7. Roadblock and the Farm
Day 70. Finally, I am back in the saddle. Not a minute too soon. Antigua was nice but it is time to hit the road. I got up early at sunrise and it looks like it is going to be a nice day. I think I cracked this complicated weather code for Central America. Morning = good, afternoon = bad. Try to do all your riding during the “good” period and all will be OK.
A coffee and breakfast and a quick chat and goodbye with Gary who goes to the same school and has been living in the apartment above me. He will take the custodial duties of the Palace. Everything is done, the bike is loaded and I am hitting the start switch at 0715. 15’ late …
The road is busy with morning rush hour traffic heading to the town. Nice, sunny and cool, just the way I like it. The road goes right between two volcanos and is surprising good. Antigua is at 1,500m and I am going due west, descending towards the Pacific. After cresting a small ridge I can definitely smell it. Nice! I love the smell of the ocean. It is easy going and after while, the traffic all but disappears. The scenery is very green and lush. The last 10 days have been raining heavily every afternoon and you can see it everywhere. Mudslides and puddles everywhere. But so far so good for me. I am heading east now and I am doing good time. At this rate, I will be done before noon. I have an idea how to “fix” it. I am paralleling the ocean shoreline so why not to go and see the beach. Splendid idea! I turn south and heading straight for the Pacific. My GPS doesn’t like it and wants me to go back, Tough luck. If the there was a little traffic on the road before, here is none. Again, nice road, flat with lots of big ranches behind opulent gates. I am enjoying the scenery and I can see the ocean on my GPS screen. All of a sudden the road ends and there are bunch of boats ahead of me. Apparently, the only way to get to the beaches is on one of these boats which would take me through the swampy coastal canals. Well, it sounds like more time then I am willing to spend here so I turn around and head back the same way.
I join the road I was on one hour ago and I am heading for the hills. Twisty, up and down. Mostly through the jungle but with many farms alongside the road. The road is good but there are many very deep potholes in places you don’t want them. Or the odd boulder size of a bus right behind the curve. No place to relax. I am coming to major intersection and I haven’t seen almost any traffic. Well, here I’ve found it. Cars, truck and buses parked on the side of the road. Drivers out of their cars, that’s never a good sign. Some truckers even have their hammocks hooked up the side of their vehicles. Nobody and nothing is moving. Actually they are, trying to back up or turn around on a narrow mountain road. Comedy Central. With my newly acquired Spanish I asked what is going on? The only answer I get is that the road is closed. If it is closed it doesn’t really matter why. But I do not like it. I am not one who takes no for an answer. If the road is really closed for whatever reason, that Ocean excursion might be very costly. The detour would be around 200+km. Well, lets take a look what the fuss is all about. Geez, the line up is few km. They must have been here for a while. Local vendors are going around selling food and drinks. I get to the intersection of two major highway and I see the problem right away. There are sticks and rocks across the road and many guys milling around. And they do not look friendly at all. And all males here carry a 3ft long machete. Crap. A road block and a some kind of a protest here. I am sure they will get their point across with this traffic jam. What to do? I ride all the way within few feet of the road block. I am sticking out like a sore thumb and whatever this is all about, it is clearly not my fight. I start talking to the guys and trying to be as pleasant as I can be with my perfect Espanol trying to explain where I am going. More people come over and start looking at my bike. Well, this is getting close to the edge of my comfort zone, but everybody is friendly. I could hit the gas and jump over the small trees they have across but I don’t think this would be the best approach here. And I wouldn’t get too far. After few minutes here comes a cool young dude with shades, smart phone and a walkie talkie. And he points to the peasants to open the barrier. Is that it? No fight and wild chase through the countryside? Lame! What should I tell in the bar now??? But I take it. Saying thank you about a million times I quickly get through the open gate a leave all this fun behind. Unfortunately or rather fortunately I didn’t even try to take my camera out. I don’t think it would be worth it. I took only picture of the truck’s line up when I was far away from the road block. Well, that was exciting.
The rest of the route was uneventful and I was having no problem to find my overnight right after 12 clock. I am staying on a farm today. I checked in and I was shown my place. One of 4 places behind the barns. Very nice, new, clean and spacious. Parked my bike right outside of the door. Anywhere closer and I would be in my bedroom. A quick clean up and off to the restaurant. The menu is tantalizingly good. It is a LUNCH time so I don’t want to get stuffed. Chicken and salad with a Corona did a job. I’ll be back for dinner.
The farm itself is very cool. It is something between a petting zoo and a farm. They have ostriches, about 100 roosters and each has a tiny little rooster house. Cute. Monkeys, ducks, turkeys, horses, you name it. I spend few hours taking pictures. But I also see that the sky is getting darker. And I know what is coming. Rain. And lots of it. It is evening now and it’s been raining hard for the last 4 hrs. I mean really hard. There is lots of water all around here. It will be a fun ride tomorrow … Also, it raining so hard that I don’t even feel like going few hundred meters to the restaurant. Well, peanuts and Pepsi from the minibar will have to do today. A good think I am not allergic to peanuts …
This turned up to be a long essay. But hey, I have nothing better to do right now, there is no internet here. I will publish this tomorrow, I hope. Anyway, it was a good day and it feels awesome to be back on the road again. Cheers.