A Cyclist’s Week: Crossing Borders In Guatamala And Mexico

Anna KortschakAnna Kortschak is on an open-ended tour of the Americas that may yet turn into an open-ended tour of the world.

She has no fixed plan or time frame and she is in no hurry to get anywhere in particular. Over the past year she has ridden from Prudhoe Bay in Alaska to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Anna goes to some lengths to avoid riding on highways and major roads and if there is a choice between a paved road and an unpaved road she will definitely choose the dirt.

In the latest entry in our Cyclist’s Week series, Anna describes the 7-days around her somewhat misguided attempt to cross the border in a remote protected wilderness area between Guatemala and Mexico. It includes plenty of riding down muddy tracks, encounters with the locals and even a puma!

03_mud-track2.jpgAnd despite the instincts of most bike tourists to never backtrack, Anna does just that when she discovers the path she’s been following wasn’t the right one for her.

Read on to learn about the week of bike touring that (eventually) takes Anna to the Guatemalan border.

If you’d like to contribute to our Cyclist’s Week series, you’d be more than welcome. Read the guidelines here and then get in touch.