Posts Tagged ‘motorbike’

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

The sad demise of the D & D Brewery and Hostel (Los Naranjos, Lake Yojoa – 10,802 miles)

Monday, September 21st, 2009

*** STOP PRESS *** August 2011: The D &D Brewery is up and running again! See note at the bottom of this post. The owner has contacted me directly to ask that I let anyone that reads this post know that things are sorted out and the beer is running again. Please start going there again!*****

When travelling by motorbike the need to take a taxi rarely occurs. If I’d taken taxis more often perhaps I would have thought to have the exact change that the villainous taxi driver quoted me before I got in at La Ceiba ferry port. It was only when we were under way that he tried to triple the fare from 60Lps to 200Lps. Unfortunately arguing about the price is futile when you discover you don’t have enough change and your smallest note is 100Lps. I begrudgingly gave him the 100Lps and hoped he got a flat tyre later that day. Thankfully my bike and kit were as I felt them at the house of the restaurant owner, proving that there are still some genuinely generous people in La Ceiba.

I’d read about a great micro brewery and hostel in Los Naranjos, near Lake Yojoa so I decided that would be my next stop. The American owner (Robert Dale) is a brew-master of 30 years and he has been running Honduras’ only micro brewery there for 9 years. After 200 hot and dry miles on the road the prospect of a shower and a cold beer was pretty much all I could think about. Unfortunately when I arrived at the D & D Brewery I was informed by four stony-faced women that the place was closed but they could direct me to another hotel. Whilst they were doing this a rather odd looking chap with long white hair and plaited beard strolled over and asked where I was from (in English). Once we’d established my nationality he explained the situation and offered to put me up at his house, because it would be nice to have the moral support of a fellow Brit. The bizarre, if sad, scenario and a free room was too good an offer to pass up so I accepted the invitation and am currently staying with Malcolm (an English Gandalf and friend of Robert). Bear in mind that the following explanation of events at the brewery are from his and Robert’s point of view (because as you’ll see, the opportunity to ask the women didn’t arise).

The D & D Brewery and hostel has been run by Robert and his wife (Cynthia) for nine years. The great location, beer and service were the reason for its growing popularity, with mentions in many guide books and rave reviews on the internet. Having looked around the property I can see it was once an idyll. However, during what has now become and rather long and messy divorce between Robert and Cynthia the place has been run into the ground over the past 16 weeks. Various accusations were shot in both directions and Robert was locked out of the property whilst Cynthia continued to run the place. Unfortunately it seems that she didn’t realise the extent of the work involved in running the business and with no micro brewed beer one of the major attractions was missing. Robert and Malcolm have been wrongfully arrested and imprisoned (and rightfully released) and after many court hearings and police visits it looks like they will be back on the property and able to start getting things straight soon. It appears that Cynthia was breaking the law by locking Robert out of his property and denying him his right to work. I hope they are able to save the business and it’s reputation before too long. There’s only so long you can turn people away before word gets out and they stop coming.

I’m having a very entertaining time with Malcolm. He was one of the original hippies/freaks of the 1960s. An art graduate from Edinburgh, he freely admits he was a keen psychotropic drug experimentalist in the 60s and 70s and then spent the rest of his life ‘drifting’ round the world and enjoying all it had to offer. From fruit picking in Europe to exploring the mountains in India and Central America. This was before the times of Lonely Planet guidebooks and round-world plane tickets. Over the years he became a keen bird watcher, naturalist and guide (which is his current profession here). I personally think he may have overdone it slightly with the drugs in the past, as at times I don’t think he’s all there but we get on well and seem to have a mutually beneficial agreement. He puts a roof over my head and I keep him in rum and conversation. He’s also given me guided tours of the nature reserve and lake and while there’s no chance of me becoming a bird-watcher being shown the flora and fauna by an expert and using binoculars has opened my eyes to the ways of the rambler.

