More of the same as far as roads and trucks. Realising that as long as there are plenty of trucks I'm on the right road .
Decent accomodation for 23 dollars.
Starting to feel the warning signs of an upset stomach but being intrepid had my fill of a Comida típica . The price in the restaurant didn't reflect the true cost in the bathroom.Will I ever learn ?
By evening things had cleared up and I prepared for the next days travel .
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
18/3/2017 Copan Ruinas to Guatemala City
Quick hop to the border and fairly straightforward exit and entry . The usual gathering of touts but politely declined. Bit of a shock when paying the entrance fee at the bank and discovered that they would not accept dollars, luckily one of the touts was in the queue behind me so I was able to change money . Panic over . Funny how in the west we have smart offices doing the same job as a hoody with wads of different currencies.
Uneventful ride to a smart hotel in the centre of Guatemala . Looks like I'm too late, I'm sure there are places of interest but Hard Rock Cafe, and all the other Chain Restaurants are not on the list of must see places.
I must be getting old as I just wanted to rest . The going is pretty tough through mountains and the condition of the roads necesitates full concentration.
Uneventful ride to a smart hotel in the centre of Guatemala . Looks like I'm too late, I'm sure there are places of interest but Hard Rock Cafe, and all the other Chain Restaurants are not on the list of must see places.
I must be getting old as I just wanted to rest . The going is pretty tough through mountains and the condition of the roads necesitates full concentration.
Friday, March 10, 2017
AT LAST
Finally back on the road. I've reached Esteli Nicoragua and hopefully in the next few days will update the blog.
The journey has been tough going with plenty of mountains combined with trucks, Not a good combination ! !
Random ramblings from memory.
The crossing from Costa Rica to Nicoragua needed fumigation or to be more clear needed a reciept for fumigation. What a joy to find that after getting everything photocopied the documents were scanned into the system.
A couple of days spent in Granada Nicoragua at a Palestinian owned hotel. Very hospitable but the power of the dollar and the architecture means that there are a lot of tourists and backpackers which means that it's probably more enjoyable being a backpacker than paying over the odds enjoying the efforts at cuisine in the pavement cafés.
Stopped in Esteli and visited a cigar factory. A lot of women sitting at tables rolling cigars. Whilst we tourists were taking photographs and paying a premium for organic cigars.
Very nice hotel in Esteli but not cheap. I guess if you can afford cigars. ........
Next stop Ocotal close to the Honduran border. Nice (cheap) hotel . The strange thing is that we (I ?) Tend to think that standards in Central America are going to be lower than North American /European standards. Thanks to my new status as a travelling old fart I am discovering that I have wasted a fortune in days gone by. These family run hotels give much more than the chains.
It's with a certain trepidation that I head to the Honduran border. I have a vision of marauding tatooed gangs lining the road waiting to take me hostage.
I was to be disappointed. Met a group of Mexican bikers returning home after a trip to a meet in Costa Rica.
No hassle entry into Honduras, eyes peeled for pirates and on my way to a resort just outside Valle de Angeles. I'm glad it wasn't raining as the slope of the entrance was puckering in the dry. Beautiful resort set in the rolling hills just outside town. Ideal for a couple of nights to get the blog done and some minor running repairs.
The owner seemed surprised that I complained that the very things I had chosen the hotel for didn't exist. No Wi-Fi, no restaurant, No water in the pool.
At least it was peaceful. Because of the fear of getting back up the driveway I arranged a moto taxi to take me to town. Now the driver didn't actually say " hey fatty get out " but he did ask me to get off until he got to the top of the drive. Luckily he was carrying oxygen to revive me when I staggered back in and he delivered me to a restaurant where I enjoyed (I use the word enjoyed in its full meaning ) a meal típico. It's obvious that Hondurans know how to live. Where in the civilised west would you find a restaurateur offering to collect you in the evening so you can return for dinner?
Next leg meant passing Tegucigalpa and I double checked the GPS to avoid gangland. I was sure there would be snipers along the periférico and I just prayed I didn't take a wrong turn.
Arrived safely at my hotel in the centre of Comayagua. Once again fabulous and 25 dollars. Had a walk to the centre park,very nice. Had a nice meal in a restaurant owned by a guy who spoke perfect English thanks to his life as an illegal in the US. He only got caught when he mismatched his fingerprints and driving licence. The rest of his family haven't been caught yet so they are still there.
The roads in Honduras are not really awful they are just bad with patches with bad enough potholes to need a ladder.Needless to say progress suffered.
Next stop Copan Ruinas near the border and I roll up outside Casa Elena B&B wondering what I had booked. No sooner did I stop outside than I was greeted like a long lost family member and shown where I could park.
Checking in I was given a drink and then shown to a room set in nice gardens. I have to say that this was possibly the best place I have stayed. Lunch and dinner for 8 dollars for both snd coffee brought to my room mid afternoon because I had said that I enjoyed the coffee at breakfast .
Now it brings you down to earth with a bump when,as a ruffty tuffty biker, going where people fear to tread, that you start chatting to a group of pensioners from Avingon at the Mayan Ruins.
The journey has been tough going with plenty of mountains combined with trucks, Not a good combination ! !
Random ramblings from memory.
The crossing from Costa Rica to Nicoragua needed fumigation or to be more clear needed a reciept for fumigation. What a joy to find that after getting everything photocopied the documents were scanned into the system.
A couple of days spent in Granada Nicoragua at a Palestinian owned hotel. Very hospitable but the power of the dollar and the architecture means that there are a lot of tourists and backpackers which means that it's probably more enjoyable being a backpacker than paying over the odds enjoying the efforts at cuisine in the pavement cafés.
Stopped in Esteli and visited a cigar factory. A lot of women sitting at tables rolling cigars. Whilst we tourists were taking photographs and paying a premium for organic cigars.
