Central America on a motorbike

Got up at 5:20 in my 8×8 ft A frame cabin and got going and Suzanne got me a cup of coffee which hit the spot and off I went to meet Tom in the downtown restaurant where we had a pancake and coffee.Tom mounted his bike only to discover that his GPS was missing, after searching his bags for a half hour and going back to his room it was gone !

Finally left town at 8 am and got to the border at 10 am which took us 2 hours 45 minutes to get into Panama, and only cost $14 for insurance , $8 for the privet egg of leaving Costa Rica and $1 to fumigate the bike.Then like a dumb ass I drove through the bay where the fumigation sprays the trucks and got fumigation myself .

The roads are terrible , they are widening the road the entire length of what we rode on today and replacing every bridge over every river and it rained heavily for two of the four hours it took to get to Santiago. Pulled in at the McDonald s  only to discover Tom had the shakes he was so cold, so had a cup of coffee of course and he thawed out eventually. Found a hotel and showered , so much for my waterproof pants and jacket....... 

 Tom checked his tank bag and his GPS suddenly appeared , much to his delight of course, I could hear him in the shower muttering to himself in delight. 

 

In celebration we went to the seediest bar across the street where we were the only white guys there, Tom ordered some food while I started to hydrate cause I hate eating on a empty stomach, then a Panamanian guy befriended us and then his mate bought me a beer and then another one and I believe he said he was welcoming us to his Panama . Earlier at breakfast the one guy told us that the Panamanian s don't like the white skin, I guess cause the Americans built the canal to narrow and to shallow and now they have to build a new  one. Just goes to show, you can't listen to the crap these people speak, this one Texas broad told us we needed an airline ticket to prove we were going to leave the country even though we were on our bikes ! She said yup even with a bike you need an airline ticket out  which was a load of codswhollop ,like I thought.

Anyhow Tom's food did not arrive cause a gas cannister blew up and that's why everyone ran outside while we sat and watched the Giants thrash the Royals. Tom suddenly departed to go find food elsewhere and I remained and they got cooking again unfortunately,  and I had some dead chicken and chips which I may regret tomorrow. 

Left Panama City at 8 am,  leaving our friend Carlos from Venezuela who has become a Panamanian,  and all it costs is $2400 including the lawyers fee's.  Venezuela  makes the rest of Central America look like a safe place. He said it is so dangerous there for any one,  in Caracas they average 65 murders on the weekend and told us never to go there. Will have to head to Columbia Falls then.

 

Headed for Port Chiriqui which is on the Atlantic Coast and basically a shithole. Was a great road through the mountains,  especially if you were a good biker. When I arrived I realized we had to leave and head up to the next town at the border which was an hour an half away and arrived in the darkness of night for a change at Changuinola . Got another fine hotel and  we're up early in the morning to get to the border. I had 3 cups of amazing coffee at the supermarket which was better than anything star backs makes .

and only 45 cents. 

The border crossing is real tiny and was a breeze to cross only took  an hour and fifteen and we were in Costa Rica on the Atlantic Ocean, I think.

This is the home of Chiquita Bananas ! Went to Port Viejo which is a tourist town with nice beaches and we drove to the end of the road where we parked off for awhile. I played some soccer with the kids on the beach and Tom patrolled town and charmed the ladies at his coffee café. I went for a quick swim and we then headed to Limon which is another huge port  and then 107 km to the capital San Jose which took 3 hours cause there are just hundreds of lorries with containers heading back and forth, slow going . Found a hostal where  we were the oldest guys there and a unisex dorm, why, why, why ? The bathroom was a dandy an architectural masterpiece worth the hefty price !  Hopefully when I get old I learn from this, but I doubt it. After the Quinta Real life will never be the same.............

 

Left Nelsons apartment at 8 am and his friend Mario took me TO Santa Anna and then I proceeded to the border alone.i have crossed all the borders doing the paperwork myself and it is not that difficult and the runners just drive me nuts anyway. Took just over an hour which was the fastest so far. I was missing some paperwork for Guatemala and the guy found the original in his large file from when I had come down, which was unbelievable. Drove another two hours and was in the traffic of Guatemala City which is horrendous, found the BMW dealer and then called Thomas who came and picked me up and went to his house.

Went to the German Club for supper and a bottle of vodka. I got hold of Cisco whom I had met in Chihuahua  and he joined us and brought me three pairs of socks which I have never been so happy to receive cause my socks are walking around on their own. 

As we were about to leave Cicero pulled out his flask and shot glasses for a few Tequilas. It never ends and now am going with him to his house on some lake three hours from here on Friday. 

Was a great evening full of laughter as usual and lots of stories and the vodka didn't help.

I have to get to Cabo San Lucas on the 17th for Charmaine's arrival. Still have no maps or gps and maps are not easy to come by. Was looking at the State Department's website, which was a mistake, about Mexico and Guatemala and  they make it out as if it is a war zone. 

Not knowing why Sara and Daniel told me I had to come here, I walked into Samuc along the river with Kelvin from Singapore and his girlfriend Marie from Germany .

The 7 pools were beautiful and the raging river flows underneath them all, hence the name. We swam for hours and then hiked up to the mirador which gave you a panoramic view of the pools and surrounding mountains. I think Guatemala  is definitely going to be one of the highlights of the trip, am going to be heading north to the Mayan ruins in Tikal tomorrow which is eight hours away and then into Mexico to Cabo.

Cabo has been real fun with Charmain and Brandon being here and visiting an old friend and having lots of laughter and and vitamin D.

Baja Bob came back and plotted me out a route up Baja to take which sounds like a lot of fun and a lot of dirt roads . Tomorrow I am

going to head up to LA Paz to Ciudad Insurgentes to San Juanico for the night. The next day will go up to San Ignacio and then south through Santa Rosalia and Mulege to Conception Bay and then  turn around and head north again.

Will go up Highway 1 to Guerrero Nero to see the whales  and then south to El Arco into the mountains over to the Sea of Cortez and then back up to San Felipe through Coco's Corner for the night.

Then will head to Mike's Sky Ranch the next day which is in the mountains and not to far away for the night. The following day will head up Highway 3  and then take a dirt road through Constitution National Park to the border  and then up to Palm Springs. 

That's my planned route which is the first actual planned route I have done and am really 
 looking forward to it from all what I have been told about the various places. Bob and Tim have spent hours with me going over this route so we will see how I do on the dirt, which Rob says I should not do.