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Central America or Bust!!!! H3 -2003

a side note I remembered the other day: when arriving at the El Salvador/Guatemala border, when we ran into Udo, the german. we were practically acosted by the "tramitadores" or facilitators of paperwork if you will. we were watching as they were also giving one of the "tramitadores" a hard time, and found out that the kid was deaf/mute. I thought that was bullshit, and they wouldn't let him in to try and get our business. so i told all the other "tramitadores" to fuck off....and signed to the kid, to take care of my paperwork...but that he better not fuck up, or no tip...holy shit, that kid jumped on the paperwork, and when he had to stand in line...he would weasel his way up to the front....push his way thru and sign that he needed the paperwork done, making himself well understood. I had to admire this kid...cause thru that kind of adversity, in a country like this, he had decided to fight his way to the surface of the proverbial pond.......I just smiled and watched as he kicked ass, got us our paperwork done..fast, I might add....and then signed that whatever we felt was fair, he would take as a tip. being that an average tip for them is like 10 dollars. i gave the kid 20 bucks, and the other guys gave him cash too. we did it out of site of his "buddies" as they would later hit him up and make him split it. so we gave him 10 bucks in plane sight, and I told him to palm the other 20-30 bucks, so he wouldn't have to split them.


moving on...here's a photo of the old way of crushing the maguey plants after they are cooked........

2333954-scan10071__2_.jpg
 
this is probably my favorite if not one of my favorite photos of the whole trip...and of pretty much any of my trips. Paco and Squeely were bullshiting, as we took a break on the side of the road, and I just stepped off to take a photo. I have the hard copy photo, and it's really grainy in that black and white way, and I think it's totally cool. I'm working on having it blown up to frame. anyway, i digress......

2333955-scan10021__2_.jpg
 
from this town, we would say our good byes to squeely. he is splitting off in mexico city, to go see some family and his girlfriend was flying in to ride back to the states with him. we rode together for some time afterwards, but then he split off as we came into mexico city...

further in the city, is where Paco and I got seperated. I wrote about that in a previous post. it wasn't horrible, we both knew where we were going, and we just seemed to deal with it without a problem. after riding so many days together, it wasn't as if we didn't know that the other one couldn't handle himself in whatever situation came up.

I rode to the north end of town, pulled in to a hotel, and called my uncle who lives in one of the suburbs. He is also a sports medicine Dr. and is or was the medical director for the Marlboro cup series races in Mexico. the cool thing, is he would tell us to come to whatever city the races were at, and get us pit passes, and we would ride in the pace truck/car (my first experience around a track by the way) and then party with the drivers/riders. they had moto races too. if only I knew i would be playing on a track many years after that.

anyway, he came out and the first thing he says when he sees me, is "so how did you crash, and what are your injuries" with a sly grin on his face....i laughed, and told him, I would tell him all about it, as long as he promised me not to tell my mom, until I arrived home in the states. he says of course, and off to his home and to get some dinner.

when he saw my knee, he said that I was going to be staying at his house for 2 days...to let it heal some and dry up. I had been on a strict regimen of applying neosporin to it, after showering and washing it with soap and water and sealing it from any infectants. the only problem was that it hadn't dried out to make a scab.....so he hands me a ketamine pill (yes, the special K kind) legal in mex. and I take it, and he immediately applies some monkey blood stuff (red liquid) which hurt like 8 bitches on a bitch boat!

2 days later, it was scabing over.

I took the harley to the harley davidson shop to have it checked. my rear brake pads were gone, and the front were low........left it over night.

when I was leaving, I took all my gear over to the shop, and the mechanic, had washed the bike....it looked brand new....i hadn't washed it the whole trip...he hands me a replacement clutch lever, free....saying, he had it laying around....then had replaced my front brakes but didn't have rear brake pads. i told him the front were good and I didn't need them...so he said, you know what.....just keep them on there. and the rear ones, I have some used ones that a client had switched on h is softail...i'll put them on your bike, and it will give you some life for the rear pads. shit. sweet! i tipped him. and at the HOLY EXPENSIVE RATE of 220 pesos/hour (22 dollars/hour) I was almost tempted to have him tear the motor apart and rebuild it..hahahaha
 
while running around with my uncle, going to buy some bootleg, homemade tequila for a party he was having soon....i snapped this photo of the famous Golden Angel......

