6200 km. Again a nice surprise.... The border crossings in Honduras took me no more then 50 minutes, the 2 combined. Or I´m becomming damned good in crossing borders, or my american friend just had terrible bad luck. So I left yesterday morning my cabaña in Apaneca and had an awesome ride through the mountains of West El Salvador, until now the most beautifull part of my journey. google map with "parque nacional Cerro verdo" and look to that small winding road that goes between the 2 volcanoes and along the lago de Coatepeque. The end of that road is higher then the young volcano at the left and you just look into the crater. And you take those astonishing pictures.... I stopped very often, took more the 20 pictures of the beautifull scenery and the fantastic volcans, and at midday, when having my carne a la prancha, I checked my pictures and my camera said : "no memory card". F@&%ck, I forgot to reput the card after I updated my picasa site the day before. Of course, being that the only bad thing happening to me until now, I'm not going to whine to much and will compensate with pictures in the weeks coming. After Sonsonate I returned to the coastal road and rode one the most stunning bikers miles I have ever done. A well designed road with a perfect smooth surface, no traffic, curbs asking to be taken at good speed, volcans at your left, the ocean at your right and all that sauced in tropical green. Slept in El Cuco, as only guest in a decaying hotel, no water in the toilet, I did not try the shower because I did not want to put my feet in the filthy shower base. I just slept on the old mattress, (a position between lying and sitting). But I had a nice fish in the little town. I left early this morning with the idea of arriving at least in Choluteca, just before the border Honduras/Nicaragua. You know you are arriving at these borders when you have a pack of "licenciados" jumping in front of your wheel. And yes, I have become very good... I just put some more throttle and drive straight in front of the military/police that guard the building. Then I come slowly of the bike, take off my gear, and say in my best spanish that I need absolutely nadié para hacer los papelles. I honestly believe that coming in on big bike, kept together with ducktape, and your laundry and dirty shoes on the back seat, put a lot of respect. At least I do not feel and show like a sitting duck for the potential tugs hanging around. In Guatemala they asked if I had a TATTOOoooo. I said no, that is for people who are afraid and want to impress. I do not need a tattoo para mostrar que soy um hombre!!! Whaoooo. Anyway I have done on these days 2 mexican, 2 Guatemalteque, 2 Salvadorian, 2 hondurian and 1 nicaraguan border stops with all my gear on the bike, helmet hanging on the handle of the bike and nothing has been stolen, and nobody has tried to get money out of me, not even Honduras. In Honduras I went to the Pizza hut of Choluteca and had a wonderfull salad and soup. It was midday and a lot of well off hondurians came in, and I realized that these people had a much higher risk of getting car jacked or robbed, then I had. At least they are showing off a lot more wealth then that old men in his dirty jacket. On the +-100 km through Honduras I was stopped at least 6 times by police, but I suppose my passport put them off. I saw how all the drivers in the opposite directions putted wrinled banknotes in the fist of the police who did not even hide what the were doing. At 3h in the afternoon I arrived in Leon, one of the oldest colonial cities of Nicaragua. The american owner of the hostal where I'm staying told me to be very carefull tomorrow when going into Managua. So Annemie arrives tomorrow evening and I will go and get her with the shuttlle of the **** hotel that Jan reserved, so that parents and bike will be save. We will stay 1 week in Nicaragua before going to Costa Rica. I will not update anymore the blog on a regular base, but I will try to put pictures on picasa. Anyway the riding part of the journey is over for now. Tomorrow I will be a tourist.
