Our thoughts on Central America

Well, Central America was not supposed to be as good as this! Most people seem to travel through quite quickly on the Pan Am, why, we have no idea! We found it nearly as good as South America and we had a wonderful time. Again its hard to pick a favourite country but we do have a winner here and have been back since...

PANAMA - 3rd

We enjoyed Panama, visiting Mira Flores locks, the roller coaster ride to Carti to pick up the AT and great ride back. We missed customs when soaked in the rain, then had to stay a few days before they opened again. We got soaked a lot! It was also quite expensive. Had new chain & sprockets fitted, sent from Lings in Harleston. Seeing the lovely Sloths in El Valle was a real highlight. We visited Boquete where there were a lot of US expats. Leaving the AT at the Bomberos at Almirante to visit Bocas del Torro.

Good:

Saw new AT in shopping mall

Ride from Carti

Panama Canal

Sloths in El Valle

Bocas del Torro

Bad:

Wet

Expensive

COSTA RICA

We never planned to spend too much time in Costa Rica as it was more expensive but we did enjoy what we saw. Our main focus was to visit Territorio de Zaguates - Land of the Strays, which we found out about before we came. We enjoyed the beaches on the Caribbean coast and also the better food. Maybe we will come back and explore this lush country another time.

Good:

Land of the strays
Beaches

Bad:

Very expensive, when compared to other CA countries

NICARAGUA

We really liked Nicaragua, which is a very poor country. We crossed a small border and stayed in a small town near Lago Nicaragua where we listened to band practice from our room. We met a man with his pig walking down the road. We visited Volcan Masala when we stayed at Granada. Isla Ometepe was a lovely place to spend a few days. Great Volcan. Met couple travelling on Transalp.

Good:

Volcan Masala
Isla Ometepe

Bad:

Very poor

HONDURAS

We found Honduras a very friendly country and people were genuinely grateful that we visited. Copan was amazing, we could even walk about at night. However, elsewhere, armed guards everywhere. We spoke to one at a petrol station who had a sawn off shot gun, very friendly to us though. We met Drew and Rich at Lago de Yojoa travelling south on their DR650's. We swapped plenty of stories over a few beers.

Good:

Copan Mayan ruins
Macaw Mountain
Lago de Yojoa

Bad:

Pump action shotguns everywhere

GUATAMALA - 2nd

Guatamala is a real gem, very raw and poor but a lovely country. We visited Tikal, perhaps the best Mayan ruins we have seen. I took a local trip and climbed Volcan Acantenango with overnight in tent on the way. Climbed up Pacaya as far as we could. Stayed at Antigua with Volcan Agua in the background. Stayed at Lanquin, a bit of a dump, to visit the blue swimming pools at Semuc Champey. We also saw the elusive Quetzal! Staying on the shore of Lake Atitlan was nice for a few days in a cheap room. Had to be careful which roads we took as mugging tourists was quite common. Horse riding near the lake was fun.

Good:

Friendly

Volcanos everywhere
Volcan hiking
Semuc Champay
Rio Dulce - bridge like Orwell bridge
Tikal Mayan ruins
Lake Atitlan

Bad:

Rough roads

MEXICO - 1st

Mexico was great and such a BIG country. I had to get 2 months extra off work! We loved the Yucatan with its Cenote sink holes, Lake Bacalar, like the Caribbean sea and the majestic Mayan ruins, especially Uxmal. Merida on the Day of the Dead was particularly interesting, like the start to the James Bond film Spectre. Dee loved the Churros and we both loved the really tasty food - mmm - refried beans, nachos, guacamole, tacos! The best food of the whole trip. We saw the very old Olmec Heads when travelling off the beaten track. The Bahia was brilliant, great camping, such a lovely place but also our experiences with the Whale Sharks and the Grey Whales - unforgettable. Riding the sandy tracks was 'interesting'.

Good:

Food

Music

Cheap

Churros

Mayan ruins

Beaches
Olmec heads

Bad:

Snow birds

Our thoughts on South America

Well, what an amazing place for an adventure! Its hard to pick a favourite country so here are our thoughts on each...

