RTW on a thumper...KTM - LC4 Round the World ADVenturization

[rtwpaul]

Originally Posted by Merlin III

Paul, I keep seeing numerous people on Adventure Rider saying "No Fumar espanol" when wanting to communicate that they don't speak Spanish. I was taught to say "mi no habla espanol" in high school Spanish. I looked up "fumar" in the dictionary and it says that it means "to smoke"? I am not doubting you or the numerous others who use the word "fumar" on Adventure Rider, but I am curious about how this colloquialism came to be? Is the word "fumar" used through out Latin America of just certain areas, or did I just completely miss the boat on the humor of the situation? Thanks.

there are three possible situations that you can be stopped for down here, where i use it

1. you did committed a driving offense and are about to get a fine
2. a shake down where they are trying to bride you for money
3. a checkpoint where anything can happen but usually it is a simple check your papers

in situation 1. 'no fumar espanol' works like this...the cop will come over an be serious and quote a bunch of lines, you simply say no fumar espanol to whatever he says...what it does is lighten the mood, makes him smile, take his mind off the fine most of the time and bingo you are free to go

in situation 2. the shakedown, the hustle, the scam, the rub, the bribe; whatever you want to call it...if they can't speak english and you no fumar espanol, it is now a deadlock, they will try to explain in lots of different ways but you "no fumar espanol" eventually sometimes in a minutes, sometimes 30 minutes you will be free to go...personally i refuse to pay a bride regardless of what it is

situation 3 just usually a check of paperwork, nothing more, these blocks usually cover the road or at least half of it, so when you stop you should understand that they want to see your license passport etc, words are similar, if situation 3 turns into situation 2 you can no fumar espanol as long as you haven't proved otherwise already



yes it is a little silly/ infantile but in the last 100,000 kms being stopped numerous times i have NEVER paid a fine or a bribe...so for me i will stick with it...thanks CM and other guys who paved the way for cops south of the border now think we gringos on motos are all "stupido", and yes that is a real spanish word!

[rtwpaul]

so living in England for the early part of my life i know about rain...if its not raining just wait 15 minutes

but down in central america and parts of south america there are definite rainy seasons, i did a quick video riding on the Ruta Americana (pan american highway) the other day, it was so heavy i rode into a bus stop, nice of them to make them so big here in Panama. Generally its about 10-15 minutes of real heavy rain and then you continue and normally its around 10-11am and again around 2-4pm

[rtwpaul]

took off from David and the Bambu Hostal, my plan was to stay there a few days and chill out, but having one of the worst beds i have EVER slept in allocated to me made me head out sooner rather than later



there were some other overlanders there, the four wheels type heading north from Argentina



sleeping in the back of this as they went



heading out of town down the Pan Am



i was warned about cops in Panama this year, they have a new toy, the speed gun, i saw 14 of them riding south, i got stopped 3 times...and also 7 unmarked police cars chasing drivers down, watch the speed limits if you are heading down this way seriously, one overlander in a mitsubishi told me he got 3 tickets in one day, no options they have the ticket printed when he opened his window...i was luckier, zero tickets

as the inevitable rains come once or twice a day places to get under cover must be found




so after a day in the rain off and on i just decided to keep on riding until i hit Panama City and Panama House hostal, real nice place and a great meeting spot for riders heading out to the stahlratte, about 80km's away

[SS in Vzla.]

Originally Posted by Merlin III

Paul, I keep seeing numerous people on Adventure Rider saying "No Fumar espanol" when wanting to communicate that they don't speak Spanish. I was taught to say "mi no habla espanol" in high school Spanish. I looked up "fumar" in the dictionary and it says that it means "to smoke"? I am not doubting you or the numerous others who use the word "fumar" on Adventure Rider, but I am curious about how this colloquialism came to be? Is the word "fumar" used through out Latin America of just certain areas, or did I just completely miss the boat on the humor of the situation? Thanks.

You are right... No fumar español, translates to " I don't smoke English" (more like : me no smoke english)...

Imagine if you are a cop, and you pull over this gringo to try and shake him down (or even give him a legit ticket) and he blurts out with a strange accent "me no smoke english"...

you'd think to yourself "now, this guy REALLY doesn't speak any..." and you'll be on your way in now time

[GhostRiderFC]

Originally Posted by rtwpaul

so living in England for the early part of my life i know about rain...if its not raining just wait 15 minutes

but down in central america and parts of south america there are definite rainy seasons, i did a quick video riding on the Ruta Americana (pan american highway) the other day, it was so heavy i rode into a bus stop, nice of them to make them so big here in Panama. Generally its about 10-15 minutes of real heavy rain and then you continue and normally its around 10-11am and again around 2-4pm

Interestingly, that reminds me of my first motorcycle trip into Louisiana. I was headed into NOLA on I-10 in mid-afternoon in July, and there were some VERY ominous, dark clouds ahead. As I was passing Slidell, I opted to pull over and get the rain gear on. At this time, there were several motorcycles whizzing by, all with virtually no gear, and all looking at me like I'm a moron. I get back on the road all zipped up tight, and within two miles, it's a torrential downpour. I mean, I haven't seen rain like that in many years. So, I slow down, get in a slower lane, but I'm dry on the inside and have Rain-X on the visor, so I push on. At the next overpass, there's a crush of bikes trying to find cover. Now who's a moron?!?