5400 km. Today I got a very nice surprise : one of my best rding days. It´s true that the first 2 hours this morning where on the rough site, But once the traffic split in Esquintla, (guatemala city - Border El Salvador) the road improved drastically, there was no more traffic, no more tumules or topes (very agressive speedbumps) and the scenery was awesome, with the volcans at the left side of the road. Instead of 3 horrible hours to the border, as I was told in Reu, it was only half that time, and very relax rding. At the border everybody was really friendly. I cannot understand that there is so much violence in Guatemala while people are so friendly. After the border I met ADVrider "bouldergeek" and he told me that Honduras was not that bad. But it would take me 6 hours of border crossing for the 60km of honduras crossing. The riding became even more relaxed in El Salvador. Beautifull scenery, friendly people, good road. It gave me a really happy feeling when I left the main coastal road and headed into the mountains towards Apacena. Nothing of the fear about El Salvador that I had had in the last months was left. I had met a couple of Nicaraguan immigrants from Canada at the border in Mexico/guatemala and they did not want to cross El Salvador because of fear to be killed by carjackers. I am sitting in this cybercafé in this small village, people stare to me like I was an alien, but as soon as I salute them, a big smile appears. It´s now dark, and I still do not realize I am in this part of the world, my bike in the front of the store and in some minutes looking for a place to eat. Very few foreigners come here, and the only ones that come, come on a bike. If it was not for christmas and the kids, I could perfectly ride on to the south untill falling of the clifs in Tierra del Fuego. I am afraid only other fools like me can understand this.
5100 Km. Dirty and poor city. Full of guns. Even the police post on the main plaza is barricaded behind a load of sand bags. I am the only guest in an overpriced hotel. The highway in Mexico was beautifull, but the road in Guatemala terrible. I will try to be in El Salvator tonight. It will be the toughest ride of the journey, 7 hours of potholes and crazy drivers.
Did yesterday the tough road from Oaxaca to Puerto Angel. 240km in 6 hours. I thought it would never end, hundreds of very tide turns, fog, rain. Tropical mountains. Very similar to the Palenque -San Cristobal road. I slept in San Augustinho. It must have been a hell of a party that we made there 2 years because the owner of the cabanas recognized me immediately "el belga con los amigos ingleses". It's true that I recognized him too, like it was yesterday. And it´s true that I will not slightly forget these 3 days of fun, beer, pot and beach. You make sometimes encounters where it clicks imediately. It´s rare but that was one. In contrast, there was today a couple of americans on 2 kawasaki´s KLR. He came over and explained to me that I was riding some piece of junk, and that his bike was so much lighter, stronger, cheaper etc. It crossed my mind to explain to hime what kind of ugly woman he had brought with him, but the I thought no. Next day, she came over, wanting to know if I knew the cheapest way to cross the Darién gap: While talking she could not believe that I came from San Diego in 6 days. Being honnest she admitted that after 300 miles on their wonderbikes they were broken and it would take them more then double the time. Again I kept silent. Anyway I was not in for a party with them. I had to change all my plans because Antonio from the cabanas told me that it was no option to cross Honduras by now, because the political vacuum there left the military and the police completely free and they were collecting massively. Even the 60km through Honduras, coming from El Salvador will have to be "bought". I am now at 200km from the border and will cross tomorrow midday. I will probably spent 1 or 2 days in the west of El Salvador which seems not to be affected by the hurricane.
3800km. Crossing Mexico City was easy and straightforward. Did it in about 2h, but missed the indications given to me by the colegue of Annemie. So I do not know which crossing I really took, I just kept asking the cars next to me in the traffic. They were very helpfull and I feel absolutely no longer intimitated by the mexican traffic. Went through it like a hot knive through butter. The highway to Oaxaca was fun and beautifull. Arrived just at dark and found a nice small hotel where they kept the bike in a garaje. I will not stay in this marvellous city because we will come back here. When I am alone I prefer to ride instead of visiting churches (I must say they are impressive). I have more or less decided on my route : I will in 2 hours leave for the coast by the infamous 175 (very beautifull but dangerous). Tomorrow San Cristobal. Then Coban (Guatemala)- Copán (honduras)-Tegu..capital-granada. No more highways on this trip.
When I left yesterday the internet café I knew I had misspelled the word mariposa, but I thought what the heck. Let´s give some fun to the kids. Sofie will call me maripero for some years coming.
I have seen that people keep reading this blog, so I´m motivated to try to keep it updated.
Put some new pictures. But my pentax let me down again : the light cell reacts funny. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. The small nikon will have to take over.
