August 28 Renaud:
  Just a little come back in the past to talk about our two days of rest which Dyl and I decided to spend around Oaxaca, as the Maya's ruins seemed to be so close. Seem to be? Yes, 250 km, a three hour drive, we thought. That was forgetting the Sierra Madre del Sur: It took us around eight hours, fortunately starting the first evening and sleeping on the road, despite all safety advises. The road was beautiful, squeezing its way through the very steep and dense tropical mountains, often being devastated by land sliding or falling rocks. If (as usual) we were not in such a hurry to see a lot, in such a short time, it would have been even more of a pleasure to travel in this quiet and slow back-country. Anyway, we finally arrived near El Tule, the largest tree in North America, 58 m in circumference, 14 m in diameter and more than 2000 years old! Next stop Mitla, beautiful mosaics in the ruins and an artisan market with many similar shops and interesting products. I finally found myself a hammock: much more comfortable to have the air going through your mat when it's that hot. We then visited our first Mexican town, Oaxaca. For the first time in a long time, I found a city center full of life and character, with beautiful plazas, a wedding including big "carnival puppets" and colorful lanterns, huge covered markets, and many well decorated shops and restaurants. I'm not really used to feeling attracted to a downtown, but Oaxaca was nice, maybe a reaction against the coldness and always looking at the same American cities?! The next morning was the predicted and actual highlight of the two-day tour: Monte Alban, one of the biggest Mexican ruins with around ten major temples still up. It lies on the top of a 300 meter hill, looking down in every direction to the valleys around. Sleeping near the fences, we arrived there first. What a feeling to be alone in this big quiet field, surrounded by those ancient constructions and trying to figure out what life could have been in those days. We enjoyed the place until noon when it also began to become a little bit more crowded and then we headed back to the ocean. On our way we stopped to take a picture of an old village grasped on the steep ridge. An 89 year old man walked by and asked me "how many days, by car would it take to reach my village in France ?". When I answered him that he would need a plane, he nodded and added that they were "too poor to be able to discover the world as we do". Wisdom, simplicity, humbleness, and kindness in this meeting.

August 29 Dylan:
in Guatemala/ Hotel bomberos
Tonight I am near the end of the relay and due to a missed calculation, I found myself cycling in the dark, soon to realize on the wrong road! I returned to San Antonion, the nearest town as we always use gas stations as meeting places. When I arrived the power had gone out due to a massive thunder storm which recently passed through. As I biked through the cobblestone streets, broken shadow-laden images of faces and people stared curiously at me from behind lone candles. I found a friend. A local who was willing to take me to the service station, fully escorted! We talked in broken Spanish and I could not hope to explain to him the reason a solo gringo was riding through his small town in the middle of the night. I knew eventually the others would come to look for me, most likely at the gas station. So I sat down and tried some mediocre conversation, which led into where I planned to sleep if my amigos did not show up. When I inquired about sleeping at the gas station, they replied with "no segudo", not safe. So I listened to these men banter back and forth about what to do with me. I heard the idea "bomberos" come up. "Bomberos?" I questioned. They talked more and by this time a couple of hours had gone by and I was considering where I might crash till tomorrow so I was willing to consider this "bomberos" option, but what was a bomberos? Soon after a uniformed man showed up who I figured must be of some importance, and as he approached the now-growing crowd around me, looked inquiringly at them and then at me. He laughed and joked with the others, a lot about me I suspect, then he pulled a large fireman's helmet out of his bag upon which it was written "bomberos". Bomberos! I exclaimed once or twice and we all laughed at the joke which was my language barrier. Soon he was on the phone and the gas station attendants told me I should go as the "luces" would be turned off soon and I would need to go somewhere. Before I knew it, a mini fire truck belonging to the bomberos showed up, I chose to go and we were off. The fire station was not larger than a garage with a couple of older vehicles manipulated into duty as fire vehicles. I was received very graciously. They offered me sleeping space in the back of the ambulance. Unfortunately for me, I soon heard hollers and yells and the sounds of familiar PtoP voices. My almost stay in "Hotel bomberos" came to an end.

August 30 Devlin: 
Behind the Gringo Curtain!
To most people here we are just a bunch of loco gringo's. They look, point and laugh as we go by. There's one thing though that can take away the curtain and that is a smile. As soon as you share a smile you go backstage to witness all the incredible beauty of the countries. The 3rd world is a groovy, vibey place. I love the way it looks, smells, feels, sounds, and tastes. I love it because it makes me feel at home, the scruffy dogs, the smell of wood fires and dozens of little kids playing in the streets. There is no bus schedule, no 9 am meeting and no rush. The pace is relaxed and I love it. As for the tour, the whirlwind continues. We have traveled three countries in two days. Today we cycled in two different countries, Guatemala and El Salvador! Border crossing is a long drawn out process and we are averaging about four hours per crossing. First here, then there, then back again, then pay, then where's this paper. It goes on. The team is handling it well for a bunch of first worlders and people can be found sleeping in the cars or in hammocks or talking to locals. Hakuna Matata.The 3rd world is a groovy place and I love it.

