The few photos in our last post didn’t do justice to the stunning scenery and colourful lifestyle of Central America. We got the message :-). So here are more photos. But they still don’t convey our full experience and intense variety of senses. The music everywhere, the sight of fluttering butterflies (sadly too many ended up with sore heads against our screen or visors), the smell of storm, the sweet smell of mangoes dripping from the trees or waiting to be bought from roadside carts, the sweet smell of pineapples from the roadside sellers, the daily sound of car alarms (we know the sequence of sounds and rhythms as we have heard the same alarm throughout South America too), the number of heavily armed police everywhere and the number of police checks along the road. Mostly, they wave us through. Sometimes, when we’ve had enough of slowing down and stopping for nothing, we just wave at them with a big smile and drive off!! And luckily, you won’t experience the smell of dog, which became wet dog, and finally wet horse which we have worn every morning in Central America – our clothing has got progressively wetter and has not managed to dry out by the morning. You can tell the time of the day each photo was taken based on the colour of the sky and the clouds.
Central American villages love to use “reductors” to slow traffic down. Some are easily rideable on a bike, others are serious humps. They are often perfect opportunities for us to overtake slow trucks but sometimes, when they are spaced literally every 50 metres, they can be a bit painful. Some villages though build their own humps so they are not that visible as they don’t paint the warning stripes over them.
People in Central and South America have great concern for their motorcars safety and wellbeing. This goes as far as to have hotels that allow you to take your car into the bedroom with you. The Auto hotels as they are known allow you to drive, with your partner into garage attached to the bedroom and close the door behind you for privacy for you and your car. As most of us do not sleep for 24 hours, you, your car and partner can rent the room by the hour. What enlightened hotel management that think of your wallet and your cars safety.
Hope you enjoy the ride 🙂
Anne & Anthony
Great meeting fellow rider Carlos at BMW San Jose
That’s the only monkey we saw – Costa Rica road sign
Stunning trees in Costa Rica
Our wrong turn left looking for Costa Rica exit border post
El Savador border Municipality tax counter
San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
Pelican diving for fish at San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
Anthony body surfing at San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
San Juan Del Sur beach, Nicaragua
It was windy in Nicaragua
Poincianas throughout Central America reminded us of home – here in Nicaragua
We could be anywhere in the world – here in Nicaragua
Rocking chairs for sale roadside in Nicaragua
Nandaime, Nicaragua
Nandaime, Nicaragua
Nandaime, Nicaragua
That’s one straight stretch of road in Nicaragua, near Nagarote
Chinandega, Nicaragua
Chinandega, Nicaragua
Leaving Chinandega, Nicaragua
Leaving Chinandega, Nicaragua
Approaching the Nicaragua-Honduras border post
Honduras border post
So many volcanoes in Central America – here in Honduras
Honduras
Lizard seller in Honduras
More volcanoes in Honduras
More fabulous clouds just over the border into El Savador, at El Amatillo
Long day to San Miguel – here coming up to El Caemen, El Savador
Another wet end to the day in San Miguel, El Savador
Transport in El Savador
Coconut sellers in El Savador
Police going to work in El Savador
So many police checks – here in El Savador
Guatemala here we are!!
Guatemala hammocks
It is ‘red team’ territory – in other areas, the red rocks were painted over in white in Guatemala
Love these tropical storms as they build
Another storm brewing for us on our way to Guatemala City
Guatemala don’t have emissions control
This emergency truck escape line started further up the hill, cutting out sharp bends – Guatemala
Cheese balls and other delicacies in Santa Lucia, Guatemala
Another glorious poinciana, Jalpatagua, Guatamela
Cuilapa, Guatemala
Rio Madre Vieja in Guatemala
Another Auto Hotel in Guatemala
Guatamelan family
2slowspeeds 
I have your new money making venture when you get home, a motor hotel for Brisbane. Could spin the coin required for the next trip in a few weeks!
Superb photos folks.
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Good news – would be fabulous to catch up on the road!! We could also open a second business – laundramat service. 🙂
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Loved the ride! What a visual feast so thank you for including more photos. Grateful to not smell the “wet horse”… it must have bucketed each day. Have you had an opportunity to use a washing machine and really dry them out yet? xx
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Thank goodness, we have now washed everything, except for the helmet liners. Must do these next. Glad you liked the photos! X
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Are the lizards sold as pets or eaten ? Quite ghastly but it appears all is for sale ! What a neat idea -parking your bikes safely . Hope you are able to “dry out” at some point along the way .xxxx
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After I took that photo, I said to Anthony we should stop at the next one and find out more, but next village, next speciality and we didn’t see them again. I presume both – live and for food. We haven’t stayed at an auto hotel yet – they have all sorts of “toys” in room for their guests we hear… Xx
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Thanks for the pictures, such brilliant scenery. They allow me to see how my armchair adventure is progressing. Fortunately, from the safety of my chair I don’t have to smell the wet dog and horse, is it the clothing or has Anne passed her ‘sell by’ date ? You should have stopped for an hour or two at an Auto Hotel to get out of those damp things and dry off. I’m sure they have female attendants standing by to help you.
Now that your camera is working again, how about some video so we can compare the traffic mentality from different continents. I do envy you (the ride I mean, not the smell !)
Throttle on
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Video is up for your viewing. We have managed with the help of the washing machine to remove wet dog smell from Mexico City. You should probably get out of the couch from time to time to give it a clean as well.
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Did anyone else burst out laughing on reading you could take your bikes into your hotel bedroom? I’ve heard of pet dogs sometimes being allowed but never bikes. So many interesting photos to comment on and the one of stunning trees in Costa Rica could be a painting by David Hockney. xx
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Those auto hotels are so that friends, neighbours, clients or colleagues don’t spot your car… ‘Nough said, know what I mean, wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more…!! I absolutely loved those trees too. Xx
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Fabulous photos…a visual feast !! xx
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Thank you :-). xx
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Dear Slow Speeds,
Can you please slow down a bit more and give us a sporting chance?
Your lepidoptera friends,
M. & Madame Butterfly
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Dear Lepidoptera, We are so extremely sorry for your pain. Believe us, it pained us too in a different way. Xx
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