ARGENTINA = 1st

We LOVED Argentina. Its such a wonderful, varied country full of friendly people. Its so big and empty that we really felt tiny amongst its beautiful landscapes. We really liked travelling in the middle of nowhere, just us and the bike being able to stop where ever we wanted and take in the views. The roads were generally good but I had to learn how to ride the gravel 'ripio' tracks. The Argentines are nocturnal though, having their dinner when we are going to bed! They also love their Mate, like green tea, and have to carry flasks of water everywhere. And the food, well if you like steak then you are ok!

Good

Roads
Emptiness
Bass beat, d dum dee dum
Friendly people, including when riding
People more relaxed
Friendly dogs, which like to follow us
Landscapes
Wildlife
Horses everywhere
Less commercial
Cheaper to live
Places come to life in the evening
Nice cakes and empenadas
Mate

Bad

Wifi
Roads
Roadworks
Locks
Don't accept credit cards
Cash machines may not work
Locals are nocturnal
No healthy food
Nothing works
Nothing is maintained
Too hot or cold

Other

Lots of police check points
Crazy way to buy things from chemist, ask to choose products, give to worker, given ticket, take to pay, given receipt, go to another to get goods!
Lots of old vehicles


CHILE

Chile was a strange country. Although we had some of best experiences of the trip here, we didn't like the country as a whole as much. We loved Patagonia and the Carretera Austral but heading north it was so busy and such a long narrow country.

Good

Roads
Roadworks
Landscapes
Some friendly people but more reserved
Some friendly dogs
Better locks
Better wifi

Bad

Too many people
People less relaxed and in a hurry
Commercialised
Nothing maintained
Nothing works
Some dogs chase us
Nothing healthy to eat
Fenced in

Other

Not many police checkpoints
Completos

BOLIVIA = 1st

We LOVED Bolivia. It's a wonderful country with the local 'hats' dressed in their colourful clothes and their crazy landscape at such high altitude. It's like going back in time. The only thing letting it down is its rubbish. Its also very hard to be a tourist because of it's lack of infrastructure - but that's also its charm. The roads, well there are some good paved roads and many terrible ones. It was here when we first really experienced the feeling that we might travel on bad roads for hours and still have to turn back. For us this was real adventure! The driving was very bad but the vehicles were knackered so everything happened slowly!  We also had to negotiate several blockades, which was an interesting experience! The food wasn't great but we did have some lovely Quinoa soup!

Good

Roads
Beautiful
Extremely mountainous everywhere
Hats
Friendly people
Cheap
Quinoa soup
Freshly squeezed orange juice

Bad

Roads
Blockades
Rubbish
Negotiating petrol
Dangerous driving

Other

Layby dogs
Basic living for hats
Roads built in along crazy terrain


PERU = 1st

Peru was like Bolivia but set up better for the tourist. The beautiful mountainous terrain was just as crazy with some terrible roads and we again liked the colourful 'hats' in the mountains. It's let down by the horrible Pan American highway along the coast with loads of traffic and rubbish. We encountered more use of the horn, which for me (Phil) was actually quite good - saying  i'm here, i'm coming passed etc. The standard of driving was still very bad. The food was generally bad, chicken and rice, but we did start find some lovely fruit juices.

Good

Beautiful
Crazy landscapes
Crazy roads
Friendly people
More fruit and juices
Hats
Cheap
Better set up for tourists
Machu Picchu - Salkantay trek

Bad

Roads
Landslides
Use of horn all the time
Pan Am
Rubbish
Driving
Food often very basic

Other

Lots of moto taxis
Lots of police
Almuerzos and cenas
Knackered vehicles
Dragons


ECUADOR = 1st

Entering Ecuador was like coming back to the present day and for that reason a bit disappointing for Phil. However, the country really grew on us and even though it rained A LOT we stayed here the longest. Obviously our trips to the Galapagos and the Amazon were highlights as we saw so much wildlife. The vehicles were better but the driving standard bad so we felt more venerable.