August 31 Mercedes:
A morning of finishing stuff to get ready for our way to Honduras and Nicaragua. Jay, Kyung Soo, Sang Soo and Dev went early to get the visas they need for Honduras. With Dylan and the girls we went to check the Piggy's battery (Piggy is our motorhome!) and on the way look for an Internet cafe, to happily read the expected new mail. Heidi and I complete the morning going to the market. Buying in the market was an enjoyable experience, many happy and noisy people, and stands full of fruit, veggies, cereal and local cheese and ham. It was an unusual moment for us... and I hope for some of the women there too! They looked very happy after we bought our groceries and left the market with our hands full of bags! Ending the food mission, we met the guys in a gas station, and once, all together, started the relay to the Honduras/El Salvador border, 20 km each. The weather is still hot and wet, it is normal to feel sweaty and sticky during both day and night, but the beauty of this landscape with many volcanoes on the horizon, some still smoking and green farms with livestock placidly grazing, change any kind of down feelings in my mind. Crossing the borders is a new and exhausting challenge for Jess and me, the Spanish speakers. No matter what the situation, usually we need to spend three or four hours just running back and forth trying to get all the signatures and stamps for immigrations and for the cars' permit. We better get used to it, we still have a few more.

September 1 Heidi:
The plan today was to cycle from San Salvador to the border to Honduras, cross the border, cycle through Honduras and cross the border into Nicaragua.... but when do things ever work out as planned?? In the first 30 km the suspension on the trailer broke, not a hugely surprising occurrence since the speed bumps we've encountered haven't been especially kind to the trailer. The team split up, Renaud waiting with the trailer, Dev and Merce going back into town to get the necessary part and Jess, Dyl and I going ahead to continue the relay. Upon meeting together again, I discovered that our ATM card had been swallowed by the machine. Not only that but the guy who came to take it out of the machine had gone home and wasn't answering his cell phone. So yet another stumbling block to reach our goal for the day. As with everything, in time things sorted themselves out. We were lucky enough to get over the border to Honduras but finished after the sun had set so we were unable to cycle.

Today we had the opportunity to meet a group of people from a church in Iowa who were also crossing the border. This particular congregation has chosen a small village in Honduras to support. With them today they have a tractor, medical supplies, clothes, and various other items the villagers can't afford but desperately need. It is really heartwarming to see small steps actually being taken as one community works to help another community living in a different country, on a different continent and, in reality, in a completely different world. It is these small steps that will make a big difference in the world. Crossing the borders has proven to be very long and tiresome. Mercedes and Jessica have carried the brunt of the headache going round and round the different offices getting multitudes of stamps, signatures and photocopies. Such is the hassle of bureaucracy, or lack thereof.

September 2 Jessica:
Five countries in one week. Its been a very tiring few days for us. Today we cycled all the way across Honduras, enjoying only a bit of the countryside and stopping only at the gasoline station before the border to Nicaragua. Heidi, Jay and I were in the Beast (our van) waiting for the Pig (our camper) so that we could cross the border together. When they arrived we asked if Mercedes was with them because we didn't see her anywhere. They responded that they thought we had picked her up. Negative Houston. We all fell silent as we realized that the Pig had driven right by Merce without seeing her or picking her up. Heidi and I immediately jumped in the beast and raced to get her. Being a female, cycling alone, and then waiting alone in a desolate area with a nice bike in these countries is extremely dangerous. We get several dozen catcalls and whistles as we cycle by the men and its very intimidating, uncomfortable, and ultimately, scary. After this incident, we decided that we wanted to cycle in pairs rather than alone. Better safe than sorry. When we arrive at the borders, transit "helpers" flock to the vehicles like vultures after prey. They jump on the side of the cars as we try to park, shoving their badges in our windows, yelling over each other, insisting that their "deal" is the best one. Then, as we exit the cars and head towards immigration, all 20 of them crowd around still trying to get money out of the "gringos" waving bills and/or badges in our faces. It's the same story at every border, but eventually after a few hours of hassling, we are able to continue our trek. Today we are off to Nandaime, Nicaragua where we have a two day humanitarian project. We are all very excited about being able to interact a bit more with the people and learning more about their culture. Oh! One more thing...we met another group of cyclists!!! They are Europeans biking from Alaska to Argentina, seeking a world record for the fastest Pan-American biking trek ever. We've passed each other about four times since Mexico every time cheering on the cyclist as well as Piggy's cousin (their camper). It's awesome seeing other cyclists struggling up those hills!

