lostCANADIAN in Mexico

The fever isn't getting much better, but pure, stubborn will-power and determination (with a bit of medication) get me on my feet and onto the bike. As we had the bikes in the hotel last night, we didn't even bother unloading, making the departure easier.

Unfortunately the clock is ticking and soon I will have to be back in Montreal to work, so we have not much of choice but to push onwards and another long day ensues. I've heard great things about Mazatlan, claiming to have the worlds third largest carnival in the world, and regretfully could not spend time there. It'd be best seen during Carnival, anyway.

Pushing through the day, Mihai becomes almost completely exhausted from the heat, but tirelessly I drag him along with promises of what's to come. Tomorrow we will have a day of rest, and on friday we begin our descent into the Copper Canyon for some of the worlds best offroading!

Gone is the beautiful scenary of the pacific coast as we are surrounded by the bleak dessert, but also gone are the long and winding roads which have been replaced by beautifully straight and fixed highways.

Throughout the day, locked into a trance and the drugged with medication, I managed to somehow push my body past it's physical capabilities and at long last we arrived at El Fuerte, a couple hours drive from Batopilas, the entrance to the Copper Canyon. My entire body gives at last, as the fever finally takes complete hold of me and the best I can do is wash my face before completely collapsing in my bed, resting at last.

Posted by the lostCANADIAN at 12:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Struggling through the feverish dreams, I pulled myself awake to set out to explore the factory of my favorite tequila, Jose Cuervo.

Tequila is really an amazing drink. It can do some absolutely incredible things to a person. I can't ever recall having a bad experience off of tequila, although it does have a tendancy of boosting my mojo and putting me into a very... passionate mood.

Either way, exploring the factory with our billingual guide, I discovered some of the great things about Tequila and the process it was made, as well as tasting a few of their finer selections. I also couldn't resist buying the best tequila available, a type that was only available in very selected places, costing me a mere eighty dollars. Packing it into my cases, I treated it as my most precious cargo.

Things got worse as we left town towards noon, only to realize my overheating light continued to light, even on the highway. Panic set in. How could this be happening? Why me? Struggling with the fever, we made it back to Tequila to inspect the motorcycle, removing all of the covers and stripping it down. Mihai again saved the day, and against all common sense, and logic, BMW has placed the reservoir for the radiator below the actual radiator, meaning, while we thought since the reservior was full, the radiator should have been full as well. A simple solution of pouring in some water and I was back up and running, however in town the overheating light still persists as we also noticed the radiator fan has also failed. Minor problems, what is important is that it is running and safely!

Pulling on the throttle, we set our destination for Mazatlan for the night, and once again roll into town in complete darkness...

Posted by the lostCANADIAN at 11:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The warm embrace by my family at BMW was a real relief. My bike was sped right away into the garage to get the much needed work done, and I was fortunate enough to be entertained by all the beautiful BMW women while I waited.

I was fortunate enough that one of the mechanics spoke English, and I was able to specify exactly what the problems were. It just so happens that he had just returned from Montreal a week previous, and had been there a month - loved it so much there he intends to transfer to the BMW in Montreal. This is just further confirmation that I have a great home, Montreal is my home and I love it there.

I relaxed, sipping coffee, while waiting for them to ready my baby for the most difficult challenge to come, the Copper Canyon, but perhaps an even more difficult challenge will be the long and very cold ride home. Digging through the maps and books, I barely noticed as time slipped by... until finally the bike was ready, a four hour job! Back home, this would have cost eighty dollars a hour, plux taxes, plus parts... in Mexico, it cost me five dollars an hour, with a total of eighty dollars! What a bargain!

Shaking my new friends hand at BMW, off we sped to the hotel by two-thirty to pack up and head out to Tequila, one of my most anticipated destiantions! Blasting down the highway, even the overheating light barely worried me as I could hardly contain my excitement. Unfortunately they did not have a new radiator in stock, and it would have cost over three hundred dollars, so ignoring that, I have a new radiator overflow cap and a rebuilt front fork. Almost brand new!

An hour slips by as gradually a fever rises inside of me. I swear, I must be cursed. Arriving at Tequila, it's difficult to ignore the waves of dizziness and fatigue overtaking me. The body aching, we crawl into a hotel only to pass out not long afterwards for a much needed siesta. Easily our cheapest hotel yet, at thirteen dollars, it comes complete with stains, lack of a toilet seat and no AC or TV.

Struggling awake a few hours later, drenched in sweat and feeling very feverish, I laughed at the ironic situation. Downing some flu medicine, I forced myself to struggle into town to do honor to my favorite liquor. Finding a great nightclub in town, on the roof top of a building, we made our way to the bar and ordered up a couple drinks of tequila. Not quite expecting an army of school girls on the dance floor, most very young, fulfilling the most perverse and dirty mens dreams, I can't help but feel disgust... How dare they tempt us like that!

Slamming down another shot, blending this sweet liquid with my medication, I pray for a quick resolution to this fever.

Posted by the lostCANADIAN at 11:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Slept and rested at last, the stress of the road is washed away with soap in the shower and BMW is not far away, at last I am tranquilo.

Off to the centro to get a look at this city, the second largest city in Mexico, we are amazed by how colonial it still is, much like San Luis Potosi, and as promised by many -- complete with the most beautiful women in Mexico.

Relaxing and enjoying the day, I couldn't help but notice that there were kids everywhere! A big difference than back in North America, kids here are very loved and very playful, they are allowed to be kids. Back home, many don't even want kids - they are considered more of a chore - but they do bring such life to the city and people here!

Also, everything contains beef (carne) of some sort. I can't recall having ever eaten so much meat before in my life. Eggs and meat every breakfast, as there are not too many other options, carne asadas are everywhere for dinner. Not that we're not enjoying it, but it's just a huge difference on our diets, and everything is eaten out of corn totillas.

During the evening we were fortunate enough to catch a live dance competition in the town square and enjoyed some ice cream, a luxury I haven't had in quite some time.

Posted by the lostCANADIAN at 10:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Morning Wood!!! A blessing! It still works!!!

Anybody able to get off a bike after a full day of riding and have sex is a God!

We sweat and pack up the bikes, a morning ritual now as we head out of the slums early, with still much distance left to cover, and going onto our third day of solid riding through the incredible heat... we are exhausted, even before we begin this day's journey.

This days challenge presents itself as the last of the fluid leaks from my front fork, leaving me bottoming out in every right corner in very dangerous curves through the mountains that have now become a nightmare to me as I struggle with all of my available power to keep control of the bike. The pain in my shoulder is a fresh reminder that I can't go down again.

Without control, we take it slow. I made many promises to stay alive and I fight all morning and afternoon doing so. Just another challenge as the curves spit me out into oncoming traffic, but my luck and the charms I carry keep me safe.

Coming out of the mountains we take a break in a small diner to relax pained muscles. The shy smiles and flirty glances from the cute waitress give me confidence, at least I am still attractive to the opposite sex after everything I've gone through!

Pressing onwards, praying for the plateau and a straight toll road, we once again bump into a fellow Adventure Rider as he speeds past us and pulls us over on the shoulder for a quick chat. An Aussie of all things, travelling Mexico and Central America by a KLR motorcycle. Sharing stories and laughs, off he zooms like a madman, practically touching down around every curve.

