La Asunción

The next morning we spent nearly 2 hours over breakfast in Palenque trying to decide which way to go: east to Chetumal and south through northern Belize, or into Guatemala and through southern Belize. In the end we opted to skip the potentially long boring ride to Chetumal and take the short cut into Guatemala we had recently heard about. This meant we only really got riding at 1 pm, so by the time we had retraced our steps 10 km to an awesome fruit stand we were ready for some serious hydration. We would have bought a smaller watermelon if it was an option, but figured we could use some extra water. We started down Hwy 307 with bellies full of watermelon and bags full of other delicious fruit, and made good time on the relatively flat road until Karl's rear tire blew off the rim, literally. The only explanation seems to be that he over-inflated it the night before and then the 40 degree heat when we stopped at a gas station made the tube expand even more. Luckily there were no injuries and the tire seems to be staying put despite some damage to the bead. After asking around a bit as evening was falling we were let into the reception hall next to a church in a tiny town about 65 km down the 307 and we were happy to call that home for the night.Read more