Moving Blog

Right !! Decided would be easier to control content and design on my own site, so I have moved the blog to http://www.kevfoley.com you will have to barewith me for a few days while i learn it and get the new format setup!


Kev

Nicaragua - Managua

I write this on my last night in Managua from the house of Salvador. I have spent the last few days since leaving Leon here with another of the HMD’s, which really was a fun experience. Nicaragua is really cheap compared to some of the other countries around here. Dinner can be had for as little as 2 euro a head. We ate at Sals grandmother for lunch most days and really got a flavour for some of the local food. There was a different fresh juice drink for each day, each of them I had never heard of before.
Payed a visit to the highest point in the area where you have a panoramic view of all Managua stretching out to the lake. There is a Cut out statue of Sandino here and the remains of tank that was gifted to the dictator Somoza Gacia by Musolini of Italy.
On Saturday we drove across to Matagalpa for the biggest party in the area, where we met up with some friends and danced the night away. Brought the camera out and you can see some of the pictures over on the right. The videos you will never see! I actually met another red head at the party. She was Nica but her Grandmother had come from Ireland and hence the hair!
We left here on the Sunday morning and drove up around the Selva Negra and did some of the dirt roads before heading back to Managua. Now I have to pack up the bike again and get ready to head to Costa Rica, but first an overnight stop at the beach in San Juan del Sur, for an early border crossing and avoiding the long queues of tour busses!

BMW R1200GS

The BMW has now crossed over 12,500 miles and is going great. This trip from Ireland to Argentina has almost reached the end of Central America, and shortly the R1200GS will be in for its next service in Panama.
After spending the last four months sitting on it everyday it is starting to feel like an extended part of me. I think in am in love! The bike is probably a little heavy but it handles great, and I think i have started to master fast curves.
Driving over here has really forced me to alter my driving style. You really must be much more defensive, and not put yourself in a position where you are vulnerable. The next corner could bring two busses coming towards you, or just a seriously huge hole in the road waiting to swallow you up!
Message is stay awake!!!

Crossing Borders in Central America

Central America contains alot of borders each with their own problems! But by far the worst must be Honduras. Today I set out at 6 am from La Libertad El Salvador and got to the border at around 9am. I had stopped in San Miguel on the way to get some cash, but the ATM wasn't working. This was the start of the problems. The exit was easy, but then came the border, literly hours of bloody paperwork. Easily it was the worst border crossing I have ever done. The system is totally inefficient and scattered, no one is responsible for the whole process, and there is the constant pest of the people offering to help (for a propina!!) No nesicito ayuda!! Estoy bien gracias! but after 4 hours of waiting to get three stamps I was ready to have a fit. Anger management is a task I have to learn. But after hours in the hot sun I was finally ready to get moving through Honduras. by this time I had only 3 US dollars left in my wallet and was starving.
Making my way to Choluteca I was in desperate need of a bank. To my horror 99% of the banks here dont take Mastercard.. only Visa. I was starting to get desperate, I needed fuel and food,.. and all on 3 USD. After a few calls to AIB in Dublin and Mastercard, I resorted to asking at Western Union and all the other financial places in town. After 2 more hours I found the only ATM in the town that took Mastercard! I held my fingers and jumped for joy when it gave me the cash!
Deciding I didn't want to stay another minute in Honduras I skipped on food and bolted straight for Nicaragua. Crossing the border at Guasaule. Compared to earlier this was breeze taking only 20 minutes. Also had the pleasure of the weirdest conversation with these truckers, trying to find out how much swear words in know in Spanish, and naturally they were inquisitive about the trip. I thought I would make Leon before dark, but the minute i crossed the border it became apparent this wasn't going to happen. The roads ceased to be roads, and the pot holes were huge. I bottomed out on the bash plate countless times, even shaking the right mirror loose. This is 3rd world road! It improved nearer Chinandega, until the road was relatively normal black top. I arrived in Leon after dark, and went straight to the Rough Guide. I picked the best place they had recommended, it its really good.
Hotel Los Balcones is an immaculately restored colonial building with original wooden floors, shutters, and loads of character. Right now I think this is what I imagined Panama to be like. Its like a seen from the Taylor of Panama. Going to check out the area tomorrow and then head to Managua.

El Salvador

I spent a lot of time trying to decide which route to take into El Salvador. At first I considered hitting Tikal and coming in through Copan to Honduras and then El Salvador, but to be honest I was in no mood to go looking at more pyramids in the Jungle. So instead while having a nice breakfast of huevos y frijoles I opted for the coastal route.
It really is amazing with some stunning views of the Pacific crashing wildly onto jagged rocks. Actually it reminded me of a tropical Killiney on a grand scale with no houses (if such a thing exists). After exploring the coast and consulting the Rough Guide to Central America (thanks Brennan) I opted to spend the night in La Libertad. After a brief chat with the lovely girl in the tourist office I found some cheap lodgings for 12USD for the night, and immediately made my way to the restaurant. Food was good, and with the most expensive item on the menu being 4.25 I was in heaven. Even had desperados with Antonio Banderas on TV (in Spanish of course).
I planned on taking some surf lessons here, but the waves were huge and there was nobody in the water. After speaking with some surfers it was decided that the current and waves were in for the week, so no lessons, pity. I will certainly have to come back here, maybe to Flores over near the eastern side.
By chance I ran into Niall from Portmarnock in Dublin. He was back packing around and of course when two Irish guys get together you must have a drink. ! But after a nice evening it was time to hit the road to Nicaragua.

