Broken racks and frames

Riding threw Mexico can be hard on a bike. We must of went over 10 000 " topez " - speed bumps -
and that means the bikes get a beating, especially when your riding with climbing gear!
Once we got to Guatemala ( with no more climbing gear since I brought it down to Chile on my visit ), the roads turned to dirt, mud and crater size hole. But Fun!! Until we noticed this...
" Cal, your bike seems low" I tell him, "Ya", at first we didn't noticed, but a screw had broken off where it holds onto the frame of the bike.
The other day we looked at it more closely and saw the frame had cracked in 2 place, also on the rack.
~ Cal's luggage rack had been bent a little for a while and one day burnt a hole in his sleeping bag.~ smelled like burnt chicken so threw it out!
In Antigua, we brought it to a welder to spark it up. Spotted his shop while being lost riding around in the city. (very confusing with all the cobble streets and same looking buildings.) Pulled in and asked the guy, Cal gets to work, "possible' repapar la moto, agui broken! " -Si Si - the guy says. So we start taking our bikes apart for major work. We spent 3 hours
chatting away polishing our spanish. They had a blast. " donde va? " one guy asks ... Sur America! Patagonia!! "haaaaaaa ~ hooooo, mucho mucho lejos " (very very far)..." little ways ya"
We filled in their morning with entertainment. They did a great job on the bikes. Straighten the racks, fixed the frames, put it all back together on the bikes. All for a cost of 200 Quetzales ~ $27 us. We were happy, the bikes were happy, greasy hand shakes and off we go......
NOW ! lets see how long the last, ready for more dirt roads...