San Christobal Des Las Casas

Our BMW hosts in Arriaga


A Street in San Christobal des Las Casas

January 28/06 continued

We arrived in Zipolite noon-ish. As usual, an excursion down sandy roads was required to find the accommodations. We parked the bikes and took turns guarding the bikes while the others reconnoitred the potential habitats. In this case I headed out onto the beach and into a cove at the north end. I discovered some wonderful thatched roof cabanas. (El Alquimista Cabanas) The rates however, exceeded out budget. When we returned to the bikes we reported our finding. I guess I was the most excited with what I had discovered and offered to pay for the accommodations. Anyway, to make a long story short we rented two lovely cabanas… 900 pesos! Blew the budget, but everyone needs a treat now and then, right? The fact that we were on a nude beach did not influence my decision in any way.

Mexico is laid back. A nude beach in Mexico is a laid back as you can get!

After getting settled we picked up some beers and proceeded to stroll the beach. Beer here is treated like pop… buy it at the grocery store ($4.50 for 6 beer) and drink it anywhere. There are no restrictions on the beach. In fact there are no restrictions in Mexico. (Craig. You’d love it! Talk about a libertarian society… this is it!) Glass on the beach… no problem! Dogs on the beach… same thing. And in this case bathing suits… optional! You could even ride your motorcycle up the beach if you so desired. I could go on about the Mexican attitude and perhaps I will later, but it is in someway refreshingly liberating to be free of the uptight (confining) Canadian social structure. (enough of the social analysis).

On the way down the beach we took to the waves to attempt some body surfing. I think I “caught a wave” once. I didn’t surf far but I tumbled with the wave, jammed my big toe into the sand and hobbled the rest of the way back to the cabana. The other fared better.

Mid afternoon Dave & I decided it was time for some bike maintenance. We had earlier picked up some oil at the Pemex station. We have ridden the bikes (for night storage) down a steep narrow paved path to a location behind the resort bar and restaurant. It turned out to be a good location for an oil change. We are in the habit of buying a 4 litre bottle of water each day. Normally we empty the water into our smaller water bottles and discard the larger container. In this case, the empty water container (with the top cut off) became the drain pan for the old oil. After draining and filling the bikes with fresh oil we filled the 1 litre oil containers with old oil and left them with the hotel’s garbage. The bike’s chains also got a fresh lube job. After a closer inspection of the underside of my bike I discovered that the centre stand was not as badly damaged as I once thought. It works fine. My skid plate was bruised and bent but there is no damage to the engine. The skid plate is doing it’s intended job.

Picking a place and ordering supper is an interesting experience. Do you know how long it takes for four indecisive people to decide on a restaurant? … Too frigging long! It is painful! My god, you would think that the fate of western civilization was at stake. Then, once we decide on the restaurant, we that have to decide on what to order. It isn’t helpful that we don’t have a clue what at least 70 percent of the menu items are. We have tried to ask. Our grasp of the Spanish language allows us this much but understanding the answer… that’s a whole different scenario. I finally think I have the problem figured out. I simply select an item from the menu and order it as if I knew exactly what it was. I figure, if I like it I’ll eat most of it, if I don’t, I won’t eat quite so much and chances are whatever I get, will most likely go with the beer I’m drinking.

This is likely our last beach stop for a while. By tomorrow evening we should be heading inland and by the next day up into the mountains. We expect max temperature will drop by at least 10C. Perhaps I will appreciate my heavier MC jacket then.

Good night from Zipolite

January 29/06

Today was a hot ride through relatively unremarkable county side, mostly over semi-arid land a few kilometres inland. We did not have a specific destination today. We only wanted to work ourselves towards San Christobal des Las Casas. By mid afternoon we had covered about 250K. We encountered some brutal cross winds between La Ventosa and Zanatepec that almost blew us off the road. We had been warned that it was not unusual to encounter strong winds in this area, but these winds were brutal, worse than in the Baja. (Later we spoke with some locals that told us that the winds today were, on a scale of 1 to 10, a 1. They told us that occasionally a section of the road is closed to traffic. The wind has been known to blow stationary tractor trailers on their side.) Dave managed to collide with a stinging insect of some sort. It stung him on the arm through his shirt. It was sore at first but seems OK now.

At a Pemex station in Zanatepec we met two Mexican fellows on BMWs heading for a BMW get-together in El Salvador. One of the fellows has a daughter living in Vancouver and spoke some English. He insisted that we follow them to a hotel in Arriaga. It was an interesting experience following these guys. Watching how they handled the traffic situations, passing, etc. Once at the hotel, Manuel negotiated our room rate. A little while later two other guys arrived and we all went out for supper to a local restaurant. Then we headed down to the town square where a marimba band was playing in the band stand. (Marimba bands originated in Chiapa) Jen & Dave were enticed to dance… much to the amusement of the locals. If only we had a movie camera?

After breakfast we all packed up the bikes, said our goodbyes to the “beemer boys”. They headed for the Guatamala border and we headed inland up to San Cristobal des Las Casas. Almost immediately after leaving Arriaga we started climbing a steep twisty-turning road. Some bends were so steep and tight that the road was gouged from the rear overhang of trucks coming down the hill. The first climb was to a high plateau at about 2300 ft. asl. As we rolled over the top the vegetation changed to pine forest. It smelled good and the temperature was much more comfortable. As we approached San Cristobal we climbed again to 8000 ft before descending into the city. (7500 ft asl) It was definitely a pleasant change to get away from the hot humid coastal weather. This evening we actually needed a jacket while out walking. Riding was very comfortable. An enjoyable ride all in all.