Antigua – Guatemala

Located between the volcanoes of Agua, Acatenango, and Fuego Antigua was the central city for Spanish Central America. After an earthquake in 1773 the capital was destroyed, and the administrative centre was moved. However a lot of the old colonial buildings remain here. I arrived amidst a cloud of fog which obscured the vistas but did give the city an eerie feeling.
Given it was Saturday accommodation was difficult to find. After a long search of some pretty drab places I finally found a hotel called Los Amigos, it is on 7a. Whatever you do, don’t stay here ever. I was given a private room, where I thought my stuff was safe. After I came back from dinner someone had gone through my stuff and my mobile phone was missing. There were only two keys and I had one. So the only possible thief was the owners. I questioned them but they denied it. The excuse offered was they had plenty of phones, where she promptly produced two phones and her kids all had nice phones also.. Couldn’t help thinking how many other guests they had robbed. I called the police but they were useless. Just as well the phone was the only thing of value in the room. So to the owners of Los Amigos .. in my best Mexican “Chinga tu madre”!!!
But apart from this sour note the rest of Antigua seems quiet nice, there is a good market where I picked up a Barcelona replica shirt for the equivalent of 6 euro. There are some good bars also; the best I found yesterday was Mono Loco, a lively sports bar.
Sunday I took a tour to see Pacaya Volcano which was amazing. The minibus wound it way up these really atrocious roads, seemingly impossible until we reached the village of San Francisco. It’s a far cry from California and really a very poor purely indigenous hamlet. From here we met the guide and set off up the hill. It is a 3 km walk through the jungle until you emerge on a ridge for a perfect view of the lava field. We proceeded down to the lava, so close we actually cooked a head of corn in the lava and got within feet of a flowing river of lava. No were in Europe could you do this! The insurance guys would have a fit. I met some nice people, including two people from Lanzarotte in the Canary Islands. It was really satisfying to be able to continue a conversation for a few hours in Spanish.
The journey back was weird. The darkness came down really fast, and we found ourselves stumbling down the side of a mountain through a jungle, with only a walking stick for feeling our way. Torches don’t exist in Guatemala I think. But it was an experience. We got some really cheap beers back in San Francisco while waiting for the bus. Also was great to see how the kids reacted when we gave them some bread.. the oldest took charge and shared it out equally so they all got some! I think in Ireland one would have run off with it. But I was sad to see that they were barely surviving and a small piece of bread was like gold dust.

Guatemala!

Finally i decided to leave Mexico. Boy it was a hard decision. Originally planned to stay here only a few weeks, but ended up more than a month and a half. San Cristobal, my final stop in Mexico was awesome. Stayed at La Grigua guesthouse with my lovely Italian hosts. By pure chance one of my friends from Vallarta had an interview for her Masters in the University at the same time. So I met up with Carolina and spent some time checking out this great little town.
Today i left at 6.30 am to get to the border early when they were opening. Crossing was no problem, simple affair, handed in my Mexican permit, and drove across no mans land to Guatemala and got the new one. The only incident was when I went to put the bike side stand down in some gravel, and it disappeared, and of course there would have to be loads of people watching when the bike fell over.
The Pan American to Antigua is mad, there were a lot of landslides from the recent hurricanes which were still being cleaned up, along with road works. All the cars get stopped, but in true Guatemala style a bike gets waved on.. so here i was dodging huge earth movers and trucks weaving through the work in progress.! it was fun. No to check out the city and get some food.

Independence Day

This evening I arrived in San Cristobal, and my time in Mexico will soon be at a close, but the last few days were a lot of fun! and certainly not without incident. Be it running from the police or fighting a foam war against locals at the Independence day celebrations in Oaxaca, never a dull moment.
After a nice two week rest in Mexico City and taking in all the sights including the museums, the houses of Frida Kalha, Diego Rivera, and Leon Trotsky among others I ended my time in the City running a police check point. There is a road called the periferico which is a highway that circles the city. By far it is the easiest way to get around the city. The only problem is motorcycles are not allowed on it! How stupid. So .. on Saturday morning when I was leaving I took a chance on it.. gambling all the police would be in the Zocalo for the celebrations. But I was wrong. There was a checkpoint on the inside and I was on the outside of three lanes. Next thing i was being called over and being told to stop!.. Well i wasn't in the mood to argue or pay a fine, so i twisted the throttle and took off. Catch me if you can. Logic was i was paying a fine anyway so might as well try and get away... and it worked! hahaha.
After a long drive arrived in Oaxaca, which is really nice town. Also there was a great bunch of people in the Hostel Mezkalita. It was Independence day so of course there was a big parade and lots of music etc. We joined in and somehow ended up marching in the parade. Don't think we were supposed to be there.. but we ended up in there anyway.
Most of the locals had spray cans with foam in them. Which were being used to foam any random passer by. After getting "foamed" a few times we all decided some retaliation was in order. For 10 pesos a can we had some of the best fun in the last few weeks! chasing people around the square soaking them in foam! and of course getting hit ourselves! Was a fun night.
Today I made the 7 hour ride to San Cristobal del las Casas. So tomorrow some exploring will be done!!

Finally my New Lid

After two weeks of waiting, today I finally received my new Arai XD helmet. I need to celebrate. I decided to order it at the end of August from Motocross Giant, a store based in Los Angles and have it shipped to Garrys here in Mexico City, the idea being that i could arrive here and pick it up. Unforunately things didnt quiet work out that way. Despite my instructions to send the lid by overnight DHL, the guys in LA sent the Arai by regular mail. So two weeks later after daily calling the postoffice here said we should go to the local office and have a look. So we set off to miramontes to the postoffice.
But well bureaucry is an understatement. Everything is recorded in paper ledgers! the woman looks up a book, not there, tries another, then another, then asks someone else, and 40 mins later comes back and asks what is your postcode. So a quick call to the language school and we get the number. Ah no.. you are in the wrong office you have to go to another one! so armed with this new info, we find the next place, again its look up the ledger time.. and after a conversation with another postal worker, they decided it would be good to check the computer! then its oh yes its here! YES! time to celebrate, finally two weeks later the lid is here. But this isnt quiet there yet, so after some searching in the store room they come back with the helment, and the bill for the customs duty! double taxation! US and Mexican tax! not fair. Also had to sign a million pieces of paper, and mark in the famous ledger. But I am not complaining, now i have my new lid, and i must say its amazing! much quieter, more comfortable and lighter, I feel safer already.
Also I have had the added bonus of two weeks in Mexico city, and the opportunity to meet some wonderful people.