Now, there were a few times I was worried about hydroplaning, but it stayed pretty smooth, so I rode through it. By the time I got to NOLA, a mere ten miles away, it was all rained out. Good times!!

Hope you're having fun down there!!

[EduardoMas]

RTW Paul,
Yes the rain… waaaay down South, when the forecast said it will “rain this week”… it rained the whole week! But a warm rain just power washes the bike and gear. A heavy rain washes the road as well, lifting away the oils for a better après-rain grip.
While in Panama, try Yaviza (slick ride if it rains) and hang out if you have the time, it is an interesting place
Did you try Avena yet?… it is a habit forming libation.(at least for me)
This thread is most entertaining. Thanks for taking the time to post!!

Cheers!

[rtwpaul]

Originally Posted by SS in Vzla.

You are right... No fumar español, translates to " I don't smoke English" (more like : me no smoke english)...

Imagine if you are a cop, and you pull over this gringo to try and shake him down (or even give him a legit ticket) and he blurts out with a strange accent "me no smoke english"...

you'd think to yourself "now, this guy REALLY doesn't speak any..." and you'll be on your way in now time

this is funny 'cause SS knows how bad my spanish is

[SS in Vzla.]

Originally Posted by rtwpaul

this is funny 'cause SS knows how bad my spanish is

I'm thinking it should have improved some by now...
If not, you need to get yourself a "live dictionary"... you'll learn much faster with one of those

[rtwpaul]

Originally Posted by SS in Vzla.

I'm thinking it should have improved some by now...
If not, you need to get yourself a "live dictionary"... you'll learn much faster with one of those

its a lot better now, but i prefer your idea...one of these gets one of these

[rtwpaul]

Originally Posted by GhostRiderFC

Interestingly, that reminds me of my first motorcycle trip into Louisiana. I was headed into NOLA on I-10 in mid-afternoon in July, and there were some VERY ominous, dark clouds ahead. As I was passing Slidell, I opted to pull over and get the rain gear on. At this time, there were several motorcycles whizzing by, all with virtually no gear, and all looking at me like I'm a moron. I get back on the road all zipped up tight, and within two miles, it's a torrential downpour. I mean, I haven't seen rain like that in many years. So, I slow down, get in a slower lane, but I'm dry on the inside and have Rain-X on the visor, so I push on. At the next overpass, there's a crush of bikes trying to find cover. Now who's a moron?!?

Now, there were a few times I was worried about hydroplaning, but it stayed pretty smooth, so I rode through it. By the time I got to NOLA, a mere ten miles away, it was all rained out. Good times!!

Hope you're having fun down there!!

i know exactly what its like right there, that was my last place i lived before i headed off in the spring this year...i give rainy seasons a big .



did you get that DS bike yet???

[rtwpaul]

rolled into Panama City and would like to say it was like this, but it wasn't this is from when i was here last year, blue skies not too much traffic...this year pissing down with rain road works everywhere and bumper to bumper



went to the store to grab some supplies and this chica was in front of me, it looked like she had gone by the fruit and stuffed a couple of water melons down the back of her pants



having been here quite a few times before i'm doing the tourist thing this time, but i have noticed panama has become expensive like costa rica, this wasn't the case a few years back.

its obviously christmas time but it still seems weird to see a tree in the tropics



...but this beats a fat hairy guy with a beard in my opinion for a christmas wish



so the last few days have been spent just hanging out waiting for the rain that arrives twice a day on schedule



doing a few odd minor things with the maintenance of the bike and watching bull fighting on TV when was the last time you saw that????? i'm thinking if you never left the states, then, errr, never

[SavannahCapt]

went to the store to grab some supplies and this chica was in front of me, it looked like she had gone by the fruit and stuffed a couple of water melons down the back of her pants

We don't know if that is a good thing or bad thing for you. Or, if you are trying to convince us that you are picky.

[Chiriqui Charlie]

Paul, since you have a few days to kill, I'm so sorry that you couldn't have spent them in the sunny Highlands with me! I would have loved to have heard your stories first hand!

[rtwpaul]

Originally Posted by SavannahCapt

went to the store to grab some supplies and this chica was in front of me, it looked like she had gone by the fruit and stuffed a couple of water melons down the back of her pants

We don't know if that is a good thing or bad thing for you. Or, if you are trying to convince us that you are picky.

she was incredible i just wish i had got a profile shot, it would have blown your mind for some reason when i got to the check out i had more stuff than i needed, must have been all that aisle surfing...

[SavannahCapt]

Originally Posted by rtwpaul

she was incredible i just wish i had got a profile shot, it would have blown your mind for some reason when i got to the check out i had more stuff than i needed, must have been all that aisle surfing...

The power they hold over us is quite amazing.