Very nice hotel in Esteli but not cheap. I guess if you can afford cigars. ........
Next stop Ocotal close to the Honduran border. Nice (cheap) hotel . The strange thing is that we (I ?) Tend to think that standards in Central America are going to be lower than North American /European standards. Thanks to my new status as a travelling old fart I am discovering that I have wasted a fortune in days gone by. These family run hotels give much more than the chains.
It's with a certain trepidation that I head to the Honduran border. I have a vision of marauding tatooed gangs lining the road waiting to take me hostage.
I was to be disappointed. Met a group of Mexican bikers returning home after a trip to a meet in Costa Rica.
No hassle entry into Honduras, eyes peeled for pirates and on my way to a resort just outside Valle de Angeles. I'm glad it wasn't raining as the slope of the entrance was puckering in the dry. Beautiful resort set in the rolling hills just outside town. Ideal for a couple of nights to get the blog done and some minor running repairs.
The owner seemed surprised that I complained that the very things I had chosen the hotel for didn't exist. No Wi-Fi, no restaurant, No water in the pool.
At least it was peaceful. Because of the fear of getting back up the driveway I arranged a moto taxi to take me to town. Now the driver didn't actually say " hey fatty get out " but he did ask me to get off until he got to the top of the drive. Luckily he was carrying oxygen to revive me when I staggered back in and he delivered me to a restaurant where I enjoyed (I use the word enjoyed in its full meaning ) a meal típico. It's obvious that Hondurans know how to live. Where in the civilised west would you find a restaurateur offering to collect you in the evening so you can return for dinner?
Next leg meant passing Tegucigalpa and I double checked the GPS to avoid gangland. I was sure there would be snipers along the periférico and I just prayed I didn't take a wrong turn.
Arrived safely at my hotel in the centre of Comayagua. Once again fabulous and 25 dollars. Had a walk to the centre park,very nice. Had a nice meal in a restaurant owned by a guy who spoke perfect English thanks to his life as an illegal in the US. He only got caught when he mismatched his fingerprints and driving licence. The rest of his family haven't been caught yet so they are still there.
The roads in Honduras are not really awful they are just bad with patches with bad enough potholes to need a ladder.Needless to say progress suffered.
Next stop Copan Ruinas near the border and I roll up outside Casa Elena B&B wondering what I had booked. No sooner did I stop outside than I was greeted like a long lost family member and shown where I could park.
Checking in I was given a drink and then shown to a room set in nice gardens. I have to say that this was possibly the best place I have stayed. Lunch and dinner for 8 dollars for both snd coffee brought to my room mid afternoon because I had said that I enjoyed the coffee at breakfast .
Now it brings you down to earth with a bump when,as a ruffty tuffty biker, going where people fear to tread, that you start chatting to a group of pensioners from Avingon at the Mayan Ruins.
Sunday, January 3, 2016
UPDATE FROM PANAMA
After resting from the road for what seems like a year I am almost ready to complete the last 2 legs. April 2016 should see me on the road en route from Panama to Mexico and June/July should see the end of the primary goal and the start of a new adventure.
Retirement is staring me in the face so instead sitting endless hours travelling backwards and forwards on flights I will be able to spend endless nights camping and eating pasta while waiting for the next pension payment to carry on . Still many challenges to face in the remaining time so I think I better get a move on.
Judging by the number of enquiries I've had about the lack of new blog I guess I'm back to blogging in the dark, the digital version of talking to yourself
More soon.............
Retirement is staring me in the face so instead sitting endless hours travelling backwards and forwards on flights I will be able to spend endless nights camping and eating pasta while waiting for the next pension payment to carry on . Still many challenges to face in the remaining time so I think I better get a move on.
Judging by the number of enquiries I've had about the lack of new blog I guess I'm back to blogging in the dark, the digital version of talking to yourself
More soon.............
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
BOGOTA TO PANAMA JANUARY 2015
Once again I have been overawed by kindness people have shown me and special thanks go to " El Negro "
 |
| With El Negro |
Before travelling home a few days in Barranquilla was the order of the day.
When faced with friendliness at every turn, It's easy to forget how dangerous these places are. That is until you see someone with a gun held to their head being forced to hand over a mobile phone. In the middle of the day on a main road its certainly thought provoking.
The food here in Barranquilla is excellent and I am amazed how the same staples as East Africa can be served so differently.
Barranquilla is one of the major carnival sites in the world and I have seen the salsa and fandango first hand. You have to wonder how these places will be spoiled as tourism kicks in.
Saturday, January 10, 2015
QUITO TO BOGOTA, AUGUST 2014
Quito to Bogota
I'm back, where was I?
I guess I must have hit the wall and been lacking a bit of motivation caused by a couple of repairs.
After due consideration I have reached the conclusion that there is no reason forcing me to continue other than my own stubbornness and the fact that I don't want to wonder what it would have been like to have finished.
After due consideration I have reached the conclusion that there is no reason forcing me to continue other than my own stubbornness and the fact that I don't want to wonder what it would have been like to have finished.
2 days before going back to pick up my bike in Quito I recieved word that I needed to carry a new clutch with me and, as the two days were to be spent mainly sitting on a plane, this was a challenge to say the least. I picked up the parts in Chicago at Countryside BMW and carried them with me.Sounds simple enough but i am now on the mailing list of twenty parts suppliers plus on arrival at Ecuadorian customs there was a debate as to whether parts for a motorcycle on temporary import papers are themselves temporary imports, all in spanish, (at least they were speaking spanish and I was doing my best Manuel impression , que ? )
The nice customs supervisor took pity on me and I was soon on my way to deliver the clutch to Diego .
25/8/14
25/8/14
Away we go, riding through the centre of Quito trying to find my way out, complicated slightly by road closures due to an earthquake.
I was a bit concerned because when I said I expected to reach Bogota in three days the guys from freedom tours had to dry their trousers.
