Getting to Cartagena, Colombia

I was warned that the ride from Medellin to Cartagena would be long and hard, with a minimum of ten hours of road time.  They were correct. It took me twelve hours to travel the distance of approximately 350 miles.  The road was long, with many obstacles and road conditions that were not good.  The road reminded me of a road in Mexico between Oaxaca and Cristobal de las Casas.

Since I was still not familiar with the area, it took me an hour to get out of Medellin.  Once I located the correct road I had a slow but incredible ride with vistas of the valleys and the farm houses on the sides of vibrant green hills.  Traffic was heavy, with large Lorries and cars struggling to climb up the steep hills.  This was a toll road that was free for motorcycles.  Mexico needs to adopt the Colombian fee structure.

The first 150 miles were great because I was traveling on mountain roads.  After that, I dropped to the lower coastal plains.  The temperature started to warm up. The road became straight, and for the next 200 miles the road conditions were not bad, with the exception of heavy traffic.  The sun started to set and I was still 100 miles from Cartagena.  The last 100 miles were traveled under very bad road conditions.  There were huge potholes in the middle of the road and jungle all around.  I would manage to miss one pothole yet hit three others.  I hit a pothole extra hard and I was sure I had done some damage to my front wheel.  Luckily I did not.

Having to stop at check points was another issue I had to deal with.  Colombia has many of these check points and I discovered that once the officials realized that I was from out of the country “Tejas” (Texas), I was asked many questions about the GS and my trip.  At this point my concern was that I was losing daylight fast and I was hoping to get to Cartagena before dark.  I did have one check point where a kid with a gun, who was in charge, wanted to check every inch of the GS and also wanted to review all of my documents.  He checked the VIN number and wanted to know what I was carrying, etc.  At one point he questioned my accent. He wanted to know why I did not have a “Gringo” accent when speaking Spanish.  After I had put everything away and was ready to pull away he stopped me and requested to see my insurance documentation.  I am glad I went through all the trouble of getting it.  “Here it is”, I said to him.  You should have seen the look on his face. He was sure I did not have insurance coverage.  I should have taken his picture.

The last 100 miles took forever to travel.  My average speed was approximately 30 mph, mostly because road conditions were so bad with potholes, and also there was a lot of traffic.  I dodged oncoming cars and Lorries traveling in my lane because they were dodging vehicles in their lane and would cross over to my lane of travel.

When I arrived in Cartagena, I discovered that it was Friday night madness.  Traffic was everywhere with everyone knowing where they were going except for me.  I finally made

Is this Frriday Night Madness or Sunday night? Look at the date of the entry.

my way to the center of town and many of the streets were closed to traffic because of the Christmas Festivities that they were having.  After 12.5 hours I located a hotel that was not too expensive and it had good parking for my GS. 

WHAT A LONG DAY!

  View of the country side

Tierras Nuevas

It took me about 20 years of planning and four weeks of hard riding to get to South America.  Medellin, Colombia – I had finally arrived in South America – new land - “tierra’s nuevas” for me to explore.

Some have asked why I shipped the GS from Panama to Colombia instead of riding it down.  The answer is simple: the “Darien Gap”.

The Darien Gap is an area approximately one hundred miles south of Panama City.  This area is a swamp with some forest and with giant snakes, jaguars, and other wildlife that are not too friendly to humans.  The road from Panama City south ends at this point and the only way to continue is via unmapped trails.  Some have tried and only a few have been successful.  It took months for those who have been able to navigate their way across the Darien Gap.  The percentage of people who die or get lost for long periods of time is very high.

I woke up early and headed to the cargo area of the Medellin airport.  I noticed that in Colombia everyone seemed to head out to work between the hours of 7:30 A.M. and 8:00 A.M. versus 9:30 A.M.  to 10:00 A. M. as in Panama.  I was prepared for a long day of standing in line and dealing with obstacles at the Customs Office and at the Copa Airline Cargo Office.  At the Copa Cargo Office I showed my passport and they informed me that the GS had arrived.  I was happy to hear that.  I had visions of it being shipped somewhere else in the Americas.  The nice lady at the counter asked me to have a seat.  Ten minutes later she called me over and handed me documents that I would need and told me that I needed to have the Customs Office clear the GS.  Thinking that the Customs Office was in the downtown area of Medellin, I asked her if she could call a taxi for me.  She told me that the Customs Office was only two doors down from their office.  I said to her, “You have got to be kidding! “  I walked over to the Customs Office, handed them my documents, and in a matter of thirty minutes the GS had been cleared by Customs and I was ready to go.  Unbelievable!  The whole process only took me one hour.

