Bellingham to Brazil, not coming back

If you can't make it to Peru and Bolivia spend the extra time in Colombia and Venezuela. Colombia is some of the best of everything of all of South America and the Andes in Venezuela aren't half bad, I got over 14K feet the other day and it's the cheapest gas in the world, really helps pad the old budget before getting into the super expensive Brazilian fuel

I've been quoted 5 days for my Brazilian visa in Caracas and 10 days in Bogota, I think I'll spend my time waiting in Colombia if I don't have a passport.

John in Merida, Venezuela and heading back West

Just curious what are you shooting pics with?

Subscribed! I bet that the short time spent on the road with your dad for the beggining of the trip had to be a great experience. As others have mentioned you have taken some very good pictures. Keep on riding and most important saty safe.

Later
John

Nice, a cool ride report RIGHT AT THE beginning! Subscribed, this ought to be good. Looks like "for the earth" is in for a good one.

Really cool that your dad was not only able to join you, but that he posts up here as well! I have had my twins riding with the wife and I since they were 5, they are 9 now. Hard to find proper road gear for little people, end up purchasing it from London England every year or so as they grow so fast, but TOTALLY worth it as we are building memories.

Once they are grown, I plan on riding WITH them just like your dad does with you.

Ride safe man, looking forward to your RR as it unfolds.

OP

I shot film on a Canon AE-1 for the last 10 years and was very stubborn. Before the trip I bought my first digital, a Fuji X-10 and its the perfect travel camera. Its got a metal body and manual zoom and although the sensor is not all that big the quality is impressive.

I found some really cool coastal roads near San Blas, Mexico and I really started to love the adventure



I was reading about this in the newspaper over morning coffee and then I ran across it that day! Crazy






Dudes got jumped by some bandidos and they crashed, all of his bananas were on fire, heres what was left of the truck.








Sayulita for the night with a Spanish couple from CouchSurfing.org Eduardo and Ariadna




Actually Manzanillo was pretty cool too. I stayed with Airhead Wrangler (Spencer) and his girlfriend Mary and they convinced me to stay two nights and check out the town. Thanks guys!



Bulls balls and cow intestines anybody? Hows this for good picture quality? check out the veins on those bad boys. My motto is "I will try anything twice" but thats not true, I draw the line at testicles. Those dont belong in my mouth.




The butchers


This guy was cool, he uses a tiny hand saw to make custom designs on keys, only takes him 5 minutes per key.








Narco Cinema, there are literally hundreds of these low budget ultra violent flicks.


Hammock on the top of a hill, overlooking the city.


Panorama in a Juice bar


Panorama of a big ugly power plant that belches clouds of smoke all day every day


I love mexican slug bugs, vochitos



Damn the Mexican coast is big! I am in Zipolite at the moment, a little behind my updates, getting over a parasite that I picked up in Bellingham before Ieft, go figure. Mexico is costing me a lot more money than I expected with the crappy gas and cuotas, as much as I try to avoid them but my only guide is a crappy old map. Looking forward to Guatemala. Ive decided to take after BigAlSmith and throw a donation button, never expected but always appreciated. Last year my employer in Bellingham ran away, filed bankruptcy and my last three checks bounced, so I have $1800 less for this trip than I thought.

I have some savings though, its not an adventure if you dont have at least one variable out of control!

I like this one too "Adventure is misfortune recounted as leisure" -Somebody

Saludos!

HTML:

 Amount     Couple-o-Beers $5.00 USD     Good Food! $10.00 USD     Cozy Bed $15.00 USD     Tank of Gas $20.00 USD     Darien Gap Crossing (Sketchy) $50.00 USD     Jungle Trek in Colombia $100.00 USD     River Ferry on the Amazon $200.00 USD     Darien Gap (Safe) $500.00 USD   



[IMG]https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif[/IMG]

Just blew coffee all over my screen!!!

Cant say i blame you. Each time I have been to america or europe I get this urge to leave and flee as fast as possible. The tame house cat, Politically Correct over regulated life where people are afraid to sneeze in the wrong direction or say anything in case someone takes offence. Over crowded, over developed, over regulated, conveninece everything. I want to scream. Never mind the weather. I need open space, the sun on my face, not too many rules and min government controlling my every breath.