 

**********Note from the Owner of the D & D Brewery***********

August 24, 2011 at 1:39 pm

Hi there,

Wanted to share with everyone that as of July 1st, 2011, D&D Brewery is under new ownership. Before I took over, D&D had been back open since the fall of 2009 (with plenty of beer!).

The former owner, Robert, got the place back up and running and when I took over D&D was in great shape. We only hope to keep that going and make things even better.

Come see us out here in Los Naranjos! http://www.ddbrewery.com

Best,

Bobby Durrette
Owner, D&D Brewery


Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in honduras | 6 Comments »

How to suffocate your motorbike

Sunday, September 6th, 2009

One of the modifications I made to my motorbike before leaving England was to replace the OEM air filter with a Pipercross reusable one. I did this for two reasons (1) It´s more efficient than a OEM filter and (2) I could clean it rather than taking spares or trying to find them on the way. My Haynes maintenance manual says to check the air filter every 4,000 miles and replace it every 12,000 miles (more frequently in dusty conditions). I can´t explain exactly why I hadn´t checked my filter until now but it had totally slipped my mind. Perhaps my subconscious was telling me that because it´s a superior filter I didn´t need to check it as often as the OEM. That and the fact that taking the petrol tank off to get to the air filter is a hassle might have had something to do with it. So after 10,000 miles I woke up in the night thinking: “Sh*t. I´ve been in really dusty conditions. I should have checked my air filter over 6,000 miles ago! I hope it´s ok.” The next morning the petrol tank and air filter cover cam off to reveal a very, very dirty air filter. More than just dust. Bits of plant, insects, sand, etc.

For those that don´t know, the air filter is there to stop any particles being sucked into the carburetors, where the air is mixed with petrol before being sprayed into the engine cylinders to be burnt (to drive the pistons). Engines need a good flow of clean air to function well. Moreover, dirt in the carburetors can cause blockages and all sorts of problems. Hence the need for a good, clean air filter.

At this point I should also mention that my bike has about five tubes dangling from the bottom near my centre stand. I think they´re for draining various overflows from the engine but I´m not 100% sure. One of them had a plug in it, that is until I must have grounded my bike one one of the many speed bumps in Central America and sheared off the ends of the tubes on the metal edge of my centre stand. I can´t remember where or when this happened (as it is not uncommon) but I do remember seeing the plug missing a while ago and briefly thinking “I´m sure there was a plug on that” before totally forgetting about it. In hindsight, Honda wouldn´t have put a plug there for no reason. I should have found out what it was for and then replaced it. What can I say. I´m an idiot.

Anyway… As I lifted the dirty air filter off to clean it (thinking how pleased I was I´d upgraded it) I saw that the bottom of the air chamber was filled with sand. WITH SAND! On closer inspection it turned out that the tube with the plug on was attached to a small hole in the bottom of the air chamber and without the plug it was sucking up whatever the bottom of the tube came into contact with. Might as well not had had an air filter. Fortunately there was some other gunk in the chamber too so it looks like much of  the sand was stuck to that and the tube was blocked (with sand) so no more was being sucked in. It´s a miracle that nothing was seriously damaged. If the mechanic that taught me how to maintain my bike had seen it he probably would have crushed my head in a vice. However, I think I´ve got away with it. Air filter and chamber are now clean. The tube has a new plug on it and the bike runs much better than before. I think I´ll now be checking more regularly.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in el salvador | No Comments »

Volcán Pacaya, Antigua and Lake Atitlan (9,608 miles)

Sunday, August 23rd, 2009

Had a shocker of a day yesterday. Although I felt a little rough when I woke up I thought I´d continue as planned and climb Volcán Pacaya. Not long into the ascent of the 2,500m volcano I realised things were not right in the stomach department. In fact during the 5 hours on the hill I almost gland slammed* myself several times. As you can imagine a volcano in Guatemala doesn´t have the facilities of Disney World and it was also rather busy so the opportunity for relief didn´t present itself. Not the most comfortable afternoon I´ve had!