Both Arriaga and San Cristobal des Las Casas are located in the state of Chiapas. Chiapas is the only Mexican state that joined Mexico voluntarily. It is also one of the most controversial areas politically. The Zapatista movement is still active in this area. Chiapas has 30% of the Mexican water supply and 40% of the wild animal life and is also thought to have a reasonably high oil reserve. From initial observation it is perhaps more well off that other areas that we have seen so far. The road system we encountered seemed more organized and well maintained. There was even a by-pass road around the centre of the capital, Tuxtla Gutirrez. San Cristobal is definitely a touristy area but in a pleasant way… not at all like Acapulco or Puerto Vallarta. It is the one of the centres of Mayan culture, hence many people come to visit the nearby Mayan ruins and villages.

Once in town we walked around looking at the sights. There are the normal street vendors and individuals selling local items and knick-knacks. In San Christobal their seemed to be an inordinate number of young kids selling various items. These kids, especially the young girls, are very cute and they are very persistent in their sales technique. Some of these kids appeared to be as young as 3 years old however, most were a couple of years older.

We are plannng to camp at a waterfall part way to the Guatemalan border tonight and cross into Guatemala tomorrow. We are not sure how easy it will be to find internet access in Guatemala so there may be a gap in our updates for a while.

Looking forward to the adventure of our first Central Am border crossing.

Report from Puerto Escondito

Next time I'm riding my own bike!



Happy hour in Zihuatanejo



Coastline from winding road. note drop-off, no guard rail!


Typical fish (pescado) meal at beach restaurant.


Pemax gas station. all new and modern.



Beach Babe!



Road above coast view (above)

January 23/06

Election Day in Canada. Who cares? (at this point, anyway!?) We are currently located at Barrra De Navidad, a laid back beach town just north of Manzanillo. The town is built on a narrow sand bar (hence the name) with a large bay on one side and a lagoon on the other. Essentially there are two one-way streets. One brings you onto the barra, the other takes you off. Beautiful expansive beach and what looked like some reasonable surfing near the point. Also there is a very fancy hotel here. Grand Bay is it’s name. It is located on another peninsular on the far side of the lagoon. It was a complete surprise to find it here. Too rich for our budget.

To this point on the trip, we have put 2538 K behind us and it is still almost another 2000 K until will reach Guatamala. The ride to day was a hot one. We started fairly early but it took quite a while to get through Puerto Vallarta. The traffic was heavy and it was slow going. PV is the only place Linda & I have visited in Mexico prior to this adventure. To us it is not recognizable. Back in ’72 it truly was a sleepy fishing village. Then, the only paved road into PV was from the airport to town. Now it is a huge resort city… we even saw a Wal-Mart Supper Centre!

From PV Hwy 200 turns inland and climbs onto a high dry plain for over 100 K. Even though we were up around 2000 ft. a.s.l. it was hot and dry. It is interesting how one picks up info and advice along the way. Just stopping for a drink or to check the map usually involves a conversation with another tourist, a snow bird or a local.

We took a suggestion for a hotel and managed to locate it this time. Hotel Caribe… an old place in the centre of town. Room with 2 double beds, bathroom with H&C water and shower. $30. Nothing fancy but clean and comfortable, friendly owners. Once again the bikes are in the lobby.

I’m back into the local food again and feeling fine. Everything runs a leisurly pace here. When you order food it sometimes takes so long I think that they run out and buy the raw materials, then make it. We ordered some guacamole and nacho chips with beer on the beach. When it finally arrived, the guacamole had obviously just been made. Mmmm…so good!

January 24/06

Happy Birthday Karla!

We were up with the roosters again. Also, we are located next to the church. The bells started ringing before 6 am…on the hour and half hour. That’s OK, we are finding that it is good to get an early start and try to put a few miles behind us before the heat of the day.

I really like Barra de Navidad. We discovered that the airport that services Manzanillo is only 20 K from Barra de Navidad. If you wanted a laid back, inexpensive Mexican holiday in a reasonably authentic Mexican costal town, this would an easy place to get to. Buy airfare only to Manzanillo and a $20 cab ride will get you here. You can get basic accommodation for two for $20. a night (or less if you do some research or stay for a couple of weeks.)

This evening we are at Maruata. This is one of only two places where the Black Sea Turtles breed. It is the end of the breeding season so it is not likely that we will see any. We have been told that we will have to walk a mile down the beach just before 9 pm if we want to see them. We are camped on the beach next to a palapa restaurant. There are a couple of small coves here as well as long beach. We are in one of the coves alongside a small lagoon.

The coast south of Manzanillio is very scenic. The road continually winds up the hills and down again to the coastal plains. The quality of the road is deteriorating as we move into less traveled areas. The highway is still paved but the surface is rougher. We are still able to maintain or normal cruising speeds (80 to 100K) when the road is not too winding.

We managed to get lost a couple of times today. Once leaving Manzanillo and essentially were uncertain of our position for 60 or 70K. Signage is poor and it would help it they didn’t make a habit of using the same numbers for different highway. I saw a sign for Hwy 200 and turned onto the access road. Once on the highway there was no way off. Unfortunately I had turned onto Hwy 200D (there was a small “D” under the number) and 20 K later we reached the toll booth. It cost us 85 pesos ($8.50) each bike for that mistake. It would help if we had a better map! The GPS Is doing a great job of keeping track where we have been, but a crappy job of helping us navigate. The Garmin GPS maps for this area are poor. Hwy 200 is on the GPS map but according to the GPS we are seldom on the road. Still… it’s nice to have. Once we get south of Mexico we have very good maps (Thanks to Lee.) and we will be able to cross check our lat and long with the map if (when) we get lost.

