I had planned this motorcycle trip, off and on, since 1991. Since that time, several of the Central American countries remained in political turmoil and a trip didn't seem to be in my best interest so I bided my time and the stars were aligned in 2002.
The trip was planned to ride through Mexico on the Gulf side, cross the Yucatan peninsula into Belize, then Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama using less frequented border crossings on the way south. The goal was to ride to Yaviza (a small town in Panama's Darien Province where the Pan American Highway ends in Central America). The return would follow the Pan American highway and would include a ride through El Salvador. Unfortunately, the trip was stopped short 100 miles from Yaviza due to bandito activities but my riding partner and I did ride to the edge of the Darien Province. The following is an accounting of the trip.
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