(Daniel) Having read that this route was bandit country, and not safe for tourists, I put on the bullet proof jacket this morning, ready for the worst.  It was hot and uncomfortable, especially with the windows closed and no aircon.  

I felt a little better, but had not eaten for three days now. My stomach felt painfully empty, a good sign as it would probably accept food again.

The track got worse, leading high into the mountains.  Every now and again, it would degrade to a muddy rutted path, usually children hung around at these spots, trying to get some money for their feeble efforts to repair the way.  I passed several surprised looking Policemen in their vehicles,  but mainly I saw farmers and children smiling and waving.  This didn’t look much like a dangerous place to me!

After four hours picking along mountain paths and passing through many beautiful Guatemalan villages, I met tarmac again.  This was the road to Coban.  15kms later, I enetered the town, following the GPS co-ordinates that Yerko had given me to the front door of the workshop.

I was recognized instantly, as two men approached, both with handguns down their trousers.  “Daniel?”  They asked, as I got out of the car.  The conversation switched to Spanish then, as they obviously didn’t speak any English.  The men introduced themselves as Axle, and his brother Osman.  They were the joint owners of Super Lavados Y Mas...  A carwash, come offroad centre.  Inside A mechanic worked hard on a huge F350 truck, while the cleaners spryed down, Toyota 7 series pickups and modified vehicles of all types.

I saw that Cooper tyres had a strong presence here, as all the vehicles seemed to be shod in the same Discoverer STT’s that I had fitted.  The place had web access and plenty of space.  Ideal to sort out my tyre rotation, and fit the two new ball joints at last!

I noticed that Axle and Osman were’nt the only guys wearing guns, infact, everyone over 20 seemed to have a pistol on his belt, just like cowboys! Some of them had extended clips and holders full of ammo.  They could have held out for hours in a gunbattle.  What was this all about?  Yerko wasn’t around, so I agreed to return later, then headed into town to find a hotel.

The Hostel Victoria seemed nice, a quirky place full of antiques with a carpark behind.  I checked in and fell asleep.  When I awoke, I had missed my arranged time to Meet Yerko, so I watched a couple of movies on the laptop then fell back into sleep again, tomorrow I would eat!  

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