The bikes are running well (touch wood). I am continually bottoming out on the skid plate or centre stand over the topes (speed bumps). Also the rear shock bottoms out over some dips in the road. The V-Strom 650 has plenty of power but it needs a firmer rear spring for this load. I did some calculations and surprisingly we are not over max gross weight (950 lb.), but we are pretty close. We both have arranged for new rear tires in Panama City and we are both due for an oil change soon.

January 25/06

The section of road this morning was a great ride. Almost new payment (so much for my comments on deteriorating roads). The road twisted up and down the coastal cliffs for 80 K. Some very tight turns and occasionally some precipitous drop-offs. In most cases there are no guard rails. The weather is definitely getting warmer. I’m kicking myself for not wearing my mesh MC jacket. Linda and Jenny both have mesh jackets and they are ideal under these conditions.

We arrived in Zihuatanejo about 3 pm and found a small camping spot near the beach. Another camper was a motorcycle aficionado (BMW) who has traveled through Central and South America. We spent to evening with Pierre and Charlotte starting with margarita’s on the beach and pizza down town.

Currently waiting for breakfast on the beach… then we are off to Acapulco.

January 26/06

As I mentioned, the weather is getting progressively warmer. By noon I was cooking and I abandoned my MC jacket for a wet long sleeve cotton shirt. We rode into Acapulco about 2 pm. and through the main beach tourist area. VW bug cabs all over the place weaving in and out of traffic. It was cooking! Eventually we reached the south side of town along a beach strip close to the airport and found a nice campsite. The area we found looks like it was (or potentially was thought it would be) a booming tourist area but many of the businesses and buildings appear to be abandoned. Most North American tourist would not have even bothered to stop but being frugal we decided to take a closer look. After riding down a sandy beach road we stopped to figure out which way to go. Soon we were approached by a local. Within minutes we were talking to someone who could speak a little English and the next thing we knew is that we had a campsite. Also, the gal we spoke to owned a nearby restaurant owner. She (Sandra) is whipping us up something to eat right now.

We came through a couple of busy little towns today. I wish I had a helmet cam so that I could take some pictures as we are riding. The towns have very narrow streets with stores and vendors on either side of the street. Sometimes the streets are one way traffic but often they are two way you have to work your way around buses and stopped cars while avoiding the pedestrians and dogs. There are no traffic lights so at busy intersections there is often someone directing traffic. With copious a mount of arm waving and horn toots everyone managed to progress through the intersection. As I mentioned, we stand out on the MC’s and so far the drivers have been quite courteous and often wave us through.

(Hope the battery in my laptop holds up. It does not last long enough now to finish a report. I’m currently using the MC battery for power.)

January 27/06

We were up with the sun today and got an early start. We covered 350K from Acapulco to Puerto Esconito. The longest day travel yet. As we move farther south the local scenery becomes increasingly interesting. You have to watch for animals on the road here too… just different ones than in BC. We had to slow today for donkeys, goats, cows, chickens , horses and of course dogs. Then there are those pesky topes! (you remember.. speed bumps) They are not as well marked as they where up north and they are everywhere. You have to keep them in mind all the time. Some are like mini mountains across the road. My brakes are getting good workout.

We are getting more used to the “rules of the road”. That is to say... we are ignoring the speed limit signs now too. Perhaps I should put it differently. It’s not that we are ignoring them, it’s that we just can’t figure out what they mean. For example, you will see an 80K sign, then 300 metres down the road a 60K sign followed by a tight bend in the road. The road then straightens out again but there is never another 80K speed sign. We assume that the 60K sign was just a warning for the curve. The speed limit generally reduces to 40K through the towns and villages. 40K signs mean “watch for topes”. When you leave the town, rarely is there a sign indicating a higher speed limit. Everyone simply goes as fast as they want from tope to tope. 90 to 100K seems to be the accepted speed on these two lane roads outside of built up areas. It is difficult to average better that 60 or 70K on a days ride. Road conditions have been very good. There is quite abit of road work in progress on this highway. One gets the impression that the government is attempting to encourage motor tourism. We noticed 3 new tourism offices under construction today. Also all the gas stations are new and many are being built. They are all Pemex stations.. the government owned petroleum company. Often they are accompanied by a convenience store and all have clean modern washrooms.

As I mentioned there are domestic animals in and out of the towns. Dogs are everywhere. Many of the dogs are pets but there are lots of strays also. Even the pets are allowed to wander freely. You seldom see a dog tied up. It is not uncommon to see dogs walking on roads both in and out of towns and cities. Nor is it uncommon to see injured or malnourished dogs. It seems that for the most part the locals ignore the dogs and the dogs stay clear of the humans. We have only been chased a couple of times.

Tonight we are staying in some cabanas above one of the beaches in Puerto Escondito. A cabana is a small cabin. These ones are made of brick with a tile roof. There is a double bed complete with mosquito net, a shower, toilet and sink. They are not air conditioned but there is a fan. Each couple has their own cabana since the price was the same for 4 persons whether share one or had our own. 150 pesos each. ($15.) It is 5 minute walk down to the beach but we are located adjacent to the highway so it might be a bit noisy. I don’t know how much traffic there is a night but we will find out I think!

January 28/06

Yep! It was noisy but it was comfortable bed. Off to find some breaky!