Then, as if in some kind of perverse endurance test, the tour bus dropped me off in a different part of Antigua to my motorbike. The now dark, cobbled streets all looked the same and provided no clues as to what part of town I was in and where my bike might be. So I spent another 30 minutes wandering around, with waves of gastric pain and gurgling, before I found it and headed up the hill to my couchsurfing host´s house. On reaching the guarded complex (it´s near Guatemala City) the gatekeeper wouldn´t let me in because I didn´t have a passport or driving license with me. The trouble there being that all my documents were in the house of my coushsurfing host.

Gatekeeper: “I can´t let you in without seeing your driving license.”

Me: “But my driving license is in the house.”

Gatekeeper: “But I can´t let you in without seeing your driving license.”

Me: “But my driving license is in the house.”

Gatekeeper: “But I can´t let you in without seeing your driving license.”

repeat…

After 5 minutes of this I thought I´d never get inside and my internal organs were nearly ready to give up and unload where I stood. However, he finally let me through on the condition I came straight back with my license. I did go back but only after I´d attended to some very important business in the lavatory!

Food poisoning aside, Antigua is a cool place and climbing any one of the 3 volcanoes is an interesting experience (and probably enjoyable if you didn´t have stomach cramps and heaving).

I´d also recommend you drive round Lake Atitlan. Beautiful scenery and usually something interesting going on at the roadside. Take an off-road vehicle as some parts of the road are not paved and I was also warned (by locals) about robbers in the more remote areas. I didn´t see any though.

*Grand slam (oneself) – the technical term given to vomiting and defecating simultaneously. Common in cases of severe food poisoning, less so with bad hangovers and very rare in cases whilst actually drinking. In fact, I only know one person to achieve a grand slam whilst drinking and he is a very special person. I won´t mention names…


Visit Ollie’s Greasy Sprocket website.

Visit the Greasy Spocket Photo Gallery.

Become a fan on facebook.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in guatemala | 2 Comments »

First day back on the road after my accident (Lost Reef resort, Placencia, Belize)

Friday, July 31st, 2009

I’ve always believed that (metaphorically speaking) if you fall off your horse you should dust yourself down and get back on as soon as you possible. Otherwise I might lose my nerve for good. A few years ago I fractured a bone in my wrist whilst preparing for the Mega Avalanche mountain bike race in France, 5 days before the race. The only way I knew I’d be able to do anything like it again was to put a rubber washing up glove over the cast (for grip) and complete the race. Until today that was the hardest psychological thing I’ve ever put myself through. Compared to getting back on my motorbike and riding down the sh*tty dirt road I had my accident on, sitting at the top of a snow capped mountain on a mountain bike with a fractured wrist seemed easy. However, I managed it and the bike and rider appear to be ok. I have a feeling it’s going to take a little while to get all my confidence back but at least I’ve started the process. I also now know what I did wrong in order to come off the bike two weeks ago. In Baja California I learnt the hard way that when riding over sand you should stand up and put the power on. Two weeks ago I learnt that you should NOT do that with wet clay. Apparently the best way to cross wet clay is to slow right down and gingerly, almost walk your motorbike through it. Always a learning experience… I need to do a couple of things before I leave so I think I’ll be heading for Guatemala early next week.

Before I leave I want to say something about Lisa and John and their Lost Reef beach resort. The Lost Reef Resort is a small and beautiful beach resort with 5 cabanas, a bar, restaurant and pool on the beach. The small size of the resort means that Lisa, John and their staff can treat you like a person rather than a just a holiday-maker. It also seems that their bar is the centre of the community here. From workmen building the road through residents and tourists to banana plantation owners. They all come here and are treated like family. You could say that I’m biased because of all they and their friends have done for me whilst I recover. However, the rest of the community can’t be wrong. If you fancy a holiday in a Caribbean resort. Sun, swimming, sailing, scuba diving, great food and bar I suggest you give The Lost Reef Resort in Placencia, Belize a look.

