Dia 77 Coban - Morazan 110kms

Slept long and hard after yesterday's effort. Was in no hurry to get out and suffer today so I had a leisurely breakfast and cruised around 9:30. I dreaded another day of climbing like yesterday and was pleased to discover that the terrain was mellower. I never even had to use my little ring today, although I did have to climb a lot. Beautiful countryside continued as I passed through a couple of protected cloud forest areas. Finally, a day without rain! The jungle continued wet and green 'til I dropped over the top of the last climb today at La Cumbre. From there, it became dry almost within a matter of kms. By the time I had descended 25 kms, I was in the desert again! The views were phenomenal from the top and the whole way down the descent, where I stopped at a little tienda with a very limited selection. They did have cold beer though, so I was thrilled! Bought some sardines, a can of beans, and some eggs for breakfast and asked where I could camp. Juan, the owner, said, sure you can sleep in the workshop. We started talking and finished minutes ago after hours of conversation. He had lived and worked in the states for 11 years. We talked about a lot of interesting subjects, the highlight or lowlight of which was his stories of the horrors of guatemala´s 36 year war. He was a boy when the soldiers came through this area and went on a grusome killing campaign. His family was spared, but they could hear the screams of their neighbors being tortured and murdered. Now, he doesn't even want to imagine another war.....