3100 km - Very cold. Arrived in the dark. Thanks Gaspard for the lights on the bike. At 70km from Mexico City. I hope to be in Puebla in the afternoon. I did not stop in Guadalajara and I realize that I will not have any time for stopping in any place. As soon you go of the highway average speed drops to 30km/h. So I will concentrate on arriving on plan in Managua.
I slept 11h in one go. But I feel great. I'm still wondering how I did the 5000km 2 years ago in 4.5 days. Even by riding 8h a day I cannot get over the 700km's. It's true I take it easy in the morning and only start at +-9h30. Yesterday was perfect temperature untill I came close to Mexico City and the sun went down. I did not stop to put more layers on because I would have to dig in the luggage and I still hoped to arrive before full darkness. But the last hour was in the mountains, in complete darkness. I tried to stay with some cars in front of me but they went to fast. When I arrived in the city, it still took me half an hour to get to the Zocalo. I asked the first hotel if they had a place to park to bike. No sir. A man in front of his small hospedaje familiar viewed the scene and waved me over. Yes he could fixe a save place for the bike, and we went to a closeby gate where he asked the owners if the bike could be parked there. All very friendly. This morning I saw the city by daylight, and it's true that the Fodor guide calls it the best kept secret of Mexico. No tourists, but very beautifull, near a lake. Very Mexican. I take my time this morning because the friendly man from the hospedaje told me that on the route to Toluca I will run into the world famous landing of the Monarch mariposas (butterflies). They only appear these days, coming from Canada, and waiting when the rain season stops. But they only appear at about 11h. And it seems that the best hour to get through Mexico is about midday.
2500 km. Very beautifull ride today. Huge agriculture business ending in tropical scenery. It was hot again, but amazing how it cooled down when I left the coast in Tepic. Two years ago I rode the normal road between Mazatlan and Tepic, but now I went on the highway "quota". It has only 2 lanes, but that's more then enough because there are no cars : it is ridiculous expensive and there are no services, even no gas for 200km's. No warning neither. I was lucky I filled up in Mazatlán where I had my first Ceviche de jaiba. Delicious. I tried to get into Guadalajara but at 5h30 went off the highway because it was getting dark and cold. I saw a sign indicating a hotel in Jala. Surprise surpise.... a very beautifull monasterio. The price was also beautifull, and when I said it was to expensive for just passing the night, alone, he called his boss to get a permisso to give a discount. Meanwhile it was nearly dark and I did not want to go the next city to look for another hotel. So it will be luxurious tonight @ 80usd.They gave me a laptop, but I still had to go to an internet café on the corner because their internet went dead. I will use the laptop to copy my photos, and the music I bought yesterday. I hope to put the pictures tomorrow. To compensate for the expensive hotel I went to a "comedor economico". The lady was in her kitchen and said she only served at midday. I asked if there was another place and she said "but I have food for you". It was a delicious meal (porc ribs with beans). Together with a gentleman who she also served, we had a wonderfull conversation. The man worked as a bulldozer driver and was for 2 months in town. Very interesting. My Portignol did very well. That's all what travelling is about. Just a pity Annemie is not here, she would have loved the hotel and the restaurant. Today I decided to propose to Annemie some changed long term travelling plans. Mexico is a wonderfull country and there are still so many cities I would like to visit. But distances are so big while traffic can be horrible. Camping is not advisable and there are hotels all over the country. While the country side is beautiflull, the cities are the main attraction. Not to be done with an Unimog. Only with a GS 1200. I also knew when I left San Diego that it was not conceivable that I would not return to ride a bike in the US. It's the most beautifull biking country in the world, and you do not need an Unimog to camp in awsome sites. So I will ship this bike back to Europe at the end of the trip and in 2-3 years will buy an american GS. We could ship the Unimog to South Africa in November 2010 and much later do South America with the Unimog. I will have less regret to rush tomorrow through Guadalajara, Morelia etc. I already had a bad feeling when passing Alamos.