It’s going to be quite a shock going back to the old motorbike touring lifestyle of cheap hostels and camping after this luxury but I guess I’ll have to get used to it. I’m also going to miss the hysterical and often infectious laughter coming from Rosa and Maria in the kitchen and bar.




Find out more about Ollie’s trip at his Greasy Sprocket website.

If you’re on facebook and you want to see any photos then visit the actual blog here.

You can also see photos from Ollie’s trip in in his Greasy Spocket Photo Gallery.

Become a fan of Greasy Sprocket on facebook

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in belize | 1 Comment »

Recovery is going well at the Lost Reef Resort, Placencia, Belize

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

A while ago someone told me that everything happens for a reason. Regardless if whether that’s true, I know that I couldn’t have picked a better place (away from home) to have a motorbike accident. Recovery in the Lost Reef Resort is idyllic and Lisa and John (the owners) are some of the most friendly and generous people I have met. Two world class doctors were staying nearby so I was seen immediately by the best of the medical profession. Maria and Rosa work here and they are treating me like a little brother. They’re also helping me with my Spanish, although I don’t know how good it was before the accident. Bill, the next door neighbor, has a lot of mechanical experience and is helping me fix my bike and luggage. It also seems that things are booming on the Placencia peninsula, so you never know I might have even found a good investment opportunity. (I’m going to look at some land next week!)

A couple of days ago Maria took me for a walk to see her family. Parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, the whole lot… The ladies were making tamales, which we later cooked over a fire in the garden and ate. Although many of the family could speak English they patiently helped me through introductions, explanations and general chit-chat in Spanish because they knew I needed help remembering and practicing the language. I also received a lesson in Belizian fruits and coconuts in their garden. Did you know there are three types of coconut in Belize (green, yellow and red). Maria’s cousin, Steve, then showed me how they catch and prepare lobster. I was offered a trip out in the boat to set lobster shades but unfortunately that was vetoed by the doctors in my family, due to the risk of hitting my head again. (Probably a sensible decision.) Maria’s mother said the swelling needed to be massaged out of my ankle, which we have started with amazing results. After a just a couple of days all the bruising has gone and my ankle is almost back to normal. There’s something to be said for mothers’ remedies. She also sympathizes with my mum and can’t understand why anyone would want to ride a motorbike to Argentina! And if I’m honest, there have been times this week when Argentina has felt a long, long way away. Got to get back on the horse though. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and all that.

Maria then walked me back the the beach resort before she started work that evening. So bear in mind that she did all of this for me in her afternoon off. I hope that gives you some idea of the generosity of the people here. And this is just one of the many ways they are all making my stay here as comfortable as possible.


Find out more about Ollie’s trip at his Greasy Sprocket website.

If you’re on facebook and you want to see any photos then visit the actual blog here.

You can also see photos from Ollie’s trip in in his Greasy Spocket Photo Gallery.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in belize | 1 Comment »

Notes on motorbike touring in Mexico

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

Don`t Believe the Hype – As is often the case, the fear of the unknown is always worse than the reality. Mexico does have its problems but as a tourist I think you’re only in danger if you put yourself there. This country is amazing. The people are kind, friendly and generous. If you are polite and courteous they will be too. Simple.

Rich and Poor – There is a huge gap between the rich and poor and the poor are really poor. Bare feet poor. However, perhaps because they don’t have much of a welfare system here they get off their arses and find enterprising ways to survive. There is begging but in many cases people are also trying to sell you a goods or services and it seems that the Mexicans that can afford it pay for those goods and services. In some ways its a method of supporting them. Whether it’s paying someone to help you park your car in the street or buying crafts or snacks form street vendors. I had a guy try to sell me a sculpture he had made from a coke can.

Snacks – Mexicans are great at making snacks, which is lucky because I love eating them. They have everything. Breads, pastries, tacos, sweets, ice-creams, grasshoppers, tamales, pork scratchings, empanadas, fruit (with chili), juices, the list goes on. All of it very tasty and most of it rather unhealthy.