Protests and Fame

Well its another day over and I am still at Garryhostel.com!!! in Mexico City. Garry is this really cool English expatirate biker who fell in love with a Mexican girl Ivonne, got married and moved here 30 years ago. He now puts up random stray bikers like Alaister and myself who happen to be passing though Mexico City! Garry contacted me on the Hubb and suggested i come visit! which I am glad I did.
We have had traditional Mariachi nights, visits to the Teotithuacan Pyramids, touring around downtown Mexico City, visits to Tres Marias, the market, and lots of bike DVD's! anyone passing through has to drop in and say hi!
Last night we spent some time downtown in the central square where we got some really delicious Churros. Which are a dough type snack, best eaten with hot chocolate. It so happened that in the square there was also a protest by the supporters of Andrés Manuel López Obrador the former mayor of mexico city and the dude that lost the last presidential election, which he claims he won. 1 year later he is still protesting! so we joined in for the fun! The square was quiet lively as the place is getting ready for the independence day celebrations which are in a few days time. So the entire central square is decorated with lights and banners etc.

Today we set off on a moring ride to Tres Marias, for breakfast. All the Mexican bikers gather there on Sunday mornings and (normally) show off! We were promised wheelies down the middle of the street and everything. However the weather had another idea. It rained and rained. Still we had breakfast and checked out the local stalls! At one of them we had this rather surreal moment where a father who was getting a jacket for his daughter asked if he could get a picture of myself and Al with her... guess he must of thought we were Charlie & Ewan or something! hate to dissapoint him.
From here was set off south to Cuernavaca with Garrys promise of Sun! "it will be so much warmer there" ... ummmm NO! so after a mutany in Cuernavaca we took the toll road back to mexico city where we stopped off at the market. They have the best pork crackling in the world here.
Of course gringos who are two foot taller than everyone else and in bike gear tend to attract attention! soon we had people coming up and saying hi, and taking our picture. It really was quiet delightful. We had free milkshakes, and even got to try Brain Quesadillas.. (actually they were quiet nice) can fell my IQ increasing already

Mexico City

So here I am in arguably the worlds largest city, with over 22 million people. The Zócalo (main square) and historic center are not to be missed and are a good starting place for viewing the city. Chapultepec Park, is home to many attractions and should be on your must do list, There is always some sort of free entertainment going on, such as concerts, magic shows and mime troupes.
The nightlife in the capital is second to none and provides an enormous variety of entertainment. Ballet, opera, folkloric shows and theatre compete with rock concerts, bars and nightclubs featuring all kinds of live music. Live Cuban music and the tropical salsa clubs always seem to be packed.

The Metropolitan Cathedral is the centerpiece of the Zócalo, or city square. It dates from 1532 and includes classic, neo-Classical and Baroque elements. Despite a number of earthquakes it has not fallen, this is due to the unique fact that Mexico City is actually built on a lake. The downside is the city is slowly sinking into the mud.

Mexico City is located in the Valley of Anáhuac, a large valley in the high plateaus at the center of Mexico, at an altitude of 2,240 meters (7,349 feet). It was originally built by the Aztecs in 1325 on an island of Lake Texcoco. The city was almost completely destroyed in the siege of 1521, and was redesigned and rebuilt in the following years following the Spanish urban standards. In 1524 the municipality of Mexico City was established, known as México Tenochtitlán, and as of 1585 it is officially known as Ciudad de México. The emblem in the centre of the Mexican flag comes from this city. The Aztec legend was that wherever they found an eagle sitting on a cactus eating a snake they would establish a great and powerful city. This they found on a lake which became mexico city. The symbol of the eagle eating the snake on the cactus is now a national symbol.

Teotihuacan - Teotihuacan is located about 31 miles North East of Mexico City. So if you plan on going to Mexico City, this is a must see sight. The rise and fall of Teotihuacan coincide roughly with the rise and fall of the Roman Empire beginning around 600 BC, and going into decline around 650 AD before the city was sacked, burnt, and abandoned. The empire grew by leaps and bounds between the 1st and 4th centuries AD and its influence stretched from Guatamala to Texas. The population within the city itself grew to over 200,000 people.

Teotihuacan is unique in the fact that the murals uncovered here do not depict the thematic violence or ritualistic sacrifices found in other ceremonial cites, they portray a society which seemed to be interested more in astronomy.

I think westerners who do not know the city often fear it. However a healthy curiosity is far better. The usual warnings are still in effect. Don't hail a cab in the street (although we did - we reckoned there was two of us.. and one of him); Cabs without an "L" at the start of the plate are not real cabs. Don't wander aimlessly at night; arm yourself with a map and a sense of where you are.

Mexico has more festivals than days in the calendar, and the weeks between Nov. 1 (the Day of the Dead, a uniquely Mexican celebration) and Christmas will be especially vibrant this year i expect. Three of the city's most elegant neighborhoods -- Polanco, Roma and Condesa, each 15 minutes or less from the central business district, the Zona Rosa -- are exploding with new restaurants, clubs and art galleries. Condesa, a small citadel of Art Deco architecture, is celebrating its centennial. It's an exceptionally pleasant place to sit, sip, sup and watch the passing scene

Road to Cuernavaca

Arrived in Cuernavaca (Morelos) today after an eventful ride from Morelia. Set out following the Aquaduct from Morelia taking the free road to CD Hidalgo. It starts out normal then quickly becomes country side. Not unusual to see a herd of cattle grazing at the side of the road. As you enter the Parque National Insurgente Jose Maria Morelos th views are amazing. The narrow road quickly climbs through the mountains, through lush countryside, was thinking this is really like a country drive in Wicklow mountains, (only much higher). The roads a nice twisty and narrow, but there is not much traffic so overtaking is easy. The Topes in the small towns bunch what little there is, so while standing on the footpegs you can hop past them.