Ecuador is a very beautiful country and has a lot to recommend it and even more that I haven't seen.The last night in Ecuador I tucked in to chinese food at my hotel in Tulcan
26/8/14
I was a bit concerned because when I said I expected to reach Bogota in three days the guys from freedom tours had to dry their trousers.
Ecuador is a very beautiful country and has a lot to recommend it and even more that I haven't seen.The last night in Ecuador I tucked in to chinese food at my hotel in Tulcan
26/8/14
Up early and reach the border at Rumichaca/Ipiales with the whole day ahead and a certain amount of trepidation, well founded it turns out but not for the more obvious reasons.
I don't know what it is about officials in Ecuador but they process people when they have nothing better to do, they obviously have an agreement with Saudi Arabian immigration department for training.
Columbia is a country ready to welcome visitors and the formalities were almost a pleasure , even down to being allowed in and riding 20 kms to the nearest town to buy insurance. I was soon on my way and apart from groups of fully armed soldiers every so often I wondered what all the fuss was about and began thinking maybe I would manage in less than three days and was imagining my triumphant entrance into Bogota.
One thing that I discovered is that there are a lot of trucks on the road in Columbia, later on I was to discover an interesting fact about these trucks, namely that their fastest speed going around hairpin bends is slower than my absolute wobble speed, add to this the incline and the going was interesting to say the least. Today was without doubt the hardest days riding I have ever done , overtaking trucks and trailers through the tightest of gaps. When I found a hotel for the night I had to clean my underpants
Hotel with bike parked in the room 10 USD.There is a downside to not having many tourists and that is that you end up ordering food about which you have no clue, sometimes nice, sometimes different.
27/8/14
Up early and on the road I discovered that there was no relief from the trucks and with the constant climbing and descending this was really really tough, even a break to have a battle of wits with a policeman trying to solicit a bribe didn't lighten the load. The policeman obviously thought I was loco when I thanked him for saving me having to ride all the way to Bogota when he told me he was going to call a truck and a crane to take my bike away.
Eventually I arrived in Bogota in the rain, it was quite interesting discovering that my tyres do not grip very well in the rain, especially on smooth tar repairs.Another interesting thing is the way the rush hour traffic will happily run into you if you don't get out of the way, this is without doubt the worst traffic I have encountered. I chickened out at one stage and asked if I could wait on a garage forcourt till the traffic died down, they said I was welcome to wait but they were only open for another 4 hours.
Eventually arrived at a hotel after 14 hrs of the hardest riding i have ever done.
28/8/14
BARRANQUILA AND CARTAGENA
After the stress of Bogota this is like heaven. Of course I don't have to make a living here but I can't find anything bad about good weather, good food and music at every turn.
The first hotel ( in Barranquilla ) was a bit basic,
People started arriving by surf board for breakfast, from where I have no idea.
Just one night was enough and on to Cartagena.
The centre of Cartagena came as a shock, the architecture was like being transported back in time, not at all rundown.
I am only scratching the surface as I pass through but I have to say that Columbia is my favorite place so far, the problem will be when the tourism takes off and everywhere is made the same as everywhere else in the west
I don't know what it is about officials in Ecuador but they process people when they have nothing better to do, they obviously have an agreement with Saudi Arabian immigration department for training.
Columbia is a country ready to welcome visitors and the formalities were almost a pleasure , even down to being allowed in and riding 20 kms to the nearest town to buy insurance. I was soon on my way and apart from groups of fully armed soldiers every so often I wondered what all the fuss was about and began thinking maybe I would manage in less than three days and was imagining my triumphant entrance into Bogota.
One thing that I discovered is that there are a lot of trucks on the road in Columbia, later on I was to discover an interesting fact about these trucks, namely that their fastest speed going around hairpin bends is slower than my absolute wobble speed, add to this the incline and the going was interesting to say the least. Today was without doubt the hardest days riding I have ever done , overtaking trucks and trailers through the tightest of gaps. When I found a hotel for the night I had to clean my underpants
Hotel with bike parked in the room 10 USD.There is a downside to not having many tourists and that is that you end up ordering food about which you have no clue, sometimes nice, sometimes different.
27/8/14
Up early and on the road I discovered that there was no relief from the trucks and with the constant climbing and descending this was really really tough, even a break to have a battle of wits with a policeman trying to solicit a bribe didn't lighten the load. The policeman obviously thought I was loco when I thanked him for saving me having to ride all the way to Bogota when he told me he was going to call a truck and a crane to take my bike away.
Eventually I arrived in Bogota in the rain, it was quite interesting discovering that my tyres do not grip very well in the rain, especially on smooth tar repairs.Another interesting thing is the way the rush hour traffic will happily run into you if you don't get out of the way, this is without doubt the worst traffic I have encountered. I chickened out at one stage and asked if I could wait on a garage forcourt till the traffic died down, they said I was welcome to wait but they were only open for another 4 hours.
Eventually arrived at a hotel after 14 hrs of the hardest riding i have ever done.
28/8/14
BARRANQUILA AND CARTAGENA
After the stress of Bogota this is like heaven. Of course I don't have to make a living here but I can't find anything bad about good weather, good food and music at every turn.
The first hotel ( in Barranquilla ) was a bit basic,
People started arriving by surf board for breakfast, from where I have no idea.
Just one night was enough and on to Cartagena.
The centre of Cartagena came as a shock, the architecture was like being transported back in time, not at all rundown.
I am only scratching the surface as I pass through but I have to say that Columbia is my favorite place so far, the problem will be when the tourism takes off and everywhere is made the same as everywhere else in the west
Friday, June 27, 2014
COCHABAMBA TO QUITO JUNE 2014
10/6/14
Arrived in Cochabamba via Buenos Aires, exhausted but excited. I feel quite at home in Cochabamba and settle for a couple of days preparing for the journey ahead.