Dodging herds of cows and bulls along the mountain road, we struggle to avoid the bulls that look a bit too aggressive for us, and the manure they've left scattered across the road, and at last we come out into the plateau and at last a straight road! Only to be stopped a bit further on by the military, we are told to remove all of our gear and bags for a complete inspection. More curious than anything, once they get a look at our map they all come flocking with questions about our trip. Laughing, they call us locos and we speed off to our desintation tonight, Guadalajara!

Arriving, it doesn't take long for my bike to overheat and blow off the duct-tape radiator cap, spewing forth an enormous cloud of smoke into my face and causing alarm from everyone in the area. My bike has had enough, it would seem. I guess even duct-tape can't hold eveything. We managed to locate a BMW dealer in town, but unfortunately won't be open until monday. No choice but to settle down and get some much needed rest and hydration.

Staying at the Hotel Canada, we roll our bikes right into the lobby for overnight security and dine at the Restaurant Ottawa, we feel right at home! After spraying myself down with some Axe at the walmart, and shaving, I felt right as rain!

The challenges have been overwhelming, but we have made it. A couple days of rest are desperately needed, as is the BMW mechanics on monday morning. Our third week on the road and it's really been taking its toll on our bodies, minds and bikes. Mexico has truly been a real eye opener though, as only riding a motorcycle can show you. We have been there, we have done that, and we have seen it all. The worst and the best this country has to offer.

With still two weeks left and a long way from home, I am beginning to miss my bed.

Posted by the lostCANADIAN at 4:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Stuck in mind boggling traffic, desperately trying to make our way out of Acapulco as my overheating light continued to blink on, causing me nothing but stress, we waded our way through the city until finally managing to find some open air and open highway. At least Mihai's magical weld was holding the leak, however it blocked too much of the radiator and causes the bike to overheat in cities and traffic. Upon closer inspection we also realized the radiator overflow cap was missing, likely during the fall, and hoped a piece of duct-tape would hold in the precious fluid.

Acapulco is one nasty, dirty and ugly city, one in which I wouldn't return to ever.

Rolling down the highway, covered in sweat and clouds of dirt dragged up from the roads by approaching trucks, we blasted down the highway as the heat exhaustion and dehydration caught up with us.

Fortunately we bumped into some other adventure riders through one of the many towns we passed. A good time for some lunch, we pull over to make introductions. Our new friends Dylan and Angie are doubled-up on a big BMW 1100GS, both having come from San Francisco and aiming for Costa Rica to start a new life. Their entire lives packed up in a few bags, I envied them. We shared a few tales, some tips and each went our separate directions. I wish them the best in luck, it's always nice bumping into other travellers out in the middle of nowhere.

Back on the road, feeling rejuvenated, we had a new destination for the night. Our new friends recommended a new little place about eighty miles down the road that was right on the beach and very cheap. Sounded perfect. We raced on to find this secret location and ended up down some wrong rock paths. I took another spill, as once again Mihai sped off alone into the wilderness. Impatiently waiting for his return, little did I know of his own demise as he made it to the bottom only to get stuck in deep sand. We clearly were in the wrong place. Eventually coming to the rescue, Mihai helped me lift my inferior offroad bike and off we sped, worn and exhausted once again.

The heat is a continual curtain, drenching our bodies in sweat. My body has been taking a real beating lately, my health quickly deteriorating as I become shambles of my former self. My bike is almost a mirror of myself, having two broken mirrors, a broken blinker, a patched up radiator that causes overheating, duct-tape as a replacement for a radiator cap, lacking good braking capability, and my right front fork has pretty much leaked all of it's precious fluid as well, leaving me little control in right curves. Staying alive and on the road is becoming a real chore, but just another challenge!

Passing through the beautiful resort of Ixtapa, a completely different world to us, we kept going long into the darkness and finally made it to Puerto Lazaro Cardenas, but Mihai suggests we push the next twenty kilometers into Playa Azul because it sounds nicer. Why not? Let's tempt fate some more, in complete darkness we push onwards with visors open because we can no longer see through the dirt and grit of our helmets. Bugs and rocks narrowly missing our eyes as we struggle to see the road ahead through clouds of dirt, we push onwards and make it... into complete slums.

Playa Azul is a disgusting, poor and very rundown little beach, complete with intimidating looking locals that in comparison make us look extremely rich. A bit intimidated, we pull into a hotel and settle down for the night. Not afraid of much anymore, we set out into town for a quick meal and chat up with the locals after we drank down three beers each, of course! With the dehydration of the road, it doesn't take too much to get us drunk... passing out in our hotel without AC, we sweat and dream of the toll road and beautiful roads back inland into a cooler temperature....

Posted by the lostCANADIAN at 4:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Leaving Puerto Escondido was a sad day, and it only became a nightmare as later in the day I took my first fall, tearing open flesh and leaving blood on the road... my first toll, of the many that would soon come...

Speed bumps, or as they call them down here 'topes' come very frequently upon entering small villages, of which there are many. They have a very bad habit of not marking them most of the time, and they tend to sneak up on you out of no where, especially in blind curves. The one that finally caught me as I sped along was larger than most and spit me into the ditch, catching my leg underneath we were both dragged along sand and pavement, tearing through my shirt and into my flesh. Caught under the bike I was helpless as Mihai sped ahead, ignorant to my situation. A horde of Mexicans were quick to the rescue though and helped drag my mangled body from underneath the bike and help upright it, all the while one of them managed to make off with my new pair of sunglasses. Taunting me from across the street, laughing at this poor gringo's misfortune, I assessed the damage while Mihai finally realized I was no longer following behind and came to the rescue. One destroyed front blinker, and some scratches on the bike and myself, we seemed to be alright.

Off we rode, back out into the country it occurred to me there may be a bigger problem as a cloud of smoke spewed from my engine into my face, obscuring my vision. The sweet smell of precious radiator fluid. Pulling to the shoulder, we inspected the radiator and as suspected, there was a fresh pierce, likely from a stone thrown from trucks ahead. Hope seemed bleak, but once again Mihai proved his mechanical wealth by bringing out some JB weld and patched up the leak, hoping it would hold.

It didn't, as later down the road we pulled over for lunch and noticed it was still dripping on the exhaust and causing a stench. Mihai covered a bigger portion of the radiator with his magical weld and we waited an hour for it to dry, optimisitic this time we will have it secured.

Our destination, Acapulco, seemed far as we sped down this beautiful highway along the pacific coast, through some of the most beautiful mountains and scenary. Due to the stress of a leaky radiator, a throbbing arm that continued to bleed, and the overwhelming heat... I couldn't enjoy the day.

Rolling at last into Acapulco, a city built completely on tourism, we were out of place. Covered in filth, bugs, oil and everything imaginable, and just as the overheating light on my bike came on, we rolled into a McDonalds for some good old fashioned hamburgers. The leak still persisted, but at least we could find a hotel and do a proper patch that could dry overnight. Feeling like complete bums, exhausted from a stressful day, we stripped down my bike in the hotel lobby and went to work. We were outside of the main tourist strip, in a smaller hotel that seemed to be a hotspot for the local mexican people, as kids ran all around, playing in the pool.

We were not too impressed by Acapulco, as it's a very filthy and overwhelming city. The beach was covered in every other sort of debris, the water not as warm, and the sound of traffic not too distant. We longed to go back into the beautiful and safe Puerto Escondido.

Posted by the lostCANADIAN at 3:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Mihai's condition is not too much better today, but our good friend Juan meets us in the lobby around eleven-thirty and promises us a full day of adventure...