I had a wonderfull stroll through the city centre tonight. I did not have my camara with me, but this must have been my provincial town in Belgium, 70 years ago. But also very mexican, colours and kitch. It's a small city, but the business centre still counts several tens of blocs. I bought some cookies in a bakery store and went on a hunt for music by Anna-Gabriela. A local supermercado didn't have it, even is she is a superstar here in the north: We heard her music the first time in a road café near Chichuahua 2 years ago. I ran into a shop that only sells pirated music and videos. It's not even hidden. Half a dollar, 35 eurocents a 700mb CD. A man who heard what I was looking for was very proud I like mexican music and insisted to give me a CD of his choice: I bought several other ones, included "Nortnñas, quiero que duermas conmigo", just for the title of it. I felt very at home in the street, but this is still the state that hit world news last year when the heads of seven guys were tossed into a bar somewhere in a town of Sinaloa. When I saw a pickup full of masked military and later on, 5 policemen handcuffing a man to the irongate of a bar, I walked back to the hotel. This time not a "maison de passage" but a casino, full of slot machines.
1800 km - very hot today, about 35C. Highway all the time, at the end boring. Tomorrow I will try to get into Guadalajara.
I decided not to stop in Alamosa (nice colonial town) because it was only 3 in the afternoon and I realize I will have to ride without losing to much time in order to be in Managua by the 20th. If I have the bad luck to have rain, I will need all the resting days to get there in time. The more that the situation after the mudslides in El Salvador is not very clear. Apparently I will have to through Honduras.
Gaspard asked me if I already arranged a partner to ride down, but the more I think about it, the less I will try to find one. There is one who will be on the 16th in San Cristobal (contact made through horizonsunlimited.com), but I'm afraid it will be to difficult to adjust our plans. Overlanders and Adv riders in particular tend to have a ego bigger then themselves, and I include myself. It goes very quick out of control when it comes to adjusting plans. You need to be very good friends to hold out a ride like this. I have some friends with whom I could make this journey, but then timing and availability is the issue. It took us 40 years to come to some harmony with Annemie when travelling ( and of course when not travelling ) and I must admit she did most of the adjusting. So, a young american macho riding down to Tierra del Fuego adjust his plans????? And an old belgian macho adjusting his plans????
1200km - 2 days of beautifull riding through the desert of Arizona and the greener landscape of Sonora. I slept in Gilda Bend at 150km from Tucson. Hot when I arrived, but cool in the morning. I got a similar feeling as when driving through the Sahara in southern Algeria, the black mountains against the blue sky, but highway 8 changes everything. It's definitely America and if you want to experience the real desert, you still have to go to the Sahara. Border crossing was fast, the Americans even didn't look to me, and I had to beg the Mexicans to put a stamp in my passport. It's incredible how the street and the traffic changes over a distance of 500m; I felt immediately at home, being able to drive cowboyway a la portuguesa and park the bike on the footpath in front of the ATM. But getting the permisso for the vehicle was a 1 hour affair, some 20km further when the "free hasstle zone" ends, and every foreign vehicle has to be temporary imported. I had to take a nice hotel in Hermosillo, because I need to tell home I'm fine and my phones do not work in Mexico. The only communication is the internet and since this town is not touristic, there are no internet cafes. But on the other hand there is a marvellous taco restaurant : Jaas, in front of the Santa Fe supermercado, when coming in from Nogales. I'm happy I did not fly the bike south, because it feels good to be back in Mexico. And the riding will be cheap : 70usd cents or 1/2 euro per liter. Tomorrow a shorter ride to Alamosa, the most colonial town of Sonora.
For uploading pictures, I will have to find a way to reduce the pictures in size while being on these kind of "hotel"computers. I do not know if picasa works online, facebook does reduce being online. I will test it tonight or tomorrow.
