Hey to all my friends in the world.

Long time no hear ha?

I am sitting in the house of Isaac the Israeli ambassador that welcomes me in Guatemala City.

Since the last time that I wrote you all I finished my trip in Mexico and I entered Guatemala. Mexico was great but I was very happy to enter Guatemala.

The Mexican reactions when the saw me on the road were always a surprise for me - again and again, I felt that they have to say something when they saw me, and they can say anything from only "you" to "what's up nigger…"

One time a guy that worked on the road looked at me and said: "I love you" but I don’t think that he meant it because he didn’t knew me….

Any way, the last 2 weeks in Mexico were nice and I had many nice conversations about life with a local farmer that asked me about my journey.

It was in really nowhere and I needed to camp somewhere because it started to be late.

He was very surprised to see me but he was OK and very friendly.

"Why you don’t do it (going around the world) on a plan?  Why on a bike?  Why alone?

With my poor Spanish I told him that this is my dream ("sueno") and that this best way to see the world and on a plan you don’t see any thing.

"Haaaaaaaa" he said "but why don’t you go with a car? Cycling is hard and long"

"Car is also too fast and I like cycling"

"Haaaaaaaa, but why not on a motorcycle? Cycling is very dangerous you know…"

I know.

I have also been in the nice beach town of Porto Escondido, a place with nice girls and big waves and amazing sunset. and in the last night in Mexico I asked to wash my hands in a restaurant on the way and I saw a dead iguana on the dishes and I don’t know why I didn’t think that this is a clean place… and it was after I ate!

When I crossed the border to Guatemala I was happy. A new country means a new dream. Like most of my dreams that started hard I needed to climb from 200 m to 2800 m in one day. In one day in Guatemala I learned a word that I didn’t learn all my 2 months in Mexico and its "suvida" (climbing).

 I like to climb but even for me a 50 km climb is a little complicated but after that I finished climbing I felt like I am the king of the world, my world. From the first day in Guatemala I felt that I'm in love. Love at first sight. When you see the people walking with their normal clothing I feel like you are back on time.

Guatemalan people and places are so amazing that you don’t need to be a photographer to get the most beautiful photos, you just need to know how and when to click on the button.

When you get to the most beautiful places in the world you just have to click.

In the middle of a long day on the highest point that I cycled (yet) in my journey (3200m) one child hypnotized me. I don’t know how to explain it but I could look at his eyes for hours.

Because of the great hospitality of Isaac and his wife Osnat I feel like home in Guatemala City. Isaac Bachman is the ambassador of Israel in Guatemala and together we did really nice things. With his help I gave 2 lectures in schools here in Guatemala and also have been on TV and radio news.

 I really like to talk with children about my journey, children are the future and if I can give something from me that will influent their development, I did my job and it doesn’t matter if it's in Canada or Guatemala or Africa.

About the media, it's nice to walk in a village and the locals recognize you and even buy you a beer just because you are going around the world.

I think that every traveler is an ambassador when he is out of is country. I present my country in a new way, not the way that they see on CNN but a way of a dream and hard work.

After the nice itinerary that I had in Guatemala City I wanted to take a rest from the journey after 14000 km in less then 8 months I felt that I am in the middle of the beginning of my journey. I wanted to be a normal tourist and went to see amazing places in this small and beautiful country but now without my cycling costume. Guatemala have a lot to offer from the ancient ruins of the Tikal, a place that you can see how big and amazing was the Maya culture, to the amazing Atitlan lake.

Because of the media in Israel, some Israeli travelers recognize me in the streets and it's nice to hear what they are thinking about me.

"Are you the one the cycling around the world?"

"Yes"

"Wow, on TV you look much bigger"…

2 days ago I hiked to the Pacaya volcano. It's an active one and to see this amazing river of lavas was something to tell to my children. There I was and 5 meters from me the lavas is going fast and it was so hot that I felt that my hairs of my beard started to burn… (And also the 2 hairs on my head…)

After taking some amazing photos, I took my time and burnt some marshmallows on the lavas. I don’t really like marshmallows and I think that it’s a children's snack but when it comes from volcano lavas I felt like the strongest man on earth.

I meet many interesting and happy people here in Guatemala and I learn a lot from them. I get along with anyone and I can learn from anyone, from the ambassador that has a lot of responsibility to the simple farmer that has nothing but cows.

The last week was the first time that I took my time and wandered around in a country and it was great but I have to go. I miss the life on the road.

If you think of that in the ancient times most of the people live in the village near the river and now I can say the road is the new river because when there is a road there is life. The road is life and my life is the road.

In my journey I can't collect souvenirs or buy gifts because I will not carry that so I am collecting friends and memories and those memories will be with me forever until I will die and will be on the way to another heaven.

 I feel that I didn’t write for long time and I  don’t have the time to tell you everything that I saw and all the people that I met on the way…but I am saving something for my book that I will write after my journey .

Love you all and be good.

Roei "jinji" Sadan

bike.icq.com