Our tour guide has definitely proven his worth when we first spot a turtle from the boat as we churn our way through waves in the ocean. Upon seeing the turtle he dove off the speeding boat like a mad man and tackled this huge turtle while we watched on from the boat. Within seconds he has managed to wrestle this turtle and dragged it into the boat for some pictures. Altogether we dive into the water for some underwater pictures and off we speed again in pursuit of dolphins that just seem to be a little too fast for us to catch... Our fishing line has neglected to catch anything either, but cheerful, we head to a secluded beach to do some snorkling among the coral.

Our good friend again has proven his worth by bringing us to a great little seafood diner on the beach, where I dine on some octopus, shrimps and oysters. With my mojo starting to churn, we down some Tequilas and head back to the city...

We have much left to travel and unfortunately must leave this place in the morning, but spending a week here would be easy to say the least. It amazes me how simple life here can be, and how enjoyable. I wonder if I could ever live the same way, give up the luxuries that just don't seem to be so necessary now, and just live off the beach, fish for your meal everyday and just hangout.

I wonder...

Posted by the lostCANADIAN at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Wondering if I've been suffering the side-affects of our malaria pills, psychosis, as I lay on the beach being massaged by a beautifully exotic, indigenous mexican girl.... Can this really be real? As she weaves her arms over my body, correcting my aura, I watch the bikini-clad tourists around me... Nah, I must still be back in Houston in a hospital dreaming this...

Waking up early, we set out for the beach at last! Long forgotten are the torments of the previous day as our feet first touch the warm salty water of the pacific ocean. Mihai is quick to set out to do some surfing while I browse and chat with the vendors, relaxing in my beach chair under an umbrella and sipping some much needed aqua. A local tour guide by the name of Juan promises to take us out the following day to swim with some dolphins and turtles, followed by snorkling and a seafood lunch in a secluded and more exotic beach. He offers some of the more exotic options available as well, a little peyote, some ganja... too tempting to resist, but we'll stick to the piña coladas.

A quick meal of some delicious sushi, and it's time for a siesta on the beach, followed by a much needed massage... This is paradise at it's best! Unfortunately our good friend Mihai has come down with some sort of stomach flu and his condition worsens every passing hour... We try for a little dinner, but even his great appetite has been lost! We are both in pretty delicate states, but am happy that my problems are passing at last and I can begin enjoying mexican food once again!

Posted by the lostCANADIAN at 10:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Not very impressed by Oaxaca, overwhelemed with smog and traffic we at first set out to locate a FedEx to ship our artifacts of great importance, and our CDs containing pictures, we began to understand how everyone says despite the fact Latin people don't know the direction, they will still tell you the way. We must have asked about ten people where a street was, and each one told us a completely different location. Frustrated, we came to the decision to leave for Puerto Escondido at three in the afternoon as Oaxaca was not impressing us at all. Once again, we expected a three hour journey and were very, incredibly wrong...

Once again we were challenged by small villages, complete with mounds of speed bumps and savagely insane dogs that kept jumping in front of our bikes. One came for my foot and I managed a kick in his direction. Passing through the villages we hit the last gas station for a long way to come, where the gas attendant confirmed we were still at least four hours away. Glancing at the clock, it showed that it was nearly five already.

Up into the mountains again, through the twisties and the challenges they presented, but we were presented with a few new challenges. We not only had to dodge the occasional donkey and oncoming traffic through some of the most difficult twisties this world has to offer, some over 180 degrees, while somehow managing to cling to the highway where a drop of hundreds of feet could spell complete disaster and death... but we were presented with some of the deepest and darkest pot holes that not even Montreal could compete with. Dodging these very numerous potholes, we were also slipping on sand and dirt that covered most of the road, and then we were presented with the very many mudslides that covered half the road... To complete this wonderful scenario, we soon discovered that around these blind bends, there were roads that were missing complete sections that had collapsed and fallen down the mountain.

We had to stop for a minute to catch our breath and relax the stressed muscles that fought to control our bikes at every second. Joking, we laughed that nothing could really make this worse...

Night fell upon us, deep within these mountains, we were alone. Completely enshrouded in darkness, we pressed onward bravely... the challenges of the day got worse in the challenges of the dark as our headlights barely lit up the road ahead. Reducing speed a bit, we hit the thickest of fogs that completely obscured all visibility within five feet. Another pause, do we go on? Was there ever an option to go backwards?

Like brave knights riding our modern steeds, we valiantly pressed forward - side by side to produce the most visibility from our headlights. Ignoring the fact that only a few feet away was a drop of hundreds of feet that would only end in our deaths as we may survive the fall but no one would ever find us as we would lay bleeding and breathing our last breaths.

The new challenges were to dodge the oncoming traffic, that I gladly accepted, while Mihai to the right would have to avoid the edge of the cliff with only a few feet of visibility ahead of us. Slowly, we pressed forward while the damp mist clung to our clothes, soaking us through as our skin shivered underneath. It was either Do or Die, as I screamed at the top of my lungs "Nothing can stop us!" I love the brutal challenge of survival, where death is an almost absolute. Perhaps I'm crazy, but these challenges are what can really define us and bring out the best.

However, a man on a scooter blows by us at such an incredible speed and takes off around a corner. We rise to the challenge to catch up and follow him, but he is quickly gone from sight into the fog. He is our hero!

It seems like ages, but the fog slowly dissipates and we are once again able to press forward at a greater speed, however the constant potholes are a constant reminder that I still have testicles. The bikes are taking an incredible beating, as I've noticed not long earlier that my right fork is starting to leak fluid which means less control. Just another challenge. We had it incredibly bad, but it could have been a whole shitload worse!

Passing through small villages like thieves creeping in the night, we catch attention from everyone. Down here, there are only indigeanous people... and the women are only getting more beautiful the further we travel south!

At last we fly through the final mountain range at dangerous speeds and arrive at last to Puerto Escondido! A seven hour journey over three hundred kilometers.

Posted by the lostCANADIAN at 8:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Hung over and exhausted the second day in a row, and up at ten in the morning, we prepared our goodbyes to mi hermano Alfonso with many promises to visit again and said our goodbyes to Mexico city.

* Special thanks to Alfonso for all of the incredible hospitality he provided and the great times!

Montezuma has definitely gotten ahold of my digestive system and sent me through some painful experiences... riding this day was a chore, however fortunately we have super heroes in this world called Pepto Bismal! Living with such extremes, whether it's all the time, or never at all.... I made the choice, never at all. Off on the road, we again chose the free and direct route that promised to be the quicker, and once again we were sadly mistaken.

Riding through Mexico is definitely an experience that I have loved, but may not want to do all over again as toll roads begin to look a lot more tempting. Passing through small villages with huge mounds they like to call speed bumps about every other minute has proven to be a very slow way of travelling. However I wouldn't want to see it any other way at the moment, this is why we came here, and if dodging packs of snarling dogs determined to catch us through every village, or sleeping Donkey´s on the road, well so be it.

Once again we hit some long and very winding mountains which at first were incredibly beautiful and enjoyable, but soon became repetitive and exhausting as it requires all of the body and mind to control the bike around such dangerous curves. Dealing with the hangover and the exhaustion of partying too much, we pressed forward and just cleared the mountain range as it got dark. We opted for the toll road afterwards that sped us into Oaxaca through the darkness and to the first available hotel. Exhausted after an eight hour ride and once again freezing cold from the high altitude, we began to wonder if we'd ever see warmth in this country!