Lake Titicaca had been niggling away in my mind and I suddenly remembered about a book I had read in the late 1970s that I now realise is probably instrumental into why I am doing all this, The incredible Journey by Tristan Jones describing his journey from Lake Titicaca to the Dead Sea by boat. What is more incredible is that when looking him up on the internet it turns out one of his boats had my family name, well, incredible to me anyway.
13/6/14 COCHABAMBA TO PATACAMAYA
The weather in Cochabamba was excellent and after a long debate with myself I put the liner in my riding suit and set off through the morning traffic to the outskirts of town where I was waved through the toll barrier and the adventure began.
I was planning about 300 miles a day to Quito and in my ignorance figured it was easily do-able even if I got behind the first couple of days.I had been worrying about all sorts of things, strikes, altitude sickness etc but everything was fine, lots of hairpins and climbs going over 4000 metres back down again before climbing again to Patacamaya at 4000 metres. I hadn't worried about getting a flat tire but nevertheless I got one but that meant that I was able to ease my mind about the efficasy of my telescopic hand pump. Murphy's law seems to dictate that things only happen in the middle of nowhere . I couldn't find any puncture puncture and I was able to get enough air into the tire to carry on. It seems strange that in the middle of nowhere, a small village will be full of tire repair establishments and high in the Andes I pulled over and had a proper check to see where the air was leaking and having fixed the problem handed over 50 cents and was on my way.
I don't best know how to describe Patacamaya, I suppose it is a market town and it was the first place where there was any accommodation. Having enquired about hotels at the petrol station but not fully understood the answer I cruised up and down the main street trying to figure which place to plump for.There were various Hospedajes in various stages of being completed but I eventually decided on the Potosi Hotel which, compared to the rest , looked rather grand and had locked parking.
In my best Spanish I asked if they had any vacancies and was told a price which I was sure I had misunderstood. 6 dollars for an en-suite room in the finest hotel in town, surely there was some mistake. No, the price was correct and I was given the key in exchange for Bolivars and I set off to my room. Basic is a word that comes to mind , well used is a good description of the bed and it is true that the bathroom had all the pieces one would expect in a bathroom although it is not a good time to realise there is no toilet paper right when you need it most. I think I had been blindsided trying to avoid the water on the floor as i sat down.
There was even a TV, at the price, how do they do it I wondered. Having dumped my bag and put the padlock back on the door I headed off in search of food . It was around this time that I realised that at this altitude all I could manage was a slow amble.To cut a long story short I quickly realised that I was not going to find a decent restaurant in this place and having perused one or two purveyors of grilled chicken and chips I headed back to my room with a couple of bottles of water and some chocolate biscuits, oh, and a toilet roll.
It must have been while I was sitting on the bed tucking into my feast and watching the blurred outline of a Brazil match that I realised that it was getting cold and that there was no heater.The night was spent fully clothed in bed and I am still here to tell the story.
14/6/14 PATACAMAYA TO ARICA
Such was the comfort of the Potosi hotel that I was on the road before light and it wasn't much longer before I couldn't feel my fingers in the freezing cold but as the sun came up things got better.
Border crossing at Tambo Quemada was very busy but well organised and then I was into Chile and the descent from 4600 metres began.
I have to say that these twisty roads with shear drops of god knows how far certainly help to focus on your imortality but also it is hard to imagine the vastness, At 4000 metres plus on the alto plano its just like being on another level and you don't get the impression of being in the mountains, that is if you ignore the altitude sickness.
Bolivia is my favorite country so far, it is relatively unspoiled and there is a huge difference between the cities and the rural areas.I have to pinch myself to realise this is all real and that it is me high in the Andes, witnessing what I had only imagined before. If I had been better at geography or if Geography at school could be made half as exciting as it really is I am sure it would have been my best subject. As I have seen relatively little I have to return , It's tough but somebody has to do it.
The night was spent in a very nice hotel with a very very nice room on the coast of Chile in Arica. In the cold light of day I realised that I was two hundred miles behind schedule after only 2 days of travel.
15/6/14 ARICA TO CAMANA
I was up and away before breakfast, this was the day, I decided, I was going to make up the miles and get back on schedule.
Good ride to one of the main border crossings and was really pleased to arrive at the same time as a load of coaches, shared a joke with a Chilean about his team , turns out he was Australian, How we laughed.
There seems to be some uniformity about all these land borders in as much as it seems the busier they are the more efficient they operate. It wasn't long before I was on my way again wondering once again why I was putting myself through this.
For some reason I had got it into my head that all would be more or less easy going at sea level for the rest of my route to Quito. The fact of it was that following the coast meant climbing and following twisting roads through the edge of the Andes, added to this was the enjoyment of battling the trucks, where were they coming from ? I wondered and more importantly, where were they going?
Eventually reached Camana, Its a nice feeling arriving at the end of a hard tiring ride, cruising into town feeling like a conquering hero and wondering why nobody else is interested, maybe I should put stickers all over my bike.
Signed into what seemed a reasonable hotel. It was comfortable enough and the meal in the restaurant was nice enough but I stupidly expected to be able to get a good nights sleep. All was not lost however because by the time I left I was almost singing along to the throbbing beat of South American Salsa music emanating from the disco downstairs and luckily it was only between 1 am and 5 am. Seems Saturday night is the same the world over ( complete with youths vomiting in the main square.)
16/614 CAMANA TO BARRANCA
Today I would be traversing Lima, I had been looking forward to this since leaving Cochabamba, there is something bracing about being in the madness of a capital city's traffic on a motorcycle. It's something we all should experience so that we show more courtesy to strangers we see on the road.
