los pastos a los costados de las carreteras. naranjales en el camino
Pase por Belmopan, San Ignacio que esta casi en la frontera,la gasolina en Belize esta la regular a 9.60DB por gallon.Llegue a la frontera en un poco mas de dos horas, inmigracion en belize tuve que pagar 37.50 BD para salir, no es una risa y me sacaron el papel de importacion de la moto. no me fumigaron
menos mal sino tenia que sacar todos los bolsos, segui unos metros mas y hacer cola para la migra en Guatemala dos us para la visa y 40.00 quetzel para Angelina, les deje copia de moto, licencia y pasaporte que ya tenia, me llevo de 20 a 30 minutos todo. Sali para Flores que esta cerca de las ruinas mayas de tikal y en los proximos 20...'25 millas outie y rabie camino de tierra con pozos de grandes profundidades, cuando me cruzaba con un camion o una 4 x 4 me pasaba quedaba bañado en polvo, cuando iba a parar a ponerme a llorar al costado de la carretera, alas llegue al pavimento, lleno de pozos tambien pero al menos no tanto polvo, desviaba un pozo y desviaba otro pero el tercero me la mascaba de lleno, sufri y mas por Angelina, al final cerca de Flores torci para el parque natcional de Tikal y ahi todo mejoro, enseguida encontre un hotel hotel Muelle y restaurant dos noches por 600.00 Q
con aire que no andaba muy bien, con internet que no andaba y con cable para la tele que no andaba, pero la vista que tenia
del lago Peten de mi cuarto a pocos metros del agua espectacular, estaba en el segundo pizo y enfrente majestuosamente ese hermoso lago.
Por 47.00 US me pasan a buscar mañana a las 3.50 am para ir a ver las ruinas y sentir los animales en la selva, estacionamiento bueno y seguro sin techo habia una mangerra cerca y le di flor de lavada a angelina que lo necesitaba, al lado mientres lavaba la moto habia un loro continuamente diciendo hola hola.