Got up early and tried to take a shower but there was no hot water left. I guess all you get is one. That seems to be one more than many places I’ve stayed at down here though… I checked out and told the woman at the front desk “todo excelente!” I hope their hotel does well.

I headed into Quetzaltenango proper and immediately got lost. On Google Maps the city looks very simple but in reality it’s a huge maze of one-way streets. I decided I needed some hashbrowns when a McDonald’s popped up on the horizon. Once inside I had a conversation with a man, Donald, and his wife, who invited me to eat with them. Donald also offered to lead me out of the city and once I saw the route we took I was very grateful. It would have taken me hours to find.

The road led up and out of the city and through a mountain village and a large valley. Everything was lush and green and I had a fairly easy time staying on track towards the border. At the border I acquired a helper who didn’t have much to do because when I left Mexico I got my double entry stamp. The border was a breeze but at first I tried to cross with all of the truck traffic. Apparently that’s not allowed and I had to find the civilian border crossing.

Once across I drove towards Tapachula and sat in traffic for a little bit while a flagger directed one-way traffic due to construction. I bought a Coke from a woman on the side of the road and a man picked up the change that I dropped and handed it to me. Once traffic got underway the roads were a welcome change from the ones in recent memory. Newly paved, two lanes in each direction, and nearly empty. I made good time West. At a Pemex along the way I met a group of four guys who were all interested in the bike and we had a conversation that I did not understand half of. The one on the left in the picture below is apparently a chemical engineer, though, and was excited when I gave him a card. Just after meeting them I got lost getting through the town and a man on a 150cc moto led me through to the highway. There were only a few hairy moments when the road surface abruptly changed to gravel or I hit a speed bump at 50 miles an hour and became briefly airborne. I reached La Ventosa just after dark but there was no hotel there so I had to head a little farther West. I’m at an older hotel but the room (and the price) is nice and they have secure parking and free wifi. I’m just finishing uploading pictures and listening to the Lakers/Celtics game in Spanish. The Spanish announcers are much more exciting than the regular ones, I think. Can’t wait to be asleep.