By 9:30 A.M. I was on my way to the big city of Medellin.  First I needed to get fuel, so I pulled into the first gas station I spotted.  I met a local gentleman named Hector.  He asked me questions regarding my trip and how I liked Colombia.  I told him that my trip thus far had been great.  But, I did not have an option on Colombia yet because I had just arrived.  I said to him, “By the way; do you know where this hostel is located?” as I showed him an address.  He said he would take me there.  Now the airport is located about twenty miles from the City of Medellin.  Not knowing that he was going to go way out of his way, I followed Hector as we passed through the pine tree covered mountains.  It was a beautiful ride.  All of a sudden we came over the crest of a hill and on the other side below, in a valley, was the City of Medellin.  It had high rise buildings everyplace.  It was an amazing sight.  Hector guided me to the section of town I needed to be in and we said our goodbyes.

 I noticed a KTM Motorcycle shop so I stopped to purchase supplies I needed.  I also inquired about getting insurance, which is required in Colombia.  The people there were very friendly.  My GS was in need of a clutch adjustment, but I did not have my tools with me.  I asked the tech if he might have the tools I needed to do a clutch adjustment and he directed me to his tool box.  I found what I needed, adjusted the clutch, and my GS was happy again.

As indicated in Colombia, it is a requirement to carry insurance on a motorcycle.  It can be purchased at any gas station.  After my visit to the KTM shop I was off to search for the needed insurance.  The first place that I stopped at was out.  The owner got on the telephone to see if he could locate someone close by that could help me.  I was trying to buy insurance for 30 days only and it seemed that everyone wanted to sell insurance for an entire year, and the cost would have been over $100 dollars.  The owner spent about forty-five minutes on the phone calling many different places, including the Customs Office.  Finally, he located a place that would sell me insurance for a 30 day period; however, it was located in the heart of the Medellin.  The owner bought me a Coke and told me that he was going to have one of his employees drive me there.  Wow! “You are kidding,”I said to myself.  The employee and I found our way to the insurance office, made my purchase, and he drove me back to the hostel where I was staying.

Also in Colombia, all motorcyclists are required to wear a vest with the license plate number.

To this point in my trip I had met some very nice, polite, and generous people on this trip, but I was extremely impressed with the people of Colombia.  Everyone, whether cab driver, waiter, gas station attendant, or just people on the street, all went out of their way to assist me with my needs.

I did not get the names of the guys at the gas station but I did get their photo.

 Owner of the gas station and this employee

 In Colombia all motorcycle riders are required to wear a vest with your license plate number   
       on it.

Shipping Day

I needed to locate a company that would fly my GS to Colombia.  Other motorcyclists have used the Girag Cargo Company.  I also heard that they would do a great job of processing the required paperwork for the GS.  However I discovered that their rates had gone up by a few hundred dollars.  Another option was for me to do my own paperwork to save money.  I rode over to the cargo section of the Tucman Airport and inquired about costs at the Copa Airlines/Cargo Company.  Copa Airlines quoted me a price that I could live with, the only thing I needed to do was to go over to the Customs Office and have them free the GS.  The entire process took approximately three hours.  Copa strapped the bike onto a pallet without me having to remove anything.  It was just as if I had placed the bike on the back of a pickup truck.  Next I ran over to the Customs Office and this is the best part – it only took ten minutes for the customs official to sign-off on the GS.  This was a much easier process than I had expected.

Next I was off to the airport to purchase my plane ticket to travel to Colombia.

This started the next leg of my Journey South.

Panama City, Panama

I hung out with friends from the United States, Jim and Shelly.  I was also nursing a bad cold.

Jim and Shelly live in the Casco Viejo neighborhood of Panama City.  The area is also known as the San Felipe district.  It is the second oldest section of Panama City.  Panama Viejo is the oldest section of the city; however, back in the early days it had problems with pirates continually destroying it.  So the city moved to the Casco Viejo section.  The Casco Viejo district reminded me of the French Quarter district of New Orleans in the United States.  However, the buildings in Panama City are in disrepair. They are not in as good a shape as those in New Orleans.  However, there is an active restoration project in progress.  There were run-down buildings with people squatting in them.  Located next to that building would be a newly restored building.