I had been perusing the map and was comfortable with the fact that the Pan Americana went through Lima and out the other side, albeit by a fairly circuitous route. The traffic was building nicely as I approached the city and I held my speed and nerve to avoid being cut up by the locals. I have long done away with my earphones for the GPS so I was travelling along glancing down regularly to make sure I was still on the red line and feeling quite pleased with myself at my progress.
Three hours after entering the city I came out the other side trembling and sweating. These highways are very fine until you miss a turning and then have to find your way back .I think I can confidently say that I have seen parts of Lima that no sane foreigner would venture into and I discovered that the local taxi drivers either have a warped sense of humour or genuinely don't know how to get back to the PanAmerican Norte.
As is my habit I was in an hotel in Barranca about three in the afternoon and enjoyed a very nice lunch. I have to say that the food in Peru has been the best in the whole of South America, at least to my uncultured palate it seems that way. The hotel is really quite good, right in the centre of town and 30 years ago it was probably quite grand but the service was still excellent .
17/6/14 BARANCA TO CHICLAYA
Another day of more of the same, climbing high and coming down again, endless miles of mountainous terrain, good fun but better not get too near the limits with shear drops at the sides of the road and the odd truck coming the other way on my side of the road.
Got stopped for a document check/ BS session by the Peruvian police. Many many years ago when travelling in far away places people would ask where you came from and then in a friendship ritual would do a thumbs up and say " Bobby Charlton " , Imagine my surprise , after telling them I was from Liverpool , to be greeted with a thumbs up and " Stevie Gerrard, Corazon de Liverpool ", I wonder if he knows he is famous even amongst the Peruvian Caribinieri, and in a different way to many Liverpool Scallies.
18/6/14 CHICLAYA TO TUMBES
I was debating whether to get into Ecuador today but largely because I had changed too much money into Peruvian I decided to stay in Tumbes. Again another hard days ride, its not easy to cover large distances on these roads but I had clawed back most of the deficit and I was left with 385 miles the next day to reach Quito. I travelled past a lot of resorts, typical of a lot of sea-side places in many parts of the world. Still a long way to go before they are spoilt but they are working on it.
The hotel in Chiclaya was nice and I had booked ahead to the same chain in Tumbes and early afternoon was enjoying lunch wondering how Ecuador would be the next day.
19/6/14 TUMBES TO QUITO
Every time I ask somebody how far somewhere is I get an answer in hours but looking at 40 miles on a map and being told three hours had me wondering so I was on the road before dawn to get to the border. After 40 mins I arrived at a huge Border crossing area with both the Peruvian and Ecuadorian immigration in one building and the Peruvian customs about 150 metres away. I was the only person wanting to cross at this hour and having woken the Ecuadorian immigration official from a deep sleep slumped over her desk I headed back to cancel the import papers for the bike.
Oh how I laughed when I arrived back at my bike and discovered I had lost my keys. Once again Murphy came to the fore as I eventually found them at the last place I looked.
For some reason the Ecuadorian Customs was 20 Kms further on and when I got there once again I was the only customer.
They say things are sent to test us and standing for over an hour while an official talks to his mate is truly testing, especially when you have got out of bed extra early to complete 380 miles during the day.
I had no idea what to expect in Ecuador, I knew it was fairly well off comparatively as it is an attraction to retirees. I have to say that a long hard ride was the order of the day way up high into the mountains , but here was different. The vegetation was lush and the vista truly mindblowing in parts, I just wish I had had more time, obviously I am now going have to do the return journey taking more time once I have achieved my goal.
Getting into Quito seemed to take forever coming down into the city from way up high and actually travelling through the clouds.
I can honestly say that the traffic in Quito is the worst so far in that it didn't seem to move. Of course I might be biased having taken three hours to find my pre-booked hotel after a ten hour ride. I went to bed that night with a huge sense of achievement having covered over 4000 kms.
QUITO
Arrived in Cochabamba via Buenos Aires, exhausted but excited. I feel quite at home in Cochabamba and settle for a couple of days preparing for the journey ahead.
Lake Titicaca had been niggling away in my mind and I suddenly remembered about a book I had read in the late 1970s that I now realise is probably instrumental into why I am doing all this, The incredible Journey by Tristan Jones describing his journey from Lake Titicaca to the Dead Sea by boat. What is more incredible is that when looking him up on the internet it turns out one of his boats had my family name, well, incredible to me anyway.
13/6/14 COCHABAMBA TO PATACAMAYA
The weather in Cochabamba was excellent and after a long debate with myself I put the liner in my riding suit and set off through the morning traffic to the outskirts of town where I was waved through the toll barrier and the adventure began.
I was planning about 300 miles a day to Quito and in my ignorance figured it was easily do-able even if I got behind the first couple of days.I had been worrying about all sorts of things, strikes, altitude sickness etc but everything was fine, lots of hairpins and climbs going over 4000 metres back down again before climbing again to Patacamaya at 4000 metres. I hadn't worried about getting a flat tire but nevertheless I got one but that meant that I was able to ease my mind about the efficasy of my telescopic hand pump. Murphy's law seems to dictate that things only happen in the middle of nowhere . I couldn't find any puncture puncture and I was able to get enough air into the tire to carry on. It seems strange that in the middle of nowhere, a small village will be full of tire repair establishments and high in the Andes I pulled over and had a proper check to see where the air was leaking and having fixed the problem handed over 50 cents and was on my way.
I don't best know how to describe Patacamaya, I suppose it is a market town and it was the first place where there was any accommodation. Having enquired about hotels at the petrol station but not fully understood the answer I cruised up and down the main street trying to figure which place to plump for.There were various Hospedajes in various stages of being completed but I eventually decided on the Potosi Hotel which, compared to the rest , looked rather grand and had locked parking.
