Antigua, Guatemala to Placencia, Belize

7 April 2013, I headed out of Antigua on my way to visit Semuc Champay, and it turned out to be a bad day for riding, but a great day for human kindness.  As I traveled on what seemed to be a smooth ride, the pave road ended and the dirt/hard rock road began throughout the mountains of central Guatemala.  I lost control of the bike and crashed after two hours of riding these rough roads.  The bike was too heavy to get upright by myself, so I had to wait until other guys came by to offer help.  We got the bike upright within 15 minutes, but by then the damage was done, and the bike would not start.  I tried everything to get the bike started, so I decided to call my friend Shawn in Antigua, and get him to google “V-Strom wont start”.  That did not help, but Shawn told me that his wife Jessica and her father Byron were close to my location.  So, Jessica called me got my location, and her father contacted the closest police station to my local.  Jessica and her father told the local police of El Chol that I was an important missionary…long story short the police came to get me at 9PM.  I left my bike at the police station and spent the night in a hotel in El Chol for free thanks to the local police. 

The next morning I went to check on my bike, but police had contacted a local mechanic to stop by and look at my bike.  The mechanic got my bike to start, but had to take the bike to his shop for a better look.  At the shop they realized that I had damaged a solenoid and about three hours later my bike was ready.  Since it was still an hour ride to an asphalt road, the police offered to carry my luggage and bags in their pickup, so that I would have an easier and lighter ride on the mountain unpaved road.  We stopped at the town of Rabinal, and I got my luggage loaded, and we parted ways.  I am truly thankful for all the help and assistance that was provided to me.  I then made my way to the town of Salama to spend the night. 

The following morning I made my way to the town of Flores, and found a decent hotel named Casa Amelia, and quickly decided to sign up for a sunrise tour of Tikal the next day.  Did the Tikal tour the next morning, and returned to the hotel to give the bike an inspection, so that it would ready Belize.  All was good, and I departed for Belize the next morning without any problems.  After 5 hours of riding I made it to Placencia, Belize.