The downtown area of Panama City is huge and has many new high rise buildings.  I do not believe that anyone has informed Panamanians that there is a current global economic crisis.  The downtown area has a beautiful skyline.  I was told that Panama City has more banks than any other city in the Americas.  That would be North, Central, and South America.  

My friends Jim and Shelly

Non restored Casco district

Getting to Panama City

Approximately two hours after arriving in Cerro Punta, the rains started.  On my way to the village I noticed that many of the roads had washed away.  When I arrived at the hotel I learned that the rains had caused severe damage to properties and mud slides had caused three deaths.

The next morning I got up early to start a 350 mile ride to Panama City.  The rain was still heavy with no sign of letting up anytime soon.  So my journey started. I rode down the winding road with some spectacular vistas of the valley, despite the pouring rains.

Once I reached the Pan American highway, I headed south trying to enjoy the surrounding countryside.  About thirty miles south of the city of David, in the heavy rain, the GS suddenly died. It just quit without warning. I coasted to a quiet stop.  I had lost ignition to the motor. I immediately knew what the problem was.  The hall sensor or ignition trigger had shorted out from all the moisture in the air.  There are times that one can get lucky; because once the sensor dries, the bike will start.  However, due to the wet conditions, I knew that was not going to happen today.  Luckily for me, I have been carrying a hall sensor around with me for years, knowing that one day it would come in handy.  Today was that day.  My concern was that I was on the side of the road in the middle of the jungle in the pouring rain.  With no options, I started to break down the GS, hoping that the cars and lorries[MSOffice1]  could see me.  I have replaced many hall sensors in the past but always in a nice clean shop. This time I had almost no road shoulder and traffic was flying by creating mini hurricanes.  It took me approximately two hours to install the new hall sensor.  Better yet, the GS started right away.  I was afraid the GS would not start since it was pouring rain and the new hall sensor had gotten wet as I installed it.  But, I was back on the road.

In total it took me about six hours to reach Panama City.  I immediately encountered an issue – the main road into the city was closed, so I had to travel thirty miles out of my way and work my way back to Panama City.  I was very tired, hungry, and I had a bad sore throat.  I felt like my brain was starting to lock up.

I was trying to locate some friends and I just could not locate the building in which they were staying.  I asked several people if they knew the location of the building I was searching for, but it seemed that no one knew of it.  Finally, after an hour and a half of searching, I was able to locate their place.

What a day!

Getting to Panama

Knowing that I had a bouncy rough ride to get back to the Pan American highway, I departed Monte Verde early.  After reaching the main highway I headed to San Jose, Costa Rica to fight my way across the city.  There are no Loops/ Beltways to route you around the cities in Central America. One must travel on city streets to get to the other side of town, causing you lose a lot of time.  Getting lost is the norm and I had to ask for directions often.

After my adventure in crossing San Jose I headed to a road named “Camino de la Muerte” (road of death).  I now know why it is named as such.  The road starts at about an elevation of 5000 feet and as it goes higher the road is normally covered with clouds.  At about 8000 feet I started to get into cloud cover with a little fog, light drizzle with some wind.  Normally this would continue for only a few miles, therefore I did not put on my rain gear.  This time the cold wet conditions did not stop within a few miles and before I realized it I was soaked.  According to the GPS I was at an elevation of 10,000 feet.  The temperature got colder so now I was wet, cold, and freezing.  The road climbed to an elevation of 11,200 feet.  The fog (clouds) became very thick, making it very difficult to see more than 10 feet in front of the GS.  It took me over two and a half hours to travel the 60 mile road (pass).  So traveling on the road named “Camino de la Muerte” you drive on a road with high cliffs, risk getting hit by other travelers who cannot see you because of the fog, heavy clouds, or rain.  There seemed to be many options for meeting death on this road.

Touch by the clouds

Costa Rica

My goal was to get to Monte Verde, a village located in the Costa Rican mountains.  I visited Monte Verde twelve years earlier and my recollection was that the road to Monte Verde was really bad.  Road conditions have not improved in those twelve years. The roads were still rough.
From the Pan American Highway turn-off to Monte Verdre is approximately 38 kilometers.  By bus or car it normally takes approximately two hours to travel that distance.  I rode that distance in a little over an hour.  My concern was traveling in the dark.  Like many places in Central America, road signs are not always correct, if they are there at all.  The last thing I wanted to do was get lost in the Costa Rican mountains at night.