Give Argentina a look. I worked there a bit. Fantastic country. More european than american. if I could speak spanish it would be an option. I spent a month there and enjoyed it, except i was there in winter and the far south in Rio Gallegos and Rio Turbio were cold and dark.

Lovin' this thread!

Ok so that HTML did not work. It showed up fine on the preview but it looks like its not clear on the post. My website has a donate button on the bottom of each post if you feel so inclined

Good stuff man! Looking forward to following along!

Went to your website, the Paypal Donate button looks fine. I just bought you a tank of gas. If you use it for shots of Tequila, let me know. I spent some time in Guatemala, but not on a bike. Wish I would have kept up w/my Spanish.

Which reminds me, I did see the shot of all of the traffic at the Border crossing, but I would like to know more. You said it was easy. Where did you cross? Did they even check your stuff? Open everything? Are you carrying a camp axe? Knife? Sword? Mace? Do they care? Sorry but I've never done it and for some it may be routine......

My brother has a '97 Funduro, he loves it. As a matter of fact, it came from Mexico, made it to an auction in Atlanta, if memory serves and now resides in PA. He's going to do part of the TAT with it this May.

Ride on...vicarious living here....(now lets see, spanish classes, sell my car, bedroom suite.....hmmmm).......

You left her behind :eek1 :huh

Yeah about the border crossing at Otay (right next to the big main TJ crossing). I crossed about 10am and it seems to never really get that busy. The picture was of people crossing into the US. Getting to TJ was no problem. The guard stopped me and opened my top case, then closed it and waved me through. My dad did not even put his foot down. South of the border zone keep an eye out for the temporary importation of vehicles checkpoint. $40 US for the permit and $200 deposit, based on the year of your bike. Attendant was very polite and professional. She gave me a receipt and everything. Easy as pie.

This guy had something to say on the subject:



"To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise, you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen who play with their boats at sea… “cruising” it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture until your fortunes change. Only then will you know what the sea is all about.

“I’ve always wanted to sail to the south seas, but I can’t afford it.” What these men can’t afford is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of “security.” And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine – and before we know it our lives are gone.

What does a man need – really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in – and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That’s all – in the material sense, and we know it. But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention for the sheer idiocy of the charade.

The years thunder by. The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it, the tomb is sealed.

Where, then, lies the answer?

In choice…!

Which shall it be: bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life…?"

- Sterling Hayden

DAMN! that's enough to make a fellow get up and just walk away from it all...

Nice work Ryan, good for you to get out there at your age, I know the feeling; at 19 or 20 I got my first job at a ski hill thousands of miles from home with no idea what I was into or where it would lead. It took me 20 years of ski bumming before I found myself getting into something else to do to earn a buck and keep having fun, (that's not a complaint). Work less, live more, you're obviously on the right path. Giv 'er!

Just wanted to say, Ryan, that you have an excellent eye when it comes to the pics. Framing is excellent, you clearly think through the shots, you get the balance right, subject matter is rock solid, you capture the essence of the scene and I really dig the flip between color and B&W - nice touch. :). Nice work - and huge thanks for sharing with us.

Stay safe!

Keep on riding dude.

Subscribed!

You are doing the right thing getting out there and seeing the world while young and fit enough to really enjoy it. But coming from one who has been "around the block" a bit and now living in Skagit Valley again, I can confidently say that you will begin to miss Bellingham and the Northwest at some point. It's easy to get disillusioned with the winter cold/damp and the work/bills monotony, but after some time in Latin America (or anywhere outside the NW) you will experience the negatives there too. And there are many which you will find out.

But the important thing is that you will be experiencing them first hand and know what is out there for some perspective. So many people get trapped in their hometown with obligations always wishing they could just go, but 30-40 years go by in a flash and then they find they can't physically handle adventure travel anymore. Too late. So see all you can see, have a blast, and be safe, but I think you will find Bellingham/Northwest will always be "home". May not seem like it now, but you will see what I mean at some point.