El fin del mundo - motorcycle adventure to Tierra del Fuego

I just arrived !!! I love HOME...( VICTORIA BC )

2010-02-25T14:36:00.000-08:00

Hello my friends, my adventure just finished and now I am at Vancouver airport ready to take the plane to Victoria....

Now, a new life is waiting for me, I am looking forward to share my adventure with you.

Thanks to all of you for the support.

Your friend

Victor

Total days on the road = 195 (6 months, 11 days)

last day words

2010-02-25T13:47:00.000-08:00

Adios Buenos Aires !

2010-02-12T08:37:00.000-08:00

Buenos Aries

I did not have a good day in Buenos Aries. It was hot with heavy rains. I was soaked and quite miserable as we lugged my luggage around town.

We arrived at the airport to find out that my 20:05 flight to Washington DC had been cancelled because of storms. Poor me. The next available flight will be Sunday night. All of a sudden, the day was pretty good.

V’s friend from Chilicito, Solidad and her husband Daniel, kindly accepted V’s announcement that we were coming over for dinner. They are a lovely couple who live in a funky loft style apartment.

After a delicious dinner we rode around in a taxi to find a hotel. It was not an easy task as it was pouring rain. V found a great old hotel on 25 Mayo. Its got great character with minimum decorative renovations (except the bathrooms) since the building was constructed at the turn of the 20th C. Its clean with tall ceilings, wooden floors, old furniture and a wooden elevator (cage).

Saturday February 6

V spent the day in the hotel because his feet were causing him bad pain. I walked for hours but basically spent the time in the Recoleta area where there are old mansions, parks, and museums. I enjoyed the national art gallery and the Recoleta cemetery where the rich and/or famous Portenos are buried. People still leave fresh flowers at Eva Peron’s tomb and the tourist were lined up for their photo. It was fascinating to peek into the mausoleums to see the caskets, some including pictures of the deceased.

Gems mine

2010-02-12T08:28:00.000-08:00

Ride from Iquazu Falls

We decided to have an easy day and left Iguazu Falls after lunch. Along the way, we stopped at the Wanda Mine where they mine amethyst, rose quartz, and citroen. The semi-precious gemstones are found in old magma tubes. Their colour (and type of gem stone) is dependent on the mineral content. We skipped the jewelry (expensive) to stick with buying a few rocks.

From there, we rode in the heat back to Posadas. What can I say? The people are friendly but its a border town on the Uruguay river.

Marathon to Ville Maria

Our 800 km treck for the day began very windy and stayed that way until well after noon. We crossed a high bridge over rough water but the wind causing the motorcycle to move radically. I simply could not look down and was thankful when we returned to firm ground.

The land became very fertile with farms, ranches, and small towns strung along the railway. Overall, the area seems prosperous and I loved watching the gauchos at work.

Ville Maria

We did the final 300 km in the rain. I felt that we were in Italy. People not only sang their Spanish but also spoke with wild hand gestures. We arrived soaking arrives at V’s dad Antonio and his girlfriend, Nene, house at around noon. They fed us a good lunch, kindly did our laundry for us, and allowed us to rest.

The afternoon V took me around his old haunts. Its a lovely town, reminding me a bit of Victoria with its city park lake(s). Its quite bigger and more cosmopolitan than I expected. We stopped to visit V’s grandmother and Aunt Kika. I really fell in love with those two women.

During the evening Antonio made a grill for 10 people they had invited for dinner. Clever man - he used an air compressor to get the charcoal going. Its quite a lot of manual labour to do an Argeninian grill. However, the end result phenomenal.

V and I caught the 1:30 a.m. bus to Buenos The long distance coaches are double decker with tv and non-alcoholic drink service. It was quite a comfortable sleep as the deep seats lean all the way back and come with leg rests.

Iguazu Falls

2010-02-02T05:18:00.000-08:00

We stayed the night in Posedas after a very long ride from Formesa. The landscape is green, low, with some swampy areas. We were back on the rode by 6:00 a.m. As we rode north, the weather became quite cooler, around 32C.

I admit being unsure of our plan to ride to Iguazu Falls and was concerned if it really was worth the distance. When we rode into the Iguazu Falls Park, butterflies were everywhere in the air, like in a Disneyland cartoon. I was waiting to see Bambi appear from the jungle.

Argentinos get into the park for $25 pesos and non-Argentinos for $85 pesos ($22 dollars). I followed V’s instructions, kept my mouth shut (was difficult) and paid only $25 pesos.

What can I say about the Iguazu Falls? Nothing prepared us for the experience. Yes, its one of the wonders of the world. Yes, it is the second biggest falls in the world. We knew that and yet were overwhelmed by its magnifence.

Obviously the zodiac ride was “pretty cool”. First we toured the smallest falls. With forewarning, the captain steered us right into the falls. Visibility was zero. Everyone screamed as we became soaked. (I had been wondering why some people were wearing only bathing suits.) The experience was like having a shower.

The park itself is very well constructed. You follow rock stairs through the jungle, right next to the falls. There are numerous rock “out croppings” for views and steel catwalks right over the water.

Unfortunately I am unable to describe the sound and power of the water, being surrounded by the dense jungle, and its wildlife. Iguazu Falls is truly in the middle of nowhere but was worth the frustrations we experienced in reaching this destination.

Litoral Argentino and PANIC at Paraguay !!!

2010-02-02T04:56:00.000-08:00

When we left Salta, we came across a protest blocking the highway. Considering that most of the protesters were hiding their identities by wearing similar clothes and scarves. The police were present but I did not like the look of their rifles. Traffic was backed up and the heat oppressive. Fortunately, V and I did not need to wait long before the blockade was disbanded. We quickly past everyone to get ahead of the traffic.

The ride to Formasa was interesting. I love watching the gauchos on their horses but although the road towards Formasa had cowboys, there seemed not to have fenced estancia. Cattle, horses, goats, pigs, wild boars, and other animals roamed freely on the side of the road. This made riding after dark dangerous so we stayed in Ingjuares at a truck stop. Surprisingly, nice, new accommodation.

We decided to leave at 5:00 am the following day because the heat is becoming unbearable. Formasa is a border town on the Parana River separating Argentina and Paraguay. Not much to say about the town. However, overall I found the people in the Chaco region very friendly.

Panic at Paraguay

We got up early on Sunday and arrived at the Paraguay border by around 8:00 (115 km ride from Formosa) to take the short-cut to the Iquaza Falls. As we prepared to cross the border, V discovered that he had lost his passports. Both of them. At first I was not concerned. V has the tendency to lose things but the “lost” objects are always located. Not this time. We unpacked at the border and had that sinking feeling that the passports were indeed gone.

We returned to Formasa where Victor made telephone calls to advise the Canadian embassy of his lost passport and the credit card companies. Then a quick stop at the police to report his lost Argentinian passport.

We had to decide what to do and in the end, we decided to do the foolish thing. We will take the 900 km route to the falls through Argentina. The trip from the falls to Buenos Aries will require about 700 km riding every day for three days to arrive in time for my departing flight.

A day in Salta

2010-01-29T05:04:00.000-08:00

A day in Salta.

V and I spent a day in Salta following our passions.

Victor worked on Plata (wash, oil change). Once the mud was removed from Plata, he discovered that the front rim is very bent and will need to be repaired.

I had a manicure, got lost in the city streets but eventually circled back to the museums and window shopping. I learned how to cross streets without traffic lights. (Despite the heavy traffic, there are no signals outside a few inner city blocks. To me its simply a game of "chicken.")

At 1:00 the city shuts down for a siesta, even cafes are closed, and the city does not start again until 5:30 - 6:00. One thing that caught me by surprise is how cool the plazas are despite the 38 C temperature. The plazas are a nice place to hang out to people watch.

Cafayate - Salta

2010-01-28T06:30:00.000-08:00

What a ride !!! what wonderful scenery ! We left St. Maria and headed north to Cafayate. The landscape continued to be dry shrub desert. We eventually came to a valley of green with a string of villages. Eventually the entire landscape was agricultural with vineyards.

I was surprised when we arrived in Cafayate. It is a pretty little tourist town that boosts its local wine made from grapes that grow at high altitudes. This area was part of the Inca Empire and one sees this in the people and the local crafts.

Leaving Cafayate behind, we took a bend in the road and all that I could say was "WOW"! As far as we could see was a massive red rock canyon. Victor was not having a good day riding the curves (it happens) but I was perfectly happy on the back taking photos.