The bike is packed. I replaced yesterday the tires, battery and with the help of Gaspard, we replaced the headlight and complementary lights. The glass of the old headlight was broken before the bike arrived in the US 3 years ago and since I do not ride at night and since you have to buy a complete headlight of 300$ I never replaced it. Scott from the BMW dealer in Escondido went in the back of the garage and got me one for free from a RT. I have now 5 big lights, so I hope the Mexican drivers will notice me when I cross Mexico City in some days. We had a ***** diner last night at Gaspard's place, prepared while talking by his friend Chef Cook Gillet. It's a little bit of a weird feeling to know that in some 2 hours I will pull out of the La Plancha street in Carlsbad, San Diego, drive to highway 5 and from there on just straight south.
I started at 5 o'clock monday morning in Salet, Belgium and arrived in Carlsbad, US on wednesday evening 8pm local time (thursday morning 4am belgium time). It was a little bit ridiculous : arrived in Chicago, flew down to Miami and in the morning flew all the the way back north to Philadelphia to catch a plane to Los Angelos. My friend Gaspard picked me up at the airport, Breea had prepared a delicious meal and today I recovered completely from my jetlag. Took the bike to the BMW dealer for replacement of the brake pads but got the bad news that my ABS pump is dead. I will do without ABS. I arranged for my insurances for Mexico and Central America and will pack the bike tomorrow. Saturday I will spent some time with Gaspard and Breea and I will start riding on Sunday.
I forgot to mention : Vincent from Las Posas called me when I was waiting for my flight in New York. The evening after he had left me at my motel, he got drunk from to much tequila, lost his phone and lost my contact. He just got his phone back. I was lucky I had other alternatives to leave the bike. Still a nice guy!
Thursday 11 September 2008, Friday.3 days before I have to take my plane home .. confusion. Since Paul from Orange County did not return my phone call today, I decide to call Simon from Yuma to tell him I changed my mind and that I would descend tomorrow and would be in Yuma around midday, Saturday. I camp in the state park of point Mugu, just north of Malibu and choose a site next to a German Mercedes truck, more or less Unimog style. Nobody is there, a bike that has his place on the back of the truck is parked nearby. I expect some young adventurers, now surfing on the beach. But suddenly a nearly bald man comes out and we have a quite interesting conversation. I hear a wife is hidden in the truck. I will only get a glimpse of her, sitting in the passenger seat the next day when they leave. In stead of showing me his truck, he gets his computer and shows me pictures of the inside. I suppose and hope this couple is an exception, but what an amazing contrast with the extraordinary openness and hospitality I have met in the last 2 months. He also proudly announces me he will make an extra cup of coffee in the morning, but that promise does not materialize. But the coffee exists because he walks over in the morning with a huge, good smelling cup in his hand.
So with a not so nice end of this fantastic journey in mind, I prepare for the tough ride through the Friday traffic of LA. I return to Malibu to get fuel and when done, a guy in his thirties, with a large tattoo on his leg, comes over . All the way from Canada he while looking to the maple flag sticker on the front. No, from Belgium and at the end of my 12000 miles Alaska journey, but I am in hurry because I have to ride to Yuma to try to store my bike. Some hesitation during seconds... But I can store your bike. And he walks to his van where some 4 tattooed guys are waiting : Las Posas, a locally owned and operated painting company in big letters on the back of the van. I just have to put my man on the job and in 10 min I will be back and show you my house, my family, my business. Your bike will be save because I cannot ride a bike anymore for a long time... got 2 DUI over the last 10 years.