In my best Spanish I asked if they had any vacancies and was told a price which I was sure I had misunderstood. 6 dollars for an en-suite room in the finest hotel in town, surely there was some mistake. No, the price was correct and I was given the key in exchange for Bolivars and I set off to my room. Basic is a word that comes to mind , well used is a good description of the bed and it is true that the bathroom had all the pieces one would expect in a bathroom although it is not a good time to realise there is no toilet paper right when you need it most. I think I had been blindsided trying to avoid the water on the floor as i sat down.
There was even a TV, at the price, how do they do it I wondered. Having dumped my bag and put the padlock back on the door I headed off in search of food . It was around this time that I realised that at this altitude all I could manage was a slow amble.To cut a long story short I quickly realised that I was not going to find a decent restaurant in this place and having perused one or two purveyors of grilled chicken and chips I headed back to my room with a couple of bottles of water and some chocolate biscuits, oh, and a toilet roll.
It must have been while I was sitting on the bed tucking into my feast and watching the blurred outline of a Brazil match that I realised that it was getting cold and that there was no heater.The night was spent fully clothed in bed and I am still here to tell the story.
14/6/14 PATACAMAYA TO ARICA
Such was the comfort of the Potosi hotel that I was on the road before light and it wasn't much longer before I couldn't feel my fingers in the freezing cold but as the sun came up things got better.
Border crossing at Tambo Quemada was very busy but well organised and then I was into Chile and the descent from 4600 metres began.
I have to say that these twisty roads with shear drops of god knows how far certainly help to focus on your imortality but also it is hard to imagine the vastness, At 4000 metres plus on the alto plano its just like being on another level and you don't get the impression of being in the mountains, that is if you ignore the altitude sickness.
Bolivia is my favorite country so far, it is relatively unspoiled and there is a huge difference between the cities and the rural areas.I have to pinch myself to realise this is all real and that it is me high in the Andes, witnessing what I had only imagined before. If I had been better at geography or if Geography at school could be made half as exciting as it really is I am sure it would have been my best subject. As I have seen relatively little I have to return , It's tough but somebody has to do it.
The night was spent in a very nice hotel with a very very nice room on the coast of Chile in Arica. In the cold light of day I realised that I was two hundred miles behind schedule after only 2 days of travel.
15/6/14 ARICA TO CAMANA
I was up and away before breakfast, this was the day, I decided, I was going to make up the miles and get back on schedule.
Good ride to one of the main border crossings and was really pleased to arrive at the same time as a load of coaches, shared a joke with a Chilean about his team , turns out he was Australian, How we laughed.
There seems to be some uniformity about all these land borders in as much as it seems the busier they are the more efficient they operate. It wasn't long before I was on my way again wondering once again why I was putting myself through this.
For some reason I had got it into my head that all would be more or less easy going at sea level for the rest of my route to Quito. The fact of it was that following the coast meant climbing and following twisting roads through the edge of the Andes, added to this was the enjoyment of battling the trucks, where were they coming from ? I wondered and more importantly, where were they going?
Eventually reached Camana, Its a nice feeling arriving at the end of a hard tiring ride, cruising into town feeling like a conquering hero and wondering why nobody else is interested, maybe I should put stickers all over my bike.
Signed into what seemed a reasonable hotel. It was comfortable enough and the meal in the restaurant was nice enough but I stupidly expected to be able to get a good nights sleep. All was not lost however because by the time I left I was almost singing along to the throbbing beat of South American Salsa music emanating from the disco downstairs and luckily it was only between 1 am and 5 am. Seems Saturday night is the same the world over ( complete with youths vomiting in the main square.)
16/614 CAMANA TO BARRANCA
Today I would be traversing Lima, I had been looking forward to this since leaving Cochabamba, there is something bracing about being in the madness of a capital city's traffic on a motorcycle. It's something we all should experience so that we show more courtesy to strangers we see on the road.
I had been perusing the map and was comfortable with the fact that the Pan Americana went through Lima and out the other side, albeit by a fairly circuitous route. The traffic was building nicely as I approached the city and I held my speed and nerve to avoid being cut up by the locals. I have long done away with my earphones for the GPS so I was travelling along glancing down regularly to make sure I was still on the red line and feeling quite pleased with myself at my progress.
Three hours after entering the city I came out the other side trembling and sweating. These highways are very fine until you miss a turning and then have to find your way back .I think I can confidently say that I have seen parts of Lima that no sane foreigner would venture into and I discovered that the local taxi drivers either have a warped sense of humour or genuinely don't know how to get back to the PanAmerican Norte.
As is my habit I was in an hotel in Barranca about three in the afternoon and enjoyed a very nice lunch. I have to say that the food in Peru has been the best in the whole of South America, at least to my uncultured palate it seems that way. The hotel is really quite good, right in the centre of town and 30 years ago it was probably quite grand but the service was still excellent .
17/6/14 BARANCA TO CHICLAYA
Another day of more of the same, climbing high and coming down again, endless miles of mountainous terrain, good fun but better not get too near the limits with shear drops at the sides of the road and the odd truck coming the other way on my side of the road.
Got stopped for a document check/ BS session by the Peruvian police. Many many years ago when travelling in far away places people would ask where you came from and then in a friendship ritual would do a thumbs up and say " Bobby Charlton " , Imagine my surprise , after telling them I was from Liverpool , to be greeted with a thumbs up and " Stevie Gerrard, Corazon de Liverpool ", I wonder if he knows he is famous even amongst the Peruvian Caribinieri, and in a different way to many Liverpool Scallies.
18/6/14 CHICLAYA TO TUMBES
I was debating whether to get into Ecuador today but largely because I had changed too much money into Peruvian I decided to stay in Tumbes. Again another hard days ride, its not easy to cover large distances on these roads but I had clawed back most of the deficit and I was left with 385 miles the next day to reach Quito. I travelled past a lot of resorts, typical of a lot of sea-side places in many parts of the world. Still a long way to go before they are spoilt but they are working on it.
