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Listen in tonight at 7.40pm and get all the stories and drama from Central America. We will be live with Paul Connolly and Joan Lee….

THE INBOX is one of the fastest growing shows in Dublin and, indeed, Irish radio.  It’s where Dubliner’s come to debate the topics they care about; to laugh about the silliness of everyday life; and to listen to in-depth, hard-hitting interviews.

As the sun set over the bridge of the America’s and the sky line opened up we crossed into Panama City last Thursday evening. The crossing put us past 8,000 miles and beyond the halfway point. After we left the colourful beach town of Jaco in Costa Rica last Sunday we said our goodbyes to Peter and Kide took his place. She is a young dutch girl that hails from just outside Amsterdam and is currently on leave from Deloitte. After a regular first two days of 80 miles each Kidi discovered she had to be in Panama by Thursday evening to catch a flight on Friday morning, when she asked Rob is it possible the reply was honest and clear “it is up to you.” On that note the milage began to build over 3 days and by Kide’s last day she completed 200km spending over 12 hours on the bike. However her misery was not accomplished alone, Timi her female counterpart completed the full week too. In order to bridge the pace gap the girls were given an hour and a half head start in the mornings, Kide accompanied by Kev our bi-lingual guide who jumped at the chance to “practice his Dutch,” her blond hair and blue eyes had nothing to do with it. Alan as always a true gentle man brought Timi through every step. The rest of us enjoyed our lie in every morning but once on the bike the pride of the male species was on the line and they were hunted down in true competitive fashion every morning. So after lunch and breaks the girls were given the honor and Alan and Kev played off the ladies tee’s for the week. We would all like to wish Kide and Timi all the best and safe travels beyond and home. For us we will rest up for the weekend and come Monday the mayhem of getting the support vehicle fixed and shipped south shall begin. There is no road into South America so the next step will be taken by boat, getting south from Panama is a challenge for all travelers and we will keep updating the situation as it unfolds over the coming week.

I’d been traveling in Mexico for a few months when I had the good fortune of staying in the same hostel as the guys in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca. They were a friendly bunch of characters and after talking to them for a little while, I was invited to join for a leg. I’d been traveling cheap and light, and with no real destination in mind, the offer to jump on a spair bike and ride through Central America wasn’t something I had to think long or hard about.
After a few days of laying around on the beach, the group bid farwell to Puerto Escondido with a few new additions. There was Sebastien, from France who was traveling on his own and also accepted the invitation to ride for a while, (but who ended up having to leave that night because of complications with travel arrangements). There was Timi who had just flown in the day before to join for a month or so. Then there was me. As is to be expected, the first three days were the hardest for me as my body accustomed itself to riding a bicycle for six to eight hours daily. It wasn’t long though before I found myself keeping up with the group. With the exception of half my first day and most of the second, the whole of my first week was really flat as we rode through the coastal low lands of South Western Oaxaca and Chiaps. Good thing because it probably made the process of breaking myself in a little easier.
The accomodation situation was surprisingly very plesant most of the time EXCEPT for the first night I started riding, which coincedentally was also Ben’s birthday. The hotel we were staying in was a house with a wildly overgrown garden in the front and four or five rooms in the back that had been turned into hotel suits. Unfinished pastel-coloured paint jobs, flaking plaster, cracked mirrors on the ceiling and graffiti scratched into the walls. It was a stark contrast to the clean and friendly open-air atmosphere of the Mayflower Hotel in Escondido where we’d been staying only the night before. Happy birthday Ben. Despite the general dinginess of the place we found a decent rooftop spot to cook a meal as the sun went down.
Upon crossing into Guatemala we became aware of a whole slough of new problems which had not previously been apparent to any of us regarding border crossings in Central American countries. I’m not bending the truth when i say that immigration offices in these places are often corrupt beaurocracies. We all figured that, but I don’t think any of us really expected that we’d be stuck at the border for about four hours trying to sort out the paperwork with Wally the truck. The long and the short of it was that one document was missing, the title of ownership, and immigration wouldn’t let the vehicle pass with out it, or a suitable legal alternative doccument. We attained that, which we had to pay about $70.00 for, and then were told that we’d have to pay an additional $200.00 fee, just because we still didn’t have the original. That, obviously, was not legit. Of course, we were only informed of this AFTER we were stamped out of Mexico, which meant we couldn’t go back, nor could we go forward. Our options were either to pay or have the vehicle impounded until we paid. We were very lucky to still be accompanied by Antonio and Guiermo from Freight Watch Group in Mexico, who would always go above and beyond to help us out how ever they could. Antonio managed to pull some strings somehow and they waved the fee. Finally after a lot of hassel, we were allowed to pass. That wouldn’t be the end of our issues with the borders, but that’s another story.
Antonio and Guiermo only had orders to follow us as far as the border and then return to Mexico City, so we all bid farewell there at the edge of Guatemala. They passed us off to two new guys, Elias and Juan, both from El Salvador, who would take charge from there.
You see things in Central America that you’d never see in a North American or European country. While riding one day in heavy rain in Guatemala for instance, I was passed by an old lady in a rain coat and sandles driving a delapedated honda motorcycle with a propaine tank strapped onto the seat behind her. Children flying kites in the road under powerlines. Buses barreling down the road, passing lines of traffic on corners with one guy hanging out the door to indicate to other cars the intent of the driver. Do accidents just not happen in these countries?
All in all it’s been a great experience, and in my year of traveling abroad I can definitely say that it’s been the most memorable experience so far. I’ll take this oportunity to thank everyone for inviting me along on this epic adventure and I wish you guys the best of luck for South America. You’re all going to have to focus on the Spanish a little bit more after Costa Rica!

