Here in Nicaragua, the thermometer reads 35°C in the shade, the humidity is around 60%, and sweat is running down our foreheads even when we’re not doing anything. It’s hard to imagine that three weeks ago we were still freezing in San Cristóbal, Mexico! But to write this post, I’m happy to transport myself back into the cold.

Thanks to the friendly staff and delicious breakfast, we started to appreciate the hostel in San Cristóbal after all. We can’t say the same about the city, though. We didn’t like the tense coexistence of well-paying, mostly white tourists in the expensive restaurants of the gentrified city centre and the poor, reserved Maya population. We were absolutely fine with continuing our journey after our three-day stay.

Originally, we wanted to cycle to Guatemala via the Yucatán Peninsula and Belize and visit various Mayan ruins along the way. But it wasn’t (only) the extra 1,000 kilometers in a hot and humid climate that put us off, but also the fact that Mexico had doubled the prices for its main attractions at the start of this year. Besides, we felt like moving on.  When our Warmshower host Jaime from the Guatemalan border village of Mesilla assured us that the border crossing there was safe, we decided without hesitation to take the direct route to Guatemala. We spent our last night on Mexican soil appropriately at a state-owned Pemex gas station😊. From there, we took a short detour the next morning to the Mayan ruins of Tenam Puente. At first, we were very annoyed that the entrance fee had also doubled here. But when we were able to climb around on the pyramids all by ourselves in the forest, we were quickly back in high spirits and glad to have invested our last Mexican pesos in this visit.

In the early afternoon, we reached Ciudad Cuauhtémoc, the last village in Mexico. It was good that Jaime had told us to get our exit stamps here in the inconspicuous immigration building. Because now we had to cycle a few kilometers uphill to the actual border. In the maze of market stalls, we had to be careful not to miss the Guatemalan border post. We almost rolled unnoticed under the open barrier into a new country. But of course, we needed the stamp in our passports, which we got without any questions. After a short ride, we arrived at Jaime and his family’s hotel. There we were allowed to settle into a nice room and devote ourselves to planning our route in peace. Thank you very much, Jaime!

In Guatemala, we spent the entire first day cycling slightly uphill on the narrow, hectic Pan-American Highway. The noise, smelly exhaust fumes, and full concentration on the heavy traffic made us tired. But at least behind the uninterrupted row of houses, there was a beautiful landscape with wooded mountains. Coffee is grown on the steep slopes under shady trees and laid out to dry on the dusty road. Mhmm…! But we were by no means in coffee paradise and drank very sweet Nescafé at best. Practically all of the coffee is destined for export and is too expensive for the local population.

From Huehuetenango, we turned onto a somewhat quieter road that took us through rural villages with indigenous populations. The Mayan women wore their traditional costumes and hair ornaments for market day. However, the side road also had many nasty, steep climbs. After racing down deep ditches until our brakes were hot, we pedaled back up the other side until our legs were burning. The worst thing about the ramps, which were up to 18% steep, was that even buses and trucks had trouble with them and repeatedly enveloped us in black clouds of exhaust.

In the tourist resort of Panajachel on Lake Atitlán, we first looked for cough drops to soothe our irritated throats. Then, thanks to helpful tips, we enjoyed a really good coffee in the village. David risked ordering an espresso and, for the first time in months (or is it years?), he wasn’t disappointed! The right volume, a good crema, not sour, bitter, or burnt, but pure coffee enjoyment… mhmm! According to David and Phenomdem, this is not a given even in Switzerland😊 (the song is in Swiss German):

Anyway, back to Panajachel: for our evening camp, we rolled past lots of sunburnt torsos to the shore of the picturesque lake, where we pitched our tent in front of the amazing panorama.

Well rested, we headed straight back up out of the crater the next morning and continued westward. We planned to ride to the vicinity of the Acatenango volcano, find a safe place for our bikes and bags, and climb the mountain on foot. And everything worked out incredibly well! Although we were traveling on our own without a guide, a tour operator stored our bikes, rented us hiking poles, and prepared us for the mountain with a very tasty second breakfast. We hitchhiked comfortably to the start of the trail. On the way up, we met many groups who, like us, wanted to marvel at the fireworks of the active neighboring volcano Fuego at night. In the middle of the afternoon, we arrived at the somewhat absurd settlement of tents and huts on the steep slope of Acatenango. At a spot that didn’t belong to any tour operator, we were able to spend the night completely undisturbed and watch as Fuego repeatedly spat out glowing lava and rumbled loudly. Fantastic! After a short and cold night, we joined the queue at 4:30 a.m., which was moving towards the summit of the Acatenango volcano for sunrise. Unfortunately, our active neighbor wasn’t in the mood for an eruption, but it was still beautiful! The rapid descent down the steep, dusty mountain path left my legs with painful memories for several days, as was to be expected😉.

Fortunately, our bikes rolled downhill all by themselves until we stopped in Antigua Guatemala. And the (touristy) old town was so compact that my stiff thighs coped well with the stroll through the city. Unlike in San Cristòbal, we didn’t want to rush into extending our stay in Antigua and were forced to move on or leave the next day due to a lack of availability. As the town was a little too touristy for our liking anyway, we decided on the latter without hesitation and whizzed 1,600 meters down from the cool air to the hot and humid climate by the sea.

Thanks to lots of little shops, market stalls, trees, and palm trees, the ride across landspits to Monterrrico was really fun and nice. A little tourist program brought us here. Sea turtles lay their eggs on the beaches in this area. Several organizations pay locals to dig up these eggs so they can hatch safely. On weekends, the release of the baby turtles is turned into a small event. At 17:00, visitors can “buy” a small turtle and release it from a bowl into the wild. Are you surprised that we wanted to get involved in such nonsense?! Well, if the eggs were left in their nests on the beach, they would have little chance of survival due to humans, foxes, dogs, seagulls, ATVs, etc. In that respect, it is perhaps better to collect them and hatch them in safety. We don’t know for sure, but we loved “our” little turtle “Willy”! Although we were the last to release it, it was the first to reach the sea😊. It headed straight for the waves with such determination that we hope it is now swimming in the Pacific and growing big and strong 🙏.

Another small highlight in Guatemala followed the next morning. Since Monterrico is located at the very tip of the long peninsula, the easiest way to reach the mainland is by ferry. When we arrived at the landing stage (you can’t really call it a harbor😉), there were lots of men hanging around in their hammocks. Others were just there to pass the time, as there was nothing else happening on a Sunday morning. The ferries were very minimalistic wooden barges with space for a maximum of two cars and a few mopeds. We waited patiently until two cars had arrived and we were allowed to push our bikes onto the barge with them. The trip took half an hour and took us through a beautiful mangrove landscape. We kept passing oncoming ferries and were amazed at how barely they stayed afloat😉.

We arrived on the mainland dry and unharmed and had an unspectacular last day of cycling in Guatemala ahead of us. Crossing the border into El Salvador was so easy that we can hardly remember it. After a short questioning by the immigration officer, we were treated to free WiFi, clean toilets, and free coffee. Amazing country! We also enjoyed the first few kilometers in El Salvador: perfect roads, quiet traffic, and significantly less trash on the side of the road than in Guatemala. In Cara Sucia, the first larger town, we were allowed to pitch our tent at a swimming pool and take a refreshing dip in the cool water. Wonderful!

We have now cycled all the way to Nicaragua, but I realize that there is too much to report for this post…😊