The hotel in Chiclaya was nice and I had booked ahead to the same chain in Tumbes and early afternoon was enjoying lunch wondering how Ecuador would be the next day.
19/6/14 TUMBES TO QUITO
Every time I ask somebody how far somewhere is I get an answer in hours but looking at 40 miles on a map and being told three hours had me wondering so I was on the road before dawn to get to the border. After 40 mins I arrived at a huge Border crossing area with both the Peruvian and Ecuadorian immigration in one building and the Peruvian customs about 150 metres away. I was the only person wanting to cross at this hour and having woken the Ecuadorian immigration official from a deep sleep slumped over her desk I headed back to cancel the import papers for the bike.
Oh how I laughed when I arrived back at my bike and discovered I had lost my keys. Once again Murphy came to the fore as I eventually found them at the last place I looked.
For some reason the Ecuadorian Customs was 20 Kms further on and when I got there once again I was the only customer.
They say things are sent to test us and standing for over an hour while an official talks to his mate is truly testing, especially when you have got out of bed extra early to complete 380 miles during the day.
I had no idea what to expect in Ecuador, I knew it was fairly well off comparatively as it is an attraction to retirees. I have to say that a long hard ride was the order of the day way up high into the mountains , but here was different. The vegetation was lush and the vista truly mindblowing in parts, I just wish I had had more time, obviously I am now going have to do the return journey taking more time once I have achieved my goal.
Getting into Quito seemed to take forever coming down into the city from way up high and actually travelling through the clouds.
I can honestly say that the traffic in Quito is the worst so far in that it didn't seem to move. Of course I might be biased having taken three hours to find my pre-booked hotel after a ten hour ride. I went to bed that night with a huge sense of achievement having covered over 4000 kms.
QUITO
Friday, May 23, 2014
BOLIVIA, MARCH 2014
Not a lot to report from the road as I only rode about 250 miles. I arrived in Santa Cruz Bolivia in heavy rain and overnighted in a very very nice hotel, I guess ill gotten gains ( Not mine I hasten to add ) have to be spent somewhere.
Travelling around I began to wonder at what stage money becomes clean. Given that Bolivia is not a rich country it seemed a little incongruous to see Mercedes, Porsche, Bmw and Ferrari agents side by side open for business. I am sure they are not there just in case . I guess business is business.
My friends from Samaipata had arranged a taxi for me to bring me to collect my bike, unfortunately the rain was still hammering down. One of the charms of Bolivia is the road network and the abundance of unpaved roads. After my adventures in Patagonia I am very wary about venturing on wet unpaved roads and as my route included almost 100 miles of " Ripio " through the mountains I abandoned all hope of reaching Ecuador and decided that when it was dry I would base myself in Cochabamba and take things easy.
Hotel in Samaipata was an eco hotel and having nothing to do but chill for a couple of days I learned to appreciate the quiet that goes with staying in an hotel 3000 mtres up in the Andies, and about 5 kms outside of the town. I didn't quite make it to the top of all the walls.
It's amazing how comfortable somewhere can be made using basic materials and imagination
Bolivia Motorcycle Adventures
Travelling around I began to wonder at what stage money becomes clean. Given that Bolivia is not a rich country it seemed a little incongruous to see Mercedes, Porsche, Bmw and Ferrari agents side by side open for business. I am sure they are not there just in case . I guess business is business.
My friends from Samaipata had arranged a taxi for me to bring me to collect my bike, unfortunately the rain was still hammering down. One of the charms of Bolivia is the road network and the abundance of unpaved roads. After my adventures in Patagonia I am very wary about venturing on wet unpaved roads and as my route included almost 100 miles of " Ripio " through the mountains I abandoned all hope of reaching Ecuador and decided that when it was dry I would base myself in Cochabamba and take things easy.
Hotel in Samaipata was an eco hotel and having nothing to do but chill for a couple of days I learned to appreciate the quiet that goes with staying in an hotel 3000 mtres up in the Andies, and about 5 kms outside of the town. I didn't quite make it to the top of all the walls.
It's amazing how comfortable somewhere can be made using basic materials and imagination
Finally the day came to head for the hills and an easy 250 miles from Samaipata to Cochabamba. Set off in bright sunshine down to main road and waved goodbye to my new friend Maarten who had been looking after my bike for me, once again I had found kindness and good people to help me realize my dream. The first part of the road was good and the going was easy, I had had advice as to where to buy petrol so duly pulled in to fill up.
I suppose the biggest difference between being in a country where rules are enforced to the point where we are no longer free and some of the less developed countries is that common sense sometimes prevails. I am finding that a friendly demeaner gets me a long way here in Bolivia and after being told initially that I was unable to buy petrol because I was on a foreign registered bike eventually I was able to buy at the local rate , this was after a committee meeting of the various layers of seniority in the middle of the forecourt.
A smile and a friendly wave and we are once again on our ( my ) way. Even though I had been assured that the unpaved road was not much of a challenge I was still a little apprehensive as I got ever closer to the 80 miles of Ripio through the mountains.
I started on the packed gravel quite warily but gradually gained confidence and got my speed above wobble and after a while I started to wonder what I had been worrying about. Apart from a section that was still a bit damp the road was quite good and my fingers gradually released from vicelike to normal, other body parts unclenched as well.
The views were fantastic and looking back and seeing the road winding around the mountain was truly awesome, it is days like this that make it all worth while. I just wish I had taken more photographs. One thing is sure I have to come back here with a smaller bike.
Coming back onto the asphalt I headed across a plain, I don't know how high it was but it was freezing cold and it seems strange that everywhere is green, not at all as you would expect mountain tops to be. It was a hell of a buzz speeding across what seemed to be the top of the world. I didn't dwell on too many of the worlds problems as the ride was spellbinding. I am so glad I didn't wimp out and take the new paved route.