While I’m waiting for my huevos rancheros I’ll fill you in on our plans. Today we are heading for Zipolita, a beach about 60K from here. Time for some laundry and an oil change for the bikes. Then we are heading inland up to San Christobal de Casa before crossing into Guatemala. San Christobal is in the highlands so it should be a bit cooler. We are planning 2 days in the San Christobal with a border crossing on Feb 1^st. This will be our first Central Am border crossing. It should be quite interesting.

Heading for Acapulco

Just a quick note. All's well. We are heading to Acapulco this morning. It's warm down here. We are eating breakfast at a Beach resturant. It is 9 am and the temp is already 27C.

Will up date the blog with more reports ASAP.

On Mainland Mexico

Beach at Sayulita (40k north of PV)


Trucks backing onto ferry


With Maria for desayuno

Which way do we go from here?

January 19/05

I’m feeling better today. I didn’t eat hardly anything yesterday after, what I believe was food poisoning of some sort. Back to the Mexican breakfast today… omelette with mushrooms, refried beans, salsa and tortillas.

Dave finally got all the paperwork taken care of and we are on the ferry to Mazatlan. We paid and extra $25. (split 4 ways) for a spacious cabin (Turista). There are 4 bunk beds, table, bench seating and a sink with hot and cold water. The toilets and showers are in the hall and are shared with other turista cabins. Two meals are included in the fair. There was a choice of chicken or beef for supper and scramble eggs with ham, potatoes and refried beans for breakfast.

Watching the ferry load was entertaining. We parked the bikes on the loading ramp beside a fellow with a typical cube van offering hot and cold food snacks and drinks. From here we could observe the loading process. The ferries here load and unload from the same ramp at the stern of the vessel. This of course means that 4 (or more) wheeled vehicles must either back onto the ferry or back off. The load of vehicles is primarily trucks. Backing a semi with an additional trailer into the ferry must take some skill! Once on the ferry, some crew helped us tie down the bikes and unload our gear. The vehicle deck is locked once the passengers are in the passenger area. We were told that all we left in the vehicle deck was secure. We should have packed a small bag with items we needed on the boat. As it was, we seemed to need something from every bag on the bike and we hauled it all to our cabin. Even though by some standards, we don’t have much, it is damn heavy to hall from one end of the boat to the other.

We waited to load until we were signalled. We loaded last. Another motorcycle advantage. . . Last on - first off. We should get a good start when the ferry docks in the morning.

Gotta run… Dave and Jen are waiting for us the bar. There is karaoke and Jen wants us to put on our shirts and sing “La Camisa Negra”. (Jamie and Karla will understand this… more later for the rest of you readers.)

January 20/06

The Karaoke was a bust. Most of the bars patrons were truck drivers and like us they didn’t want to partake in the singsong.

We are currently sitting on the balcony of a small hotel at Playa Novillero (Hotel Pacifico)“oohing and awing” over the sunset. We rode through old Mazatlan but intentionally by passed the newer beach hotel area (seen one, seen them all). We stopped by a small park and bought a couple of coconuts off a street vendor. He chopped off the tops and handed them to us with straws inserted. When we finished the milk he swang the machete a few more times and handed us back half a coconut with the meat diced. It was very sweet and the meat was much softer that the coconuts we are used to.

The ride today was very nice. Essentially through coastal plains and rolling hills filled with small orchards and farms. The farms seemed to be growing a variety of vegetables and fruits. A nice change from the desert of the Baja. The roads here are similar. We stuck to 2 lane highways. For those with a map, we were on Hwy 15 but from what we observed there are two Hwy 15s. One is a toll road the other is free. We rode the free one

to Acaponeta and through Tecuala to the coast. The hotel is at the end of this road at Playa Novillero.

The driving here is interesting. The way I see it is that there are some rules but for the most part they are ignored. By observation one picks up the way things are done. Someone always wants to pass you, no matter what speed you are doing. You have to keep one eye on your mirror and when someone is on your tail it is common practise to signal a left turn to indicate to the driver behind you that you know that he is there and it is OK to pass. If this occurs, the driver wanting to pass with likely pull out to pass regardless of whether or not he can see far enough ahead to ensure a safe pass. I have been using a hand signal (with discretion) to accomplish the same thing.

In town, signage is minimal. One way streets are common but not always marked. I have been the wrong way down a one way street twice now and have learned to be cautious.

Riding on a motorcycle is actually an advantage again when it come to traffic. MCs like ours are instantly recognized as “not from here” and often we are given the benefit of the doubt. Tourists in cars would not have the same advantage. All the kids and many locals in the small towns wave to us as well and often we are approached when stopped.

Time for supper… catch you later.

Supper was fun. On the way to find a restaurant we noticed some ladies laughing and dancing in the street. With Dave’s lead we quickly joined in the festivities. As we were about to leave they asked us if we were looking for something to eat. One of the dancing ladies was the owner of the restaurant next door and after a bit of “show and tell” we figured out what to order… cinco quesadilla y tres tortas con cuatro cervezas. (a little Spanish lesson for you, if you care to look it up) It was all good. We even have a date with Maria for desayuno (breakfast) at 8 am. manana.

We have learned that the maps here are no different than anywhere else… they are not always accurate. If possible we ask a local about our planned route. Tonight we were told that the road we were planning to take is impassable so we head back to the highway to reach Sayulita tomorrow (40 K north of Puerto Vallarta). We are hoping to hook up with Dave and Sue Bannatyne (they live behind us in Fernie) who are wintering in Sayulita.

