Central America has many countries crowded into a relatively small space, leading to frequent encounters with immigration offices. Having crossed quite a few land borders over the years, we nonetheless wondered if we were up to the challenge of Honduras and Nicaragua. Both have a reputation of bringing even the most seasoned travelers to their knees with less than well oiled bureaucracies. Luckily, we successfully maneuvered the bureaucratic obstacle courses at the borders. A home run in getting a visa extension in Nicaragua gave us the time to enjoy the capital city of Managua, and soak up the wonderful, historic ambiance of Granada, on the shores of a freshwater lake inhabited by sharks.

From Guatemala City we had only three days of riding to the border with El Salvador. Yet Guatemala continued to enchant us, with pre-Christmas festivities in one town and a colorful saint’s day procession in another. After a difficult border crossing, we once again marveled at the differences between countries as El Salvador revealed its own, unique character and beauty - even though our holiday plans in San Salvador didn’t quite work out as planned.

After the big climb out of Lake Atitlan’s ancient crater, we cycled through more of the Guatemalan Highlands. In the historic city of Antigua, we soaked up the interesting mix of Mayan and Spanish influences before climbing a volcano. A final push took us to Guatemala City, where we celebrated the approaching Christmas holiday as we worked on bike repairs.

As we continued our cycling journey through the Guatemalan Highlands, each community we passed though had its own, unique character. Giant kites fluttered in the wind over a mountain town churning out colorful textiles. Mayan ritual sites clustered in a new-age enclave where music filled the air. And international cuisine was served in a town where most people’s native language was Mayan. But the main attraction was the breathtakingly picturesque Lake Atitlán, with its backdrop of three volcanos - where a pre-dawn hike led us to a quetzal, Guatemala’s national symbol.

Over the course of three days we would gain nearly 10,000 ft (3,050 m) in elevation as we cycled upwards into the Guatemalan Highlands. This rural and rugged region is home to the Mam Mayans, who maintain many customs that date back hundreds of years, including wearing their traditional, woven and embroidered garments. We were fortunate to pass through one town during their lively, annual Heritage Fair. From there we plunged out of the highlands into the big city of Huehue, in time for the celebration of All Souls Day among the tombs in the municipal cemetery.

We wanted to savor our final few days in Mexico. So instead of heading straight for the border, we lingered in one more magical town and cycled through a countryside dotted with picturesque lakes. We finally said “good-bye” to Mexico at a little-used border crossing at the top of a really big hill. During our first couple of days in Guatemala we cycled along a quiet road lined with scenic rock formations - until we took refuge from the rain in a woodland bungalow, at a quirky and off-the-beaten-path recreational park.