Why not give it a try, will see his house and family and I can still take off later. So while I have a coffee at the nearby Starbucks, Vincent returns after 10 min and he takes me to his house in a clean neighborhood. (Camarillo-Ventura). We leave the bike in front of his house, with the helmet and all my stuff on it...It's ok, nobody here will touch anything in front of Vince's house. Waw, impressive. And off we are to his office, then to a house where he has to give a proposal, to another house to pick up a signed contract, which I have to read completely, to an ongoing job where his 2 guys need paint, to a paint shop to buy the paint. Meanwhile he is on the phone, goes through his papers to find the house, and tells me his story. Ex hell's Angel, drug dealer, but now a hardworking entrepreneur taking care of his family. I like the guy, his enthusiasm and his f..cking redneck talk . Out on the way to his appointments he makes a detour and stops in front of a liquor shop. And he takes some time inside. My heart accelerates. I realize I have no clue where I am, somewhere in the suburbs of LA, no idea how to get back to my bike and sitting in the van of an ex(?) heavy boy. But it is all ok and he takes me to a Motel 6, which I have to refuse him paying for, and leaves me for the day. Tonight I cannot take care of you, but tomorrow my brother will pick you up for a ride and at midday I have a BBQ for your at my place. And that is the last thing I saw of Vincent. Anyway, I already had taken the decision to accept the invitation of the FIT representative in LA to store the bike at his house. At 7pm the phone rang : Paul from Orange County. The call I had expected the day before. They had just arrived home from Cambria. In the beginning I thought it was Paul from Palmsprings, one of my 3 biking buddies on Highway 101, who had proposed to help me with storing the bike in a storage park near his place.
At 8pm Claude from Moro Bay called me to tell that the son of his friend in San Diego was enthusiastic about the idea of receiving a GS traveler. Without hesitation I called imediately Gaspard. It felt nice to speak French after 2 months of American. Gaspard simply told me that he was expecting me the next day.
To make it short : the bike is stored in a garage in between a 30y old Bentley and a Porsche 914, and I spend an excellent weekend with extremely friendly Gaspard and Breea. We closed the weekend and the 17.500km journey in the best Sushi place I have ever been. Breea promised me that she would convince Gaspard to accept my offer to take her out for some weekends on my bike. They also promised not to clean the bike. I like the Alaskan flies on the windscreen.
Last ride today. To San Diego. Is there any other country in the world were you will find 5 places to store a huge dirty bike for unknown months for a total stranger, and this in 3 days. Just by answering the people who will talk to you while you stop somewhere, and ask you where you come from. When you tell them that you are at the end of a 18000km journey and that you are looking now for a place to leave your bike, you see on their face that they are searching intensively their mind in which way they can help you out. Amazing. Slept in a Motel 6 that I had to refuse from being paid for by Vincent who picked me up at a gasstation in Malibu, and took me to his house to show me where he would put the bike. I was ready to ride the 600 miles to Yuma where Simon was waiting for the bike. Paul from Orange County, whom I met in Cambria called at 8pm to tell me that he was home and was waiting for me. Claude (french) from Templeton, whom I met in Moro Bay while cleaning the fish he took in the morning, called me at 7pm to tell me that his friend Gaspard in San Diego would like to store the bike in his garage, next to his 7 cars and 2 bikes. And the FITm colegue of my wife, in LA was waiting for my phone call too. Ready now to pack a last time the bike, first time out of a motel room in 3 weeks, and prepare mentally for the crazy transit of hwy 101 and interstate 5. Hope saturday will make it less of a struggle.
Got one of my best days, yesterday. Slept in Pheifer Big Sur Park and road the 26 mi back to Monterey because I wanted cell phone coverage and south there is nothing for the next 90 miles. I followed Ocean Av and hit a very exclusive suburb of Monterey (Carlisle?) Spectacular beach, very chique shops. While looking for a croissant and a coffee I ran into Joseph and Sandy from Santa Barbara (met them the day before). The road south of Monterey is surely one of the most scenic and biker friendly that I did on the whole trip. Talked for the first time in 2 months with some europeans, the mayor of the german twin city of Zolder, more germans, danish, dutch. 70% of the people on Highway 1 are europeans, and 30% of them drive a rented mustang convertible. Usd 1300 for 2 weeks. But apart from some rented RV's, you will not meet them on the park campgrounds. In Cambria, I parked the bike while looking for internet, and Paul come over for a talk. I told him I was a little worried to find storage for the bike... only 5 days left. He called over his wife and said.. Honey, we can store that bike, do we? So apparantly my problem is solved. They live in Orange County, LA
Stayed at the San Simeon state park, campground nearly empty. My lovely neighbours, 3 very well humoured ladies, brought me some vegetables and fruit. Generosity, generosity.. and again generosity
