(^46) Chiquimula – Rio Hondu - 36 kilometres
Almost 25 kilometres beyond Chiquimula was tiny Estanzuela. To our surprise, it
had an interesting museum holding dinosaur and prehistoric whale bones from
30,000 years ago. Quite amazing.
Ernest still wanted to fine-tune the rim, and upon slinking into Rio Hondu we settled
for a hotel. The place had rooms around a courtyard where he could work and we
spent the afternoon watching the Olympics.
Rio Hondu – Quirigua - 65 kilometres
Between Rio Honu and Quiriqua was a short but relatively slow ride due to more
bike repairs. For the best part of the day, the road followed a river through a
magnificent valley with green mountains towering alongside, making it a very
scenic ride. Unfortunately, the Carretera Atlantico was the main road between the
capital and the coast and, therefore, a busy one, with 18-wheelers bearing down
upon us like bats out of hell. I tried to stick as close to the side of the road as
possible, but it remained nerve-wracking as the shoulder was often broken or
obstructed.
In Quirigua, we detected another Mayan archaeological site we planned to visit the
following morning. It appeared cowboy country where guns, big hats and leather
boots were worn and sold practically everywhere.
leana
(Leana)
#1