Taking my 60 for a good long drive

[Makelo]

Everything is good. I've decided to hole up in Antigua through the holidays. I've met a lot of good folks out here, travelers and locals alike, and well, I do have a propensity to linger.

I have photos and posts to write but also beer to drink and mountains to explore. It's a tough call sometimes

Right on!! Just came back from Guate yesterday and I spotted your Land Cruiser in Antigua on 1/16/13. It was parked right across the portales of the Mercado.

Congrats!

 

[WideAngleWandering]

Nice to be spotted. Next time maybe we can grab a beer/coffee. I'm always looking for travel ideas.

I am way behind on updates. In the meantime, here's a link to a photo essay I put together for World Travel Buzz.

http://worldtravelbuzz.com/overland-travel-americas-photo-essay/

 

[WideAngleWandering]

I continue to be lazy / behind on blog posts. I did, however, talk on this podcast thingy about my experience roadtripping.

http://webtalkradio.net/internet-ta...travel-alaska-to-tierra-del-fuego-and-beyond/

 

[WideAngleWandering]

Full post: http://www.wideanglewandering.com/2013/02/why-climb-volcan-de-agua.html


Volcán de Agua by WideAngleWandering, on Flickr

We drove from Antigua to Santa María de Jesús early in the morning to meet our guide outside the travel agency on the town square. We'd made arrangements to hike to the summit, spend the night and hike back down the next day. Back home, I'd have made a trip like this with a light pack but this being Guatemala, we needed a horse and horse-guy, a cardboard box full of food, a rollaboard suitcase, a couple miscellaneous tote bags, a trip coordinator and a guide.

Read the full post, if ya wanna: http://www.wideanglewandering.com/2013/02/why-climb-volcan-de-agua.html

 

[WideAngleWandering]

The Bureacracy of Lingering

Full Post: http://www.wideanglewandering.com/2013/03/the-bureacracy-of-lingering.html

2013-02-14


Waiting for the Rum by WideAngleWandering, on Flickr

Somehow, in the aftermath of liberation from Spain, the people of Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador were stricken with the ugly, self-indulgent sense of nationalism. They fought over territory and trade and eventually defined some imaginary lines to mark their borders. At these borders, each posted low-level bureaucrats and armed enforcers to make sure anyone crossing those imaginary lines knew just how important their nation was with respect to the others. That became onerous, since we're talking about nations the size of New England states , so they came up with the CA-IV agreement, making it easier for Central Americans and harder for everyone else to travel in the region. Today they have about as much hassle as I do driving into California from Arizona. Also like California, they can only aspire to someday be as sensible as Iowa and Nebraska are with their borders.

More on my adventures with Central American visa & vehicle import rules.

 

[WideAngleWandering]

The Human Element

Full Post: http://www.wideanglewandering.com/2013/03/the-human-element.html

2013-02-15

A lot of people talk about the human element to border control and bureacracy with great disdain. They curse the corrupt, angry gatekeepers to their travels. They talk about border crossings as if they were parole board hearings populated by gremlins. What one has to keep in mind is that it is the system, the mob, that is chaotic and broken – the individual workers are just humans caught up in it's machinations along with the rest of us.

Read on for lawyers and maps and begging and how it all works out.

 

[Makelo]

Feel your pain man, Guatemalan Bureaucracy is something else!! The bureaucracy of who you know not what you know.

 

[WideAngleWandering]

Semana Santa - Antigua Gone Wild

Full post: http://www.wideanglewandering.com/2013/04/semana-santa-antigua-gone-wild.html



2013-03-28



Alfombra by WideAngleWandering, on Flickr

I have managed to avoid Semana Santa in my previous trips to Latin America. I've always had a sense that in most places it would be more spectacle than cultural experience. More of a haven for pick-pockets and parking scams than for connecting with people. A few folks I know who normally live in Antigua leave during Semana Santa, citing trash, traffic jams and amazingly enough – decreased business. But, for whatever reason, I stayed and fought traffic, often driving the wrong way down trash-strewn one-way streets.



Full post/photos/video: http://www.wideanglewandering.com/2013/04/semana-santa-antigua-gone-wild.html

 

[WideAngleWandering]

Two Weeks in Antigua

Full Post: http://www.wideanglewandering.com/2013/05/two-weeks-in-antigua.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wideanglewandering/8245002462/
Clouds Over Antigua by WideAngleWandering, on Flickr

Two weeks in Antigua. I'm in that space where I need to settle in or move on. Unfortunately, Betsy is still in the clutches of a good but very slow mechanic for fuel injector service. I'm getting my cake and eating it too, however, with the help of Club 4x4 Guatemala.

See The Rest

 

[Devils Paw 80]

Am I mistaken, or has you Cruiser been in the shop for a few months now? That would be way to long for injector service.

 

[WideAngleWandering]

No no, it's a bit of a confusing narrative since I started posting out of order.

I started having a weird engine knock back while I was still in Baja. I showed it to a couple diesel mechanics in México (that did not go well) and decided to keep on keepin' on until I got to Central America where 2H diesels were common. I had the injectors serviced and the motor inspected (bottom end only and he did a crappy job) in Antigua but the knock continued. Every mechanic up to this point told me to ignore it and keep driving. I didn't like that answer though, since I knew something was up. I saw a couple mechanics in Zone 8 in Guatemala City and they too insisted it was injectors, which I'd already serviced.

When I arrived in Nicaragua, the knock was a bit worse, blow-by was excessive and my fuel economy was down. I contacted the Granada 4x4 club and got a recommendation on a mechanic. This time we pulled the head and inspected the top end.

Bad news. I'm partially overhauling the engine now. New pistons/rings/bearing are in. The head is in Managua getting new pre-cups and cracks welded. It should be back together by tomorrow, at which point I can hit the road.

 

[circle456]

"Unfortunately nothing goes according to plan in Latin America. The plan is more like a rough outline of what might happen."

I am not certain that it is "unfortunate", but your observation is certainly an understatement.

Martin, Chiriqui Highlands, Panama

 

[WideAngleWandering]

Epilogue

I am not certain that it is "unfortunate", but your observation is certainly an understatement.

You're right - it's not unfortunate at all. Serendipity, chance, and shifting plans defined my experience south of the border and it was a blast.

By way of updates, I'm back in the US, getting ready to go work and get some money together for the next adventure.

Since I last posted, I traveled around southern Nicaragua, met the good folks at the Esteli and Granada 4x4 clubs, briefly visited Costa Rica, drove across Honduras and Guatemala again, made my way through Chiapas to the pacific, followed the coast up to Mazatlan, crossed back over to Baja and eventually back north of the border. I picked up hitch-hikers and travelers, made countless new friends, accepted the hospitality of some truly good people and drove many, many miles.

I've got 17 roles of film, a lot of video clips, and more stories rattling around my head than I will probably ever articulate. That said, I'll try and post some more to this thread as I work through my backlog.

To anyone contemplating a trip in their cruiser, go for it. It's a good life on the road.