We found some big tasty spiders on the wall that were too tempting to eat for dinner... We are here, We made it, to Oaxaca!

Posted by the lostCANADIAN at 8:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

So much for leaving Mexico city today, but again we were up and about early, and what better way of killing a hangover than Seafood!

Alfonso took us to this incredible seafood restaurant for lunch (around 4pm of course) that was the best I have ever had. Starting with some shrimp tacos, followed by lobster tacos and some energy drinks, I sat down to dine on my first King Crab (which is reputed to be the most dangerous job in the world, to catch them.) And which would have easily cost a hundred dollars at least at home, only cost forty.

Alfonso once again proved his knowledge of Mexico City by giving us his tour, around the beautiful colonial sections, and then off to the centro to hang out with the mariachis! A wandering vendor showed us a great way to wake up without coffee or energy drinks. We each took each others hands and at the end of each chain we held an iron rod, then very slowly the vendor turned the dial as electricity coursed through our bodies... I can't imagine how much voltage... however if we hadn't just used the bathroom, I would definitely have soiled myself!

Back to the Red Zone for a few beers and a promise from Alfonso that we'd only stay until one at the most.... But who could resist a crazy club, packed full of gorgeous latin women, with some heart throbbing music, and I couldn't resist getting into the beat as we downed a bottle of vodka, met up with some of his friends and some promised hotdogs from the street vendor outside afterwards....

Promises from Alfonso's friends claimed Oaxaca was a mere five hours away, so we took it easy and didn't get out until the early hour of four... again leaving a party that wasn't even close to finished.

I love Mexico!!!

Posted by the lostCANADIAN at 8:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Once again renewed of what meager energy we could muster, we once again set out to explore... The great pyramids of Teotihuacan!

Giving Mihai the choice of taking either the safe and comfortable, not to mention extremely fast, toll road out to the countryside to visit the ruins, or taking the far more dangerous and free toll road -- Mihai, of course, chose the free toll road which allowed us the chance to see some of the most dangerous and poor areas that Mexico City has to offer. If you've the chance to see the movie ¨Man on Fire¨, towards the ending of the movie, then you have also had the chance to see these slums as they are completely identical to the roads we road through. Fortunately I must have many angels watching over me, along with the good luck charms I carry, we managed to survive this very enlightening experience! Unfortunately we were not brave enough to pull over to take some pictures.

I cannot describe how incredible these pyramids are, I can only suggest visiting them yourself to truly comprehend their size. No one knows who built these pyramids, why they were built, or exactly when. They are predicted to have arose around 500 BC, and later when the Aztecs arrived they again built over much of the area. I strongly suggest visiting the photo gallery for a few glimpses of what we have seen.

Back to the internet cafe to bother the poor girls, we again burned some more CDs and said our sad goodbyes to them as we have had much fun together and planned on leaving Mexico city the following morning.

A quick Siesta and woken up by our good friend Alfonso, it was time to party! Our first destination being a private party in the rich area, with some rich people. We had our opportunity to take down some drinks and meet the locals, making some new friends in the process because everyone spoke english, although we still did try to practice our sad spanish.

Our next destination, at 2am, was a disco close by where Alfonso promised we'd meet up with some fiersome Warriors, which back in Montreal would be defined as Cougars, one of my favorite types of cats... Older women that love to party... and love younger men! Stumbling around with a belly full of Tequila, I attempted the complicated footsteps of all the wonderful and exciting latin music (while stepping on a few sore feet in the process!) Our good friend Mihai came down with some stomach pains though and couldn't really participate too much, and after a few unsuccesful attempts at spinning around the room that left him sicker, he took a seat and stole the attention of the women away from me as they attempted to pamper him back to health!

A few more phone numbers added to my growing list, we stumbled out of the disco around 6am leaving a party that wasn't even close to stopping...

Posted by the lostCANADIAN at 7:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After stumbling around Mexico la dia pasada, we were too completely and uttered exhausted to do much with this day. We were very fortunate in finding an internet cafe not far from home as we could even barely walk there. I don't know whether it's from eating the junk food from street vendors... accidently drinking down a bunch of water from the tap (you forget to realize these things when you're drunk), or perhaps the overwhelmingly spicy food, even the breakfast... or perhaps the dreaded Montezuma's revenge... but my digestion system was in a mess as well!!

We must have spent at least five hours in the Internet cafe making these poor young girls run around in circles for us trying to figure out what we wanted to do. Eventually we got the job done, burning all of our pictures onto CDs. Two copies were made, one we intend to send home by FedEx and the other we will carry along the road with us. As these are our most precious cargo (well maybe besides my actual camera that took them.)

Catching up on the diaries was very tedious as well, as falling behind on the road is so easy, and with so much to tell it's becoming more and more difficult to recall every little detail I would love to share.

Either way, with very little energy left, we did manage to stumble home as it began to get dark and as difficult as it was to raise our glasses of beers, we still managed to drink Alfonso clean of beer!

Posted by the lostCANADIAN at 7:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Waking up safe and sound in Alfonso's apartment in Mexico city, we could barely believe we were here, and had made it this far. With so much distance still to do, we calculated what was next, how long it would take and so on. We originally planned to go into Veracruz but it has since been flooded by hurricanes and wouldn't be much to see, and farther afield we wanted to go down into the Chiapas where the majority of ruins were located -- however not only was this six days out of our way, it was also in the most dangerous area of Mexico. We have revised our itinerary and plan to stay here until Saturday morning, our next destination being Oaxaca!

Today, we are tourists!

Exploring Mexico city at first was a bit intimidating and daunting. We wanted to reach the historical center to see the old churches, the palaces, the old ruins of Tenochtitlán and several museums. We knew the way, we just didn't appreciate the distance we'd go this day by foot as we opted to leave the bikes behind locked doors at Alfonso's.

I must admit, at first Mexico City may seem dangerous, however after walking the streets for hours, seeing the markets, meeting the people - I wouldn't mind spending a lot more time here. Perhaps even a couple years some time far down the road. This city is so full of everything! There is so much to do, so much to see, so many people to meet... I have heard the party scene here is just incredible, and tomorrow Alfonso has promised to take us out to show us.

We must have spent the entire day walking, from ten in the morning until seven at night! Every muscle in my body is sore. But we were amazed by everything we have seen, especially the ruins of Tenochtitlán... what used to be the heart of the Aztecs. Some of the ruins and carvings that they have done are incredible and just amazed us. The church as well was really amazing, so much wealth, so much gold... It's no wonder why this place is surrounded by police everywhere! The Palacio, the center of the govermental power, was surrounded by the militia as well, each very paranoid and holding a machine gun at the ready. But atleast I felt very safe walking around, openly carrying my camera for all to see!

We made it back to the apartment by dusk and enjoyed some real authenticate Mexican tacos, and I cannot recall enjoying dinner as much before! Alfonso, being the great guide that he is, took us down the club streets and showed us some of the finer.... um... gentlemen clubs this city has to offer... making Montreal appear un-perverse in the process! The interesting thing about Mexico as well, is that on almost every single street corner you have vendors selling almost every slice of pornography a person could ever want. I wonder what parents tell their children here!

Posted by the lostCANADIAN at 5:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Wary of what's to come, we finally managed to get up and out by nine to try to get into Mexico city as early as possible for fear of what the darkness may bring....