We arrived in Salta and again, all that I could say was "WOW". I believe the city is the oldest in Argentina (it used to be the capital), and was established in the 16th C. The public structures, which arl built in the Colonial style, lit at night giving it a romantic atmosphere.

Santa Marta - Catamarca - Good friends on the road

2010-01-27T03:46:00.000-08:00

From Chilicito we rode to Santa Maria, Catamarca. We were again on route 40 nicknamed the most lonely road in the world. Again, nothing to see but desert. Eventually we arrived into some lush valleys with a string of villages. The architecture and the people are now very South American, unlike Buenos Aries and Mendoza which is quite European.

There had been some down pours ahead of our travels. In one town we had to come to a stop because of the flooded road. As we waited with a group of people for the flood to subside, a motorcyclists began to talk with us. It turned out that Marcus just loves motorcycles and generously invited us to his house for a cup of coffee to wait for the flood to lower. We were joined by Marcus' long-time girlfriend Delores. Although I do not speak Spanish I simply loved their company.

They rode with us into Santa Maria, helped us find a great hotel, toured the evening market with us, and joined us with a fun dinner of pizza and empanadas. A great couple who we were fortunate to meet.

Chilecito, Leather factory and Cable Cars

2010-01-25T03:16:00.000-08:00

I really liked Chilicito and agree with a fellow tourist that the city should do more to promote their town. Chilicito got its name from the Chili miners who came to mine the local resources. In the 1880s a German company decided to mine gold deposits in a mountain at 4,700 metres.

To transport the gold and other minerals in an efficient manner to the town which sits at an elevation of 1,070 metres, they developed a cable car system of 265 towers, the highest of which is 56 metres. You can still see the rusted towers and cars, which Victor of course just had to play with. You can imagine how busy the cable car system must have been when in operation and how noisy.

We also visited the leather factory were Victor worked as an export agent. Touring a leather factory is not for those with a weak stomach but I found it fascinating to know exactly how leather is produced. The smell is not only from the skins but also from the strong chemicals of chrome and sulphoric used to process the leather. Unfortunately, the local environment is heavily contaminated. Maybe this explains why they do not promote tourism.

Mendoza, vineyards and Cuesta de Miranda

2010-01-24T03:34:00.000-08:00

We decided to spend an entire day in Mendoza. We began by having a picnic in the city park. The park has wide boulevards and huge, dramatic statutes representing freedom from colonial dominance.

We took a tour in the afternoon of two bodegas and an olive oil factory. The two bodegas were a contrast, the first was a modern industrial wine producer. They grew their own grapes to make the wine. The second bodega was built in 1932 and purchased the grapes to produce the wine. They used the original equipment and had limited production. In 2009 they were voted having the best Malbec in the world. One bottle cost $300 euro, which is over $600. Both bodegas produced wine only for export.

The next day we rode to Chilicito. It was a magnificent ride through the desert. I have never seen such a lonely space in my life. By the afternoon we were in the red mountains Cuesta de Miranda. The unpaved road was only one lane wide with over 250 curves. Drivers had to issue a warning honk each time they came to a bend in the road. Cacti grew on the rock, some were in bloom. Unfortunately Plata hit a rock hard, ending up with a front punctured tire. Victor was brilliant in fixing the puncture with a "plugger". We arrived in Chilicito as a hot wind called a monsoon, swirled into the city. This a hot, powerful gust of dusty wind which lasts about an hour. It was quite dramatic.

Mendoza

2010-01-23T04:52:00.000-08:00

The ride from Mercedes to Mendoza was hard. It had to be at least 40C if not hotter. We were now in the dry pampa where there is nothing but shrubs, empty highway, sun, and heat. The three hour ride seem to take forever.

Mendoza is a pretty province of vineyards at the foothills of the Andes. The capital, Mendoza City, has wide tree lined streets, many pretty plazas with fountains and statutes. I found it interesting how the city came to life in the evening after the sun set. Families with their children sat in the parks and the sidewalk cafes were full until midnight.

On Friday we rode into the Andes on the highway into Chile. Again, a very good road. The Andes are dramatic. The mountains are steep, high, and some where mutlicoloured in reds, pinks, greens, whites, and greys. There were no villages. We rode to Puenta del Inca which, according to the tourtist book, is one of "the" wonders of South America. It is an interesting yellow rock formation of a "bridge" created by sulphur hotsprings.

We then rode to the foot of the highest peak in the Americas, Aconcagua. It was a windy, lonely destination.

Buenos Aires and the GF

2010-01-20T03:59:00.001-08:00

What a wonderful sight when I entered the arrival area of the airport in Buenos Aries...Victor was front and centre of the waiting crowd. No need to worry of having to try and find him.

The hotel Victor picked was wonderful. Situated in a former private residence built in 1870 with many original features like mosaic floors, all rooms facing the private courtyard garden, fancy light fixtures, brass fittings and tall ceilings. It was an oasis from the road outside.

January 18 and 19 we simply wandered around Buenos Aries. I loved the old wooden subway trains with the canvas straps, varnished benches, and open windows. Canadian safety standard inspectors would have a wonderful time handing out violation tickets.

My first impressions of Buenos Aries? I felt immediately "at home" - very European but distinctly Spanish colonial. We took two bus tours to get a feel of the size and districts of the city. I can not get over the tree lined boulevards, the mansions, statutes, plazas, parks, sculptures, and the traffic. V is teaching me to dance through traffic against a red light but its not for the weak hearted. At the same time, however, there are gritty districts of poverty and life can be hard for some sectors of society here.

Victor quickly got me into the Buenos Aries attitude towards life. We shopped, o.k., I shopped. We sat at cafes to people watch. We are eating pastries, ice cream, meat, meat, and more meat. And of course to prevent heart disease from this rich diet one must have red wine.

Today will be our first ride. Victor is just loading the motorcycle now and soon we will be heading towards Mendoza.

More trains, now in Rio Gallegos

2010-01-07T17:07:00.000-08:00

I just visited the train cementery in Rio Gallegos. I love trains !

Penguins, Sea Lions, Birds and Lighthouse at the End of the World

2010-01-06T12:30:00.003-08:00

type here

El Fin del Mundo

2010-01-06T11:33:00.000-08:00

type here

A Phone Call from Victor - Victory!

2010-01-04T10:06:00.001-08:00

Late yesterday afternoon, Sunday, January 3, 2010, I received the most wonderful phone call from Victor. He was in Ushuia! I could hear both the excitement and emotion in his voice on the realization that he had finally reached his destination after so many months on the road. He said it was 10:29 p.m. but the sun was still up and the town was beautiful.

It has been almost a full year since the planning began. I thought of the many months it has taken Victor to reach his goal and how far he has come. Not just meeting the physical challenges of being on the road, but the emotional challenges as well.

It is hard to believe that we used to study the American maps pinned to his apartment wall in Vancouver and that he has actually travelled those red lines to Tierra de Fuego. Its been five long months and I could hear in his voice that he almost found it unbelievable that the had made it.

This morning, January 4, 2010, Victor phoned on Skype. I could see Victor's excitement - he was just beaming and almost levitating despite the little sleep he had the previous night. He probably still found it hard to believe he was in sunny Ushuia eating chicken, french fries and Neapolitan icecream. This afternoon will be the ferry ride to see penguins.

Thank you to everyone who has supported Victor by sharing their advise and belief in him. Victor has amazing friends.

It has been the first "journey of a life time" for Victor - I am sure there will be more in his future. I love you Babe for who you are.

Glaciar Perito Moreno and the Family

2010-01-03T12:05:00.000-08:00

My sister rented some cabins in El Calafate where the entire family celebrated New Years. This added another 700 kms to the trip.
After celebrating New Years we went to Glaciar Perito Moreno, the word's third largest reserve of fresh water comprising of 250 square kms. I must say it is a phenomenal view and probably one of the top spectacular scenes of my trip.
Every 20 minutes there is a thundering sound as the ice begins to break and every 40 minutes chunks of ice fall into the ocean. It is awesome to both hear and feel the power of nature.
Pantagonia is extremely large. 3,000 km to reach the Glaciar Perito Moreno but it was worth the distance to see the glacier. Do not be misled by my words - the emptiness of this distance can "kill you".
As a bonus of a visit, we saw an Andean Condor flying within a short distance from where we were standing. The wing span of the bird is amazing. I think he was showing off for the public as he glided in the air currents.