Road improves again around Hidalgo and Zitacuaro. After Zitacuaro follow route 15 again towards Toluca where I successfully managed to side step my first attempted bribe. Was stopped by a Police (i think) checkpoint, (guys with M16s and Blue Uniforms), where i got called aside. Was my usual friendly self, then they started asking about the bike and how much it costs etc, (made up a much smaller amount) and where i was staying etc, then they tried to suggest i give them money.. so anytime it was mentioned i changed topic or feigned not to understand.

After about 10 mins of chatting one of them asked if i was married, so i said of course not, One of the guards says so are you gay? the reply was perfect "No Mames" (mexican slang for dont be fucking with me!) it got a laugh and it bought my ticket to freedom! No bribe just a laugh.

The best bit of the ride is after Toluca, I took the free road again south to avoid Mexico City to Tenango just after Tenango on route 55 there is a 3rd class road which turns off to Joquicingo and on to Chalma. This is awesome! full of pot holes, covered in Mud, lots of landslides from the recent rain, and of course twisty mountain road! It curls its way up over Eroded Volcanic formations to these villages which seem to hang onto the side of the cliff. What was strange was a cycle race i met along the way, which was like Tour de France meets Procession of the Sacred Virgin on a Marrion Year. Most of the cyclists had large crosses with images of Christ or Mary projecting about 4 foot off the back of their saddles, and seemed to ride in groups from each of the villages! it was a sight to behold! Eventually the Road decends out of the mountains to a great view over Cuernavaca. So i will stay here for a few days before riding to meet Gary for a tour of Mexico City.

Every Cloud has a Silver Lining

Well Guadalajara was nice, but i took my leave and set off for Morelia. After getting numerous recomendations that this was a beautiful place i was expecting a lot! and I wasnt dissapointed.! This place is a a true colonial gem. There is a real spanish influence in the architecture, and there are lots of fine churches and public buildings!

But my stay in Morelia did not get off to a great start. I had booked a hostel on the internet a few days before. When i arrived the place was shut up and they would not let me in. Talk about crap. They were only catering for families of people in the nearby hospital.! But I had a stroke of luck in running into Santiago, a guy with a moped who happened to be passing by when i was asking for directions.

After a conversation about bikes etc, he offered to show me the way. When the hostel was closed, he called his brother in law who was in the process of opening a hostel! What luck! it wasnt opened yet, but Aldo opened up early especially for me! So have the honor of being the first customer at the Hostel Don Emiliano, in Morelia.

So we had a few drinks where i met Ulises whom I arranged to go riding with the next day to see Patzcuaro, which is a really nice place, surounded by mountains and sitting on a huge lake. It is the main site for the festival of the Dead on 2nd Noviembre each year, which is one of the main celebrations in Mexico.

I tried some of the local icecream, and walked around, viewed the sights and then of course ate, before making way back to morelia where i type this before going out to sample some of the night life!

El Loco Rojo

So after a few days enjoying the sea and the lovely scenic views suffering from Star Guilt (Paul Brownes diagnosis of the effect of drinking coffee in Starbucks) and of course serenading hotel staff at Puerto Vallarta.. we have now arrived in Guadalajara! class little city.. well little (6 million People) wee bit bigger than Dublin. Spent the day wandering around the downtown area and getting to know the place.
We are crashing with Fernado (Juan Carlos´s brother from Puerto Vallarta) who has very kindly put us up here for a few days. Great to get a local guide and to be able to lock the bikes up in the garage.
From now on I now have a new name, after earning the title of el loco rojo in Vallarta.. so now it is Don Esteban El Loco Rojo! (Esteban the Crazy red) ummmm
Dinner last night was in a restaurant with a Mariachi show.. kind of what i imagine an irish dancing show in Bunratty Castle would be like.. but still it was fun.
But right now i think i will have to find a dirt bike shop. I need some lighter gear! this Rally Pro E BMW suit is just too hot! last week i have taken all the body armour out and am wearing it under a long tshirt, with the trousers and boots. But even the trousers are too hot for this climate. Will have to see if i can find some scramber gear, and an Arai helment! project number 1. Until then .. hasta Luego!

Well, it seems i have checked into the hotel California.. only it is in Mexico now and its called the Hotel Rio. We stopped here last Sunday for a day or two. Paul and Maeve had met the owner Victor in Baja on the way home from the Moto GP at Laguna Seca, so we had an invite to stay for a little while. But it seems that we can check out when ever we want, but we just cant leave. Each day we are leaving, yet 1 week later we are still here. The new tyres for Paul and Meaves bikes arrived yesterday so i am guessing we will finally make a move on moday morning, taking the Route 70 to Guadalajara, with of course the slight detour to tequila.
From here we are planning to see Pascuro, Taxco, Querna Vaca, Oxaca, San Cristobal, Palenque, and then head up into the Yucatan for a few days.
I am waiting to see Paul cross the border in a Naco Libre (wrestling) mask as he keeps saying he will! got to be worth a photo.
Think I am starting to fit in, was asked if i here the other day.. in Spanish .. i was well impressed! Actually answered Si, Por Supuesto! (yes of course)
Havent actually done to much riding for the last few days, bike has been getting its earned rest, but soon it will be time to move on and do some more miles!!

the bike

by now the bike has done more than 9000 miles and is going great. I still have not used the knoblie Continental TKC80's which I have brought half way across the world. But have changed the rear wheel once, for a Meztler Tourance as the Dunlop was not holding up well in the heat. After that the oil has been changed and that with the new indicator after i crashed in Wyoming is about it.
I did add a few modifications to the bike, the luggage is from the GS Adventure, I changed the air filter for a K&N, Also added were BMW engine bars and a front suspension hard part from Touratech. I may still add a radiator and headlamp protector when i get to the next dealership, but that will be it.
The bike is doing between 48 and 55 miles per gallon fully loaded so fuel economy is good. But i am carrying an extra tank to give a comfort on the range!