A very enjoyable ride to Cochabamba on an excellent road. I don't know what I was expecting but Bolivia is surprising me. The cities are quite modern and although supposedly a poorer country it is way above African standards. The driving in the cities although not good is way more easy to contend with than the likes of Istanbul.
Bolivia Motorcycle Adventures
Monday, January 27, 2014
BUENOS AIRES TO SANTA CRUZ DE LA SIERRA, JAN 2014
18/1/2014 Buenos Aires to Esquina
Bright and early to collect the bike from Dakar Motos.Nice bright weather saw me soaked in sweat waving goodbye to Sandra and Javier and on my way to Esquina for my first stop. No chance of rain and temperatures of 42ºc provided a different challenge to frostbite.
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| Posada Hambare |
20/1/2014 Esquina to Formosa
I have been learning Spanish as I go along but I must have got the wrong meaning for bright and early. After an hour standing waiting for someone to check me out I was nice and mellow when they multiplied the number of dollars by the blue exchange rate to give me a 50% increase on the bill. Evidently my Spanish is not so bad as they realised I was a little upset and put matters right and I left in a cloud of dust muttering to myself for the next twenty miles.
400 miles with nothing but the occasional friendly wave from Gouchos .One advantage of being geographically challenged was that not realising the size of Corrientes meant I hadn't worried about riding through in the midday rush hour.
The hotel in Formosa was a resort with a Casino. Nothing Monte Carlo about this place, I guess there are sad people everywhere. The hotel itself was nice but the food was awful.
21/1/2014, Formosa to Tartagal
Early start to beat the heat, luckily not so early that nobody was passing to help me pick the bike up. Climbing aboard an already started bike and not taking care about the gear change lever resulted in a " Suarez " roll , a bruised ego, ( lucky I was not at the main entrance to the hotel ), and a broken indicator. Duly chastened I was on my way for a 500 mile day.
Being a public holiday Tartagal was like a ghost town but in the evening things got lively with everybody out and about in the relative cool of the evening. It was noticeable that the population was a lot less European in appearance and more indigenous, it was also noticeable that once out of the garden spots of Argentina the areas are a lot poorer looking.
I was feeling excited at the prospect of entering Bolivia the next day.
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| Hotel Almuñecar |
Early start but already decidedly warm and by the time I reached the border it was getting nice and hot. Luckily the border formalities were an open air affair, just nice when you are wearing full riding gear with the sun beating down.
To describe the formalities as a shambles is perhaps going a bit far, but not much. We are back to the domain of the touts who really are not needed unless you want to jump the queues. No further comment.
Once out of the chaos of the border the adventure begins.
Stopping to top up my tank before reaching Camiri I discovered tourists pay about 3x the price of locals for fuel, also when I asked the girl pump attendant if the service station had wifi she seemed to find the idea very amusing, yes, this was South America proper at last.
Ever onward and into the town of Camiri trying to locate the hotel.Today was another holiday so the town was very quiet. My GPS was loaded with a free download which while excellent for Argentina and Chile was rather basic for Bolivia and I was looking for the hotel by its co-ordinates. Without fail, each time I stopped to figure out the roads somebody went out of their way to ask where I was looking for. Amazing how you feel good about a place by simple acts of kindness.
The JR Hotel was an example of why well run family hotels are better than five star chains. Comfortable, clean accommodation, give a sh.. factor very high, food simple and good and the owner friendly and interested in his guests, all this and cheap.
23/1/2014 Camiri to Saimapata
Early start, 250 miles to Saimapata to leave the bike and I need to get back to Santa Cruz ( 120 kms) where I had a hotel booked. Having been a bit reticent about visiting Bolivia the further I rode the gladder I became that I was here. The roads got more and more twisty and after the long straight drag through Argentina I started to remember why I enjoy being on my bike. Stopping to fill up I managed to get local rates, maybe it was because I bothered to try to chat with the local youths queueing with their plastic jerrycans or maybe just because the petrol pump attendant couldn't be bothered with the paperwork,anyway this is definitely a friendly place up to now.
Once off the main Santa Cruz highway and onto the old Cochabamba road to Saimapata there was a steady climb and the roads were similar to mountain roads all over the world with hairpins and plenty of good twisties, there were also plenty of potholes to keep you honest and your eyes open.
I managed to find the most challenging route to where I was keeping the bike, it really is a little frightening when you stop to eye up the best line around a sharp hairpin and you start sliding backwards, buttock clenching is a description that seems apt.
Any road up finally made it and the bike is stowed safe and sound ready for the next leg.
Taxi to Santa Cruz 20 USD for 120 kms, I like this place more and more.
24/1/2014 Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz is a fast growing city that is allegedly being financed by the export of a local crop .I think I am honing in on something, it seems that no matter the culture or language, new found disposable income has to be spent on finery, cars and seeing and being seen out and about.We are all the same and aspire to the same things.
It's strange to think that something that is seen by many as something evil can raise the standard of living of whole countries. No doubt there is a lot of concealed misery in illegal trading but it was not evident looking at Santa Cruz's finest who wouldn't have looked out of place on the boulevards of Paris , mind you, when you need a shoehorn to get into a taxi maybe not.
Santa Cruz was a very enjoyable couple of days at the end of a hard ride and I am looking forward to
the next leg.
An interesting addition when leaving the country is one extra step in the process having to pass through a drug search of the hand baggage together with a quick questioning.
25/1/2014 Sao Paulo
Big city of 17 million inhabitants. Number 1 thing to see is the produce market. You don't have to wait for Saturday night to dance and last but not least, if anybody is going for the world cup, the best advice I can offer from this brief visit is " Take plenty of money "
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| MUNICIPAL MARKET |
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| MUNICIPAL MARKET |
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| MUSIC AT THE MUNICIPAL MARKET COMING NEXT IN MARCH 2014 |
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