January 21/06

After a breakfast we back racked to Hwy 15 and headed south for Sayulita. It was a great ride through winding roads. The roads are busy with traffic. Mexico has a busy bus system and the buses are king of the road. Constant attention to the traffic around you is essential. You cannot believe where and when drivers will attempt to pass. Some drivers seem to value passing the car ahead much more than life itself! About the halfway point we turned off Hwy 15 west to the coast. A beautiful narrow paved road. Tight winding turns through increasingly lust vegetation… fruit farms and palm groves. We stopped for lunch in San Blas. From here we followed Hwy 200. to Sayulita. This is the coastal road that we will probably follow nearly all the way to Guatamala.

Sayulita is described in our guide book as a “sleepy fishing village known for great surfing”. That was in 2002. It is no longer sleepy. It is another booming tourist town.

We knew that there were 3 campgrounds and Dave and Sue where in one of them. After a couple of inquiries we found our way to the most likely one and luckily enough as we rode up to the entrance Dave was walking by. Unfortunately for us, the camp was full but we found space at the next one, just down the beach. Of course busy town equals higher prices. We paid 300 pesos ($30) for a camp stop for two tents, 5 bucks less than we paid for a hotel room the night before. We expect that prices will decrease once we are further south.

We planned to cover 250 Kilometres per day on this trip. We thought that would be a leisurely day but it is about all we can and still have time to sight see. We are planning to get an early start tomorrow and put on a few extra miles. We must be out of Mexico by 1:30 pm on Feb.1… That is when our Mexican vehicle insurance runs out.

While we are travelling Ben (our chubby Lab) is vacationing at "Club Bob". He aslo has had an outing to Rocky Mountain House. To keep us informed of his travels he has also started a blog. Check it out at http://benhide.blogspot.com/

January 23/06

Rested a day and we are ready to head out on the road again. Just finishing breakfast in Sayulita.

Heading for the mainland

January 17/06

Here we are in La Paz (the city of peace). We covered 350K from Loreto today. Again it was extremely windy. The cross wind was gusting 60 to 80K. We crossed the Sierra de la Giganta twice today along some nice winding roads. Though the western central plains the road was straight as an arrow for over nearly 100K it would have been quite boring had it not been for the wind.

For those travelling this way we have a few suggestions for camping (tent or RV). In Mulege we stayed at a place called The Orchard. It is located about 2 kilometres south of town. It is an old date orchard along the river. There are permanent vacation homes and nice camp sites. Many of the date palms are still standing as well as orange and lemon trees. There is no restaurant but there is a path from the camp site to town along the river. It is a twenty minute walk. The rate for camping is $70 pesos per camp site (about $7. US). A word of warning… if you stay in Mulege on Friday or Saturday night, don’t plan to sleep without earplugs. Apparently there is a party downtown every Friday and Saturday and a traditional Mexican band played until 4 am. We could hear them well 2 kilometres away.

There is lots of camping on the beaches here too. Organized camp site cost about 70 to 100 pesos but you can camp for free if you do not want any facilites… ie. washrooms, showers, store or food. Usually we opted for the former. On the beach we stayed (just south of Mulege) there were 2 restaurants. (Ray’s and Anna’s) Our camping neighbour’s recommended Anna’s. We have been impressed with the quality of the food so far. We stayed at Anna’s until quite later talking and drinking with a couple from Chicago.

In Loreto we stayed at the Rivera Del Mar on Francisco 1, Madero No. 100. This place is well maintained, clean bathrooms, laundry facilities, wireless internet and an excellent, reasonably priced restaurant. It is a small family operated camp with approximately 24 RV spots and 5 camping spots. It is located about 3 blocks from the beach and 8 or 9 blocks from the centre of town. It is definitely recommended, although the tent camp sites are a bit noisy as they back against the next street. Also nearly everyone who lives in the neighbourhood must have chickens… many rooster started crowing just before sunrise.

We arrived in La Paz too late today to get the permits for the MCs that will allow us to book passage to the mainland. We still have not decided whether we will take to ferry to Topolabampo or to Mazatlan (S?) It depends on sailing times and or fares. Tonight we are in a small hotel near the beach in La Paz. The beach boulevard is similar to European resort beaches. Quite touristy here but it is not high season. Security for the MCs is important so the hotel allowed us to roll the bikes into the lobby.

Looks like everyone else has hit the sack… ‘til tomorrow.

January 18/02

Well it looks like I spoke too soon about the good food… Shortly after going to bed last night my stomach developed a queasy feeling. Within minutes I was up talking to Ralph on the big white telephone. This morning I feel OK but I won’t be straying far from any toilet facilities. It is imodium for breakfast today!

I think the mistake I made was to eat Italian food (Pasta with a cream sauce) in Mexico. It is probably better to stick with the fresh food that is locally available. Storage of other foods may be a problem, especially in the low tourist season where it is likely to sit around longer. It’s just a theory. I will stick to the local food from now on and see how it works.

Today we dealt with misinformation and permits. A permit is required to take a motorcycle into mainland Mexico. It can be purchased at the border crossing or at the ferry terminal at Pichilingue, near La Paz. There is a new terminal building recently opened so procedures may have changed. In order to purchase the permit you need 4 items… your passport, a Mexico tourist visa (available only at the Migration offices, if you are riding south from Baja California to Baja California Sur you will pass a migration check point just north of Gerrero Negra. Got one there, it will same some time. The cost is 200 pesos and must be paid at any bank.), your MC registration and drivers licence. You also need photocopies of these items. (You can get them copied at the terminal for a nominal fee) The permit costs $37 US. Once you documents are in order you must hand over a credit card (Visa or Mastercard). Nothing else will do, and that includes cash! This is where Dave ran into trouble. He does not have a credit card and they would not accept Jenny’s. He has to pay $330. in US cash. He was told that he will be able to get back $300. when he leaves the country. Hmmm!