Jessica:
Last night was a bit rough. Our trailer broke down again in the middle of a really bad road on the way to Nandaime. We decided to split the team up in order to keep our arrangement of arriving in the evening. One support vehicle went ahead with most of the team to the town, and Mercedes, Dylan, and Devlin stayed behind to sort out the trailer. They welcomed us with open arms at the Centro Comunitario (Community Center). It is a place geared towards encouraging youth to believe in themselves and make a difference, not only in their community, but also in their country. They have several projects of which we were introduced to that help employ the youth (like a work study type of thing) as well as give them something to strive for.

This morning, Eddie, a member of the center, took us to the Jardin Feliz, the happy garden. They are planning on making a garden in which people can work, but at the same time, they can use the products of the garden to feed their families. We went there and started the layout of the bricks lining a path leading to the baby chickens. Raising the chickens and then selling them makes it financially possible for the garden to get underway, otherwise, they would not be able to afford it. We were thrilled at the opportunity of having a part in the start of this awesome project. As we returned home, we saw the rest of the gang and were amazed that they had been able to fix the trailer and get there so quickly. That evening we all gathered around the table and exchanged ideas about Pole to Pole and about the Centro Comunitario and realized that though in completely different places, we both had similar ideas.

September 4 Renaud:
Our second day in Nandaime, Nicaragua and a day of intensive learning about the place. It all started at 6 am with Luis Roberto who takes us to the "finca". The Community Center started up with projects that gives work to young people and allows them to go to school with that money. The one we are at today is one of the first ones, a farm. It was first supposed to be experimental but it became more and more a production place independent of any gifts of money. They now have fruits, vegetables and animals like the other places. The main difference is that the workers here work from 6 to 11 am and then go to school from 12 to 5pm, and no school = no work. We saw and tasted some of their products and learnt how they deal with working with human or animal power. Once again, we met the power of nature, or shall I say they met it a few years ago with hurricane Mitch that devastated some crops, cutting down the number of people on the farm from 35 to 12. Apparently international help was supposed to come and save part of it, but it seems to have helped the president's friends more - at the time!

We then went back for breakfast at the Center. We went to see where this excellent bread is made. The bakery is in one of the poorest parts of the city, constructed for refugees from the north of the country during the Contra war. It is also a project designed by the Community Center and is now sustainable on its own. Unfortunately the hammock fabric store nearby was closed. All of these projects initiated by the Community Center allows for young people to study up to and including University, restricting them to choose a field that will be directly useful for the community: learning computers would not be of much help where they are!!!

Learning by example was then replaced by learning through meeting and talking as Santiago (who initiated the Community Center) and Luis Roberto told us the story of Nicaragua. Nicaragua has been bathed in blood and war from the conquest of the Spanish all the way through revolutions and resistance to the dictatorships (helped by the USA.) I would not be good enough to tell the story of the Contra (the freedom fighters) but I suggest you take the first step and look for information yourself. It's pretty amazing how the USA tried to have what they needed done around here. It will also bring you to a famous name, Irangate, the story of the CIA selling arms to Iran to finance a war in Nicaragua. Anyways that's what we have been told here in Nicaragua.

This long and interesting day finished in baskets of water falling from the sky. At this time, the street in front of the Center became for Devlin an occasion to use his kayak. I'm not sure any boat had ever gone down the streets of Nandaime before. Finally, the team met for a check-in trying to evacuate some of the pressure we all have inside. By the way, we also saw animal power in action this morning when a farmer with his "male of cows" took our vehicle out of the mud easily.

September 5 - Naoki:
Today we left Nandaime and cycled backward to the border of Honduras only because we didn't cycle from the border to Nandaime earlier. The road from the border to Nandaime is really rough. Usually we take 1hour for 20km, but today it took us twice as long. There are many cracks and rocks on the road with no shoulders. So I paid attention to traffic every moment and eventually arrived very tired. We arrived in Nandaime at 8pm. We went to bed early and slept soundly.

OTHER PICTURES & REPORTS: 

Los Angeles to Puerto Escondidas

Washington to Los Angeles

Ottawa to Washington

Thunder Bay to Ottawa

Vancouver to Thunder Bay

100 Mile House to Vancouver

Inuvik to 100 Mile House

North Pole to Resolute Bay

Training Camp