First impressions

Lush vegitation
Much more humid
More wildlife
More insects
Good roads
More money
Better vehicles
Less road bumps, better bumps
No 3 wheel taxis, except guayaquill and along the coast
Less hooting horns
Lovely fruit
Nicer meals
Bamboo buildings

Good

Galapagos
Amazonia

Bad

Driving

Other

COLOMBIA

We never thought we would say this but if there was one country that we could miss out then this was it! The lack of fuel was not a problem and meant the roads in the south had less traffic but further north the crazy drivers and amount of traffic really spoilt this country for us. Every journey was filled with 'drivers' nearly taking us out! The best area was the coffee region and also seeing more structures made out of bamboo - a lovely material. There were hundreds of army checkpoints but we were only stopped once and even then there were no issues. We remember a couple of police officers dancing the Salsa at a hostel we were staying at, a bloke helping to syphon oil out of the bike after a garage overfilled it, the delicious fruit juices and the vast differences in class. We love the street sellers, especially here. In Cartagena we could by a kite, a cold beer and other beverages, various jewellery, spoons, bird food, street food, hats, sun glasses, ice creams
and have your shoes polished without even leaving your seat!

Strike by lorry drivers

No fuel at border
Loads of motos
Larger capacity motos
Some Kawasaki's
Friendly people
Help syphoning oil at petrol station
Very green country, mostly farmed
Lots of army check points, thumbs up
Lots of traffic
Terrible driving
More money but still horse and carts
Lots of shops, more like America
Bamboo buildings
Brick buildings
Cheese with hot chocolate
Coffee and plantations
Lots of police
Police doing the salsa
Salsa lesson in Cali

Mini buses overtaking on the inside on the dirt
Buses, lorries and cars barging us out of the way to overtake and also when head on
Motos both sides in your mirror blind spots

Bloke honking horn in car
Family wanting to take our pic at Las Lajas
Ice cream bloke

Hassle, very very expensive on north coast - in comparison to other SA countries, not the UK.

Our Africa Twin is back!

We have our bike back at last and she is taking it easy at Lings Honda at their showroom in Harleston! Lings proved very efficient at sending new chain and sprockets to us in Panama.

The old, the new and Leo admiring them both!

Collecting from Felixstowe.

Our bike left LA on the MSC Julie, a container ship with a gross weight of 95,403 tonnes, sailing under the flag of Panama. She sailed through the Panama Canal to Colon and over the Atlantic to Portugal.

However, somewhere on route and due to delays, the container our bike was in was switched to another smaller ship called MSC Ingrid to keep it on schedule. Also sailing under the flag of Panama but with a gross weight of 53,208 tonnes. It was due to arrive in Felixstowe on the 16th February but arrived only a day late.

Honda XRV750 Africa Twin - Our Bike Review

Honda XRV750 Africa Twin, 2001

So after 42,400 km and about 405 days away, what is our opinion of the Africa Twin for an overland trip, 2 up? For us, we think she's perfect!

This bike has taken us safely over some incredible terrain, on roads that I would never have thought I could ride. We have ridden about 98% of the distance two up with luggage.

The extended and re-moulded seat is very comfortable for both of us and has transformed the bike for long hours in the saddle. The uprated spring fitted to the rear shock has enabled the bike to handle well with the extra weight, even on bad roads. Amazingly, it has held up and the bike still handles well. I replaced the steering head bearings with genuine Honda items before we left but they need replacing again - not surprising really!

We have not had to modify the fuelling when running on low octane fuel (84 and 87) and at high altitude (up to 5000 m). This is very impressive as we have spoken to other bikers who have had issues.

The maximum power (61 bhp) is more than enough for this sort of trip, two up with luggage, on a mix of sealed and dirt roads. The smooth, controllable power delivery is very important for off road riding and this has proved itself time and again.

The bike is heavy but very controllable so with the combination of a large 21" front wheel and good suspension, can take most things thrown at it.

Some trip stats...

Distance travelled - 42,400 km (26,350 miles)
Days away - 405
Petrol - 84 & 87 Octane mainly
Altitude travelled - 5000 metres max.
Oil changes - 3
Oil filters - 2
Air filters - 0
Valves - checked but not adjusted
Tyres - Heidenau K60 Scouts, 3 sets total
Chain & Sprockets - 2 sets total
Punctures - 0
Problems - Minor electrical issue
Crashes - 0
Dropped - 0

Greasing the floating calipers in Mexico. Not actually necessary as they have gone this far without any cleaning but I thought I would just for fun!!