Dave rode back and forth between La Paz and the ferry terminal 3 times . . once to find a bank to pay for the tourist visa and again to get cash. By the time he returned the 3^rd. time the office was closed (closes at 2 pm). He was not a happy camper when he got back to the hotel.

We decided to take the La Paz – Mazatlan Ferry It runs 3 days a week right now. It leaves tomorrow (Thursday) at 3 pm and arrives in Mazatlan at 9 am. We still don’t actually have tickets yet because you need the permits first but if it is not sold out we plan to get cabins with 2 beds and a bathroom ($40. extra) It costs $75. per person for the fare and $120. for the motorcycle. (one other item… you need tie downs for the bike)

Time for a nap. I’m feeling better now but I have not been able to eat anything today

Next update should be from the mainland

Los Cuatro Penguinos

January 11/06

We finally parked the car and trailer and hit the road on the bikes this morning. The main road west out of Yuma is Hwy 8. It is a 4 lane interstate hwy but part way to Calexico we planned to get off the interstate and take the alternate 2 lane highway (98), but the apparently it runs too close to the USA/Mexico border for someone’s comfort and it is now closed to traffic. We stayed on the interstate. As we approached Calexico, it was interesting to note that several of the rural roads that parallel the border were also “permanently” close with concrete barricades.

After a short stop for lunch and a visit to an insurance agent (CIBC insurance is invalid in Mexico) we headed for the border. We expected that we would be pulled aside and questioned. We had prepared ourselves with copies of our MC registration, DL and passports but much to our surprise we were waved through without even having to stop.

I bet it’s not this easy to leave!

We were warned of the slow posted speed limits in Mexico and not wanting to attract any attention from the police, we stuck to the posted limits. It seemed like no one else on Hwy 5 paid any attention whatsoever to these signs. The speed on the 4 lane, then 2 lanes, highway to San Felipe varied between 40 and 80 KPH. It took longer than expected to travel the 180K from Mexicali and we reached San Felipe at dusk.

We had read the traveller’s reports. We knew that one should not travel at night or arrive in a strange town in the dark, but this is exactly what we did… and on our first night in Mexico. Luckily we managed to find our way out town and back to a camp ground, but it was a bit unnerving.

We are now camped on the beach at Pete’s Campground just north of San Felipe. We have not had much chance to look around yet but what we have seen is wonderful. There is a great restaurant and bar, from which we have partaken. We highly recommend the Negra Modelo beer.

Tomorrow we plan to continue south down Hwy 5 although we have been told that it turns to gravel in about 50 miles but it is passable. We have been briefed on the gas stops. One sounds particularly interesting… we are to watch for two guys in a blue Toyota pickup at a particular intersection. We have been told that the gas of good quality and we will probably need some to make it to the next gas stop. Hmmm! Wonder if they take VISA?

Time to crawl into the sack (literally). It is quite cool. There appears to be a on-shore breeze. All I can hear is the lapping of the waves on the beach and the occasional laughter from other campers.

January 12/06

Today was slow going. We are now in Alfonsinas at a small hotel. South of San Felipe, the road was paved for about 75 kilos, then broken pavement for 20 K, then rough gravel, boulders and sand. We managed about 200K in 7 hours of riding.

Linda and I only fell off the bike twice. Once as we stopped (my short legs couldn’t quite reach the sloping soft gravel) and once in some deep sand. Both were soft landings and neither of us were hurt at all.. just embarrassed. The bike took a bit of a beating though. I now know why Suzuki doesn’t bother supplying a centre stand on the V-Strom. I have an after market one and it now non-functional (I think). There is not enough ground clearance and we consistently banged the stand bracket into the rocks.

Along this road, the max speed for Linda and I on the V-Strom was 40K but most of the time we were in second gear at 25 to 30 K. At times the road was so bad that the locals have created a parallel route simply by driving in the desert along side the road. We followed this route on several occasions and it was no screaming hell either. When driving in the ditch is better than on the road ya gotta wonder! Many times we were in first gear utilizing the stand up “Trials” technique to navigate boulders and potholes. Fun for a while but damn tiring. Jen and Dave fared much better on the KLR. Their bike has much longer suspension travel, higher ground clearance, lighter weight and knobby tires. It is much better suited to the type of roads we are currently riding.

We didn’t reach our destination until dusk (again) and we had a few problems with the language barrier at the hotel. With the help of a bilingual local we managed to get things sorted out. We had a great meal… today’s catch with lemon rice and salad, washed down with a couple of beer.

We have discovered that the Baja is motorcycle heaven for the off-road riders. They are mostly Yanks that we have met, but the locals we met this evening were from San Felipe. It appears that it is asset to travel by MC here. As I mentioned earlier, we were waved through the USA/Mexico border without stopping. Also there are military check stops along the way. I really don’t know why. Probably just to remind the tourists that the Baja is Mexican territory. Anyway… these posts are manned by young soldiers, armed with automatic weapons of some sort. They seem to stop all the cars and trucks but once again we were “waved through”. Literally… we waved to them and every soldier waved back!