10th of August,

Wrote this entry on the Mazatlan Ferry, when we arrived to the ferry the bikes were weighed and made ready. Mine checks in at 310kg without the rider. After riding on the ferry i dont think I will complain about Irish Ferries again. The cabin had two berths, the toilet didnt work, food was woeful, and the stupid jukebox you can here from the other end of the ship! But atleast it is moving in the right direction.
Baja was interesting, It is by far the least populated state in Mexico. Met some interesting characters and saw some strange places. There is only one paved road in the entire state, Mex 1 which runs the length of the Pennensula. Every thing else is dirt which quickly becomes deep sand. There are also a number of military checkpoints, I was only stopped once and then that was becasue they wanted a chat about the bike and how cool it was! i recently added a card of the virgin of guadaloupe the the front of the bike, and that along with the Irish flag really seems to be a passport to the other side!
If you are ever in baja you need to see the road signs! they are really a casue of amusment! bear in mind these are in the middle of a desert, with signs like, "with fog turn on your lights", "with fog slow down", "obey the road signs", "thank you for obeying the road signs", "this road is not for high speed" .. Certainly wasnt ! but best is when this sign is combined with "topes" and "curvo peligroso" dangers curves! but i actually loved driving these twisty roads, which just flow throught the desert, but with the Californias in their big crazy SUV's you need to be awake!!

Baja Mexico, and meeting more riders

So early Sunday morning I said my goodbyes to Ocean Beach and once again set off into the distance. It actually took me two attempts to legally get into Mexico. First time I just drove on through! Que Raro!! Decided this was too easy and I probably needed a visa, so I turned around went back through the US post and went in again. This turned out to be a good idea as i found out I also needed to surrender my US Visa. So on the 2nd attempt stopped and customs and got the visa sorted for me, for the bike you need a different paper, from a different office!
Once directions were obtained I made my way once again to Tijuana and after a brief scurry the wrong way up a one way street, the said office was located! Great Success!! Then came the fun part as they say. God the Mexicans love bureaucracy. So after an hour of fotocopies and stamps and trips back and fourth across the forecourt, oh and giving my opinion on U2 the Cranberries, and explaining that Sophie Elis Bexter is actually English, the permit was obtained and I was ready to rock and roll! I really pity people who have to do this and don’t speak Spanish. The drive along Mex 1 is nice once you leave Tijuana, It actually at first quiet reminded me of parts of Tenerife, there is even a town called Bajamar. The further south you go it gets more desert like, but there are some really great views of the Pacific Ocean along the way. Once one heads inland with the road the landscape is totally barren, just a wide variety of Cactai of all shapes and sizes. At the end of my first day I passed a signpost saying next petrol station 315km’s this was my sign to stop for the night, so I found a nearby B&B. To my surprise Meave and Paul, two other Irish riders also on BMW’s had stayed here 4 days before me.
Decided to try and catch them so the next day rode to Mulege and by 10 am the following morning I had found them at their hotel just south of Loretto! So now we are all in La Paz sitting around for a day or so before catching the ferry to Mexico mainland. But now breakfast calls so more updates later.

San Diego and Surfing

When in LA I started looking for fellow riders on advrider.com heading south into Mexico. At this time there was no one, but Don Toporski, from San Diego who has been many times contacted me with advice. So I set off for Ocean Beach San Diego. I stayed at the hostel there which was really rather good, with a good mix of people. The journey from LA is only 2 hours, which at this stage is just a Sunday drive. On the first night I ended up chatting with a former british soldier who had served in Northern Ireland, and Aussie over for a University conference. So we had to have some drinks. Ocean Beach is fairly quiet at night but that didn’t stop us getting thrown out of one bar! I guess I should learn to keep my mouth shut. American Bouncers really have no sense of humour.. and certainly don’t get Sarcasm! C’est la vie. The real fun is to be had in the Gas Lamp district, 5th Ave downtown San Diego, where we went on the second night, lots of very dressed up people. So we caught a film (Bourne Ultimatum is really good guys!!) and followed with dinner and a few pubs.
Following morning I had dinner with the local BMW club, nice bunch of guys, but all in their 50’s or so, normal BMW profile. After went through the maps with Dan and got the low down on Baja and the rest of Mexico! Now all set for the great unknown.
While in San Diego I couldnt miss the opportunity to do some surfing , and with some cheap boards available from the Hostel, we grabbed two from the lovely vania and tried our hands at catching some waves! Boy its harder than it looks! worst bit is paddling back out after surfing in. Really develops those upper shoulder muscles! I'd be pretty fit if i did it every day. I did manage to get upright once or twice and stay on the wave, but maybe it was more falling with style than actual surfing! fun none the less. But at least i have now lost the snow man look and have a nice toasty back!

LA

California was a lot of fun. First few days I rested up at the Rectory in La Habra, where I did some reorganisation of the bikes luggage and packed a few pieces off home. Again like in other places met some wonderful people, who were really too kind to me. So after breakfast on my second day I got taken to Knotts Berry Farm Fun Park. Some of those rides were amazing, and considerably faster than the bike. Think my favourite was the freefall from the top of a tower, or another ride called the perilous plunge, which drops almost vertically into a water slide, I got soaked!
My visit also included a visit to Huntington Beach where the US open surf championships were also on. As a side show there was an X games motocross event on the beach. Those guys were class, jumping little motocross scramblers 30 feet up in the air off ramps, somersaulting and then landing again. Didn’t see any falls, but I was waiting for it. Apart from that I spent my time relaxing, chatting with people and making more contacts for the Central American part of my journey.

Pheonix Tango and Shooting!