As I rode up a hill or down a hill I was bounced around a lot from all the rocks and potholes on the road.  I also encountered strong winds that would seem to come out of no place.  Maintaining balance was difficult.  The strong winds could push the GS over toward the edge of the road with high cliffs.  I had to maintain focus at all times because traveling in these conditions could cause one to make mistakes easily.  It was difficult.  I became very creative with my language traveling on those roads.

I have to admit, the vistas along the way were spectacular.

Monte Verde in Costa Rica is best known for its rain forest.  When I visited there twelve years earlier it was a small village with a handful of lodges and restaurants.  On this visit I discovered that the area had exploded with new development.  It had become a major tourist destination with lots of traffic.  I would still recommend a visit if you have not been there before.  The ride getting there is worth the trip.

Getting to Costa Rica

After an overnight stay in Ometepe I decided to get an early start and try to reach the ferry port to secure a spot on the first ferry of the day.  I had spent the night in the small village of Altagracia, located on the east side of Ometepe Island.  I had an amazing view of the Ometepe volcano in the morning (see picture).  There were clouds around the top of the volcano that created steam caused by the volcano heat.  It was an incredible feeling to know that this was a live volcano.

I arrived at the ferry port in time to get a boarding ticket for the first ferry ride to the mainland.  Other cars, trucks, and motorcycles behind me were told that they would have to wait for the next ferry which was scheduled four hours later.  The loading process had all passengers boarded first, large trucks next, and cars motorbikes, etc. were last.  It was interesting to watch two large trucks loaded with bananas board the ferry.  The trucks boarded the ferry backwards. Once the first truck was on the ferry, the ferry leaned heavy to the side of the loaded truck.  This meant that the second truck could not board, therefore, the truck on the ferry had to reposition to the middle of the ferry to level the ferry with the loading ramps.  Next, the second truck positioned its rear wheels onto the loading ramps. At that point the first truck could reposition itself a second time on one side of the ferry and then the second truck boarded on the opposite side.  However, on this trip the second truck slid over towards the first truck causing the ferry crew to jump into action.  They tied a huge rope to the second truck and pulled the entire truck over towards its side of the ferry.  Talk about man power!!.  It was impressive to see.

My concern boarding the ferry on the GS was that I had to ride through water onto a very wet and slippery steel deck that was swaying side to side and rocking up and down in the water.  Wet tires onto a wet steel deck could equal disaster.  I managed to get on board; however, I did come very close to dropping the GS.While on the ferry I met Janet who asked me if I was traveling all the way down to the tip of South America.  I answered – that was the plan.  I had a feeling that she was a motorcyclist, and after a bit of conversation I discovered that I was correct.

Upon arriving on the mainland it was time to move on toward the border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica.  Once I arrived, getting out of Nicaragua took some effort.  I had to go to the national police to get my release approved.  A kid with a gun wanted to inspect every inch of the bike so I had to completely unpack every item that I had with me.  In an hour or so I was out of the country.  I would think that the concern for Nicaragua should be with what is brought into the country and not what goes out.  Oh well.

On the Costa Rican side it took approximately two hours to be processed through.  There were many other tourist and the lines were long.  As soon as l left the border I was pulled over by the Costa Rican version of the State Police for traveling at 60HPH in a 50 MPZ zone.

I was let go with a warning since I didn't have any money to offer...

Janet

Ometepe, the Island

I was packed and ready to ride to the Costa Rican border.  I wanted to get an early start in order to arrive at the border early enough to avoid the crowds.  However, as I rode out of Granada I missed a turn-off.  I thought to myself, no big deal.  I will just take a five mile tour and enjoy the countryside.  I rode past the small town where I had the tire repaired.  A few miles further down the road I started to feel that the rear tire was getting soft.  I stopped, checked it, and realized that the tire was loosing pressure fast.  So again I pulled out the tire plugging kit and air pump.  I re-inflated the tire and headed back to the tire repair station to have them check out the patch that they had placed the day before.  Being a return customer they got to my bike quickly.  It seemed that the first patch was weak and too small for the hole in the tire.  So, this time they installed a thick, heavy duty patch normally used on trucks.  I believed this would work.

Since I was now delayed and my plans for arriving early at the Costa Rican border were shot, I decided to take a side trip to the island of Ometepe.  This island was created by two volcanoes - one which is still active.  The steam from the cone could be seen from a long distance.