Roads – Riding a motorbike here is an exhilarating experience. The variety of roads and scenery mean there is never a dull moment (well almost never). However, I’ve learned that you should never take anything for granted. Don’t assume there will be petrol at the next petrol station. Don’t assume the road will be tarmac. Don’t assume that someone won’t be overtaking on that blind bend. Don’t assume that the person indicating will be turning in that direction. Don’t assume that speed bumps with be marked as such. Always assume there will be stray dogs waiting to ambush you!

Speed bumps -The Mexican government`s cheap way of reducing speed and damaging vehicles. They put them everywhere and they are all different. From almost nonexistent to sump/gearbox removing mountains.

Stray dogs – They seem to be everywhere and they love to attack motorbikes. One theory is that they don´t recognise that the person riding it is human, because of the helmet. Either way, they are annoying and in some cases dangerous. I would imagine you would come off if you rode over one and I also wouldn`t want to get bitten. Although Mexicans do not generally love animals like us soft English they all complained when the government started an extermination programme so it stopped. The stray dogs are here to stay.

Highway code – It appears that if a highway code exists in Mexico much of it is optional. I mentioned in a previous post that the driving is inspired but rather dangerous. I’m not going to go into detail but there are two things that you should know if you plan to drive in Mexico.

Indicators - The driver will use them as they see fit and you have to interpret them as the situation requires. WARNING: INCORRECT INTERPRETATION COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. The indicator could mean one of:

  • I’m going to turn in that direction.
  • I’m going to stop on that side of the road.
  • I’m going to overtake.
  • You overtake me as it is clear ahead.

Hazard lights -The most used form of communication in Mexican driving. It would take years of study to fully understand the art form of hazard light use but from what I can gather they can mean the following:

  • Warning to traffic in both directions. The driver thinks something could affect your journey. It may be something to do with them or something they have seen. You will often never know.
  • If oncoming and using flash of headlights means slow down to oncoming traffic because police, army, animals, roadworks, anything could be up ahead for you.
  • I am going to stop somewhere soon.
  • I am going to do something illegal soon.
  • I might turn or stop soon but I don`t know when or where.
  • I am coming through. Get out the way. (sometimes used with horn)
  • I am parking here (allows you to park anywhere on the road).
  • I am going to move off.
  • I am staying here.
  • Do you want a lift? (sometimes if used with horn)

But overall – I`d say come to Mexico. Is great fun and cheap.



Find out more about Ollie’s trip at his Greasy Sprocket website.

If you’re on facebook and you want to see any photos then visit the actual blog here.

You can also see photos from Ollie’s trip in in his Greasy Spocket Photo Gallery.

Become a fan of Greasy Sprocket on facebook

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in mexico | No Comments »

The day I DIDN’T ride naked through Mexico City (6,217 miles)

Saturday, June 13th, 2009

First off. One thing my UK motorbike test didn’t prepare me for was Mexico City’s two-way roundabouts. I’m not kidding. 8 lanes but with no road markings and traffic can pretty much go where it likes. The rumours are true. Traffic in Mexico City in horrendous and the driving, whilst supremely creative is exceptionally dangerous. That said. Everyone seems to understand how it works and although I was almost in a couple I didn’t see any accidents on the way in.




Now to apologise for the anticlimax after my last post. Sorry but this one is going to disappoint. I met my coushsurfing host (Paulina) and her friends on Friday evening and on Saturday morning we were going to ride bicycles naked through Mexico City, as part of the World Naked Bike Ride. You may have gathered from my last post that I was fairly tense about this undertaking. It’s not everyday that you ride through a city in your birthday suit with a group of people you’ve only met 12 hours earlier. Plenty of questions had been bothering me in the days leading up to the event. Things like: Are there protocols for this type of thing? When do you actually get your kit off? Will there be any chafing? Where do you look? What do I do about sun cream? What if it’s cold? Oh please don’t let it be cold! What if they’re all really attractive. Oh God. What the hell have I signed up for, etc… However, as Saturday drew near I managed to convince myself everything would be okand I was rather looking forward to it. That’s a bit of a lie. I was actually still sh*tting myself.