Speeding down the highway to Mexico City, the barren surrounding country blurred as we raced for our destination. We learned another valuable lesson this day as we approached Mexico city, we again decided against taking a toll road and wandered off onto a free highway which we believed would lead us into the city....

We got lost wandering the small highway through villages full of police that made us very nervous as they starred at us as we passed by, everytime we wondered if this would be it, would we be taxed? Trucks led traffic through the small hills and valleys as we attempted to pass them without getting hit by oncoming traffic, as the sun slowly lowered in the sky and we got more and more nervous. We looked for highways that should have been there, but weren't as we got lost wandering through twisties in corn fields where we couldn't see a few feet ahead until we ended up in a small town full of suspicious people. A helpful taxi driver pointed us in a direction to continue going south until we reached Toluca, where we would have to pay for a toll road anyway. The toll cost us two dollars each and we sped our way down this highway until finally we reached Mexico City, loosing three hours in the process when we could have easily paid for the first toll and been lounging in the city already and still ending up paying a toll. We were hit by a thunderstorm as well that left us soaking wet in seconds before we had a chance to pull over and put on the rain gear. Fortunately we weren't stuck in the rain too long, but we were constantly reminded that it was nearing while thunder and lightning wreaked the earth with their havoc not far behind.

Into the city we hit another toll that cost us eight dollars each, leading us down this beautiful highway, giving us a beautiful view of the city as we sped down a road that led through one of the richest parts of the city... at all street corners were several police officers, every house had a huge gate protected by body guards.... Bienvenido a Mexico!

We passed by beautiful statues and huge houses and were awed... These people were incredibly rich!!! We were so used to such poverity. The rain began again and we were left wandering confusing streets for another hour as suicidal taxis and smaller motorcycles blew by us and police officers blew their whistles directing traffic in every which way. Our first impression of this city was that it was HUGE!

After wandering for what felt like hours, we finally found our destination, a beautiful appartment complex behind a locked door and guarded by security twenty-four seven. This was Alfonso's place, the brother of my brother's girlfriend Liz! Unforunately he wasn't at home yet, but we were able to atleast change out of our wet clothes and head across the street for pizza and some beers.

Alfonso finally showed up and took us into his appartment where we immediately made ourselves at home with his generiousity and kindness. A few beers later, we were ready to collapse and so we did...

Posted by the lostCANADIAN at 4:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A quick breakfast, we finally hit an internet cafe and were able to let family know we were still alive and having a great time before jetting out of town for a rumored ghost town somewhere in the nearby mountains. Apparently this city was rich for its mining, but has since shut down the mines and left the town around it to rot...

And as Mihai wished, we received. Nothing but dirt roads out here as we sped down roads that weren't marked, in the vague direction of Cerro de San Pedro, the ghost town. Finding the town was not difficult, but instead of taking the normal road we sped off into the dirt tracks surrounding this town to explore. We found old mine shafts that have since been blocked up and locked down... explored a town full of old rotting buildings to explore, from old jails to churches. We couldn't put our cameras away for longer than a minute before we found something else exciting and interesting.

At the center of this ghost town there is still a few signs of life, the few caretakers and tour guides. We pull over for a warm coca-cola with a sweet old couple that show us old newspapers of other Canadians that they have once read about and ask us if we knew them.... Yes, yes, of course we do! Don't all Canadians know each other?

I'm again surprised at the reliablity of our bikes as we sped down small tracks full of pot holes and rubble that our bikes cleared by with ease. We follow roads that take us out of the town and into the country where only a few shepherds roam with their animals. We are again stunned by the beauty of the land that surrounds us and enjoy the feeling of just being free on these small roads that very few have ever seen.

We follow a donkey back into town that flees from us whenever we get close, so I shut the engine off and drift near to him as I fear he is stepping too close to the cliff and I may be responsible for his death.... But soon the donkey looks more aggressive than afraid and I fear I may be the one ending up off the cliff!

Back in San Luis Potosi we have a great dinner full of carne, and are thankful we are still in great health, besides a small sunburn, and that we haven't encountered any problems with the police that we've been told are corrupt. I have decided to call San Luis Potosi the city of young love. Everywhere we turn there are young couples together, walking down the street, wrapped together in small alcoves, in the shadows where they can be alone to kiss and enjoy each other. We fear we are falling in love with this city.

A few hours at the internet cafe at last to update a few days worth as I am falling far behind, however we don't have much time and it's not long until the owner kicks us out as he's closing.

Tomorrow we leave for one of the most dangerous cities in the entire world, with a population that might rival all of Canada. Our nerves are once again a bit on end, but fortunately we will be staying with a friends brother with many promises of safety for us, and our bikes. Thank you Liz!

Posted by the lostCANADIAN at 4:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Waking early to stomach pains and in the shivering cold, I feared the worst has come and I've finally gotten the curse... However after a couple hours it would seem my fears were misplaced! Off we went into town around nine to grab a breakfast of pollos fritas and a coffee. Our budget is getting much better as every meal costs no more than four dollars and we eat plenty!

Back on the bikes and out of town for our next destination - San Luis Potosi

We must have taken a wrong turn somehow along the route, but it was definitely one of our better moments of getting lost! We were trying to get onto the fifty seven but ended up on the fifty eight, which locals told us would lead to the fity seven. Well it did, eventually - but it was a very long and one of the most exciting detours to date!

A long winding road slowly lead it's way through fields to monstrous towering mountains in the distance... and as they loomed nearer and nearer our hearts soared with the beauty that would soon surround us as our bikes leapt forward eagerly. Never before have I experienced such exhilerating riding in my life, through winding roads, that twisted left and right on the edge of high cliffs that dropped down hundreds of feet... lush green forests were blurs around us as we twisted the throttle and pushed our bikes through these narrow roads, passing trucks that barely moved, and barely clinging to the very edges of the mountains. Almost every corner we passed by were clearly marked as "Curve Peligrosas" which means dangerous curves, none of which came close to challenging the remarkable agility of our bikes as we nearly touched our knees to the ground. Man could not own this land, it was so completely untamable and for this reason I loved it even more. A few scattered villages in the low plains were the only signs of human life. Ever watchful above us were eagles, chasing after us with curiousity.

Out past the mountains we hit the praires again, full of such a variety of cactae and small lizards darting to and fro. We pulled over to get a few shots of the canyons and would constantly glance behind us with longing at the mountains.... they would always be remembered in my dreams.

Finally on the fifty seven highway, we were not far from San Luis Potosi when I noticed my other mirror was finally breaking off as well, out came the duct tape for a quick repair and now I could even say my bike looked cheap! Long fields of cactae passed by us on either side of the highway as the sun drifted lower and lower, and then came the shacks surrounding the highway on either side, complete with begging children, starving mothers and fathers attempting to sell everything from dried snake skin to eagle feathers. The poverity in this country has never been so profound until this moment. We couldn't stop, or wouldn't... It would have depressed us too much.

Hitting a city of this size always confuses us at first as we try our best to find a local affordable motel and settle in before exploring the city, and after asking some local gas attendants, we locate a really nice place called Potosi Motel. Not only do we get our own little garage to park the bikes, but we get separate bedrooms, for a cheap twenty eight dollars! We throw a coin to determine who gets the bigger bed and off we go for dinner in the small lounge attached to our motel. We haven't had much luck finding any internet cafes, and if we have they are always closed as there is no real official work hours in Mexico. People take siestas when they feel like it, shut down and maybe if we're lucky they will return to reopen, sometimes they just take the rest of the day off. ¡Que Sabes?

We searched and found a few, of course they were all closed until the mañana. Oh well, our parents will have to worry another day. We tried our best! We managed to find ourselves in town during a big festival, complete with dancers and fireworks! We enjoy the show and head back to the hotel. One more beer in the lounge and get some much needed laundry done.

Our fear of mexico is definitely disappearing as we are getting used to the local customs and the people. Our ability at speaking spanish is getting better, or perhaps we're just getting braver. Either way, we love it here in San Luis Potosi, enough that we'll be staying the following day as well.

Just before finally drifting off, I can recall Mihai mentioning his desire to do some offroading, little did we know the surprises waiting for us the next day....

Posted by the lostCANADIAN at 3:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Waking early as promised, we grabbed a quick breakfast that we couldn't eat as our nerves were wracked with the many worries of an intimidating journey through some of the most beautiful places this world has to offer, while at the same time some of the more dangerous...

The border wasn't as difficult as we first imagined, as I've already been through Laredo before and knew the procedure, however we still were pulled over by a very suspicious looking American customs agent whom had many questions, but mostly out of curiousity as we're very unique by riding across a country from Canada into Mexico on motorcycles.

Passing through into Nuevo Laredo was the most nerve wracking experience to date, as this city has a very big reputation for being one of the more dangerous areas of Mexico (as are most border cities...) There were cars jam packed into tiny streets while intimidating looking mexicans starred at us as we passed. The roads quickly detioriated as the world warmed up and we finally felt the heat we came to expect.

Getting temporary vehicle permits was time consuming and costly, but all said and done we passed through with ease and received one hundred and eighty days in Mexico. Finding a location to put our permits on our bikes became another chore, which Mihai quickly solved by duct taping them onto the sides of our bikes. I was at first afraid my bike would become a prime target as BMW's are known to be owned by the wealthy and I wanted to do my best at making it look less than worthwhile. This was becoming accomplished as one mirror has already been completely taped on with duct tape and I've managed to remove most BMW logos, or decal over them with stickers. However there's still one lurking on my actual engine which will be impossible to cover up.

Hitting the first road block in Mexico, the customs agents were very amazed by my bike, further confirming my suspicions that I'd be a target to theft. The agent jumped onto my bike and asked for the key, I couldn't say no.... so off he sped onto the highway and out of sight, while the other agents laughed on and chatted in Spanish too quickly for me to understand. I became nervous as the minutes pressed on, have I already been robbed? But there he came back around the corner with a huge smile on his face and many 'gracias senior!!!'

We made it! We hit the free highway hoping to pass by Monterrey this afternoon and into the rural villages to find a cheap place to spend the night. The free highway was very slow, filled with potholes and trucks but we were amazed with the scenary and enjoyed every minute of the country. Passing by small villages we were looking upon with suspicion and perhaps longing... We didn't dare stop until we reached gas stations. It quickly became obvious how poor these areas were and how rich we were compared. We were at peace on the road, one with the highway once again, enjoying the warm weather.

I led the way into Monterrey as I've been down this road before, but no further. Stopping for an ATM, I began to feel at peace again, the nerves somewhat settled. I was greeting by a wave and a blown kiss from a beautiful mexican girl on a passing bus as we grabbed up a thousand pesos (approximately a hundred Canadian) that should last us for a few days.

The one thing I can remember most significantly from my last trip to Monterrey was the insane drivers and the insanely designed road system. We got a bit lost at first, and very confused, but managed to find our way through Monterrey and back out into the country where we couldn't stop taking pictures of such a beautiful country. Everything around us was so vibrant and alive!

This night we finally arrived into a small town called Montemorelo, at first it was also intimidating, as we are viewed with suspicion from all of the adults, while viewed with curiousity from the children everywhere we go. Bikes of our size are not available, or rarely seen, and two passing gringo's through a small village is almost an event to these people.

We ended up down some wrong streets where we really realized the differences between a third world country and home. Houses were the size of a small room, cars were very small, banged up, broken windows... but eventually we found a nice little motel, threw off our gear and headed into town for some real Mexican food and life! At the center of the town there is always a church and a park, and this one was full with people in a market which we jumped right into to explore. Some tacos for dinner, but we were very cautious of the other food that was available. I've experienced montezuma's revenge before and it was not very pleasent at all! Salads cannot be eaten because they may have been washed in water... juices cannot be drank for the risk of water dillution... Either way, we are bound to get hit by some bad food and it's just a matter of time, but it won't be today!

We picked up a case of beer and hit the motel, where we changed Mihai's chain and did some other work on the bikes. Afterwards we relaxed with the owners of the motel in the main lounge, sharing our beers and trying our best to communicate with laughs all around! Watching the soccer game between Mexico and Guatamala was a real treat as well, and the game just happened to be in the next town we'd be stopping at - San Luis Potosi.

A beautiful latina woman showed up not long after and joined in asking us many questions we could barely answer, sitting very close to me on the couch, she presented me with a phone number that I could reach her and promises of a good night...

Posted by the lostCANADIAN at 9:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

We had approximately eight hours looming ahead of us before we could reach Monterrey and perhaps meet up with a friend's aunt, who could provide us with a place to stay...

However after a delayed morning, because we had forgotten to purchase insurance on the motorcycles (although I am insured for life, health, etc...) we still required it by law. So we've both purchased one-way insurance and pray that we won't get smashed into itty pieces by the reckless truck drivers or suicidal taxis in Monterrey and below...

One thing we weren't prepared for, as we spent much of our time in Houston dropping off our cold gear because we were expecting things to get hot, was the frigid cold front that moved in just as we set out. We're talking low ten degree temperature, at a stand-still. Cruising down the highway at 120 km it hit sub-zero temperatures and we got cold FAST!

We put on almost every single article of clothing we had available and even with the heated hand gribs churning life-giving heat, we still had to stop often for coffee to keep the body moving.... if this weren't bad enough, we got hit by rain and had to put on the rain gear as well!

Absolutely miserable we finally rolled into Laredo aroudn six at night and weren't even considering riding into Mexico this day as the most important advice we repeat to each other often is "Never drive at night in Mexico."

We wouldn't be taking the express toll-paid highway as it costs nearly twenty-seven dollars to simply reach Monterrey, which was a meager hundred and fifty kilometers away. We have a long way still to go and very little to spend, we had to cut it short somehow. Either way, the side roads are long, winding and reportedly full of banditos and other dangers (potholes, wandering animals) so riding at night is out of the question.

We decided to shack up in Laredo tonight and make the crossing early in the morning. Shopping around for a hotel was interesting, riding up to one after another and asking prices we've finally found a relatively cheap and apparently safe motel. We made for a restaurant up the street called "Pollo Asados" which I saw on my way in, and I was dying to try out this special kind of way of cooking meat, it's sort of like a BBQ, but don't you dare refer to asado as a BBQ! It was amazing! A small little diner with such incredibly tasting food -- I had the patas asadas which is basically potatoes and beef with some cheese.... which has become one of my favorite meals so far!

Back to the motel and we begin to consider what tomorrow will bring for us. We are a bit paranoid and have ridden our bikes right into our motel and even then, we still sleep with an eye open. Tomorrow we are finally entering Mexico, at last. We will be experiencing some culture shock.... surrounded by people that can't understand us as we struggle to understand them and communicate in Spanish.

At last, the adventure begins...

Posted by the lostCANADIAN at 8:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This day wasn't too eventful, just hanging out in Houston passing the time, waiting for Mihai's parts to arrive at the motorcycle shop. He'd purchased a new chain and sprokets for his bike, as his have mostly become chewed and gunked up.

We didn't actually make much progress this day as we took down the Malaria pills and this was quite the shock on our system. We hit the road and made it as far as Walmart to purchase a few things...

However the full effects hit us hard and we became very fatigued, a bit dizzy and just overwhelming exhausted. We managed to get the essentials though, preparation H and vitamins!

We made quick way back to Dru's house, where Mihai simply passed out and I strugged through the dizziness to chat a bit more with some friends.

After recovering, we dropped by the garage to check on my bike and apparently the squeeky brake is normal, otherwise the parts arrived for Mihai, we got our hair cut for three dollars... prepared a feast for our kind hostess Dru, who has not only taken us in but provided us with so much! Watched some TV and passed out, prepared at last for our great adventure into Mexico, however we were still quite a distance and who knew what could happen...

Posted by the lostCANADIAN at 8:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sleeping, eating, relaxing, lounging -- all things taken for granted, things so badly missed. We're a tough sort, us adventure riders. It's not all fun and games, and we have to deal with so many unique challenges everyday, some that are life threatening, all of which will become far more challenging once we cross the border into Mexico.

Originally planning to depart the following morning, we have been delayed with some parts that needed to be ordered for Mihai's bike. His chain is starting to collect more than a few kinks and we fear it could snap at any time, possibly getting locked into the rear tire at any moment and bringing him down. I insisted we wait another day in Houston until the parts arrive to prevent any kind of possible injury. We're on vacation, remember? ;-)

The day has been spent mostly running around from store to store, gathering the last few things we might need. From a knife for protection to more stuff bags to squeeze the things we have into smaller bags so we can fill up our bags with even more things while in Mexico! We've also repackaged all of our gear again and separated what we can leave here and what we should take. I had to install a new front tire at the garage and get an oil change which all said and done managed to cost me a whopping two hundred and fifty US dollars. A necessary but painful expense when we're on such tight budgets. I came out of the garage feeling more confident with my bike until I noticed a new and disturbing noise from my front brakes which wasn't there prior to the work. Looks like I'll be back to the garage tomorrow again to get this sorted out.

Otherwise I've been spending all day catching up with friends and family. I installed the Cisco IP phone with my work so that I can make free calls back home over the internet... such wonderful technology! Trying to figure out our future stops in Mexico, as my brother's girlfriend Liz has some friends we can visit in Monterrey and Mexico city, providing us with some excellent opportunities to meet the locals and get to know the people of Mexico.

Also waiting news from Mihai's garage and hoping all the parts will arrive tomorrow so we can depart Friday for Mexico!

Posted by the lostCANADIAN at 1:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I swear, Mihai must be training for the channel surfing olympics! I have never seen anybody with such a talented ability to flip through so many channels and actually comprehende what's going on!

This day the dice weren't rolled in our favor, but we have arrived in Houston at last!

We actually managed to get packed up and on the road by ten today! We were expected for dinner at my friends house in Houston and I was determined to get us there! At least our bodies have finally become accustomed to the road and we can put some miles behind us with ease. The weather is getting hot, the roads are full of trucks plowing their way along the interstate as we feel like ants in comparison.

Welcoming us to Texas was a school bus full of highschool girls at the first gas station. We must have been quite a spectacle to them, a bunch of dirty motorcycle riders covered in bugs and filth, lounging outside in the heat sipping at our drinks. The shy glances and whispering from the girls was a good reminder that despite all of this, we were still attractive to the opposite sex! Another great welcoming was a fat juicy bug splattering across my face, up into my nose and mouth filling my nasal senses with the strong smell of guts for miles. Welcome to Texas, and yes... there are a lot of fast truck drivers, there are bugs, and oddly enough I felt at home. Having spent a lot of time already in most major cities in Texas, I have come to love these rednecked hill billish people. Houston was almost like a second home for me, waiting with warm arms in the distance. Once again attracting attention everywhere we went, it was nice to hear the all-to familiar 'where y'all going? I'll tell you whut'

However we have not been so fortunate this day. The first problem occurred when I noticed my left rear-view mirror started wobbling like crazy and nearly came off. Something must have hit it and cracked the plastic, nothing a little duct-tape wouldn't fix ;-)

After those minor repairs we must have made it only ten more miles when I noticed Mihai fade into the distance behind me. I quickly pulled over while he caught up to me pointing to his tire -- our first flat. We got off the highway, into the shade where we could repair this as well. Dumping all our gear into the grass, we got right to work. Yanking off the rear tire Mihai quickly pulled out the tire-irons and got to work. I can't express how glad I am to have a mechanic on hand, because if it were to happen to me I'd have been left stranded.

We had some fun getting the tire off the rim and discovered his inner-tube has somehow split, causing this flat. We have both brought spares though and went about getting it installed and back on the bike. All said and done, an hour later we were done. After retrieving our gear I noticed right away that we had made the mistake of leaving them near a huge nest of red ants! They were crawling all throughout the helmets eating up the remnants of dead bugs from our visors. And let me tell you what a chore it was trying to clear them all off the helmets, and even then riding down the highway I felt the telltale crawling of an ant across my face and near to my mouth... He made a quick meal!

Next stop at the gas station I made my first friend on this trip... a cute little donkey that loved a good scratching behind the ear. Well I offerred him a cigar because we didn't have any food, but he didn't seem to like the idea. Off to the distance there were some sheep and I was tempted to chase a few down....but a phone call from Dru in Houston reminded me that we were already sorely late.

It was hot! Real hot! Even riding 120 km on the highway, it was hot! We were so glad when the sun finally started to set, but we still couldn't make it to Houston until eleven thirty. Another eleven hour ride, but we have arrived!

The way to Dru's house will forever be imprinted into my mind and I was quick to bomb down the highway dodging cars in my excitment to finally get some proper rest. We planned the next day to relax and take care of the final things that needed doing before entering Mexico. I could hardly wait. thirty-five hundred kilometers behind us and now we could finally take it easy.

We pulled in and she was there waiting for us with a couple of steaks and some good old fries. Finally a meal other than the hamburgers we've had almost every meal! I don't know how badly this trip will ruin my diet, but I can already feel my muscles fading as we have spent almost every single day sitting on ours asses for hours on end! I promised myself to do some pushups and situps every morning.... but no such luck accomplishing said goal yet ;-)

Shot off a few quick emails to let my parents know that I'm still alive and time for some much required rest!

Posted by the lostCANADIAN at 12:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Waking up late as usual, we've showered and hit the road by eleven after a very disappointing continental breakfest of five muffins each and a few cups of coffee, the only thing on the menu. Prepared for another long day, we begin by searching out for the BMW dealership in Cincinnati for some last minute work on my bike (Just before departing I had the entire engine rebuilt, and one of the conditions was to have the head of the engine retorqued to spec.) So we learned a valuable lesson: call ahead when you plan on getting somewhere. We wandered around this city and wasted at least an hour tracking down this dealer only to find out they were closed for the new "Winter hours," while we couldn't understand this as we wiped sweat off our brows.

It seemed I was out of luck, and I had already pushed the bike past the thousand kilometer mark when I had to get this work done. Needless to say, I was a bit worried.