There were several small boats and a ferry that carried people, cargo, and vehicles across to the island of Ometepe.  Several of the boat captains asked if they could take me and my GS over.  However, since the water was rough and the bike was pretty heavy, I decided that getting the GS on and off the boat would be a handful.  Besides, I could see that the small boats were being tossed around in those choppy waters.  That was too much for my comfort level.  So, I passed on their offers and decided to take the larger ferry which crossed three times a day.

Getting the GS on the ferry was a challenge.  The large trucks were boarded first, and then everything else was squeezed on board.  Getting off the ferry was scary at Ometepe.  When getting off the ferry I had to ride onto the water which was only about one and one half feet deep.  However, while still on the ferry I had no clue as to what the depth of the water was or if there were holes, rocks, etc.  I also had the added pressure of the truck drivers being in a super big hurry to get off behind me.  With a very high stress level I managed to get onto the island of Ometepe.

Granada, Nicaragua

Early this morning I started my ride from the little town of Danli, Honduras.  I immediately ran into the morning rush hour traffic; however, it was not cars or buses - it was bicycles.  There were hundreds of bicycles with some small motorcycles in the mix.

The Central American countries south of Guatemala are noticeably poorer then both Mexico and Guatemala.  Not many people can afford a car or other necessities.  The largest industry around is growing tobacco or coffee.

I made my way to the Honduran and Nicaraguan border.  Crossing this border took me a bit longer, mostly due to the trucks (18-wheelers) that arrived before me.  In total it took me approximately two hours to make the crossing from Honduras to Nicaragua.

I rode to Granada, located on the banks of Lago Nicaragua.  About 20 miles from Granada I heard a loud popping sound.  That was immediately followed by the back end of my GS feeling strange.  I pulled over, and sure enough, the rear tire was flat.  I pulled out the tire plugging kit, repaired the tire in little time, and was off again.  In the next town I located a tire repair shop and had them remove the plug and replace it with a patch.

Upon arriving in Granada I found a place to stay and headed out to check out the city.  It is a colorful place with very lively restaurants and a boardwalk type boulevard.  There is a huge volcano nearby, Ometepe, which has created an island just south of the city.  It was cloudy and much of the volcano was covered, but it was still very impressive.

All These Guns

From the northern section of Honduras I rode hard to make it as close as possible to the Nicaraguan border.  For the most part it was a messy day - mountains with low clouds, fog, and rain.  Sections of the road had washed away and there was mud across the roads causing them to be very slippery.  Additionally, it was not uncommon to have traffic coming from the opposite direction in my lane of travel.  The road also had many blind curves to add to the stress.  I managed well under these conditions but I was stressed by the end of the day.

I discovered that Honduras seemed to be suffering from a fuel shortage.  I had to stop at four different gas stations before finding one that had fuel for sale.  150 miles later I found myself looking for fuel again. And this time I stopped at six different gas stations before locating fuel.  No one gave me an answer as to why the fuel shortage.

During one of my stops I noticed a guy carrying a rather large rifle with two banana clips taped together.  Yes, both clips had very real bullets!!  It is not uncommon to see police or military personnel carrying such large fire power, but the fellow at the gas station was something odd because he was not military or police. 

In the evening I checked into a hotel, which was a rather nice place for a small town. I again noticed that the hotel staff working behind the counter also had sidearms.  At dinner I noticed that the waiter and the customers all were wearing sidearms.  I thought to myself, this is something new and different – they must be expecting an invasion!!

Copan Ruins, Honduras

After departing from Flores, Guatemala I headed toward the Honduran border.  The last time I was here my border crossing experience was not enjoyed, so I decided I would try a different crossing location.  The last time took over seven hours to get past customs and I did not want that again.  I was worried that this time it would be more of the same.  To my surprise it was much easier this time around.  The location that I selected as a cross point was much smaller than the one used prior and it had very light vehicular traffic.   It only took me a grand total of 45 minutes from exiting Guatemala to entering Honduras.  It was absolutely unbelievable, but great.

I planned to visit the Copan Ruins, another Mayan site located in Honduras.  The town of Copan is located just outside of the ruins and it reminded me of Flores with its many little hotels, restaurants, and gift shops waiting for the tourists to arrive.