Well now i am resting up in the Church at La Habra outside Los Angles with my Uncle Justin. Went to the beach today and its looking like Knox Berry theme park tomorrow. But first i must fill in the last few days. After my night ride with Dylan across the desert i checked into a cheap motel for a night. I met these great people Jack and Jen in phoenix and they put my up for the next night, but AZ is just far to hot so i had to bail over to the coast!
My bike clocked 46 degrees C on the way over, that is 117 faranheit! it is like an oven! But Pheonix was fun. I took a dancing class in tango and samba! so now i know a few basic moves for when i get down south! PBH you were so right, it is actually a lot of fun! Also i fired my first gun ever. Went shooting in the Desert with Jack, Jackson, and Killian. We set up some targets, and i got to grips firing a 45 pistol and a rifle, must be beginners look but i hit a few of the targets first time! It was a laugh, but they were so loud, and guns still scare me! think i will stay away for the rest of the trip.
Phoenix doenst really wake up until the evening until it cools down alittle, but i did find another Irish pub to add to my list, this one was called Rula Bula, No great as pubs go, it was lively enough but really i think it tries too hard, certainly did not have the atmosphere and the welcomenss of Hurleys in Montreal!
Not much more to report from AZ so i split over to the coast. After my swim today in the lovely warm Pacific at Huntington Beach I can say i bikes Coast to Coast in the US. In a few days I stride forth to Mexico and beyond!

Arches and Night Drive

Well after the heat of Mesa Verde i though i would be immune to more! how wrong!! roll on Arches in Utah, Myself and Dylan after a few pints and night camping in Moab made our way to Arches in the morning, really early .. like 7 am to beat some of the sun. It was quiet hot so you can see me in my Lawrence of Arabia garb from Morroco a few years ago! it really works to keep the sun off.
There are some class hikes in the park and some truely breath taking scenery, miles of sandstone and slickrock. Every thing is petrified! We spent the day in the park and got some great fotos, but wow i got burned, every thing that was not covered is now red, even my nose! Rudolph i think.
We got a cheap (9$) hostel for a few hours and got up at 1.30 am to ride to Phoenix AZ, 10 hours through the desert, (the crazy hour was to avoid the heat). So we arrived in Phoenix this morning and i got the engine bars and a new rear tyre from Victory BMW, so finally i am all set for Mexico! so next stop CA and down though Baja, Sadly Dylan has had to return to New York, so i am once again a lone wolf rider!

Mesa Verde

Mesa Verde, Spanish for green table, offers a spectacular look into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years, from A.D. 600 to A.D. 1300. Today, the park protects over 4,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings . In 1891, Swedish scientist Gustaf Nordenskiold studied, explored, and photographed many of Mesa Verde’s cliff dwellings. Considered by many to be the first true archeologist at Mesa Verde. We got there in the evening after a ride from Carbondale Colorado with Mike, who left us outside Durango.
After getting the tickets and the camp set up there was some driving on the twisty roads.. peg scraping twisty, and the day was finished with a chicken from Walmart cooked on our campfire and a bottle of wine ! class.
Next day we saw the various dwellings, it seems hard to believe the mesa tops were once farmed by these people who lived in the cliffs below, but the houses were quiet clever in that they normally have a well in the back, as there are interspersed layers of sandstone and shale, sandstone soaks water, shale does not, so when it meets the shale the water bubbles out of the rock.

Once we had seen the sights we made our way to Arches National park in Utah! what a sight!

Colorado and Agent X

I was really lucky to run into Mike, who was so kind to put me up for a few days, and teach me to change a tire and of course to get my high altitude off road training!
Mike went across the Aussie outback a few years ago on an 1150GS so knows a bit about off road! We also had the intervention of lady luck in finding Dylan, I had originally planned to meet up with Dylan after the wisconsin rally, but things got a bit messed up, in CO we got oil for my bike and decided to go on an off road run! bad idea. the oil fell off the bike and burst, so we had to go back and get more! on our way into the shop and who pulls up only Dylan, who had seen two GS's going in .. CO from NY .. a bit away from Home, and too wierd to pass up, so now he has been initiated as a new agent, and we are going to ride to AZ together. !

My first water crossing was on the way up Hagerman Pass, i also nearly put the bike off the cliff. . valualble lesson, always look where you want to go! especially when off roading! it was quiet comical, and you should have seen my face afterwards, completely brown from sucking in the dust from Mikes tyres!

quick update

Well quick up date for you all, this has been a great few days in Colorado, and i met some great bikers, Chris Beal in Bailey and Mike and Lenka Rand in Carbondale, not to forget Mum and the poodle Loki. I am pressed for time as the batteries are running out so i will have a more detailed update in a few days, but got the service in, some parts, learned some maintenance and or course my first water crossing with some dirt road riding. ¬ then there was Mesa Verde, more detail to follow.

Buffalo, Camping and Real GS'ing

Hey guys ! next update.. Well i am in a cheap hotel in Gillette Wyoming, .. thought i deserved a bed after 5 days in the the tent! Made it here from the rally in 2 days, 953 miles as the Crow flys.. and i aint no Crow!
Sunday i rode to Patte on the Missouri river, the town is Dead, expected to see tumbe weed blowing across the road and any minute and the sherif to step out for a showdown. But there is a nice camp ground and i set up camp, cooked my stew in a can over the burner and had 5 star Egon Roney feast!! (well dreaming is nice) There were a lovely couple in their 50's also on BMW's next to me. They were tracing the Lewis and Clarke trail back along the Missouri and over to Washington State. We had a few beers in a local bar (Dock 44), again were there till closing. It was a family run place, really nice people even came complete with a Russian bar girl (Ulyana - hope thats spelt right).
One thing that is really making this trip is the wonderful people i am meeting along the way. The other riders, the people in the shops, the other campers, etc, everyone is so friendly and welcoming and really are interested in the trip and where i am going and of course have their 50cent on where I should see next!

