This is not a fun road to cycle. There are just too many semi-trucks. The shoulder comes and goes; there is a nice surface then a rough surface then obstacles to cycle around, then a bridge where the road narrows and the shoulder disappears. Most of the time the shoulder is a few inches lower than the road which makes it tricky to cut back onto the road. All in all a miserable route for bicycle touring.
The first 15km is gradually downhill and we stop at a restaurant for a second breakfast. There was some confusion about what we ordered. We think we ordered scrambled eggs, but we were served a Chapin Guatemalan breakfast:two fried eggs with salsa, black beans, fried plantains, cheese and bread. Not bad though. We see news reports on television about a wave of earthquakes that hit along the El Salvador, Guatemalan and Mexican coasts. We did not feel anything.
The road follows a river valley, but there are two good hills to contend with, the first to Los Amates. Fortunately a passing lane helps us deal with the traffic. Almost to the top Patrick has a flat rear tire. In Los Amates, we stop for a cold drink, there is a fancy looking hotel that would make this a place to stop but we've staged the route differently. Though there's no lacking of accommodations with romantic auto hotels everywhere, just they are usually isolated. No restaurants nearby. It gets hotter as the clouds burn off and there is no rain to cool us.
At the junction to Morales is a very nice looking Sarita restaurant. We'd been salivating over the billboard pictures of hamburgers... Since we are so close we have a heavier lunch: large burgers.
There are a couple of hotels, we check-out one first that other cyclists have stayed at, but it is way over our budget. Behind it is another hotel "Mansion Del Viajero" with much better rates, but a lover standard. For 195Q we get an AC room, TV and attached . WiFi is a dud though, it fails completely after about an hour and the staff does not seem to be too concerned. We discover an unlimited supply of mosquitoes in our room so the net will go up tonight.
We are following the Rio Motagua valley towards the Caribbean Sea.
Major mishap. The truck drivers drive reasonably safe here, but the road is narrow and when something goes wrong there is no place to go. Here a truck hit something and jack-knifed off the right side. Two other trucks ran off the road and into the trees on the left.
The unfinished, or old wing of our hotel. Our room is the last one on the ground floor. Across the courtyard is another wing that is finished, but with much more expensive rooms. Under the courtyard is a parking garage. Feels like a grand project that was never finished.