Unfortunately, we all went to a party on Friday night and everyone got to bed very late. I was actually ok on Saturday morning and probably could have made it to the ride but Paulina (my host) felt too bad to venture out so we cancelled. I thought about going myself but I think that might have been a bit weird!

So…

On the upside. No event meant none of my worst nightmares could be realised.

On the downside. A bit of a shame we didn’t take part. It might have been quite a laugh.

Off to Oaxaca now to start learning Spanish formally.



Find out more about Ollie’s trip at his Greasy Sprocket website.

If you’re on facebook and you want to see any photos then visit the actual blog here.

You can also see photos from Ollie’s trip in in his Greasy Spocket Photo Gallery.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in mexico | No Comments »

Riding “The Devil´s Spine” to Durango (4,408 miles)

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

“The Devil´s Spine” is every bikers´dream. It´s a 200km section of winding tarmac road, cut into the mountains from Mazatlan to Durango. Although enjoyable, you need to concentrate for each of the 1,000 or so bends because not only are many of them tight and blind you also have the added excitement of crazy Mexican overtaking maneuvers, cows, goats, pigs, horses, donkeys and school children to contend with. Nothing gets the heart pumping faster than coming out of a bend to find yourself heading straight towards an oncoming truck on your side of the road.

Riding a motorbike is much like skiing or mountain biking, in that you generally travel in the direction you are looking. The idea is to look at and ride to the vanishing point of the tarmac. This is great when things are going to plan but difficult to maintain when they go wrong. A couple of times early on I got my angles wrong and ran out of road. In those situations it was hard not to look in the direction I didn´t want to go (i.e. off the side of the mountain). Fortunately, on the occasions that the bike and I did leave the tarmac we managed to stop before plummeting to our deaths. All good fun and still alive to tell the tale!

As if the bends weren´t enough to content with...

Durango itself is the first place I´ve visited in Mexico where I think I could live. It´s the capital of Durango state so it´s bustling and the old town is a mix of stylish modern houses and elegant Spanish colonial buildings, plazas, parks, churches and a cathedral. A strange mix of old and new that seems to work. I don´t know anywhere else that provides free Wi-Fi in the parks and the old guys still wear cowboy hats and boots.

I also had in interesting trip to one of the museums. I´m not sure whether they generally go the extra mile at the museums here or they were just pleased to have a visitor because they turned on extra lights and gave me a guided tour. I´ve no idea what half of it was about but quite fun all the same.

You can find out more about Ollie´s trip by visiting his Greasy Sprocket website.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in mexico | 1 Comment »

2 motorbike touring rules you should not break (especially with your 1st passenger)

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

RULE 1 – Don´t ride in Mexico in the dark (because the risk of hitting livestock is increased and the winding coastal and straight desert roads are not well marked or lit).

RULE 2 – Always check your motorbike over before every journey (so you know all the basics work).

This whole escapade started when Christina (a fellow traveller) and I took too long to finish our coffees. Mike (the Kiwi) had offered to take us fishing in Santa Rosalia that evening. Mike arrived almost an hour late, by which time we had bought and were half way through a couple of coffees. I´m not sure if Mike was angry because of his delay but through a failure of communication he left without us. However, we can´t corroborate this as no one has seen Mike since.

With no lift to Santa Rosalia we thought it would be a good idea to try and catch up with Mike on my motorbike. Pauncho (the campsite owner) dug out an ancient looking helmet, which Christina managed to fit by padding it out with a cap and a pair of trousers! (This is Mexico after all.) So off we set on the 80 km ride to Santa Rosalia. We´d find Mike, fish, eat and go to the Karaoke bar as planned. Mike and Christina would drive home in his van with me in convoy (to help reduce the risk of accidents as a result of breaking RULE 1). All seemed straight forward at the time.