We still have 35 miles of gravel to get back to the highway or we can continue south on the dirt roads. We have been told that the roads are better once we get off this one.??? It is enticing to stay along the east coast. The beaches are superb. This is a decision for tomorrow, looks like everyone else is asleep now. I don’t care which route we take but I want to go to the highway intersection to get gas from the guys in the blue Toyota Truck first.

January 13/06

After a great breakfast at Alfonsino’s we loaded up and continued south on “Hwy 5”. The first 35 K was tricky. More loose gravel and sandy sections than the previous day but I found that I had better control of the bike by standing up and getting more weight over the front wheel. We managed to get through a whole day without dumping the bike. Lee, you will be glad to know that the Wee-Strom is looking more “adventurous” now. Both Jesse bags are scraped now.

We had been told to stop at Coco’s Corner, 35 K down the road. A fellow by the name of Coco has a business / residence on a corner of two dirt roads in the middle of nowhere. He sells beer, pop, snacks & bike parts. He fixes almost anything that moves, and offers free accommodation for travelers through the area. (free, if you buy at least one beer). Everyone who stops by has to write in the “book”. You are asked to describe yourself and your journey, then he adds sketches to your tale. He seems to be able to remember most of those who have passed by having creating a distinctive indexing system. When we told him we were Canadians he told us Canadians are refered to as Penguins. In his index we are the “Cuatro Penguinos”.

Shortly after leaving Coco’s we were back on pavement on Hwy 1 south to Guerrero Negra. After talking to Coco we decided to stay on the highway. As advertised, the blue Toyota was exactly as expected. We did not need gas then so we only stopped to take a picture. Guerrero Negra is nothing to write home about. It is ,however the whale viewing center of the Baja and since whale viewing is in season, it was quite busy. We camped at an RV park jammed in between two big units.

January 14/06

Before leaving Guerrero Negra we back tracked for gas. Unfortunately we had to go back through a “migration” checkpoint. Yesterday we didn’t need a visa but apparently today we did! After filling out the paper work we were able to leave “BCS” (Baja California South) fill up and return. All for 200 Peso’s each! ($20.)

On the pavement we made much better time. 300K to Mulege. We found a very nice campground on the south edge of town. The town looks interesting. We did a short tour and Dave and I rode back into town to try to find a 1/2 dozen Negro Modelo. Tomorrow we will have a better look around.

The trip today was mostly across flat desert on straight roads. We crossed two low mountain passes where the road became more interesting for a while. The speed limit on the highway is 80K and the speed drops to 40K as you pass through towns. To help enforce the speed there are speed bumps across the road. . . high enough that my center stand bracket touches down as we ride over them. They work.. no one speed though the towns. If you hit one of thse bumps at 80K you might do serious damage to your vehicle. We have been told that these bumps are common throughout Central America and once we are out of Mexico not to expect that there will be any warnings that you are approaching one. Also, there are no recommended speeds for the sharp corners only warning signs “Curva Peligrosa” (dangerous curve) and rumble strips. The highway is very narrow. The “semis” definitely fill the lane and there is no shoulder. Sometimes the drop off the edge of the pavement is 18” or more. Makes you pay attention!

We just finished supper. We picked up some supplies at a small grocery store and cooked up an authentic Mexican meal at the camp site. We are planning a short day tomorrow. Hopefully we can find an internet connection to up load these reports and a place to do some laundry.

January 15/06

This turned out to be a real short day… only traveled about 10K. The coast south of Mulege (Pronounced Moo-la-hay) is a series of small coves, each with a fantastic beach. We picked one and set up camp on the beach, put on our bathers and relaxed. There was a great little restaurant a short walk from where we camped. The meals have all been very good.

January 16/06

Another short day today. It is extremely windy. We were constantly being buffeted and sandblasted so in Loreto we found a nice campground with laundry facilities and wireless internet. We are about 350K from La Paz. We hope to make it to La Paz tomorrow and make arrangements for the ferry to the mainland. We have been getting mixed info regarding the ferry. Once we see what is involved there we may head down to Cabo San Lucas before taking the ferry to the main land.

Buenis Dias Mis Amigos

Just a quick note. We are in Guerero Negra. Having grat adventures. I have written a log each day and will upload them as soon as we find a wifi hotspot. We are all well. Weather is great. Hope to post later today.

Ready to jump on the bikes... we think!

Here is a few day's update. Trouble finding a WiFi hotspot.

Sunday Jan 7/06

We are in Ely Nevada at the old Nevada Hotel. The Nevada Hotel, when it was built in 1929, was the tallest building in Nevada and the first fire-proof hotel. Apparently it was a popular stop for the Hollywood elite on their way to Sun Valley, Idaho. Over the years it has lost a bit of its lustre (actually a lot of its lustre) but is cheap, cheerful and an interesting place never-the-less.

Jenny did well in the Casino last night. She walked away from with $75. from the “extra loose slots” ?? and Dave came away with 15 bucks. They are buying breakfast!

Yesterday we ran into a variety of road conditions, snow and ice covered to bare and dry. The VW seems to be handling the job of pulling the loaded trailer. The little diesel has lots of torque but the fuel consumption is higher than normal and the diesel fuel price is high $2.50 to $3. per gal.

We are about 4 hours from Vegas now. Next report from the Luxor..

Monday Jan 8/06

Vegas! What can you say about this place that has not already been said? It is over-the-top, like Disney World for adults. After supper, at the Luxor Hotel, we jumped on a city bus (double decker) for a ride to the far end of the “Strip” and walked back to the hotel. It took a few hours of bar and casino hopping (we got lost a few times) to make it back.