Ruta 40 and the Patagonia

2010-01-03T12:03:00.000-08:00

My father's plan was to travel by car to visit my sister in the south in Puerto San Julian on the Atlantic Coast for New Years. Since we both had the same objective, I decided to join him by driving in his car, as opposed to continuing with my motorcycle.

We began to drive from Cordoba. We quickly entered Pantagonia of great distances with small rolling hills in the horizon. There is nothing.When I mean nothing....I mean NOTHING. ZERO.

The 2,300 km from Cordoba to Puerto San Julian took us two days by sharing the driving. On the bike, this would have taken me four hours...I mean days.

Some sections of Pantagonia are extremely windy. I saw some bikers but I do not regret sharing the last leg of my trip with my family.

When we arrived at Puerto San Julian we saw my sister Maria Ellena. Puerto San Julian is a miliary base. This was the centre for the jet fighters in the south end conflict of the 1980s.

Now with the Family

2009-12-24T12:02:00.000-08:00

Well... I am in Villa Maria with my family. We will have xmas together and in a of couple days I will be leaving to Tierra Del Fuego. I am very happy that I hadn't have any accidents and the bike and I are in great shape! Thanks to all for you support and for following my adventures...
Victor
MERRY XMAS !!!

La Rioja to Cordoba

2009-12-20T20:38:00.000-08:00

Betty... I love you ! I got to Rioja where I lived for two years. I don't remember having friends there but as soon as I stopped my bike, I ran into someone I knew and we had a good chat.

The next morning I woke up really late. I left Rioja at 1:00 p.m. But as I was well rested, I completed the 500 km to Cordoba. The weather cooperated and I pushed the bike at an average of 160 km for several hours. I love Plata as well as my girlfriend.

I decided to stay with the Uncle and grandmother of my best friend, who are like family to me. They are the family that approves and disapproves of my girlfriends. I am extremely surprised of the number of e-mails I have received from people following my blog.

Paso San Francisco

2009-12-20T15:30:00.000-08:00

Paso San Francisco. I spent the night at Copiapo. I was tired from the exorbinate prices in Chili and ran out of money. This forced me to a level of two options: cross the into Argentinia at the most immediate border crossing on gravel road or go two days south to traverse an all paved crossing into Argentinia.

At the end of the day, money won over and I crossed the gravel road. Let me tell you. When Chili and Argentinia have problems with their borders, they situate their border offices quite a distance from each other since the border is questionable. It was 100 km distance between the two countries' offices.

The Chiliean side is a compact gravel/salt road in fair condition. The Argentinian side is a paved road in excellent condition...the section in the middle does not belong to any country. It was not in that great of shape. That 100 km slowed me down dramatically. I had five near misses. One of them resulted in me hitting my balls really hard while I manuvered between two sandbars. I was going so slow and scared that the section took me almost two hours to complete.

By the time I arrived at the Argentinian border it was 7;15 p.m. They made an effort to complete my paperwork as the office closed at 7:00 p.m. When I finished my papers, another BMW stopped at the border, going in the same direction. He had left 4 hours later than me and he caught up with me - that's how slow I was travelling.

By the time all the papers were all finalized it was almost night. The next town was 240 km away. I rode at night with my new friend "Raul". It took 3 1/2 hours of riding before we stopped. I had almost a miss in the road. In 250 km about 50 km was unpaved...I did not see it coming at the speed we were riding in the dark.

I took a few amazing photos of the sunset in the mountains. As soon as the sun set, it became very cold about 3 to 7 C. After an hour of riding it became 30 C making it uncomfortable to ride. It was a funny experience.

Atacama desert

2009-12-19T12:13:00.000-08:00

Atacama desert. Crossing the desert was hard. There was too much heat with wind. It was really exhausting. I took a photo of the hand of the desert...one of those days that you ride two days to reach a popular spot just to take a photo.

I met other motoryclists who were having problems. This was an excust to stay for an entire day. I met a man with the National Geographic who was recording his bicycle trip.

Baqueadero - Train cementary

2009-12-19T12:06:00.000-08:00

Better than Uyuni !!!

I was feeling bad that I had not crossed into Bolivia. I had heard too many horror stories and did not want to risk my bike to make a visit to Uyuni to see a train cemetery. My concerns were confirmed when I met Rick and Emily. They had been to Bolivia but to get to Uyuni they averaged only 12 km an hour. It took them 3 days and they dropped the bike 12 times. They compared both the train cemeteries in Chili and Bolivia...and there was no comparison.

I went to the train cemetery Baqueadero in Chili. It was exciting because the machines are well conserved. There is still a machinery shop with the circlular track for turning the trains around. It was a great playground!

Valle de la Luna - Chile

2009-12-19T11:52:00.002-08:00

Valle de la Luna - Chile

Valle de la Luna is a very well known tourist attraction. I saw the sunset twice because it was very close to the hotel. The rock formations are amazing when the sun sets. I had time to myself when the tourists left and I enjoyed the moment by myself to reflect and watch the stars.

Geisers

2009-12-14T12:01:00.000-08:00

Luca and I woke up at 3:00 a.m. to see the geisers which, because of the geological natural schedule of pressure build up, are best seen at dawn. It was very cold at -10C. For two hours we had a challenge off road riding experience. I even dropped Plata in a sand dune with the wheels spinning at a slow speed.

By 5:00 a.m. I was frozen despite my heated gear and Luca, who has no winter gear, could ride no further. We were only 20 km away from our 100 km destination. Fortunately, we stopped just as a tour van was passing. We parked our bikes behind some abandonned house and joined the tour (at a discount I should add.) We even were fed coffee, ham, cheese and chocolates. A great day.

Iquite to San Pedro de Atacama

2009-12-13T16:30:00.000-08:00

A very cool and interesting day today. Just outside Iquite I stopped at an abandonned salt factory. I met a man selling crafts outside the site and it was very intersting talking to him. He claiemd to be outside the system as selling was prohibited. He spoke to me about the history of the factory where his father worked. He also explained the background of the woodcrafts he was selling in his store and said he was more interested in the person rather than the customer. The items I purchased were only $4.00

Arriving in San Pedro de Atacama I met Luca from Madrid, a chef. We hooked up and shared a room. He bought his motorcyle in Urugay, and is riding up South America. That evening we rode to Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) where we saw the sunset. The valley is famous for its similarity to the moon. Its formation is caused by salt and environmental factors.

By conicendence I met Ric and Emily from Great Britain. We had initially met in Campeche.

Leaving Peru - Now in Iquique Chile

2009-12-12T17:22:00.000-08:00

I finally left Peru after 3 weeks... I can not believe it. Peru was nice but it was slow progress due to my being sick and by the way.... Peru is big. Very big.

I entered Chile, and for most of the day ws in desert. I saw some interesting things.... a lot of wind on the road. At one mountain cross, the wind really moved my bike from side to side....I was a little scared because I did not know when the next wind would come.

Everything seems to be good in Chile, like the people, but a little more expensive than I was expecting.

Tacna and the border with Chile

2009-12-11T19:42:00.000-08:00

I left Lake Titikaka today. The road to me to the border of Bolivia. I was uncertain if I should go into Bolivia. Travellers told me the roads are not in good conditions. So when I arrived at the border I decided not to take the risk and decided not to enter the country.

The path from the border of Bolivia through Peru was through the Andes and very nice. The landscape converted into a desert which are the posted photos.

One when I got to Tacna I started to think the rear tire was in bad shape. Thankfully I changed it in time before there was an accident.

Lago Titikaka

2009-12-10T15:11:00.000-08:00

Facts: The floating islands are made from straw, of approximately 2 meters thick. I was able to row one of theirs straw boats to another island, that was cool ! Here is the video.

Puno and a great ride

2009-12-09T17:01:00.000-08:00

Ok friends, I left Cusco after spending 3 days there, I really needed to recover some energy.

The ride to Puno (Lago Titicacca) was amazing, the scenery was spectacular. I even had some snow and rain !

Plata got a new friend as you can see in the picture, I think I will call it “Puna”.

Plata also got a new seat, a leather of “baby alpaca” and my ass now feels the difference !

This is a few short videos of that I saw today !

Machupicchu

2009-12-08T19:59:00.000-08:00

It was a long day. I was very surprised about the professionalism of the service on the train. It was first class and I had an opportunity to speak with some interesting travellers.