After a fruitless search for Mike in Santa Rosalia we decided to cut our losses and head home, which was when the fun began…

As we left the town it was starting to get dark so I switched on the full beam headlight. Nothing happened. This was a little worrying. Switched it off and on again. Still nothing. In fact our path was only lit with my side lights. When you´re next in your car at night switch only your side lights on and then imagine half of that light. Ok. So I have a passenger whom I´ve known for 2 days and we´re going to have to ride 80km in the dark on roads I don’t know with only my side lights to see with. You don’t make this easy for yourself do you Ollie.

With not many other options available we crawled along at half speed with my eyeballs feeling like they were out on sticks. When the opportunity arose I tried to speed up and stay in the headlights of passing cars, which I apologise for but you do what you can in these situations. To Christina’s credit the only time she screamed was when I had to swerve to narrowly avoid a dead cow in the middle of the road and then again when another cow (perhaps a friend of the dead one) tried to knock us over. Oh and then there were the dogs that went for us as we came into Mulege but after the cows these were small fry (snarling fangs or not).

Fortunately Christina has been cool about my minor oversights (I think) and has chosen to laugh about the whole affair. I’ll put it down as another learning experience I guess.

Faulty lights were down to a loose connection, which I have now fixed and my tyre has arrived in San Ignacio so I’m back on the road.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in mexico | No Comments »

San Felipe to Gonzaga (2,935 miles)

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

Today was a tough day. I am mentally and physically exhausted and the scale of the task I have set myself has finally sunk in. If the next 11 months are anything like the last 8 hours this is going to be a character building experience. It’s a whole different ball game down here. I don’t know about the mainland but in Baja you can’t even be sure petrol stations marked on the road maps will be open or have petrol. I discovered this fact this morning when I arrived at a petrol station that was built but never occupied. With not enough fuel to get to the next town I asked locals where to buy fuel or if any of them could sell me some. They had none spare but suggested I go back up the road to a boat launching station and ask there. On the way I saw SUVs and quadbikes outside a bar/restaurant.

SUVs + quadbikes = Rich Americans.

Sure enough, after explaining my predicament someone offered to sell me some fuel and a fuel canister for the bike. First hurdle over.

Then there’s the roads. 40 miles south of San Felipe Highway 5 becomes at best a graded gravel road and at worst a sandy track. Graded gravel road is manageable. Sandy track, less so. Fortunately around this time I bumped into a fellow motorbike tourer (Adam) and we stuck together for the rest of the journey. This was Adam’s first trip into Baja but he’s ridden trail bikes for years and used to race road bikes so he knows his stuff. Unlike the crazy Brit who only learnt to ride a motorbike 6 months ago. He’s also a paramedic. Result!

dscf1033

A few miles after meeting I had my first proper spill. 30 mph into a sandy section. Rather than stand up and put the power on I must have sat down and dug my front wheel into the deep stuff. The bike an I parted company and whilst I was ok my luggage boxes and rack got bent up and I lost a wing mirror. You’re on you own out here. There’s no recovery service. We just had to strap everything up as best we could and get to the next habitied area (Gonzaga) and hope I could repair it all there. Slightly shaken by the fall I found the next 35 miles hot and tiring. We had a few other minor but energy sapping incidents, including sinking my bike to the rear axle in sand after I followed Adams lighter, more agile BMW GS650 across a deceptively deep section. However, we made it to Gonzaga safely. I’ll attend to the bike in daylight tomorrow.

First proper spill

Adam is a great guy and I think we’re going to spend the next couple of days exploring Baja (bike repairs allowing).

No amusing tip-bits to report today. I’m just going to curl up in my hammock and try to get a good nights sleep (when this howling winds dies down).

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in mexico | 2 Comments »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »