tonyf@bluezoo.com.au
(next year ....... ?)
Friday, October 21, 2011
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.
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
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Last day on the bikes
We have been blessed with a special last day of riding in Central America today. We woke to bright sunlight and just a smattering of clouds in a piercing blue sky. The team was in great spirits as we rode out from San Miguel.
Gary has suffered frequent and urgent need for a bathroom throughout the Taco Tour, and today was no exception. When we stopped to refuel about half an hour after breakfast, he turned pale and said "I've got to go - now". He raced inside to collect a key to the bathrooms, then trotted over to the door. He was only inside for a minute, when he came back out with an anguished look on his face. "No toilet paper", he cried, and ran inside to purchase some from the store. We were already laughing, but had tears rolling down our face as we watched someone else calmly walk inside the toilet and lock the door just as Gary came back out of the store clutching his precious roll. Gary nearly had a coronary on the spot, before spotting the vacant ladies bathroom and trying the key in that door. Thankfully, the lock turned and salvation was at hand.
We had a long haul to cover 200km from San Miguel to near San Salvador, then on and up to Suchitoto. Local news was that two bridges were still washed away and impassable, but we decided to see for ourselves whether we could get through on the bikes. This turned out to be a good move, as the bridges were certainly in need of repair but thoroughly traversable.
(volcano just outside San Miguel)
(cacao beans being dried on the road)
We not only made it to Suchitoto, but decided to continue further and to stay up in the cloud forest for the night at a resort. The climb was reminiscent of the roads in Guatemala, and we all enjoyed the series of curves and switchbacks leading all the way up to San Ignacio.
(bridge enroute to San Ignacio)
(stunning and wild mountain scenery)
The resort is quite simply stunning, perched high in the mountains on a large and wooded property. The rooms are expensive at $20.50 per person - but hey, we no complain ...
We set off from the lobby to explore some of the nearby mountain tracks within the resort, and thoroughly enjoyed potting along and admiring the landscape. Stopping for a quick photo (below) turned unpleasant for Ty when my bike happened to be parked directly on top of a freshly squeezed cow pat. What else would a mate do? Ty spent some time scraping his clothes clean and emptying his helmet (yes, it was in the perfect catching position).
Matthias suggested that we would would probably still have enough time to make it up to the summit of a nearby mountain on the bikes, so we headed off up a concrete track that looked promising. The twists and turns on this track were quite incredible, and much of climb was spent in first or second gear. There was also the occasional 'obstacle' to negotiate.
The concrete eventually petered petered out and we were left to finish the climb on mud
The effort was richly rewarded at the top though, with some incredible views down the mountain just as the sun was setting.
The trip back down the mountain proved to be considerably more challenging. On one particularly tight bend (170 degrees), Ty went in quite hot on the muddy surface. The timing was unfortunate as he met a bus coming in the other direction. Both saw each other at the last minute and braked heavily, not easy to do on the slippery mud. It simply was not possible to stop in time, and Ty managed to scrape past on the left side of the bus by less than an inch. The driver's eyes were like dinner plates, and there was a chorus of "loco gringo's" from the passengers.
In an attempt to recover his 'street cred', Ty promptly tried to do a wheelie over a bump in the road. This would have been quite impressive had he not missed the gear, very nearly falling over the front of the bike and running over himself. As it was, his face ended up very near the front mudguard with backside pointing at the sky. To his credit, he did do this in front of an appreciative audience.
The steepest part of the descent was taxing for the bikes, with both Gary and I suffering brake failure as the brake fluid boiled. We were left reliant on engine braking to get us back down the last few kilometers. No danger, but it sure gave Us a 'surprise' when we first leaned into a switchback to find that we had no brakes,
Having a quite dinner at the resort this evening, as we will be heading into Honduras tomorrow morning to load the bikes on the trailer.
Gary has suffered frequent and urgent need for a bathroom throughout the Taco Tour, and today was no exception. When we stopped to refuel about half an hour after breakfast, he turned pale and said "I've got to go - now". He raced inside to collect a key to the bathrooms, then trotted over to the door. He was only inside for a minute, when he came back out with an anguished look on his face. "No toilet paper", he cried, and ran inside to purchase some from the store. We were already laughing, but had tears rolling down our face as we watched someone else calmly walk inside the toilet and lock the door just as Gary came back out of the store clutching his precious roll. Gary nearly had a coronary on the spot, before spotting the vacant ladies bathroom and trying the key in that door. Thankfully, the lock turned and salvation was at hand.
We had a long haul to cover 200km from San Miguel to near San Salvador, then on and up to Suchitoto. Local news was that two bridges were still washed away and impassable, but we decided to see for ourselves whether we could get through on the bikes. This turned out to be a good move, as the bridges were certainly in need of repair but thoroughly traversable.
(volcano just outside San Miguel)
(cacao beans being dried on the road)
We not only made it to Suchitoto, but decided to continue further and to stay up in the cloud forest for the night at a resort. The climb was reminiscent of the roads in Guatemala, and we all enjoyed the series of curves and switchbacks leading all the way up to San Ignacio.
(bridge enroute to San Ignacio)
(stunning and wild mountain scenery)
The resort is quite simply stunning, perched high in the mountains on a large and wooded property. The rooms are expensive at $20.50 per person - but hey, we no complain ...
We set off from the lobby to explore some of the nearby mountain tracks within the resort, and thoroughly enjoyed potting along and admiring the landscape. Stopping for a quick photo (below) turned unpleasant for Ty when my bike happened to be parked directly on top of a freshly squeezed cow pat. What else would a mate do? Ty spent some time scraping his clothes clean and emptying his helmet (yes, it was in the perfect catching position).
Matthias suggested that we would would probably still have enough time to make it up to the summit of a nearby mountain on the bikes, so we headed off up a concrete track that looked promising. The twists and turns on this track were quite incredible, and much of climb was spent in first or second gear. There was also the occasional 'obstacle' to negotiate.
The concrete eventually petered petered out and we were left to finish the climb on mud
The effort was richly rewarded at the top though, with some incredible views down the mountain just as the sun was setting.
The trip back down the mountain proved to be considerably more challenging. On one particularly tight bend (170 degrees), Ty went in quite hot on the muddy surface. The timing was unfortunate as he met a bus coming in the other direction. Both saw each other at the last minute and braked heavily, not easy to do on the slippery mud. It simply was not possible to stop in time, and Ty managed to scrape past on the left side of the bus by less than an inch. The driver's eyes were like dinner plates, and there was a chorus of "loco gringo's" from the passengers.
In an attempt to recover his 'street cred', Ty promptly tried to do a wheelie over a bump in the road. This would have been quite impressive had he not missed the gear, very nearly falling over the front of the bike and running over himself. As it was, his face ended up very near the front mudguard with backside pointing at the sky. To his credit, he did do this in front of an appreciative audience.
The steepest part of the descent was taxing for the bikes, with both Gary and I suffering brake failure as the brake fluid boiled. We were left reliant on engine braking to get us back down the last few kilometers. No danger, but it sure gave Us a 'surprise' when we first leaned into a switchback to find that we had no brakes,
Having a quite dinner at the resort this evening, as we will be heading into Honduras tomorrow morning to load the bikes on the trailer.
Location:San Ignacio, El Salvador
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Priceless
After a few Margaritas in the hotel, the conversation turned serious as it sometimes does.
Gary said "I have a motto that I live by. It is ...
Oh, crap, I forgot"
Priceless
Gary said "I have a motto that I live by. It is ...
Oh, crap, I forgot"
Priceless
Location:San Miguel
Wet wet wet and instant karma
It was bucketing rain when we left Nicaragua this morning; it has bucketed rain right across Honduras; and it is still bucketing now that we have stopped for the night in San Miguel.
The road conditions were not as bad as we had expected to face today. Whilst the news services on all the televisions here are showing people being rescued from rivers and mudslides, the majority of today's riding was in conditions not much worse than a very severe storm in Perth.
The principal challenge has been the pot holes in the road surface. Once these are filled and there is an inch of water sitting across the top of the roadway, the pot holes become very difficult to see in advance. Even at a reduced speed of 60-80 kph, there are still quite a few wrist and shoulder jarring moments.
Lunch was at a small roadside stall. We felt SO reassured by the sign on the front door at we just had to stop and eat there.
Despite the signage, the tucker was excellent. The food in Central America has been consistently sensational, and we are all coming home a few kilos heavier than when we left.
At one point in today's journey, Ty seized the opportunity to plough through a deep pot hole whilst riding directly alongside me. The effect was a drenching with stinky brown mud (again) that left me trying to clear my visor and wipe grit from my neck at the same time. Ty was laughing like a hyena over the intercom and thoroughly enjoying my discomfort.
He was still laughing a kilometer or two later - just before he dropped into a pothole that was deep enough to buckle the front wheel and have a lasting impact on his future sex life. Gotta love that instant karma. There was not much that we could do roadside, so Ty limped the bike into the next town with the front wheel bumping and the handlebars shaking. We visited a local mechanic to borrow a piece of wood and a sledgehammer so that Matthias could bash the rim as straight as possible.
In one of those 'only in Central America moments', we were stopped about 2pm from the Nicaraguan border by an officer. He was clearly on the take, and wanted to see our papers and other documents. When he found that everything was in order, he then kept asking for other documents (unnecessary ones) until he found something that we did not have. There was a 'fine' attached to not having this document, and we were bracing ourselves for yet another donation to the endlessly corrupt and greedy Nicaraguan police. This time however, Matthias got quite cranky and argued with the officer loudly. He eventually said "We will not pay this guy anything. Look, he doesn't even have a gun. Let's just go". So, with the officer still gesticulating and making a scene, we simply mounted the bikes and drove straight past him and his sidekick. The look on their faces was priceless.
Entering El Salvador from Honduras at the southern border post must surely be unique in the world. Due to some interesting and convoluted process, you are actually stamped IN to El Salavador, then you go BACK to be stamped out of Honduras. This makes absolutely no sense at all, but as we know from bitter experience, the only thing worse than the system is trying to f... with the system. It's best just to smile bemusedly, and get on with the farce.
We have stopped about 70km from the border in San Miguel for the evening. This is supposed to be a sizable city, but we wouldn't know. We have simply stopped at the first available hotel, squelched our way into reception, and asked for two rooms.
Gear Note: the DriRider motorcycle jackets just cannot cope with this much torrential rain and let quite a bit of water through to soak the rider in these conditions. As an experiment, this morning I unzipped the internal waterproof liner and wore it outside the jacket as an overgarment. This approach has kept me mostly dry, and quite a bit warmer throughout the past 11 hours of almost non stop rain.
Dinner then bed ...
The road conditions were not as bad as we had expected to face today. Whilst the news services on all the televisions here are showing people being rescued from rivers and mudslides, the majority of today's riding was in conditions not much worse than a very severe storm in Perth.
The principal challenge has been the pot holes in the road surface. Once these are filled and there is an inch of water sitting across the top of the roadway, the pot holes become very difficult to see in advance. Even at a reduced speed of 60-80 kph, there are still quite a few wrist and shoulder jarring moments.
Lunch was at a small roadside stall. We felt SO reassured by the sign on the front door at we just had to stop and eat there.
Despite the signage, the tucker was excellent. The food in Central America has been consistently sensational, and we are all coming home a few kilos heavier than when we left.
At one point in today's journey, Ty seized the opportunity to plough through a deep pot hole whilst riding directly alongside me. The effect was a drenching with stinky brown mud (again) that left me trying to clear my visor and wipe grit from my neck at the same time. Ty was laughing like a hyena over the intercom and thoroughly enjoying my discomfort.
He was still laughing a kilometer or two later - just before he dropped into a pothole that was deep enough to buckle the front wheel and have a lasting impact on his future sex life. Gotta love that instant karma. There was not much that we could do roadside, so Ty limped the bike into the next town with the front wheel bumping and the handlebars shaking. We visited a local mechanic to borrow a piece of wood and a sledgehammer so that Matthias could bash the rim as straight as possible.
In one of those 'only in Central America moments', we were stopped about 2pm from the Nicaraguan border by an officer. He was clearly on the take, and wanted to see our papers and other documents. When he found that everything was in order, he then kept asking for other documents (unnecessary ones) until he found something that we did not have. There was a 'fine' attached to not having this document, and we were bracing ourselves for yet another donation to the endlessly corrupt and greedy Nicaraguan police. This time however, Matthias got quite cranky and argued with the officer loudly. He eventually said "We will not pay this guy anything. Look, he doesn't even have a gun. Let's just go". So, with the officer still gesticulating and making a scene, we simply mounted the bikes and drove straight past him and his sidekick. The look on their faces was priceless.
Entering El Salvador from Honduras at the southern border post must surely be unique in the world. Due to some interesting and convoluted process, you are actually stamped IN to El Salavador, then you go BACK to be stamped out of Honduras. This makes absolutely no sense at all, but as we know from bitter experience, the only thing worse than the system is trying to f... with the system. It's best just to smile bemusedly, and get on with the farce.
We have stopped about 70km from the border in San Miguel for the evening. This is supposed to be a sizable city, but we wouldn't know. We have simply stopped at the first available hotel, squelched our way into reception, and asked for two rooms.
Gear Note: the DriRider motorcycle jackets just cannot cope with this much torrential rain and let quite a bit of water through to soak the rider in these conditions. As an experiment, this morning I unzipped the internal waterproof liner and wore it outside the jacket as an overgarment. This approach has kept me mostly dry, and quite a bit warmer throughout the past 11 hours of almost non stop rain.
Dinner then bed ...
Location:San Miguel, El Salvador
Recovered photos
Most of our photos from near the crater of Cerro Negro did not come through as all of our cameras malfunctioned in the extremely cold conditions
These few were recovered, and give you some idea of what it looks like near the top. We snapped these in a rare break between the mist, rain and sulfur clouds.
These few were recovered, and give you some idea of what it looks like near the top. We snapped these in a rare break between the mist, rain and sulfur clouds.
Location:Cerro Negro
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Survived the volcano, but not the trip home ...