It was slightly raining in Machu Pichu. Clouds were continually coming in and out of the mountains which made it difficult to take good photos. One thing that I learned, is that Machu Pichu is an unfinished city and they do not know why it was abandonned 30 years before the Spanish conquistadors arrived.

Machu Pichu was discovered in 1911 and esentially it is an entire city preserved. It is not like the ruins in Mexico, its a city where you can see how people were suppose to live there.

Riding to Cusco

2009-12-06T18:58:00.000-08:00

I got up early in the morning and rode 500 km in 7 hours. One of the section was the best ride I ever had since I began this trip. The road followed a river and I took the curves at 110 km. Great conditions, one curve after another.

50 km before arriving at Cusco I saw a car accident. Luckily no one was seriously hurt. The scene made me very tense during the last 45 minutes of my journey. I had to make a huge effort to concentrate.

When I got to Cusco I again became frustrated. The majority of the hotels do not have garages or a place to park my BMW. The streets are very narrow made from stones. Because the city is located in the moutains, the streets are very steep.

Part of the frustration is because I will not make Argentina on time. Maybe the frustration is because of the long ride or maybe because of culture shock. I really need to take time to calm down.

Puquio at 4000 mts or 12000 fts over the sea level

2009-12-05T13:01:00.000-08:00

I started to go into the mountains when I left Nasca. Well, from Nasca to Puquio is not more than 200 kms but construction, temperature, and altitude got to me.
Its one curve after another climbing up the mountain. From close to sea level to 3,000 m. in less than 2 hours.
I became sick from the altitude and was unable to continue. I stopped in the small town of Puquio. I had to rest again to climatize to the altitude. I was angry because for the past 4 days I've been sick. First with my stomach and now altitude. I was becoming frustrated and anxious about the slow progress to Argentina.
I was also frustrated because the hotel bathroom had now showers. So, I decided to take my frustration out by taking a very long showers...and the toilet did not flush either.
I will load pictures and stuff later.
Cusco is taking many days! I am a little worry about time, but oh well.

Nasca

2009-12-04T18:48:00.000-08:00

I thought it was a good idea to change the method of transportation so I took an airplane flight. They still do not know why the lines were created or how. Some lines are 180 m. and the images cannot be deciphered from the ground. The entire valley is filled with lines, it can be difficult to see because there are so many intercepting each other.

The hotel was cheap with a swimming pool.

Nasca Lines

2009-12-04T12:59:00.000-08:00

I did have a good time in Nasca flying over the Nasca Lines.
I recovered from my sickness and now I am better to continue.
I will load the pictures and movie soon.
v

out of Lima to Ica

2009-12-03T19:45:00.000-08:00

I still not feel exceptionally well when I left Lima. Considering that I do not have much time to arrive in Agentina so I decided to continue riding.

On the way to Ica everything was fine. The scenery was still a desert with some farms which created a nice break on the long highway.

My initial plans was to go to Nasca but I began to feel ill and had to stop in Ica. There is not much excitement in Ica. I spent most of my time sleeping.

Lima Peru

2009-12-03T18:46:00.000-08:00

Lima is a city of 8 million people. My travelling companion's bike had broken and we needed to find a KTM shop. We decided to hire a taxi to lead us to the shop. The driving in Lima is possibly the worst in the world. They do not respect anything, not even our big bikes. It was bad.

I became angry with the taxi driver because he was weaving between the traffic and we were unable to keep up on our bikes. I yelled at the taxi driver twice. We had already paid him for the fare and I was so mad when he travelled through red lights, something which we would not do on our bikes. I really ranted. It took us almost 2 hours to cross the city, that is how bad the traffic was. Insane.

We arrived at an apartment that the three guys had already arranged. It was good because I could wash and dry my clothes in machines. My clothes really needed a thorough washing.

We had dinner in a nice place. It was a huge contrast to be in a good neighbourhood compared to the insane traffic of the city. My travelling companions treated me for dinner which was nice since I am running low on funds.

type here

feeling sick in Lima

2009-12-02T16:15:00.000-08:00

I am not feeling good, I spend the entire day in the room, I hope I will be ok for tomorow.

Victor: 1. Police: 0.

2009-12-02T07:01:00.001-08:00

While riding through the desert of Peru, in the middle of no where, I passed a truck. I saw a police car.
Until this point the police had never stopped us. But I knew if they stopped us, it would only be for money because you all know that I, Victor Manual Sanchez who rides a BMW (insert trumpet sounds here please) never, ever, ever, violate traffic rules.
Both police officers crossed the road making signals for me to stop. At 130 km an hour I did not feel like stopping. I returned their signals with confusing hand gestures and drove by them. Apparently they did not like my response. They jumped into their car to pursue me with sirens and flashing lights. I knew I could easily outride them but, being the good citizen I am, stopped to allow them to catch up.
I decided that the best way to handle the situation was to attack. I told the first police officer that I was a Canadian police officer and they should not stop me. I denied their allegation of having committed a traffic violation and asked for their badge id.
They refused to comply with my "request" so I wrote their licence plate numbeer onto a piece of paper. The second police officer said he had respect for the RCMP and "between police officers we should not do such things." I agreed to destroy the paper with their licence plate number and they let me go.

Riding the desert of Peru

2009-12-02T06:37:00.000-08:00

We decided to do another long ride today beause we had to ride across the desert in northern Peru. The road hugs the coast line and the wind is unbearable. You have to constantly lean your bike into the wind. Passing trucks was a dangerous manouver. You have to change lanes way before arriving at the truck and the turbulence when passing is extremely strong. Two of the riders almost had an accident because it was so difficult to maintain control of the bikes. Unfortunately, one of the riders had a bad situation. Afterwards, he was no longer able to pass trucks.

Another dangerous factor was the sand dunes where the wind combined with the strong sun, hits all your exposed areas like hands and face.

A funny thing was the towns situated at little oasis of green pastures. Once you pass them, you are back into the desert.

We arrived in Lima after a 700 km ride.

Nice and relaxing Peru !

2009-11-30T17:33:00.000-08:00

As I rode along the Pacific Coast, I stopped at a fishing village for some seafood. A group of young guys were shooting a promotional video for their surf shop. I offered to help. During the next 2 1/2 hours we used my computer to edit the footage and it looked pretty good if I must say so. As I was leaving the town, I saw 3 KTM ahead of me. The guys are from Equador and I hooked up with them. They are following their dream to ride to Manchu Pichu...which means we are sharing the same travel plans. We stayed in a resort in the city of Mancora and rode around in taxi motorcycles - they were NOT BMWs as you can see in the photos. By the way, they are crazy drivers here, absolutely insanely dangerous. I had to stop and take a photo of a restaurant "La Casa de Betty" - sure miss my girlfriend's cooking.

Peru and the festivals

2009-11-30T17:32:00.000-08:00

Leaving Ecuador, was an adventure all by itself. I arrived at the Peruvian border but there was no personnel on the Ecuador side. The Peruvian guard told me I had to return to the town that I had just left to obtain my exit stamps. The exit stamp for my passport was at the entrance of the town. But the exit stamp for my motorcycle was across town at the exit. It was a typical South American drive through the town - crowded, noisy, vendors trying to sell deep fried food or trinkets, and dangerous driving habits.

After I obtained the stamps, I returned to the border. It was strange to ride in a country when my papers indicated I had already left it. At the Peruvian border, the guard welcomed me to the country and shook my hand! This was the first time I was ever greeted in such a friendly manner during my whole trip.

The countryside was still flat. I arrived in a town called Tumbas as they were having a military/civil parade. I enjoyed seeing them raise the flags and how proud the citizens seem to be in their country.

The Devil's Nose train ride

2009-11-27T18:55:00.000-08:00

What an experience! It started 3 days ago when Betty suggested I do the train ride - a great suggestion. I quickly contacted the train station to make a reservation. They responded that all 40 seats were sold but I asked if I could go to the train station to get a reservation but was told that would not work. I was not satisfied with that answer so I got up at 6:00 a.m. and went to the station.

I was disappointed for two reasons. One: People can no longer ride on the top of the train because someone was decapitated last year while sitting on the roof.

Two: They took the diesal engine out of service because of its weight and the dilapitated tressles can no longer handle the weight.

When I tried to buy a ticket, they said none were available. But at the time of departure, the train left with less than 1/2 full. After trying to get the ticket by persuasion without success, I jumped onto the train but without a ticket. They stopped the train to force me to exit.