For maintenance, we took a simple but effective tool kit as you can see below:

And packed up below.

This has enabled us to carry out basic tasks on the bike. Our normal schedule is:

Check tyre condition
Check tyre pressures
Check chain tension
Check oil level
Check brakes
Check bearings
Check tension and lube chain
Check for loose nuts and bolts
Check lights, indicators, brake light and horn

And other jobs if needed:

Repair a puncture
Replace tyres
Change engine oil and filter
Strip and clean brakes
Investigate and repair faults

Amazingly, the engine hardly used any oil between oil changes - every 8000 miles!

We always carry one spare front headlight bulb. We used 3 new ones on the trip.

Unfortunately, our Scott Oiler stopped working fairly early into our trip so we bought a shampoo bottle with a tapered nozzle that twisted open/closed. When filled with engine oil this proved perfect to drip oil onto the chain.

We wanted to take a small pump and decided on a high volume, low pressure Lezyne hand pump. This has proved perfect and so easy to top up the pressure.

We really liked the Heidenau K60 Scout tyres through out the trip on sealed and dirt roads and can highly recommend them - the Altberg boots were very good too!

Our luggage has worked very well:

The Givi top box carried our sleeping bags, mats, cooking equipment, mosquito net and first aid kit. It worked perfectly and gave us a lockable 'safe' for small valuables, either on the bike or in our room.

The Mosko Moto panniers were brilliant and so easy to take on/off each day. If we camped we would leave them on the bike.

The ex-army tank panniers were also brilliant and held 2 litres of water, our guide book, spare oil and funnels.

The Givi tank bag also worked very well. Used normally unexpanded, we had extra room if we needed it. We soon lost the waterproof cover so modified a bin liner to tie over it in the rain.

The Wanderers Return :(

After 405 days away, we flew back from LA to Gatwick with budget airline Norwegian Air. It was a sad day but Mr Robin found a piano to play at the airport to cheer us up!

We had a fantastic adventure and we are so glad we were on the motorbike. We loved the fact we could get right off the beaten track into the back and beyond without relying on public transport; in fact, you couldn't have got to many places without your own vehicle.

Although a lot of the roads we went on were in bad condition and/or unpaved, Phil, the now off-roader, kept the Africa Twin upright for the whole trip! One small, bumpy, very steep and sandy track nearly had us off but that was the closest we came to coming off!

Our total distance travelled was 42,400 km (26,350 miles) and the highest altitude we were at was 5000m - amazing! We were away for 405 days, which splits into how long in each country below:

Argentina - 68
Chile - 42
Bolivia - 22
Peru - 41
Ecuador - 54
Colombia - 38
Panama - 18
Costa Rica - 7
Nicaragua - 12
Honduras - 8
Guatemala - 23
Mexico - 67
USA - 5

Happy Christmas from Hermosa Beach, LA

We have reached LA after travelling more than 42,400 km (26,350 miles), for our flight back to the UK :( We are staying at Hermosa Beach, birthplace of surfing. It is a nice area and we are staying in luxury, a mini suite with a sea view!

Our Xmas day so far, we went for a walk along the beach, made use of the hotel launderette and now watching John Wayne on TV.

Our journey north towards the border took us through a picturesque giant bolder field.

We had a cold and wet ride to the small border crossing at Tecate. The signs directed us to a queue, which took us straight into the US. Mmm, we hadn't officially left Mexico yet! We were stamped in but then the fun started with the bike. The 'senior' customs official didn't have a clue and said that we didn't need the import form that our freight company in LA said we needed. Without it, we would have problems exporting the bike! After about 2 hours they decided to give us the form but they had no idea how to complete it.

We now had to go back to Mexico to officially leave, so parked in the US and walked back in. In about 2 minutes we had our passports stamped but then had to cancel the bike permit. Unfortunately, they needed to take a photo of the bike so I had to go back to the US and ride it back into Mexico. I tried to walk back across the border but got accosted by a US soldier so had to walk back through passport control. Eventually I rode back to Mexico for the photo and then we had to go back through the original queue back into the US! It all goes to show that after all we had heard about Central American border bureaucracy it was actually the US border control that caused us the only problem!

Faces Everywhere!

Whoever designed this plug socket must have been having a bad day!