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at the harley shop on my day of departure...there were a few folks there, and they were just beaming with excitement seeing this crazy dude, who had been riding all the way to the panama canal and stuff. i got loads of questions, and heard the same sentiment from them...that they wished they were doing this trip, and that someday they would do it.

I thought to myself...you're one lucky mofo. enjoy this shit every chance you can.

I packed up, said good bye to my uncle, thanked the mechanic...had a photo somewhere of him and the shop...but can't find it, and headed out. it was about 2 in the afternoon, and rode north on hwy 57 towards Queretaro......the day was getting late, and i was trying to get to San Miguel de Allende....a famous city in the hub of Mexican independence. I will dig up those photos....this photo is of me, near San Miguel de Allende. too many americans in san miguel, and it's expensive...oh, well.

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pelikan said:
Depending on when you leave in May I would be down. My only constraint is I plan to leave for Panama on June1st, but am looking for dry runs on the equipment before then. Let me know.

the dates...as of right now. its two weekends before labor day. May 18 to the 22nd. so two weeks, before your departure date. yeah, that would be a good dry run to check your gear and bike.

bicyclekid: it would be cool to see your photos if you have them. I have been itching to go back down that way the last few years.
 
sikone said:
I wish I had the guevos . to say, ok. lets go for a ride all the way to La Patagonia.. :D


uh...guevos?

:confused

you don't mean Huevos?, do you? :teeth

yes, my secret dream is Prudhoe Bay, Alaska (northern most point) to Tierra del Fuego, SA. I was going to do it on this bike in 2007, just to say I could do it.....and then it was stolen. oh, well. plan B.
 
Hooli said:
This makes me want to plan a cannonball run down to Cabo. :p


plan it dude! all i can think of is Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. in CBR!

Dean: God, is our co-pilot?
Sammy: Uh-huh.
Dean: Remember our car?
Sammy: Yeah.
Dean: Two seats! huh!
Sammy: Yeah.
Dean: Where's he gonna sit?!

:laughing :laughing
 
Last edited:
glf said:
plan it dude! all i can think of is Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. in CBR!

Dean: God, is our co-pilot?
Sammy: Yeah.
Dean: Remember our car?
Sammy: Yeah.
Dean: Two seats! huh!
Sammy: Uh huh.
Dean: Where's he gonna sit?!

:laughing :laughing

+111111

I would be so game
 
glf said:
the dates...as of right now. its two weekends before labor day. May 18 to the 22nd. so two weeks, before your departure date. yeah, that would be a good dry run to check your gear and bike.

bicyclekid: it would be cool to see your photos if you have them. I have been itching to go back down that way the last few years.

Hmmmm. That is the weekend before my trip out from Ohio. Should I blow all of my vacation time in one shot? :confused Tempting :teeth
 
bicyclekid: it would be cool to see your photos if you have them. I have been itching to go back down that way the last few years. [/B][/QUOTE]


i have the pics but you will have to meet me at the wall around sundown to get to see them and to hear some crapy stories hahaha....oh no .... thats when i like to hang out up there i still didnt get to do every thing i planed to ..like go to copan hondorus and chichitiza yucvatan mex ... granada nicuragua ...etc i really dont like panama city at all and the costa ricans are way too jaded dam tourist destroyed them ....... i have been planing to finish the panamerican by bike next stop ecuador all the way down to ushuai ......... next winter 06 that is .... after i pay the cc cards off and man my bike is fuged right now well beaten ..... any one want to buy it ... :teeth
 
glf said:
the dates...as of right now. its two weekends before labor day. May 18 to the 22nd. so two weeks, before your departure date. yeah, that would be a good dry run to check your gear and bike.

Awesome, that could work out nicely. I'll touch bases in a few weeks and see what's what.

btw, what bike(s) are you guys taking?
 
pelikan said:
Awesome, that could work out nicely. I'll touch bases in a few weeks and see what's what.

btw, what bike(s) are you guys taking?

basically whatever I have. right now. it's the duc. but if santa comes early and the XR is in....then probably that one...if not...maybe the SV....if it comes in....:cry I want so many bikes.............

but probably the duc. :teeth
 
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