Then I started to talk with all the people at the train station explaining my dissatisfication. One of the secretaries called the station at Alausi to see if I could purchase a ticket there. The answer was unclear whether tickets were available. I jumped on my bike and rode the 1 1/2 hours to the Alausi station.

To my surprise I was riding next to the train and did not miss any scenery.

At Alausi they said they could not sell me a ticket. That is when my patience expired. So I began to talk badly about the train service and took my complaint to such a level that they sold me a ticket with the promsie that I would not tell anyone that I got a ticket at Alausi. (The reason why they have limited ticket sales through tour agencies is because of the limited weight that the tessles can sustain.)

To my surprise AGAIN, the seat that I got was the very first seat next to the train conductor and main window. I was able to take nice pictures and videos of the trip. the day was over cast so we were unable to see the Devil's Nose which is a rock sticking out of the moutnain but to say the least, the ride was still interesting. I am very satisfied to having done one of the best 5 train rides in South America.

On the way back, I hit fog in the mountain and I was unable to see more than 10 m. ahead of me. It was an interesting return tide to Riaboma.

Leaving Colombia, Arriving in Quito and Riobamba (Ecuador)

2009-11-27T18:53:00.000-08:00

The next morning I woke early and I was ready for a long ride. I did a very serious ride. On the way, I stopped to have an ice coffee and I had a nice chat with my girlfriend and my Dad. With that amount of coffee in my stomach, I started riding south. I crossed an area that was not to be safe, and I had been advised not to stop. The view was spectacular but taking the advice from other riders, I did not stop until I arrived at the border. As a summary of Colombia, it was the best country. The people were friendly and I felt safe. The mountains in the south are split apart by big vallies and estuaries. Its a paradise for riders and I highly recommend it. when I arrived at the border at 1:00, I thought it would take a long time to cross. It was one of the easiest borders to cross. Nice, clean, with no one running towards you to complete your papers. It took me less than an hour to enter into Equador. The roads to Equador are pretty nice but missing direction signs. There is not much between the border and Quito so I headed straight to the capital. When I arrived in Quito the city was really big. I was surprised because all the towns between the border and Quito were relatively small. This was the longest ride I have done. I left at 6:00 a.m. and arrived at my desitnation at 5:00 p.m. 600 km but I was in good shape. The next day I did the cable car in Quinto and to my surprise it was the same as the one in Medallin so it was not that spectacular other than the view form the mountain top is nice.

After that I decided to ride to Ribobamba to catch the train ride to the Devil's Nose.

Medellin to Salento the triangle of coffee

2009-11-27T18:50:00.000-08:00

I was glad to leave Medellin. Medellin was one of the better cities I have seen so far but I did not want to spend more time there. At this point in time, there were 8 motorcycles. 2 took off that day early in the morning and I was in the second group of 3 BMWs. From Medellin we arrived in Salento. Salento is in the centre of the coffee triangle of Colombia. The ride was very slow for many reasons. The highway was twisted, the traffic, and the rthym of our three bikes was slow. I was not used to group riding. When I arrived at Salento I did not regret going there. It is a colonial town, very quiet, with a spectacular view. Every house was colonial with no modern influence...yet the town was very safe and quiet. We had a nice dinner with Judy and Johannes, Melissa and Kris. After dinner, I walked around the town alone and realized I needed to keep moving. I decided to leave early the next morning alone. It was harder to say goodbye to this group of people because I felt that I belonged with them and I will miss them.

a day riding around medellin with the BMW group

2009-11-22T16:14:00.000-08:00

This was just a ride organized by Ruta 40 the BMW shop in Medellin. They took as to this great place where we had to claim the rock for the view. It was nice

another day in Medellin

2009-11-22T04:17:00.000-08:00

So, now in Medellin I did a little of the tourist things. I like trains and Medellin has a great train (Metro) system. Really well thought out ! It has 4 metro line and 2 cable cars.

The people I have met on the street are great... I just noticed that the average age is very young... people are in their 30’s. It is nice here, a lot of young people.

The other night I went to tango, it was nice to dance after 100 days on the road.

Today we are leaving with a group of BMW from Ruta 40 for a ride... it will be nice.

so... finally out of Cartagena and into Medellin

2009-11-22T04:09:00.000-08:00

So we finally got out of Cartagena. I am not going to miss it, the city is very nice with specially the old town but it is too hot and the hostel bugs got me more than 100 spots mark all over my body.

In our way to Medellin we initially ride as a group, I was leading the group until one the be bike got bored and pass me; at that point, I a faster group separated from the big group. We ride/arrived 7 hours faster than the other group. A significant difference.

The road to Medellin for the most part was flat with the exception of the end. 175 kms of very twisted road, on the highs, very spectacular ride.

As soon as I arrive to Medellin I went to RUTA 40 to do my service on my BMW. OMG ! what a GREAT group of people.

I got Oil and a tire and when I told them that I will be doing the oil change myself, the immediately offer me a station to work on my bike. I spend all day at the bench and I did not pay an cent ! I used their tools, expertise and space. I have to say that Ruta 40 the BMW is the best service shop I have been in ! Thank you Ruta 40, my bike and I really appreciated it.

Next day in Medellin was uneventful other than I got a massage!

I have not been feeling great, I am 80% and I get tired easy.

Cartagena is NICE

2009-11-17T18:05:00.001-08:00

I had a good time in Cartagena, I saw the old city between the colonial wall and other magnificent buildings. I like the city although it is a little dirty at times, but the people with money here have a good life. I had to stay in Cartagena for a few days because we arrived on a Saturday on a holiday (Colombia Independence week) and we had to wait until Tuesday to get our papers in order. Tomorrow I and the entire group (8 bikes) are going to Medellin. We are getting up early and riding all day. I hope you like my pictures.

a day in the Caribbean islands

2009-11-14T15:50:00.001-08:00

The next day we travelled to a group of Caribbean islands...routine day for me, swimming, snorkeling, cooking, sleeping in the hammock...you know...routine stuff.... What ? ?? ? your day is NOT like mine ?

Getting into the sailing boat

2009-11-14T15:50:00.000-08:00

What happened today was incredible.

We started the day with 7 motorcycles. We needed to do 100 kms to get to the sail boat. The sail boat the Sharate will cross us the through the Caribbean islands to arrive to Cartagena, the most famous and beautifull place in the Colombian Caribbean coast.

Unknown to me was that 40 kms of those 100 was off-road. The off-road was very challenging, the small bikes took off where the big bikes had to hold back! We cross several mountains, so it was hard up and down hills. I am very happy of the performance of the bike.

Ok....we got to the river crossing !!! ....well...It has been raining the last 10 days in Panama and the river was big!

The small bikes crossed the river with no problem, but the big bikes are much heavier and difficult to maneuver.

It was my turn and as you can see in the video, I have two guys holding the bike and one guy guiding me.

Everything went well until I sank into the biggest hole. The water came all the way until it covered the engine and my bike stooped. With the help of the guys we took the bike out of the water and we moved it inland.

The bike did not want to start and for a good reason!

The engine was FULL OF WATTER....you have no idea...One of the guys (Omar Paulucci), a mechanic from Argnetina (DOC Auto Repair Las Vegas)... and I took the spark plugs out of both cylinders and we started the bike.

It was UNREAL the amount of water it came out right out of the chamber.

Then we removed the air filter. OMG! the air intake AFTER the filter was a pool of watter, I just say... BROWN MUD !

The 3rd check was the oil level...It was over the limit .... FULL of a mix of water and oil. A brown mix that looks like diarrhea

I was forced to clean the air chamber, change the oil filter, remove as much oil/water out of the motor and replace it with the only litre of oil I had.

The fist time I started the engine was horrible (but normal apparently) Plata started on one cylinder, backfiring and making a lot of noise. After idling the motor for more than 30 minutes the sound disappeared and now Plata (despite of having a mix of oil/water in the engine) is working fantastically.

This river crossing took ME 2 1/2 hrs. working in what a BMW shop will call....NOT IDEAL CONDITIONS.

A close call with the Panama jail

2009-11-09T06:11:00.001-08:00

A close call with the Panama jail

Ok, here is an update. I was planning to stay with a friend here in Panama but she did not have a place after all so I ended up (for two night) in a cheap hotel $25 per day. The hotel only has internet in the lobby and almost immediately I noticed that there were a few “night girls” staying in the hotel too.

