Heading Home / Acknowledgements

Well, the journey is over, bikes returned and a damage tally made. Matthias has thoroughly inspected the bikes and been good enough to overlook a high level of wear and tear and a leaking fork seal or two. Not so the buckled rims unfortunately. I have a buckled rear rim to account for and Ty has a buckled front rim. The bill is approximately $300 in total ($190 for Ty and $90 for me) and we all agree to pay this in thirds.

Mathias has driven us back across the Honduras / El Salvador border, and three hours south to a hotel very near the El Salvador International Airport. We will have a quiet night in tonight then set the alarm for a Copa Air flight out at 4:30am tomorrow morning.

We have covered about 17,000km by air, and a little more than 3,000km by road on the Taco Tour. This has taken us through four countries, and three more in transit. Borders in order have been Australia - Fiji - USA - Panama - El Salvador - Honduras - Guatemala - Honduras - Nicaragua - Honduras - El Salvador - Panama - USA - Fiji - Australia.

During our time away we have experienced some of the world's finest riding in the mountains of Guatemala, and some of the toughest riding through floods that have claimed many lives in Central America, washed out hundreds of kilometers of roads, and swept away thousands of houses. We have experiences high culture in the Mayan ruins of Tikal and the pure rush of adrenalin from hurling ourselves off the side of a volcano with a home made surfboard. The people are a study in contrasts, from greedy and corrupt police through to strangers who have gone well out of their way to render assistance in times of need.

Some acknowledgments are in order for making this such a wonderful trip.

Principal amongst these is Matthias from Maya Moto Tours, whose encyclopedic knowledge of the region tools us well off the beaten track and really immersed us in the local environment. He has become much more 'mate' than 'guide', and we will definitely stay in touch. Our initial plan had been to just rent the bikes, and Matthias came along as an after thought. Maya Moto Tours were quick to stress that he was not a guide and this was not a formal tour. Despite this, he was always there to help with complicated border paperwork, challenging menus, and keeping the bikes in a perfect state of tune. All of us were adamant that we did not want to go on a structured tour - in Matthias we found the perfect combination.

It is also appropriate to thank Alberto from Red Cross El Salvador who spotted Ty and I wandering the mean streets of La Libertad and took us under his wing; keeping us safe, translating as required, and generally getting us organized for the first daunting day or so in El Salvador.

The brothers Britton in Perth and Rockingham have been free with their time and advice on bikes, equipment, and other matters. Dale's advice re the Shark Evoline helmet was appreciated, and the lid served me well in some extraordinary conditions. If you are planning a bike journey of your own, I encourage you to drop in for a chat at either of their stores.

Finally, thanks to the many people who contributed to more than 5000 page views on this blog over the last three weeks. Whilst we wrote this blog primarily for our own memories and enjoyment, it's nice to know that others have enjoyed our travels vicariously. As was the case when we returned from the Tandoori Tour in 2010, please feel free to contact us if you would like to know any more about the trip, or bike touring in general.

Signing off for Taco Tour 2011.

Location:San Salvador, El Salvador