Ending up in the bad parts of cities every single time we enter a city hasn't help ease the stress either ;-) We both seem to have this knack for ending up at the wrong places, where even the corner stores are locked behind bullet proof glass during a monday at noon! They are nice enough to provide a little drawer where you can slide the money to the cashier to pay for your gas though. Oddly enough the people in these areas of town have been the most helpful, providing directions and advice on just about anything.

Either way, we needed to get to a BMW dealer to get this engine torqued. We looked ahead to the next cities we'd be passing through and all of them were closed as well. So I did the best thing I could think of, I called home to my dealer in Montreal to ask what could possibly happen if I continued to ride like this and what do I find out that they had already re-torqued my engine before I departed! All of this wasted time and worry because I never ask exactly what work they do on my bike and just pay the expensive bills without question. I am learning.

Everything seems to happen for a reason. We could have found a BMW dealership that was open, we could have waited 2 hours for the engine to cool until they could check the torque on the bolts... But Destiny has once again shown her way. We may have lost an hour, but we have gained two. Not a bad deal today. The dice are still rolling though, and hopefully this luck will hold out.

Back on the road! We're a long way from Mexico and our bodies are being pushed to the max. A week before leaving Montreal my wisdom tooth decided to get infected and since then I have been on some pills to remove this infection, however it does nothing for the pain it's been causing me... the headaches... lacking the ability to chew... I wonder what it must feel like to not have this pain. But I have become accustomed to pain over the years, I am able to put it out of mind and deal with it, we don't seem to have much choice. I am alive, I am on the road, I am free and nothing can take this away from me now.

We've hit the central time zone and gained an hour, but we still end up riding until twelve thirty this day. Approximately thirteen hours today. We briefly look for some food without luck and just collapse exhausted hoping for a real breakfast tomorrow!

Posted by the lostCANADIAN at 12:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Up and about around nine thirty, Ky had already been up and running around for many hours... How she manages to accomplish everything she does in a day always amazes me... This woman is go-go-go !

I'm a bit slow in the mornings if you haven't noticed... A cup of coffee, some time to think things through, what I have to accompish, what needs doing... and just taking my time. Well I got my chance, we chatted a bit over breakfast and started the process of leaving such a comfortably wonderful little haven that Ky has created. Believe me, we wanted nothing more than to stay for days! The seven hour ride yesterday took it's toll on us and we were quite stiff, it'd been awhile since I have done a long ride and my body just wasn't accustomed to it yet.

Mihai's front tire is having a little trouble setting it's bead and we tried to work it out for an hour or so, but we suspect it may just be a defective tire. Hoping it won't be a problem later! So we packed up and said some more goodbye's and off we were at twelve!

Mihai and I have both realized how important it is to be compatible with each other over the next five weeks, and one of the best factors is we both enjoy sleeping in! ;-) Actually am beginning to notice a lot of similarities between the two of us and can't see any disputes in the future, we've both been very agreeable on just about everything -- from where to eat, when to stop, when to wake up... and more importantly our sick and twisted humor!

Riding is something that I not only live to do, but love to do. There's something so peaceful about cruising down the highway, watching the beautifully changing colors of the leaves alongside the road, making eye contact with an eagle high in the sky and for a brief moment we've shared existance together and just thinking about everything and anything. While on the road I have not only solved the majority of my lifes complications, but have done so with suprising ease. Everything just makes so much sense, and with such clarity and simplicity. There is a road ahead, and a road behind. I spend a bit of my time glancing behind me, but my eyes are always ahead, looking to the future, the next bend in the highway, the next city... I can and have road forteen, sixteen hour days before and imagine I will do so again. Not for a brief second do I begin to drift, not for a minute am I bored. WIth nothing to do, nothing to read, no TV to entertain me... I never get bored. I get sore, extremely sore, and exhausted... But my thoughts keep me alive, keep me active. My entire body controls every movement of the bike, she responds to every shift of my body, my right hand for the front brake, my left hand for the clutch, right foot for the rear brake and left foot for the shifter... I can shift my hips ever so slightly to take me through a bend, can press down on a foot peg to go even deeper into a curve... I have complete control of my environment, complete control of my life out here. Riding a bike gives me Freedom. The road gives me a purpose and a destination. The wind in my face, the sun in my eyes, I have never felt so alive, never spent so much time outside, breathing such fresh oxygen, enjoying the beauty of the land and everything within it.

Into the creeping sunset as we crept down the highway like vagabonds, attracting attention everywhere we go.

Hitting the border and passing through customs with ease, we take our bikes down the I-75 to Cincinnati where we will spend the night. The weather gets warmer, even hot -- especially while within the crumbling city limits of Detroit. Things are different here, once we hit Ohio we cross a lot of bikers without their helmets... One was daring enough to greet us by pulling a wheelie right by us. Welcome to the United States of America, live free or die!

We've hit a Knights Inn for the night with promises of a fulfilling continental breakfast awaiting us in the morning, and after making friends with the neighbours, I've spent the remainder of the night chatting with a dear friend of mine on the phone and spending an exhilirating short ride down the street to the Taco Bell without a helmet!

Looking ahead on the news, there are predictions of trophical storms in Mexico, but we're ready. We're exhausted having spent ten hours on the road this day, we're sore, the bodies still have not become accustomed, but we are ready for anything!

Posted by the lostCANADIAN at 12:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lacking sleep from the past week, I awoke early yet again craving more rest. With still much to do, I began by rushing downtown to pick up a few last things that I had forgotten, and rushing back home by nine for breakfast with a few friends and my brother. My good friend Jay managed to show up on time for the first time, while I was only minutes late... Although we still didn't manage to get out of the house until eleven because I had to unpack and repack my backpack quite a few times to get things just right, and even then I still packed too much. Needless to say, we shot off a few pictures, said good bye to my parents and off we were for a last breakfast!

Ops, we still forgot we had a few last things to grab at Canadian Tire, so we didn't even get a chance to leave Montreal until around twelve.

The day was very uneventful. Our plans were to stop over in Toronto to have one last real meal with my cousin Ky and her ... significant other, Damian. We want to reach Houston by tuesday night to stay with my friend Dru there, prepare the bikes and the last few details and leave for Mexico by thursday morning. That put us up to the task of riding 3500 kilometers in just a few days. We are very optimistic and excited of the ride ahead!

What would have normally taken five short hours to reach my cousin's house turned into a rough seven as we hit Toronto during construction, which put us in the very frustrating situation of a hungry belly and a long delay. We made it finally around eight though, and dinner was hot and waiting for us! A big plate of spagetti covered in hot peppers began the preparation stages for our digestion system for spicy Mexican food!

I'm very proud of my cousin Ky, she's been nothing but very successful in life, and not just about her incredibly bloosemed career, but the way she has handled some of the most difficult challenges... She was an unfortunate mother of a stillborn child, and has struggled for years attempting to have another without success, and then struggling for years to adopt a child, which she finally was blessed with a beautiful daughter Reine (many pictures available in the gallery.)

But she has taken the horrible tragedy of the stillborn child and turned it into something wonderful -- A charity organization to help those other unforunate parents out there that have to deal with the same tragedies. www.everlastinglittleangels.com and has managed to help and touch so many others in the process.

We closed this long day with a few beers in the hot spa out back and actually managed to get some sleep at last! Tomorrow we'll be hitting the border at Windsor and crossing into the United States of America!

Posted by the lostCANADIAN at 11:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)