Satellite
  • Day 105

    8.5 Making my way to Cobán

    December 6, 2018 in Guatemala ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    I have not been posting anything about it, but here it is now! Since Cancún I am travelling by motorcycle, which I bought there. Also the driving licence by the way.

    The ride so far has been awesome and I like it a lot. Main advantage over travelling by bus, or public transport in general, is that I am super mobile and flexible. I can go wherever I want, whenever I want. With the bus it is also not possible to simply stop in the middle of nowhere and enjoy the scenery. And some rides are just amazingly beautiful. Very nice countryside here in Guatemala.

    On the way to Cobán, I also had to cross a river by “ferry”. That was quite fun, as the “ferry” is rather a swimming platform/“body of metal” with an engine and an propeller attached to it. Boarding happens not through a dock but rather through the ramp of the ferry being lowered onto the river coast (see picture).
    Then, the big trucks have to be carefully positioned, to not tip the ferry over and that might also be necessary in the middle of the crossing; Which basically means that a truck is manoeuvred back and/or forth to tilt the boat back into balance. Saw it happen right there.
    Like in most traffic (jam) situations or waiting lines, you can just drive past all th waiting cars, buggies, trucks if you have a motorcycle. So that’s what I did. Five minutes waiting instead of 60.

    Note: If you zoom in on the map, you can see the river and the ferry.
    Read more