We are taking a day to recoup and bring the bikes back to tip top while we hang out in paradise.

The room is freezing just the way we love it. We have been overheating every day and both nights in Tikal were hot and humid so this has been a welcome departure. I took this opportunity to try to do a thorough sink washing of all my gear. I have worn two different technical shirts for my top layer so far and they are getting pretty nasty. I have three pairs of Ex-Officio underwear I have been rotating to keep as fresh as possible. They aren’t bad but it would be nice to deep clean them now that I have the chance. The last item I really need to work on is the liner of my helmet. It has been getting pretty gruesome in there with all the warm days and rain we have met up with. It is so bad that I often opt to keep the visor at least a little open so I don’t drown in my own stink. No Bueno. This is my first time removing the liner and I am proud to say the Scorpion EXO AT-950 came out with no issues. I have washed everything and it is set up to dry next to the cold air output of the AC unit. Now to tackle some bike maintenance.

This is where I encountered my first real problem of the trip. Apparently, overloading the panniers and taking the speed tables like mini ramps wasn’t a great idea because my right pannier frame has broken dramatically. I am running the SW Motech racks with the QD bolts. The top bolt has gone missing on me so the entire rack is hanging a little. Underweight I bet it would like it’s about to get ripped off. I took a moment to lament the fact that I didn’t change out the quick disconnect bolts with real bolts when I first saw them at installation months ago but that time has passed. There is nothing I can do now to go back and fix my error. Joe and I figured we could probably pick something up along the way to bolt the frame back together properly or we would be able to find a place once we got to Roatan. For now, I just used my Mosko Moto straps to cinch the frame back towards the bike and tight with the other side. It seemed to hold well enough creating an X pattern across the pillion portion of my seat. That ought to hold as long as I don’t act like a Nitro Circus performer hitting topes every day. I lubed the chain again and packed up in the heat to relax a little in our room while I waited for dinner.

This hotel is incredible. Belize has a gorgeous coastline and this place is taking full advantage of the view. They also have a Mexican restaurant across the street which faces toward the bay. We wanted a little change for this evening and opted for Mexican at Jalapenos. The food was good, the drinks were fruity and because it is the offseason we were almost the only two people in the place.

I am glad to have had the rest and tomorrow is a big day as we head back to Guatemala and hopefully into Honduras depending on the border(s). I am not taking the AC in this place for granted or the fact that I can hear the pool fountain right outside our window. I could see journeying back to this place for a vacation all it’s own.