One of the dangers of such an adrenaline rush is the 'come down' immediately afterwards. When we mounted the bikes for the trip back down from the base of the volcano to Leon, a mood of silliness prevailed, This is not usually a good mood to have in wet and treacherous conditions on a motorcycle.
Because of the amount of rain that has fallen, the road had become a muddy quagmire. We followed the 3-axle all terrain truck as much as possible, but some of the ruts were very deep and unpredictable at the bottom. Rises were littered with rocks and shale that also made the going difficult. Despite these obvious warning signs, we approached the road on a high and were sliding the bikes on corners and wheel standing out of deep ruts.
Gary was the first to fall, the bike slipping out from under him on a tricky corner.
No harm done to rider or bike, and he was soon back on.
Gary was also the second to fall, coming off in the middle of a rut. He didn't have enough revs to power himself through, and the bike simply slipped out from under him. Again, no harm to bike or order.
The guys saved the grand finale for me. We watched the all terrain truck pitch into a particularly deep rut that submerged the back axle entirely. Ty said to me over the intercom "better not follow the right hand track" - knowing full well that once he had said this I was left with no choice other than to pile in on the right side. Speed seemed to be the only way to make it through in one go, so I hit the gas and stood up to try to give the bike the best chance of making it through.
With muddy water lapping near the petrol tank, I thought things were going well. As this thought flashed into my mind, an underwater rut turned the handlebars sharply right on me. This pitched me off head first into the middle of the mud pit, immersing the left side of my body with my leg caught under the bike.
Ty had managed to skid to a stop before entering the mud pit to see what would happen when I went through. Raucous laughter came over the intercom as I wriggled out from under the bike, then slipped around trying to get the bike upright again from it's submerged position. Ty called out from the edge "do you need a hand to get the bike out?". I was tiring fast, so I gave in and said yes. On hearing this, Ty said "okay, here I come". He revved the engine, and ploughed right through the mud just a foot or so away from me, completely drenching what was left of me in a tidal wave of mud.
I was left swearing and cursing in the middle of the mud pit wth a semi-submerged bike, and having to listen to my 'mate' on the far side of the pit killing himself laughing and offering various stupid words of encouragement. Gary and Matthias had arrived by this time, and joined the coyote gallery on the edge enjoying my situation. With friends like these, ......
When we arrived back at the hotel, we squelched through the lobby leaving a black and muddy trail behind us. Each of us simply walked into the shower fully clothed, jackets boots and all. We watched the entire bottom of the shower recess turn black for a long while before we were able to strip off and wash the individual bits as clean as possible.
Because of the amount of rain that has fallen, the road had become a muddy quagmire. We followed the 3-axle all terrain truck as much as possible, but some of the ruts were very deep and unpredictable at the bottom. Rises were littered with rocks and shale that also made the going difficult. Despite these obvious warning signs, we approached the road on a high and were sliding the bikes on corners and wheel standing out of deep ruts.
Gary was the first to fall, the bike slipping out from under him on a tricky corner.
No harm done to rider or bike, and he was soon back on.
Gary was also the second to fall, coming off in the middle of a rut. He didn't have enough revs to power himself through, and the bike simply slipped out from under him. Again, no harm to bike or order.
The guys saved the grand finale for me. We watched the all terrain truck pitch into a particularly deep rut that submerged the back axle entirely. Ty said to me over the intercom "better not follow the right hand track" - knowing full well that once he had said this I was left with no choice other than to pile in on the right side. Speed seemed to be the only way to make it through in one go, so I hit the gas and stood up to try to give the bike the best chance of making it through.
With muddy water lapping near the petrol tank, I thought things were going well. As this thought flashed into my mind, an underwater rut turned the handlebars sharply right on me. This pitched me off head first into the middle of the mud pit, immersing the left side of my body with my leg caught under the bike.
Ty had managed to skid to a stop before entering the mud pit to see what would happen when I went through. Raucous laughter came over the intercom as I wriggled out from under the bike, then slipped around trying to get the bike upright again from it's submerged position. Ty called out from the edge "do you need a hand to get the bike out?". I was tiring fast, so I gave in and said yes. On hearing this, Ty said "okay, here I come". He revved the engine, and ploughed right through the mud just a foot or so away from me, completely drenching what was left of me in a tidal wave of mud.
I was left swearing and cursing in the middle of the mud pit wth a semi-submerged bike, and having to listen to my 'mate' on the far side of the pit killing himself laughing and offering various stupid words of encouragement. Gary and Matthias had arrived by this time, and joined the coyote gallery on the edge enjoying my situation. With friends like these, ......
When we arrived back at the hotel, we squelched through the lobby leaving a black and muddy trail behind us. Each of us simply walked into the shower fully clothed, jackets boots and all. We watched the entire bottom of the shower recess turn black for a long while before we were able to strip off and wash the individual bits as clean as possible.
Location:Enroute back to Leon, Nicaragua
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)