The weather is quite nice here now. Clear skies and highs of 20C are in the forecast. It is about 500 Klms to Yuma. We are not going to get an early start and we still need some gear before we start out on the bikes so it could be a bit late before we get to the Lone Palm RV park.

Tuesday Jan 9/06

We didn’t get out of Vegas until mid afternoon yesterday. After a leisurely brunch we packed up and spent a couple of hours shopping for gear that we still need. No luck finding what we need yet.

We decided to stop for the night in Lake Havesu City, a few hours short of Yuma. Interesting place! The city was created by P. McCullough Snr. (chainsaws, small engines) After flying over the area he purchased 13000 acres at a land auction and planned the community around Lake Havasu (created by the construction of Parker Dam). Part of the construction created an island in the Lake so he bought London Bridge and shipped it from England and reassembled it as a functional bridge. Needless to say it is a haven for “snowbirds”.

Wednesday Jan 11/06

Finally made it to Yuma and we have unloaded the bikes and are getting ready to go. Nervous excitement has hit us all. We are heading for Mexicana and straight south on Hwy 5 to the Sea of Cortez.

We spent an extra day looking around for a helmet, riding pants and rain gear. When we asked for rain suits down here we received some strange looks. I guess they don’t know the word “rain”! They also don’t allow tent camping at any campgrounds in Yuma! One campground hung up on us when we asked about tenting!

It is sunny and cool this morning … coffee is almost cold now. Better drink it down and get this trip underway.

Almost a Big Moosteak

We were all up early, anxious to get underway. While Jen & Linda whipped up some scones and Dave cooked up scrambled eggs I adjusted the bikes on the trailer and tried to figure out how all our luggage would fit. After a few tries, Dave and I managed to get it all in. Cold wet snow was still falling and it was not a pleasant experience. The roads were quite slippery to begin with but luckily by Creston the roads were clear.

We were expecting the possibility of a long inspection process at the US border but I guess we didn’t fit the necessary profile and we where through with only a few basic questions. We had selected two possible routes south and after bantering it back and forth we decided to take Hwy 93 from Missoula to Vegas.

Hwy 93 is a 2 lane highway mostly in dry valleys but there was on high pass at the Montana -Idaho border. We were up over 7000 ft and there was tons of snow. It was slow going, especially on the slippery downhill but this was not the most exciting part. Just as we were starting up the pass we hit a full grown bull moose!

That’s what I said… We had a collision with a moose but it was not serious. Dave was driving when suddenly a moose appeared in the opposite driving lane walking into our lane. Dave braked hard and steered to the right. (great job Dave!) We were almost stopped when we collided with the moose. There was no damage to the car (or the moose, we think) but the moose knocked the driver’s side mirror back. (It is designed to fold back and there was no damage to it). He was so big I think that he may have bruised his knee on the mirror!

Within the next 30 miles we had an encounter with 2 elk and a deer so we decided that it was good time to stop. We got a motel in Salmon, Idaho and went for beer and natchos.

At Jen & Dave's

Good trip to Jen & Dave's. Clear roads all the way. Even had a nice visit with friends on the ferry. Sue & Garry were on the way to Castlegar to visit family.

Jen & Dave's friend, Magalie came over last night and gave us some info about Nicaragua. She had just returned. She loved it and gave us suggestions for places to visit and stay. We are all very excited.

However, rain started in the evening and gradually turn white overnight. I'm concerned about the condition of the roads this morning. The trailer is definitly at max load. I expect that it will be slow going today. There is no hurry.

We are all up early. Jen & Linda are making some fresh scones for the road and Dave & I will finish loading up...as soon as it gets light!

Bernie

Countdown to Departure

The departure date for our Central America Adventure is fast approaching. Home renovations have ground to a halt and all attention has shifted to the trip.

We are in the final organization and packing phase. I think that we will easily be able to take all we have listed. However, packing in a fashion that allows access to essential items, without the need to unpack everything, is an interesting challenge.

We plan the leave Fernie Jan. 5^th by car, with trailer and motorcycle in tow. Our destination on the 5^th is Jen & Dave’s house, with a short stop in Nelson to pick up the additional medical insurance and an International Driver’s licence (both at the BCAA office). After loading the trailer with the second motorcycle and a good night’s sleep we will start the drive south. Our destination by car is Yuma, AZ. where we have arranged for 3 months storage of the car and trailer. We will break up the trip south with a day in Vegas. Perhaps we will be lucky and win enough to finance the trip?

If all goes according to plan we should start out on the bikes Jan. 10^th. For the first day on the bikes we will stay in the US and head west toward San Diego. A day in the states allow us to assess out packing and selection of items that we have with us. We will be able to pickup what we forgot or mail back excess items.

Jan. 11^th we will cross into Mexico at Tijuana and start down the Baja. Roughly our route south takes us to the southern tip of the Baja, then a ferry from La Paz to Topolobampo (near Los Mochis). From here, essentially we plan to follow the Pacific coast south until we are south of Acapulco, with a few trips inland if we discover places of interest. From this point, the plan is even more vague… but we plan to reach Panama City by Feb 20^th. We have flights booked from Panama City to Cartegena, Colombia on Feb 22^nd , returning to Panama City Mar 1^st . We plan to leave the bikes in Panama City while in Cartegena and pick them up on Mar 1^st (this part of the plan has some interesting challenges to work out). On Mar 2^nd we ride north following a different route to Yuma via Honduras, Belize, eastern Guateamala, the Yucatan Peninsula and Central Mexico.

Back to packing . . .