Y por fin los queremos decir MUCHAS GRACIAS a Antonio y Guiermo del FWG en Mexico. Ustedes estaban muy amigaable y estan muy buena gente. No habria sido posible sin ustedes! Gracias para todos y esperamos que nos encontramos otra vez alguin dia.

Peter Haeghaert

After spending so much time travelling through North America and only covering three of our fourteen proposed countries it’s already becoming quite an adjustment to be simply speeding through Central America. While to many, including ourselves, it may have seemed our progress was slow through Mexico, holding the same pace has seen us pass through Guatemala and half way into El Salvador in little over a week, including a day off to see the beautiful lake town of Panajachel in Guatemala, an elevated version of Puerto Escondido if not a little more traditional. One twist coming out of the larger countries of the north is the more regular border crossings which are proving to be costly, in every sense of the word. The evenings are getting quite short now as we head toward the equator and overall this has simply lead to a return of the 5:30 wake up calls from Alan Gray. Only a couple of weeks from half way in Panama City there is a sense of trying to get there as soon as possible, with the milestone so close it will be difficult not to do so but in the interests of the group, and my own legs more importantly, I´ll try and slow the pace a bit so we don’t miss anything in the countries in between.
(John´s Debut-inspired by Rob)

Thanks for all the help

Video by edited by John Garry

We are live again on Dublins 98 Inbox show with Paul Connolly and Joan Lea at about 7.40pm Irish time next Tuesday the 14th October so listen in and get all the news. For all those not in Ireland just listen online at www.dublins98.ie

Sorry to anyone listening today we had technical difficulties but we are on for tomorow!!

THE INBOX is one of the fastest growing shows in Dublin and, indeed, Irish radio.  It’s where Dubliner’s come to debate the topics they care about; to laugh about the silliness of everyday life; and to listen to in-depth, hard-hitting interviews.

Our next stop-off was Puerto Esconido situated about 450 miles south of Zihuatanejo. We arrived on Friday evening quite exhausted having covered 215 miles over two days and having stayed in what could only be compared to a prison the night previous we were keen to rest our weary limbs for a few days and enjoy a few beers . We were quick to discover that Puerto Escondido was going to be the ideal place to do this as it was a popular backpacker town attracting many because of its beautiful beaches, big waves and busy nightlife.
We stayed in a great hostel full of travellers from all over the world  and we must have made some sort of impression as we have now been joined by Sebastian from France and Peter from Canada who will cycle with us for a few weeks. Timi Oyewo also joined us last weekend having flown over fresh from completing her exams, Timi will be with us until we reach Panama.
So ten cyclists this week and all going to plan we will have crossed into Guatemala in six days or so. Talk to you then. Rob (debut blog!)

For anybody who missed Ben’s article in the Times it is still online at the link below…

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/travel/2008/0927/1222419965247.html