On August 6, I said goodbye to all my friends and headed out of town shooting some video along the way. I stopped at a bank and grocery store, and then started the long climb out of Guatemala City. I stopped for lunch at a spot along the Highway that gave me a spectacular view of the city. The climbed continued till the afternoon before I reached a long downhill section. Here the Pan American Highway changed from four lanes to two and I lost the paved shoulder to ride on. I started to see a lot of El Salvador license plates. I suspected that a lot of them were returning home after being in Guatemala City to see the Pope.

         As I approached Barberena, I found a corn field to set up for the night. Before long, a group of kids arrived to see what I was doing. I was able to converse quite easily with them in Spanish. After making dinner, I set up the tent in the dark. The temperature was very pleasant, the sky was clear and there was no insects. I could hear a woman in the distance singing traditional native songs into a loudspeaker.

         The next day in Barberena, I stocked up on food and water while the usual crowd gathered around the bike. I flew through Cuilapa and into a valley where I came to El Molino Junction. At this point, I decided to take Highway 8 and somewhere near Oratorio, I stopped for lunch. It started to get very hot so I stopped at a river near Las Marias to get cleaned up when two motorcycle cops approached to see what I was doing. We talked for about 15 minutes so I decided to forget the wash and carry on. I felt that they were waiting to see me ride the bike. I started off and they escorted me along the way, one in front and one in the back. I was feeling like the Pope but it was embarrassing as I rode through populated areas. I was becoming exhausted but too embarrassed to stop for fear they would think I was a weakling. I finally rolled into Jalpatagua totally exhausted. The cops must have become bored with the slow speed so they left to continue their shift.