Two up - Going down +1: South America Bound

[Mad*Sparrow]

Originally Posted by idea man

I just did a quick trip to Alaska and back in a minivan with my boys. Took a really cool light weight folding shovel made by Glock. Even had a saw blade in the handle. I had to FIND a place to use it and we camped half the time. I didn't use the saw and knife set I took at all.
Heard a couple good tips lately as far as ensuring "trip continuity." Put all your important info (Passport, CC#'s etc.) in a password protected word or other document and email it to yourself. You could even put scans of all your vital info in one of those and be able to reproduce them anywhere you have internet access. You could probably put thenm on a flash drive and secret them somewhere on you or your bike. There was another guy who wrote a book about touring through South America to TDF and though he made a lot of mistakes and goofed off quite a bit, his insight into border crossings I thought was pretty good. Oddessy to Ushuia. Not great but it's like a buffet, you take a little of what you want and you move to the next dish. Glen's stuff has got to be golden. Great that he's looking in here.
One other reference would be to look at the Mondo Enduro and Terra Circa folks' video/book. They camped out solely and had a unique way of doing it. They ran a rain poncho between their bikes and used their tripod as the tent stake. They also shared a single tooth brush by the end of their trip. Okay, so maybe not every space saving tip is worthwhile. Best of luck here and congrats on the opportunity

I like your ideas for storing your data on a flashdrive and such but do not put any data that you don't want to share with the rest of the world in an email. Everyone can read email unless you encrypt it. And for that matter no matter where you have the data be sure to encrypt it.

[madf]

Bri, Conchita and Dan;
Hope you enjoyed El Salvador, specially with some excellent hosts as Mario and Fernanda, magnificent paella we had for dinner, it was great meeting you.
MADF and Carlena.

[madf]

This is what you missed on the way because of the weather but thanks to some fellow ADV riders, I found this posted on "Finding Panama". Nice picture from the view you should`ve seen.

[marior97]

Hello B, C and D:
Hope you made it to Granada yesterday and enjoy a tasty "Lagunero" with a "toña" today.
We all had a great time with you guys. Thanks and have a safe ride going down ¡¡
.... in a while crocodile ¡¡¡¡
Mario

[BriKielyGSman]

Hey there, Mario.....we never made it to Granada yesterday. The borders took us almost four hours. Three at the El Salvador crossing, and about one at the Nicaragua crossing. Arrrgg....certainly it is not as easy for us to cross as it is for you. We could have used your Central American plates!!




The helpers we hired in Honduras were real smoothies. After three hours of waiting for all the processing to get done, they told us that there would be a search and a fumigation spray at the last checkpoint for $10. However, for $15 each they would get us through without any of that. We debated for a while, and decided we waited long enough and paid. We knew it was a scam as soon as we got to the checkpoint. There was only one guard and no fumigating equipment. Conchita asked the guard about it, and he said "No, we don't fumigate anything except for the semi-trucks."

Beware of the red Toyota!!!

So, all you ADVers out there, keep that in mind. Also, know that the cost is $60 American to cross the border....ouch!! A helper is also handy at the El Salvador/Honduras crossing, but not needed at the Honduras/Nicaragua border. We gave him $15 for his "help."

So, anyway, we stayed at Somoto last night and today we are in San Juan del Sur.

There was some good eats to be had. Those yellow things are plantain (almost like a banana). They are very similar to potato chips. Locals eat them as a snack, with vinegar, salt and hot sauce.

The flat Dan got on the highway didn't help our kilometer totals today. He could have picked a better spot. We did not particularly enjoy the blazing heat, the close proximity to traffic, and the fact that there was no shade to be found.

Fixing the flat on the side of the road was a large event. First, Ivan, who has been traveling the world for two years, decides he needs to see what's going on. Then this Nicaraguan guy shows up on his horse, helps out a little bit, and later he figures he needs to get his family to check us out as well. He wanted his kids to get a picture taken ; ) Then another guy on a Tenare 600 pulls in to see what is going on. Last but not least, after two hours in the 33 degree sun, our saviour the ice cream man shows up in the middle of nowhere.....

This did not break the bead. In the end, it was the Beemer's side stand that did the job.