Later my friend found me a new place but this one was worse....I am not going to talk about it, but It was bad $10 a night, no internet.

Finally I got an email from a friend about a hostel, WHY DID IT NOT OCCUR TO ME BEFORE!!!!!.....

Now I am in a place for $12 a night with breakfast, Internet, nice people, books and you know...good stuff.... SO HAPPY NOW.

Last night at about 3 AM and after 3 beers and a shot of russian vodka a nice Chilean and I decided to go out for a bite to eat.

Less than 100 m. from the hostal, we were stooped by the Panamanian Police....

- “Passport Please”

uhhh!!! we do not have it, we replied !

- Well....we need to go the central station....we are going to detain you for investigation !!!!

- FUCK !!!!!!!

OK..I keep my calm and the Chilean started to talk our way out. After 1/2 hour one of the police officers decided to go with one of us to get the passport to the hostal. I stayed with the second officer and the Chilean went back to get my documents.

My friend got my Canadian passport from my safe and we gave it to the officer!!!

Little side note: I am traveling with my Argentinean passport and I have my Canadian as back up....well....my Canadian passport does NOT have any stamp entering to Panama,. The only stamp I have in my Canadian is Belize, because Belize was the only country I was not able to use my Argentinian passport.

The police was not able to see my entry and without asking any questiosn my passport was checked, and re-checked, and re-re-checked, they were not able to see my legal entry to the country.

I did not say anything about it, I played dumb but I knew what happened.

After several minutes of checking they let me go without a question ! Trust me, It was a close call !!!! because 2 girls here in the hostel were actually detained and thown into jail for the same reason

I guess I have to carry a copy of the passport all the time from now on !!

Panama and a great tour of the city

2009-11-03T17:26:00.000-08:00

Tuesday November 3, 2009.

We had another early start and headed towards Panama City. It was Panama’s Independence day from Columbia and the towns were decorated with the country’s flag. We could see people preparing for parades.

We crossed over the Bridge of Americas and headed to town. We knew hotels in the city would be expensive, although prices in the country are over all cheap. Again, we lucked out . We must have made a sorry picture in the rain because the head clerk at a boutique hotel immediately offered Betty a cup of hot coffee and lowered the price from $88 to $64. It was the only hotel on the trip that we took without first inspecting the rooms. We were happily amazed when we saw our room with a kitchen, living space, and huge bedroom all brand new and tastefully decorated. The desk staff immediately started our laundry while we headed on a personal tour of the city.

Our driver Raul first took us to the Panama canal where we saw a ship passing through the Miraflores lock. The canal was an impressive piece of engineering even though it was finished in 1914. Something that a person must see in their life time. We were both very excited to be there.

Construction of the canal was an amazing feat of engineering. Dirt extracted from the canal’s construction was used to connect three islands off the coast of Panama City. These former islands were our next destination and are now fancy (read expensive) areas with yachts, hotels, restaurants etc. My budget did not allow us to stay there for long, even the duty free shop was expensive.

Our third stop was the old quarter of Panama city called Casco Viejo. The district had nice French architecture although the area is mostly run down with some buildings in ruins. It reminded me of Havana. We came across a parade of drummers, trumpet players, and female cymbal dancers. Their energy and choreography was amazing. I entered the parade to take some good shots. When I load the video, please take the time to view.

Our final stop was Old Panama (la Vieja Panamá). Construction of the town started around 1519 but the town was destroyed in 1617 by the pirate Henry Morgan. The only ruins that remain are the cathedral and nunnery. To rent the nunnery for a wedding was $5,000 so we decided this was not the place to elope. (It really is a bargain to celebrate an event in a 400 year old site.)

Today is Betty’s last day. I will miss her.

The bike’s rear tire has a puncture and is losing a lot of pressure. I doubt it is repairable and will likely need to buy a new tire. Other than this the bike’s performance is outstanding. The panniers leak so my clothes are getting wet. If I do not have them professionally laundered, they rot in this humidity.

Another raining day but in Panama

2009-11-02T18:20:00.000-08:00

Monday November 2, 2009. It was a rough night with another tremendous thunderstorm and all the darn jungle animals would not shut up, We left the resort at 6:00 a.m. to be at the Costa Rica/Panama border when it opened at 7:00. The Sixaola border crossing is infamous for motorcyclists because it is not a road but a 100 m. dilapidated wooden railway bridge. The ties are rotting, uneven, and missing in many places. You look straight down to a raging brown river filled with jungle debris. The guard rails? If they still exist, they are twisted, rusted wire. Crossing this bridge is a test not only of one’s motorcycle skill but one’s confidence...or stupidity. Despite the horror stories that circulate among the motorcycle world, I was confident in Plata and myself - we are a great team.

From my perspective, there is a big difference between Panama and Costa Rica. We saw children begging, shining shoes, and one child naked in the street but we keep in mind that this was at the border crossing and in north Panama.

We stopped in a cafe for breakfast where the kitchen was located in the sitting area. The owner and her family were entertaining and she deep fried some great “sweets” for our coffee.

The northern mountain scenery and waterfalls were spectacular. Then we climbed over the clouds and the temperature dropped dramatically. The vegetation was not dense but I liked the break of open spaces. The fog and rain reduced the visibility to zero and I had to continue riding in first gear for several kms. When we exited the clouds and entered the centre of the country, the topography became flatter and more agricultural. Our intent was to push to Panama City but we had already completed 500 km and 11 hours so we ended up about 150 km away from Panama City.

When we reached the hotel we were both tired and a good beer or wine would have soothed our souls. But the sale of alcohol was forbidden because it was the “day of the dead”. Betty’s comment, “Damn right its the day of the dead - I will kill for a beer.”

We ended in a local BBQ place where we played stupid and we ordered the beer anyway....we got them! but soon the waitress realized the mistake of serving the beer and took “the empties” away from the table! I guess we drunk those fast !!!

Riding to the caribean

2009-11-01T07:35:00.001-08:00

Saturday Oct. 31, 2009. Helmar stayed in SJ to do bike maintenance. We started our six hour ride to the Caribbean near the port of Limon. The first leg of the trip was very windy going through coffee plantations and I became dizzy. We had to stop in a town for a rest. Betty had a good time helping me buy some soccer shirts. CR for her son, Argentina for me...and of course I just had to get the German team to “keep the peace”. As we headed towards the Caribbean the topography changed. Coffee plantations were replaced by banana plantations, houses were built on stilts, and overall there was more of a “less orderly” appearance to everything than what we had previous experienced. We were hot, dehydrated and desperate to find a reasonable place to sleep. All that we wanted to do was to get out of our gear and head into the waves. Eventually I found a wonderful resort and talked the receptionist down to $55. We had a relaxing evening enjoying some white wine, eating pasta, and listening to the jungle sounds. We fell asleep very early.

Here is another photo collection of the place we stayed and some of the food we eat !

Betty sick

2009-11-01T07:34:00.001-08:00

Friday Oct. 30, 2009. We were very tired the next morning and decided to stay another day in San Jose. We wanted to check out the BMW shop, catch up on internet work etc. The day did not turn out as expected. Betty got a migraine. I caught her a taxi and we followed her to the hotel. It took us several hours to find an internet cafe and nearly four hours to find the BMW shop in the convoluted city of San Jose. For the rest of the day it was totally uneventful.

Meeting rides & heavy rain

2009-11-01T07:33:00.000-08:00

Right after we ate and rested, we began to head south towards San Jose. Our destination was 146 kms away but it was already almost 4 pm and here the sun goes down at 6 pm. It would take us more than 2 hours with the winding roads and slow, very slow, heavy traffic. Then, right ahead of us, I see another R1200GSA, I caught up, we pulled over and made our introductions. This guy “Helmar Gerhardt www.motorpsycho.org ” was riding from CA to Argentina....It was nice to chat for a while...he was heading to San Jose as well and we decided to ride together.

A few minutes later, we meet another traveler on a R1150GS, his name was “Igor“, a Slovac who has been riding for 3 YEARS through 6 continents....nice guy...every time we stopped, he lit up a cigarette and was so laid back!!!

We needed to move on...I get in the front, (I have done that route twice already) and really pushed hard. It began to rain very heavy, visibility was nearly zero and despite the fact that we were soaked, I did not want to stop. Night came we were still an hour away from San Jose in VERY HEAVY traffic on poor roads. The trucks crept at 10 kms holding a long line of many cars in their rears. The three of us split lanes, passed curves...you know, everything you are not suppose to do but we had no option. If we had done done this, we would have spent several hours behind a truck.