So following on from there today was the badlands and the black hills, in 41 degrees no shade no cover!! it was an oven! Man it gets hot here. Load of cowboy films made here, Crazy Horse.. Dances with Wolves etc
There are some fun corners in in Custer State Park, and on the Iron Mountain Road. leeding up to Mt Rushmore, its all been recently resurfaced so grip is super. Speed limit is like 35 mph , but i found most of the corners can be taken at 60 ish.. (once you counter steer into them) only problem is slow cars and buffalo on the road! My excuse was i needed to even up the tire wear !! :) if you take 87 up through the park to 16A you can avoid paying the fees. Up further on advice i had a look at Spearfish Canyon, nice drive with some great scenery, just scenic, however i think i did some scouting out of a new GS ride, I had a shite map and it looked like I could cut across a big area of forrest and save miles across to Sundance on the back roads, problem is the back roads are REAL backward! i took 222 which quickly became gravel, then mud and gravel, (now would be a good time to turn back as i had road tires on) , but thinking this must be tempory and if i drive slow it will be fine, i proceeded to get totally lost, and the roads became rutted cattle tracks complete with wild cattle, which once down i had no way back (just thank God it wasnt raining) SO .. following on, proceeded to bump my way down a rocky gravel path, when the back wheel dropped into a different rut and spun the bike and send me flying! Spill number one in the US, (no fotos... i aint embarrasing myself) this was quickly followed by spill number two, .. so now i am quiet acomplished at picking up a big heavy 1200GS!! even the GPS was giving me roads that didnt exist, finally got out of there, kissed the tarmac when i was done! only damage was a dented ego, smashed indicator, and a few scratches bring on Colorado tomorrow ! just hope i can get used to this blistering heat!

Canada to Wisconsin

Well Guys! Canada and the road to the Rally! If in Montreal you really must drive across the Victoria Bridge, The road is a metal mesh, it really is disconcerting when you look down and see the river rushing below as you drive across.

The Drive across Canada was nice, some lovely scenes with lots of mountains, lakes and hills. Once you approach the great lakes its pretty much flat, i can see now why the farmers came out here and its called the great plains! just miles and miles of rolling hills. Border was no problem coming back in, only question i got asked was, "whats your golf handicap" .. so i thought 10 would be respectable number to choose.

We stayed in motels en route, four guys in one room, and what a motly collection, a Quebec'r, one from Maryland, and one from Pennslyvania, all agents of course! and me. Strangest memory must be teaching fencing footwork to a group of strangers in the hotel lobby because there was nothing else to do!

The rally is great, there is around 8000 bikes here, most of them BMW, and most of the gear suppliers, never knew there were so many accessories! wish i had a larger credit card! (sponsorship any one???) I posted a few pics of the rally in the photolink on picasa so take a look. Richard, i think you would be in heaven here!!

The other attraction around here is the great lakes themselves, there are a few fotos of lake superior, its huge, more like a sea. Next stop is Colorado, for some off road riding, some high mountain passes, and some rafting or kayaking in Durango!

Well Montreal was fun! Really cool city. Took a 9 hour drive up through Pennsylvania and New York State, along route 30, then joined Interstate 89 up to Monteal and Spent a few nights sampling the delights of this great city. We arrived at a good time, as the Jazz festival happened to be in town at the same time. As with the other citys had to check out the Irish bars, (there is one pictured in the photos), before finally settling on Hurleys which i think is the best Irish bar in Montreal, with some good people. Hooked up with Matt from Glasglow originally (now living in Wales). There was many a pint downed. The Guinness combined with the live trad music and a lively crowd made for some good laughs. Will have to fill un more detail on the ride later, but our route took us up through the Catskills and the Adirondacks. They really are lovely mountains with some great lakes. We crossed over the Delaware (you could almost dive it on the GS), yet down at Philadephia its difficult to see the other side!! Today we moved from the Hotel over to (Agent R) Bryant's place, did some riding around the area, but you have to check out the garage pic (2 GS's a Ducati, R1150 and Triumph) 5 bikers in the one place! Tomorrow its off across Canada over to Wisconsin.. Going to be a few days of driving.

Rafting on the Youghiogheny River in Fayette County, Ohiopyle National Park, Thats me in the back "el capitan", Went Rafting yesterday with Laurel Highlands River Tours, where i teamed up with the Maistros family, who were really cool. They invited me around to share in their bbq afterwards, thanks so much! The guys running the trip were totally professional so i recommend Todd, and Emily and the gang if you are looking for a white water trip. Actually wouldnt mind getting to know Emily a little better.. :) your seriously cute if you are reading this. http://www.laurelhighlands.com If i wasnt due to hit Montreal i'd of liked to stay around and get more rivers in, but maybe on the way back in a week or two! after all detours seem to be becoming a regular occurance on the trip.

the story continues

Photos (Hermys BMW dealers, Farm in Amish Country, and Me at Gettysburg)

GRRRRR i did it again !!! typed this massive big long essay and deleted it for the 2nd time !! how stupid am I!!

So lets try again! in Washington DC at the moment chilling and recoving my head from last night. Met up with Darren the South African dude from Philly again here at the hostel, and we recruited a few more and went on a pub crawl. It was a good laugh but got home and crawled into bed only to wake in the morning in my boxers in a dorm full of women.. pinched myslef, and no i wasnt dreaming it really was! seems the hostel made an error, was talking to the lovely Lin from South Korea who was apparantly supposed to be in my bed! The ticket numbers were the same. She saw my stuff in the bed so slept in the bunk below.. just as well or i could have had some screaming if i got in on top of her!!

So back to the pub crawl we had a laugh found this dodgy 80's bar with lots of people in Hawaian shirts and girls dressed as brides maids!! Still my slick dance moves went down great :D strange being drowned in a see of breasts.. .. or was i dreaming.. vodka and redbull, McCarthy i blame your influence!!

Washington itself is nice but its really a city of museums and govenrnment buildings! Someone should tell them they have a severe lack of restaurants! especially when one is starving after walking around all the monuments. Only realised someone had a christian theme in mind in planing the city, the lincon memorial, the needle, capital hill, the whitehouse, and the Jefferson Memorials all line up to form a giant cross.

So back to the last few days, following on from the mine adventure i went to followup on the ghostly hand, and true to form there it was on the wall of the cell in Jim Thorpe. The who story is here http://www.thecobrasnose.com/xxghost/handprint.html and the background to the Molly story mentioned earlier is here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molly_Maguires . Apparantly the hand was placed by the ghost as a reminder of his innocence. There have been numerous reports of activity and spooky events in the place, event the tour guide claimed to have been scratched by something.