Ice cream for everyone!!!!! C and I picked up the tab for Mr. Horserider and family. It was the least we could do after hearing that he works seven days a week and makes $17.50/a week.


This is a good example of why we dont ride at night.


Granada.....




Lake Nicaragua with "just another volcano" in the background.


Living the good life right on the beach in San Juan del Sur. All is well, and we are off to Costa Rica tomorrow.

B C and D

[Katsumoto]

Excelent report!

Thanks for posting...

[marior97]

Well I know border helpers are a pain, but they need the money so...
Thats a good tip about breaking the bead with sidestand ¡
Saludos a todos de El Salvador
Ride safe
Mario

[cavegirl]

Hey C,B and D:
Love reading your thread and looking at your great pics. You guys are making great time, we will never catch you! We'll have to try and hook up another time and exchange tales of adventure. Buen Viaje de Mazatlan.

[motrhed]

Hey Guys,
We have been following your posts, keep'em com'in!!! It sounds like you are all having a great time with no major set backs.
It's starting to get a bit cooler here... tell Dan that it snowed a few inches in Hinton one day last week (nothing here though). 33 degrees C sounds pretty good from where I am sitting!!
So, you and Dan have each had to repair tires... does that mean that Conchita gets to take care of the next one?? :-O ;-) hahahaaaa
We wish we were there, ride safe and enjoy the time off!
Andy & Deb

[kennyanc]

Sounds like you guys are having a blast. Wish I were there.

Ride safe...have fun.

Kenny

[Johnny Drunkard]

You're living my dream...

Thanks for taking us along.

[BriKielyGSman]

Getting off the beaten path of the Pan American highway has its advantages. We stopped by to see the Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica. It has been the most continually active volcano in the world since its eruption in 1968. Not only is it impressive by day, but at night the lava can been seen flowing down its sides.

Arenal Lake


Gearing up for the longest zip line ride in the world. Eight different cables span the valley on the ride down, and we were able to reach speeds of 40 mph.


Bombs away!!! The zip line is really cool, but you don't really get a good view of the jungle canopy. That's what the gondola ride up is for.


The funky "Painted Palms" beach on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica.


Hanging out.


Pineapple anyone??


Puerto Viejo - a surfer/hippie/backpacker type of place.


Rocking J's hangout was quite impressive. Here you could either rent a hammock for $5/night, or rent a tent for $6 per person. The writing says "Please do not smoke marijuana here - Go to the beach. Thank you."





Costa Rica-Panama border crossing. Hey, this was the best service we had!!! Ivan was great at getting the job done!


There were two bridge crossings on this route. One just before the border and another worse one about 15 km down the road. Many bikers have ended their trips on these bridges. Planks flopping around, no guard rails, no footing, all make for an interesting crossing.




After the border, we came across these native dwellings. This road was one of the highlights of the trip. New pavement, lots of twisties and these Ngöme-Buglé homes made quite an impression.


This part of Panama may have been my favorite part of the trip. I highly recommend this ride for you ADVers heading south.

We ended up saying goodbye to Ivan in Almirante (first place where Columbus set foot in Panama), just after the border crossing. It was a fun four days we spent with him. Hopefully we will have the chance to meet up again sometime. Cheers, Ivan!!!!


As always, there are more photos and info on our blog.

[demenshea]

B and C and D too,
You guys are killing me. It has been chilly and damp here and i took the bike out for my birthday and to visit my dad, but otherwise it is finding its way out of the garage less and less!!

Lovely trip and LOVELY pix. Have been enjoying your tale here and on the blog.

I do think this bridge would have stopped me and made me bribe someone to take the bike across. There is something about bridges with open areas that scare me. I don't even like walking across um.!!!

Seems like you are making great time. Do you have a plan to get home yet??

Thank you Bri and Conchita for the mighty adventure and your wonderful pix. We who are stuck at home are truly enjoying them!!

[tlgreen]

uh, Brian? Those are Papaya...

That's ok, your forgiven just cause your giving us this great adventure.

Pics are great. I wish I were there with you guys.

Cheers, Tracy

[BriKielyGSman]

Tracy, Tracy , Tracy---I guess you need to do this trip soon to become more intimate (?) with the fruit down here. Then you would know what a FRESH pineapple looks like!!!! BTW, what's a Papaya??