November 6th (dia treinta y seite) - Back home!!!
Sorry to disappoint all of those that had bet on my demise, but we have at last made it back home safely, and on time!
Continue reading "November 6th (dia treinta y seite) - Back home!!!" »
Sorry to disappoint all of those that had bet on my demise, but we have at last made it back home safely, and on time!
Continue reading "November 6th (dia treinta y seite) - Back home!!!" »
Hoping for a quick and easy ride to Toronto (seven hours) we were sadly disappointed as we were hit with torrents of rain, shards of ice and freezing cold winds. Welcome back to Canada!
Continue reading "November 5th (dia treinta y seis) - Back with family in Toronto" »
Another day of hard riding, long into the night...
Continue reading "November 4th(dia treinta y cinco) - Arrived in Michigan" »
Riding the interstates of the United States has become a dull boring ride as we press with all speed north, hoping to stay out of the night and the cold...
Continue reading "November 3rd (dia treinta y cuatro) - Our run to Memphis" »
Despite my feelings about some of the poorly designed aspects of my bike, I cannot say that the BMW service is anything but exceptional! Taken in once again, my family at BMW has quickly jumped to the rescue, instant service to a traveller in distress.
With a new ticking noise coming from my engine, I begin to question whether my camchain needs tightening, a job which I cannot do and will take a BMW technician at least four hours, if the chain itself is not worn past repair.
Mihai is not doing much better as his bikes chain is about to come off completely, with every single part of it kinked and even lube isn't helping much anymore. These bikes deserve medals for what we have put them through, and despite my problems with my bike in the past, I can confirm that BMW does make a very strong bike!
WIth my arm bent at an awkward angle, clothed with three tshirts and a wooly shirt overneath, two pairs of socks and underwear, and all my riding gear, I am still freezing cold on the highway on our way back to Houston. With seven hundred and fifty miles of highway to go, we race for our goal.
Continue reading "November 1st (dia treinta y dos) - Back in Houston!" »
Eating breakfast early this morning, we debated about what day it was, and what time... Unsure of what time zone we were in, we at last realized it was monday as students passed by the restaurant in uniforms.
With one week until I had to be back at work, and an entire continent to pass, we didn't waste time and in the freezing cold, left Creel.
Continue reading "October 31st (dia treinta y uno) - Goodbye Mexico..." »
Batopilas to Creel was a joke in comparison. Saying goodbye over breakfast to our new friends, we headed out of town early.
Continue reading "October 30th (dia treinta) - Through the canyon to Creel" »
Batopilas to Creel was a joke in comparison. Saying goodbye over breakfast to our new friends, we headed out of town early.
Continue reading "October 30th (dia treinta) - Through the canyon to Creel" »
Waking so incredibly early, up with the roosters at dawn, we are amazed to be still alive. Greeting these marijuana farmers first thing in the morning as they have already been chugging down beers, we struggled with our gear and pack up.
Continue reading "October 29th (dia veintineuve) - Still alive!" »
Adventure begins when events stop going as planned...
It is safe to say this was the hardest day we have ever experienced in life, complete with challenges that were unimaginable, challenges that were impossible and that defined a person. Completely unprepared and unaware, we set out from Choix for Batopilas.
I cannot even begin to fathom how we are alive...
Continue reading "October 28th (dia veintiocho) - Of Strength and Greatness" »
Adventure begins when events stop going as planned...
It is safe to say this was the hardest day we have ever experienced in life, complete with challenges that were unimaginable, challenges that were impossible and that defined a person. Completely unprepared and unaware, we set out from Choix for Batopilas.
I cannot even begin to fathom how we are alive...
Continue reading "October 28th (dia veintiocho) - Of Strength and Greatness" »
Waking in El Fuerte, ironically meaning "The Strong" as I was at my weakest having finally broken the fever through the night with sheer willpower, leaving the bed a pool of sweat like no other.
We lazed through the day expecting a quick two hour drive to Batopilas...
Continue reading "October 27th (dia veintiseite) - El Fuerte" »
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.
Continue reading "October 26th (dia veintiseis) - Almost to the Copper Canyon" »
Struggling through the feverish dreams, I pulled myself awake to set out to explore the factory of my favorite tequila, Jose Cuervo.
Continue reading "October 25th (dia veinticinco) - Feverish" »
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.
Continue reading "October 24th (dia veinticuatro) - Back up and running! To Tequila!" »
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.
Continue reading "October 23rd (dia veintitres) - Enjoying Guadalajara" »
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!
Continue reading "October 22nd (dia veintidos) - The plot thickens" »
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.
Continue reading "October 21st (dia veintiuno) - The curse continues, second down!" »
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...
Continue reading "October 20th (dia veinte) - First down, 10,000 km to go!" »
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...
Continue reading "October 19th (dia diecineuve) - Tranquilo" »
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...
Continue reading "October 19th (dia diecineuve) - Tranquilo" »
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...
Continue reading "October 18th (dia dieciocho) - Paradise" »
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...
Continue reading "October 17th (dia dieciseite) - Pure and savage Survival" »
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!
Continue reading "October 16th (dia dieciseis) - The long journey to Oaxaca" »
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!
Continue reading "October 15th (dia quince) - Another day in Mexico.... with Alfonso" »
Once again renewed of what meager energy we could muster, we once again set out to explore... The great pyramids of Teotihuacan!
Continue reading "October 14th (dia catorce) - Teotihuacan & Discos" »
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!!
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!
Continue reading "October 12th (dia doce) - Exploring Mexico City" »
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....
Continue reading "October 11th (dia once) - Achieving the name Lost" »
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...
Continue reading "October 10th (dia dias) - Cerro de San Pedro" »
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
Continue reading "October 9th (dia neuve) - Exploring San Luis Potosi" »
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...
Continue reading "October 8th (dia ocho) - Trekking through northern Mexico" »
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...
Continue reading "October 7th (dia seite) - Hypothermia in texas" »
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...
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? ;-)
Continue reading "October 5th (dia cinco) - A day of rest" »
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!
Continue reading "October 4th (dia cuatro) - Houston, we have a problem -- several!" »
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.
Continue reading "October 3rd (dia tres) - Destiny and her ways" »
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.
Continue reading "October 2nd (dia dos) - Departure from Canada" »
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!
Continue reading "October 1st (dia uno) - Departure from Montreal" »
It's just surpassed midnight and has become Saturday, October 1st -- the day of my departure.
I must confess I didn't think this day would ever arrive. Anything and almost everything that could have become a problem, became a problem. It would seem after a complete overhaul of the engine of my bike followed by endless amounts of money, my bike is finally ready. I had a good scare last night, however, when an old friend decided to visit me again -- the dreaded overheating light on my bike. However this was quickly resolved today at the garage and everything is A1.
From day one I had always been mentally prepared for such a trip, but after experiencing the past week of running around, rushing this, finishing that, buying supplies... I realized that there was a lot more involved than simply preparing yourself mentally... I still have so many things to do and a backpack that is BURSTING at the seams, with tomorrow's early morning departure looming before me, I wonder if I'll ever get out of Montreal.