The ruins were interesting and well worth the visit.  They reminded me of the ruins of Uxmal in the Yucatan of Mexico.  The complex was not as big as Tikal; however, what made this site interesting were the giant stone statues and carvings on the buildings.  The carvings had a lot of detail and had been well preserved.  The buildings had huge trees growing on them.  It seemed that the roots had spread and were growing over everything.

Mayan Ruins of Copan

Tikal, Guatemala

I left the highlands of western Guatemala for the warmer jungle area of El Peten.  I wanted to revisit the ancient Mayan City of Tikal.  It is believed to have been the largest Mayan City State.  El Peten is an area that has very heavy and thick jungle.  It is located in northern Guatemala, and like the Yucatan of Mexico, it does not have any rivers.

I climbed Temple Number V and had an incredible view of the jungle below.  How the Mayan civilization lived in this area is amazing.  I was able to hear the sounds of many different types of wildlife like toucans, spider monkeys, and the very loud and scary sounds of the hollering monkey.

My first visit to Tikal several years ago was a very quick visit.  This time I wanted to take my time and observe more of the sites; therefore, I decided to hire a Guide to take me on a tour of the sites.  This decision was well worth the money.  My Guide’s name was Israel, and he was fantastic with a wealth of knowledge.  He provided information about the temple site, the wildlife, plants, and birds.  All of this information would have been missed without him pointing them out.

I stayed in Flores, an island town, which is a small village located on a lake island on Lago Peten, about 60 kms. south of Tikal.  To me, the village was a very interesting little place.  Its streets had cobblestones and there were several good restaurants.  The village is mostly a place where travelers visiting Tikal can stop.

Tikal, Guatemala

Flores, Guatemala

Land of Many Volcanoes

Guatemala is a country with perfectly shaped volcanoes.  Six of 38 are currently active. 

I spent my first night in the village of Panajachel, located on the shores of Lago Atilan.  Lago Atilan is a beautiful lake surrounded by three volcanoes: Tomliman, Atitlan, and San Pedro.

From Panajachel I moved on to Antigua, a colonial town much like San Miguel de Allende in Mexico.  Antiqua is also surrounded by volcanoes.  Fuego and Pacaya are active ones.  I decided to join a tour of the volcano, Pacaya.  I was hoping to see a real active lava flow.  I had no such luck.  The tour group I was with climbed to 2300 meters and at that elevation we did see a few hot vents.  The guide demonstrated the hot temperature generated by the volcano.  He placed a tree branch atop one of the hot vents, and in a mater of seconds the branch burst into flames.

While taking a late night stroll around Antigua, I happened to look up at Pacaya and could see lava stream down one side of the volcano.    

Javier from Mexico

Hot vents of the volcano

Government building of Antiqua

Guatemala

My ride to Guatemala was one that I always looked forward to.  The vistas of the mountains are just amazing.  I rode through a beautiful canyon with two tall mountain bluffs covered with jungle.

I meet other GS riders from Guadalajara, Mexico.  They were heading to Guatemala as well for the holiday.  We rode together to the border. 

Crossing the border into Guatemala can be a challenge at times.  There were no issues this time.

Guatemala is a country with many volcanoes, beautiful textiles, and colorful painted chicken buses.  These buses will run over you if you are in the way.

Friends from Mexico

Guatemalan Chicken Buses

San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas Mexico

The city of magic is the simplest way that I can describe this area.  San Cristobal is located in the Chiapas Mountains. The area sits in a clouded forest.  Most mornings and evenings the area seems to be covered in fog creating ideal cool/cold temperatures.

This area has a painful past.  The native people have struggled to keep their way of life and customs from the pressures of other cultures and governments.

Life here can be especially difficult for the young.  You do not wait until your 16th birthday to start working - it is more like age 6, if not younger.

Heros of the people around here are  Che Guevara,  Emiliano Zapata,  and Sub-Comandante
Marcos who help organize the EZNL  - Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional or better known as the Zapatistas.   They fight for a better  way of life for the indigents peoples.

Long day of riding.

My goal for the day was to ride from Oaxaca to San Cristobal de las Casas, in Chiapas, Mexico.  Sounds simple enough.  It is only 400 miles of twisty mountainous roads.  The temperatures were steamy hot from the coastal plains.  This area has very strong crosswinds blowing from the isthmus.  The mountainous area around San Cristobal is normally covered with mountain fog.