I did not see shit because of a polychromatic screen that I had purchased for my visor. I had to ride with the visor up and was unable to see anything as the heavy rains hurt my eyes and made me squint.

Because when I picked up Betty I already knew the area near the San Jose airpot so I hoped to find a cheap hotel. Igor went directly to San Jose and Helmar came with us.

We founded a room for $25 at night...cheap for Costa Rica...the room was traditional (mahogany panels, balcony, tiled floor) but it was nice. But to us travelers it seemed liked the Hilton as we were soaked and tired. A few Imperial beer and a good night sleep. Anywhere was good for us!

I had to do laundry !!! my clothes stinked

2009-11-01T07:31:00.000-08:00

Thursday Oct. 29, 2009. We went to the town El Coco a real tourist beach town. Betty insisted that we have our clothes washed in a machine. While we waited for our laundry, I had a hair cut after 73 days of traveling but who is counting...We rode through the Nicoya Peninsula and crossed the bridge La Amistad. For more than 45 km I was tempted by advertisements for a barb-b-que restaurant. Of course we could not ride by when we saw it and had to stop. It was delicious.

The bed made too much noise !!!!

2009-11-01T07:30:00.000-08:00

Wednesday Oct. 28, 2009. I woke up grumpy. The bed made too much noise because the wooden frame squeaked and the uncomfortable mattress gave me a sore neck. We retraced our route from the previous day until we hit the Trans American Highway, a one lane road. We headed to the Pacific where Betty picked Playa Hermosa for our stay because she liked the name. It was a good choice. For the first I played in the waves that were about 1 1/2 m high. The beach was almost deserted and lined with coconut palms. We stayed in an old run down motel right on the beach...but it was still nice. It was a traditional Costa Rican building and we slept with the balcony doors open to the sound of the surf.

Ridding on the rain to get to San Jose the Costa Rica

2009-10-29T23:17:00.000-07:00

Volcano Arenal

2009-10-28T07:11:00.000-07:00

Tues. Oct. 27, 2009. Right now I am in a hammock dictating to Betty as she types. It was a good ride today. We travelled off road for at least 80 km. After riding through a “dry shadow” of dairy farms we hit the jungle. Waterfalls, lush vegetation with vines even draping off power lines, monkeys, anteaters, birds, butterflies...and then we had a clear view of the Arenal Volcano which is uncommon. Nothing prepared us for its immense size. I am very proud of Plata;s performance. I am travelling heavy with luggage and two up. One of the most challenging sections was around 500 m. of construction road where everything was a few inches of loose dirt and mud where I needed to accelerate Plata through. I was very happy not to have dropped her.

Later at night we went to the Baldi Hot Springs....I have to say It is really cool to go to the hot springs at night...we have a lot of fun ! Including a crazy water slide !

Costa Rica Picking Up Betty

2009-10-25T07:01:00.000-07:00

Sat. Oct. 24, 2009. I arrived in San Jose Costa Rica after riding 5 countries in 5 days to meet Betty at the airport. Before arriving at the airport I saw a major accident. A transportation truck took out five cars and the line up on the bridge was at least 5 km in either direction. I was able to manouver Plat through the wreakage. When I arrived at the hotel which Betty booked, it was owned by an Italian and very nice. The owner used to import Honda Transalp. When I was ready to pick Betty up at the airport it started to rain heavy. It was night and at one point I was ready to turn around and have Betty take a taxi but the rain lasted only 1/2 hour. After I picked Betty up, we stopped at a local bar/restaurant with a good regation/salsa band and the dancing was very good. After a few local beer we called it a night.

Sun. Oct. 25, 2009. We rode in the sun up to the Paos volcano crater. It was a great ride past coffee plantations and dairy farms. One thing that is constant is the fresh smell in the air from the plants, flowers, and earth. However, the clouds came in and obscured the crater view...this of course was followed by heavy rains. We took refuge in a local grill restaurant and I finally had my Argentinian cut steak with chimichuri for the first time in many years.

Mon. Oct. 26, 2009. Betty wants to go to St. Elena, Monteverde, in the “cloud forest”. I am here slave because she came all the way here. I have to admit, that the ride was amazing. The place is unbelievable and I needed planning. Until now, I was not doing any trabvelling off major highways road. There are no shoulders on the highways and the vegetation grows right up to the pavement. Then the pavement ended and it was gravel for last 2o km to St. Elena - no guard rails as we rode higher into the mountains. Beautiful deep green valleys Once we arrived we immediately agreed that it was an expensive place with only one street paved in brick. But we still had fun in the rain.

Nicaragua

2009-10-23T07:21:00.000-07:00

Fri. Oct. 23, 2009. Nicaragua. My initial plan was to do a night at the capital Granada. However the ride was surprising smooth and I did not stop but continued riding. The only problem was with the corrupted police. They stopped me for crossing over a yellow line which is ridiculous given the way every one drives. I only had a $20 bill but I had to give to the officer in order for him to release me. But the fun did not stop there. In every entrance and exit of a town, there are police positioned to stop you for any reason. In fact they stopped me in another town for no reason but I was able to talk my way out of the situation by telling them I was a police officer in Canada. I ended up in one of the most beautiful places in Nicaragua, San Juan del Sur. It is unbelievable it is a tourist destination but the atmosphere is very nice. Its on the west coast very close to the Costa Rica border, abut 30 km away. Another highlight was the great lake with two volcanoes situated at either end of the water. So far, the Nicaraguan border was the most complex, time-consuming and frustrating to cross with multiple stamps required.

Honduras, The Copan Ruins and more !

2009-10-22T19:06:00.000-07:00

The Hondura's border was easy, 10 kms away from them border you can find the city of Copan. On my way to the city of Copan, I found a boy on the side of the road (in the middle of nowhere), he started to make signals to me....I did not stop right away but I thought “something is not right”

I turned around and I asked the kid...what is wrong ?

He was crying...he told me he was robed !

After a few questions from my part I offer to give him a ride to the city (10 kms away)

When I drop him off, I give him the amount he lost...around $20 us. Apparently her mother died and his father was shot and he is in the hospital.

The Copan Ruins are a little expensive, but ok. This ruins represent the biggest construction of the Maya's civilization.

My good actions paid off...when I arrive to the ruins the restaurant lady recommend my a supper cheap hostel $5 + a free drink !. They have only four guys in the hole place, and Italian, an American and German! It was nice, we all meet and we have dinner together...great group of people.

The next day, I left the north of Honduras and I rode to the Capital. (Tegucigalpa) where I spend the night with 2 girls I meet in couch surfing ! Nice help !

Thurs. Oct. 22, 2009. Honduras Day 2. When I exited Tegu I had the scariest experience with a vehicle. Right outside the capital there is a mountain with a road that has two lanes going up and one lane going down. It was early in the morning and drivers do not use their car lights. This makes it difficult to determine if they are coming or going. I was riding up the mountain and a car was driving towards me in my lane. There was little space to manouver. Later, there was a wash out on the road. A traffic control person signal for me to advance on a curve. However, a transport truck was coming towards me and there was limited space for both of us. I powered through and honestly believed my panniers would hit but they did not.

Guatemala - Nice country ! great ride !

2009-10-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

Guatemala is nice too. I was surprised of the people, nicer than expected .

I ended up in a very nice place called "Finca Ixobel" in Poptun. This place is kind of hostel with activities to do and stuff.

I met Lizi "beatuful Lizi" from Israel doing a work exchange.

www.fincaixobel.com

BTW - The roads are a mixed of huge holes and nice fresh pavement !

------------------------------------------------

Guatemala posting # 2

Hello...I love Guatemala !

Guatemala was great....some of the road has huge holes and some other are brand new, there are a lot of mountains, nice curbs and I think I say hello to everyone in the country !

I definitely will be back in Guatemala for a ride!

Belize

2009-10-20T20:18:00.000-07:00

Belize was nice, poor country in general but very well keep. I was stopped by the police 6 or 7 times (regular checks) kind of odd because there are very few people that drives. Belize is like a boring country, very small, no very rich in natural resources. I crossed Belize in 4 hours. Border was very easy, clean and organized. Rated ** unless you do the coast where the nice part is, but the rest of the country.....so so !

Police....NO ! I was not stopped by the police

2009-10-20T20:15:00.000-07:00

Monday morning I was rushing organizing all my stuff to departure from Cancun. It took me a good half day. Diana's brother (where I stay for 2 days) and his mother (Roger) in the picture below

Later that day I arrive in Chetumal and NO, I was not stopped by the Police !

This is a picture of the Estatal Police in Chetumal helping me to find a place where I can change the oil and change the breaks ! I did all bike fixes in less than in 30 minutes. mmmm clean oil !!

Later that day, I was on

VERY NICE COMPANY !

2009-10-19T20:04:00.000-07:00

My girlfriend will meet me this Saturday in Costa Rica and she and I will ride together Costa Rica to Panama for 10 days !!! this is nice ! I am really looking forward to be with her. !

Thanks Betty ! Love U !

BTW... I may not have Internet the next couple days because I will be riding central america and stopping wherever I can...I have to do as much as I can every day to meet Betty in Costa Rica

See you followers

Victor

Chechin-Itza and the caves !

2009-10-19T20:03:00.000-07:00

Special Acoustics on Chechin-Itza

2009-10-19T05:42:00.000-07:00

The first is the sound of a local birth. It can only be reproduced in front of the stairs of the main pyramid. It is pretty cool to hear it.

The second is the sound echo 7 times. It can only be reproduced in the center of the main game field in Chechin-Itza.

Enjoy !

Picking UP Plata !

2009-10-17T20:34:00.000-07:00

Tomorow ready for the Mexican ruins

New friends in PV

2009-10-17T17:56:00.000-07:00

Leanne Smith and I

Getting ready for the second leg of the trip

2009-10-16T10:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have a good time here in Puerto Vallarta, but I am very glad I have booked the fly ticket to Cancun so I can pick my bike up.

The bike now if fixed.... something with the breaks.

I will stay for Cancun for a day or two...I will do the ruins but right after that I will star riding to Belize and Guatemala.

About accomodation, I found a web www.couchsurfing.org/ to find places to stay. I really need that because I kind of blow up my budget a bit.

A side note: My friend in Cancun got robed and that forced to moved from her apartment, so I do not know were I will be staying in Cancun.

OK...I will keep you updated later

Victor

Just a ride

2009-10-15T20:58:00.000-07:00

Riding a R1200gs in Mexico, speeded video

Amazing marble work in Puerto Vallarta

2009-10-11T20:14:00.000-07:00

http://www.go2vallarta.com/articles/1009/stonewoman.php

www.artepropiedra.com.mx

Hector Sanchez - hector@artepropiedra.com.mx

Alberto Ruiz - albertoruiz@artepropiedra.com.mx

Ph: 322-290-1687 / 322-290-2422

View of the night of Puerto Vallarta

2009-10-10T22:51:00.000-07:00

New Friends in Puerto Vallarta

2009-10-10T17:41:00.000-07:00

I have meet with this amazaing group of rides, they are riding to Tierra del Fuego as well, (From LA)

Here their names ans sites:

Sebastian Barbalarce - Argentina - www.batimoto.com

Ingo Held - Germany - www.heldontour.blogspot.com

Obadiah Mazo - New York - www.obadiahmazo.com

Me - Argentina - www.VictorAdventures.BlogSpot.com

They are riding to Cancun where I will be meeting them again and we most likely will be doing the ride to Tierra del Fuego

Good times in the pool !!!!

More of Pueto Vallarta

2009-10-04T07:53:00.000-07:00

Man, the food, the fun and the swimming pool at the hotel is incredible, I like this place

Mama's building

2009-10-01T20:07:00.000-07:00

The building was not completed on our arrival but It will be complete soon. For now we are staying in a nice place with an excellent view. Most likely we will be moving to another unit that is complete and wait until her unit is finish.

From Mazatlan to Puerto Vallarta

2009-10-01T18:44:00.000-07:00

Man! Puerto Vallarta is nothing like I have seen in Mexico...It is really pretty, nice people, very rich and beautifull....for what I have seen, I only recomend Puerto Vallarta for a holidays in Mexico !

Mazatlan...a good day for relaxing

2009-09-30T06:52:00.000-07:00

For the first time, I decided to do some exercise in the afternoon. Of course I over do it, but it feels good to be doing some running after all this riding/driving. On that run, I found a TOURLE laying eggs on the beach.

Apparently, sea turtles leg egg 3 times in a period of a months or so. The fist time are like 120 eggs ! Conservation in Mazatlan takes the eggs of the beach and once the turtles are born, they release the turtles early in the morning to avoid predators. It was nice to see the turtle laying egg ! :)

Copper work in Santa Ana del Cobre

2009-09-29T08:13:00.000-07:00

Imuris to Navajoa

2009-09-28T14:21:00.000-07:00

Hey...in Imuris they have nice copper work !!! It'd be nice to bring some to Canada

Indio, Tucson and Into Mexico !

2009-09-27T14:19:00.000-07:00

We stoped in Santa Ana, nice little town

Hwy 1 California

2009-09-25T21:44:00.000-07:00

A long day, after visiting Monterrey & Carmel CA, we drove hwy 1 on the coast for more than 4 hrs. until we found a vacancy hotel.... recension my ass !!!

Hwy 101 to Petaluma

2009-09-24T22:37:00.000-07:00

Seattle WA to Creston CA

2009-09-23T22:22:00.000-07:00

We have a beautiful drive, we drove by Jederiah Smith Redwoods SP a 13 miles gravel road with enormous tree all around....it was a paradise.

Picking up Mama in Seattle

2009-09-23T21:56:00.000-07:00

Just a day in Cancun

2009-09-16T22:26:00.000-07:00

New Friends from UK on BMW's

2009-09-15T22:34:00.000-07:00

Ric & Emily

Hello, I was at the hotel in Campeche when the manager knocks the door. There is a couple looking at your bike and they want to talk to you he said. Ric and Emily are traveling are from UK, they are traveling with BMW as well and they saw my bike and they wanted to talk to me. It was nice to meet them. We exchance travel pointer and I hope I can meet them again before hitting Tierra del Fuego. They blog is

www.bikingtheamericas.blogspot.com

Campeche and the Mexican Indepencedence day

2009-09-15T22:16:00.000-07:00

Short video showing the preparations for Mexican’s independence day

2009-09-14T22:41:00.000-07:00

Ciudad del Carmen

2009-09-14T17:52:00.000-07:00

Ciudad del Carmen.

I did not stop at Playa de Carmen, when I drove by it did not seem very interesting, so I decided to stay the night at Campeche. (Great choice) but in the outskirts of the city I found a beach.....Nice stop...I got into the water (complety not just my feet) and the water was very hot !!!

Museo La Venta

2009-09-13T18:12:00.000-07:00

Villa Hermosa

2009-09-13T17:34:00.000-07:00

Bike Problem - Breaks Sep. 12th

2009-09-12T06:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, arriving to Villa Hermosa I got lost inside of the city; the hwy goes through the city and the city is quite big so it was obvious I will get lost.
I stopped a couple times to ask for directions. At 3 PM, it was extremely hot and I noticed the bike was getting really hot.

At one point I was stuck in traffic, uphill and moving one meter at a time. I was using the brakes a lot and all of the sudden a big cloud of smoke came off the bike. It was something related with the brakes.

To my luck, 3 cars behind me was a motorcycle mechanic, I did not have time to take my helmet off and I was already talking with a mechanic and HIS SHOP was 20 meter up the hill !!!

I was so dehydrated, tired and confused; I was not able to think! I just moved the bike inside of the shop and got a taxi to a hotel....again...I was shaking and I just needed a hotel to cool off.

The next day (Sunday) I was much more calm...I visited Plata and I noticed she was in save hands. No work has been done (as I indicated). So I decided to be a tourist in Villa Hermosa.

Today is Monday, I am having breakfast now, I will go and work on the bike all day (with the mechanic's help!) I will update the status later.

Later....The bike is fixed by noon. There was a fitting loose in the brake line...something was loose, probably not attached properly in Albuquerque NM when they did the other repair.

Coatzacalcos

2009-09-11T20:33:00.000-07:00

Veracruz

2009-09-10T19:14:00.000-07:00

Palma Sola

2009-09-10T19:00:00.000-07:00

Palma Sola was not the destination I wanted to arrive. I wanted go Veracruz, but the ride was very tiring and I was forced to stop. Palma Sola was a surprise, the hwy goes trough a very ugly twon, but trying to get to the beach, I arrive to this nice hotel and I decided to stop...Nice surprise