This was my third journey through this section of Mexico.  The first time I had to deal with two flat tires and I did not make my goal of reaching San Cristobal in one day.  The second time my motorcycle was hit by a car somewhere in the State of Oaxaca.  I managed to make the trip in one day, but overall it was not a good day.

This being my third attempt I was determined to travel it in one day, without incident, and also enjoy the ride; therefore, I prepared for a very long day.  The first 150 miles of travel were in the mountains.  The day started out cold, and I rode on a very curvy road that worked the body hard.  All that exercise helped keep my body warm.

As I approached the coastal plains, I crossed another amazing cactus forest.  The rocks in the area had a green hue.  That explained why many of the stone buildings in Oaxaca were green in color.

As the elevation dropped to sea level the temperature rose, and by the time I reached Tehuantepec, the temperature had reached the mid 90s.  At this point I also started to cross the isthmus.  This is an 80 mile section of road with very high crosswinds.  The crosswinds are strong enough to blow you over if not careful.  I have seen large 18 wheelers on their sides from the strong crosswinds.  Being able to stop is another concern in this section because, if not careful, when stopping, the wind can blow you and the bike over.  The best way to ride in this area is to stay low to the bike, hang on, and hope for the best.  On this, my third ride in the area, the experience was much better then the previous two times.

After crossing the isthmus I started climbing back into mountains and away from the heat.  My challenge was the heavy cold rain with high winds ahead of me.  This was the case for the next 100 miles.  I managed to reach Tuxla, Mexico, my final fuel stop.  It was only 50 miles from San Cristobal, my final destination for the day.  However, since San Cristobal sits at an elevation of 9000 feet above sea level, the last 50 miles are almost always covered with heavy mountain fog late in the day.

After 400 miles of hard riding through fog, rain, very strong crosswinds, heat, and cold, I finally reached the magical place called San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico.

Oaxaca, Mexico

This was my third visit to Oaxaca, and like San Miguel or Guanajuato, these cities have some of the best zocolos in Mexico.  People are friendly and festive.  There are great cafes and shops throughout the city.  I always enjoy just sitting around people watching.  Good music seems to always be playing in the background for one’s enjoyment.

Something unique to Oaxaca is the grasshopper you can purchase to snack on as treats.  They are dried and prepared with lemon juice and salt or red chili powder.  You normally eat them as a snack like peanuts or beer nuts in the USA.  It is important that they be chewed well, otherwise, you can feel the tiny little legs as they go down your throat.

The ruins of Monte Alban, a Zapotec site and the small village of Arrizola, are in the vicinity of Oaxaca.

Monte Alban sits atop two mountains that overlook the Oaxaca Valley below.  It is considered one of the earliest cities in Meso-America.  It is believed that it was established around 500 BC.

The village of Arrazola is known for the hand carved wooden figures that are produced there.  Most of the men in the village cut tree limbs and carve the figures.  The women have the task of painting the images, giving them identity.  I was amazed by the talent that these people have.

Which Road

In Mexico there are two options for roads to ride on – toll roads or free roads.  The toll roads are fast, but expensive.  While the free roads have no costs, they go through many small villages and have the famous Mexican topes (speed bumps).  Something else to consider on the free roads is the gauntlet of big trucks and the traffic on two-lane mountainous roads.

Being one for adventure I decided to travel on the free roads.  I encountered many small villages and hundreds of topes for the first half of the trip.  I was ready to give up and pay to travel the toll road but, I decided to travel a few more miles on the free road.  To my surprise I finally broke free from the heavy traffic and was able to travel with more comfort.

I was in a mountainous area with great landscape views.  I also rode through a beautiful cactus forest along the way.  It was a 300 mile ride on twisty mountain roads with many trucks and just as many topes.  I estimated that it took nine hours of riding time to arrive in Oaxaca, Mexico.

  I passed a cactus forest along the way.

One of the colorful villages along the way

Service for All

I rode from Tulancingo to Puebla which was a short but very enjoyable ride.  I took the long route to Puebla which allowed me to travel through the Altiplano area of Mexico.  There were rolling hills and prairies with a few old haciendas in the background.

When I arrived in Puebla I was met by Joaquin. He was one of the five GS riders I had come across in Pachuca a few days earlier.  Joaquin had asked if I could do minor service on his GS.  That request multiplied to five additional GSs that needed service.  Joaquin had a great garage for me to work in which made it easy for me to work.  Joaquin was also kind enough to put me up for a couple of days and fed me very well.

Joaquin on the left with his brother Angel