Chris who has been grea putting my up for a few days in Lehman, accompanied me down to Gettysburg the next day. But first i had to stop at Hermys BMW to get the handle bars tightened etc as there were coming loose as i did not thave the correct head to do the job when i unpacked the bike. The guys were cool, did the job for free and gave me a t-shirt after we were discussing the trip. So i have to recommend them if you are in the Port Clinton area.

After the pit stop we went to check out the Amish community around Lancaster. These guys are cool , they still live the same way they did in the 1800's in shirts and neck scarfs and straw hats, driving around in horse and carts. The women wear simple dresses and a bonnet. They are farmer folk, and dont drink alcohol, which I found out from the waitress when i went to order a beer. Still the food was all freshly grown and tasted wonderful.

Then it was onto Gettysburg to see the battle site and the momument to the Irish brigade who charged the confederates and were cut to pieces! Kind of an eriee place, and i swear i could hear bag pipes playing but couldnt see anyone anywhere!! haunted?

Lunch was a simple affair in a lively pub in the town, with the very original name of "the pub". Buffalo wings were a bit spicy (not quiet Harbour Master quality) bring back the IFSC!! We were drinking there later and were chatting to this vietnam vet, who also happend to be the chief of police and was of Irish descent, and in a strange twist of fate one of his great uncles was one of the Mollys hung in Jim Thorpe mentioned earlier.. strange or what? So got kicked out at closing with the chief!! a new experience that. As i was Irish and Catholic i was given a challenge coin for the police department, so i guess i have cart blance now to run riot in Gettysburg!! The history of the coins was in WWII so the airforce could prove they were not german spies to the French Resistance, it developed into a method to stop boasting, if you were spinning yarns in a bar and i challenged you to prove it with the coin and you couldnt, you looked a fool and had to buy me a drink :D

see here
http://www.policecoins.com/challengehistory.html

28th June

Well had an enjoyable ride today through the Blue Mountains, and paid a visit to the Mollies Jail and of course had the mandatory pint of guinness at the pub in Jim Thorpe. Got caught in a tunder storm, but nothing like the voilent affair we saw yesterday!

Chris has been a great host, and has linked my up with a number of different forums and I will be joining Chris and the "Die Hohe Bergehunde" group on a trip through Canada and onto the BMW rally in Wisconsin next week. Also have done a bit of work on the site and linked in a picture page and a few other useful forums and links this evening, (once i finally figured out how to do it!!)

So Brian.. you got your wish of more photos now, and you dont have to rely on checking bebo!

Plan is to ride out to Gettysburg tomorrow, and onto Washington DC for the weekend. After that it back up to Canada, and the Rally, followed by the road south to Mexico!

So after philly i have booked into Washington DC for next Saturday and Sunday, but in the meantime i have hooked up with Chris from the Horizons motorcycle site, in Northern Penn, We went riding today, and took in the Lackawanna Coal mine. I learned that there is so much coal in the region. but the sad bit was about all the Irish workers who came over here after the famine, virtual slaves to the mining companies, or the railroads. They really had it though. SO got a tour of the mine, and gosh the pay was low, 11 cent a day for a nipper boy who opened and closed the doors into the mine, the miners did little better at 25 cent a day, and if the cart wasnt filled with coal you didnt get paid. This was the site of the first organised labour unions, and the Molly Maguires, its interesting to put a human side and to visualise the back ground in Tim Pat Coogans book "where ever green is worn" which i am reading at the moment. I Must look up the film of the Mollies, about a group who were hung by the Pinkerton Dectective agencies at the behest of the mine company, another miscarriage of so called justice. It is rumoured that there is a hand print on a wall from one of the ghosts of the mollies and even when the wall was replaced the hand re appeared! So will be going to check it out tomorrow. But it does make you appreaciate how hard the Irish worked and stuck together to get out of the poverty and the religious decrimination the encountered here. Had lunch at the Banshee Irish bar in Scranton (town is really irish) AOH was addressed by Gerry Adams back before the 98 ceasedfire and downing street declaration). So maybe will go back and see if my passport gets me any female attention The scenery here is really lovely, its a bit like rural France. Will get some more shots with the bike up in the next few days. But now have to consider my options, Have an offer, which i am seriously considering here, which is to ride up to Montreal Canada, with the guys here, and around the top of the Great lakes to a BMW rally in Milwakee Wisconsin. Might be good for making contacts for the trip down south. Right now i must go to bed. So talk to you all soon!

Philly the city of brotherly love

Well Phily, or the city of brotherly love... as it apparantly means. Well this is the third time i have tried to type this, i keep deleting it by accident.! I arrived in King of Prussia (outside Philly) last Saturday, and given there were no hostels i checked into the best western with a pool and stuff! luxury ! with a big queen size bed, and a pool!! i was straight in! But at 100 dollars a night that was short lived!! and the next day managed to secure a spot at the chamanounix Mansion hostel. Near Philly, very nice place with some really cool people. I was originally only booked in for a night thinking i could do Philly in a day, but hey i liked the place and the people so ended up staying an extra two nights, Was great, the place was an old colonial mansion which is now run by the state as a hostel for travellers, and at 20 dollars a night one cant complain, free wireless, good kitchen etc, but the beds were squeeky! but hey i can live with that. So explored the city, visited the Liberty Bell, etc, and the hall where the declaration of independence and the consitution were signed, went to betsy ross's house, she made the first american flag, and saw plenty of museums etc. They even have a restuaurant/ Tavern where all the staff are dressed in 1700's outfits.. good lunch there! On the river they happened to have an Irish Festival on... umm well the tourists seemed to love it, but in reality it was totally naff! think river dance meets john player tops!! (if your old enought to remember) with tinsel dresses!! umm very Orish!! and of cours the bud light stands!! was expecting a float sponsored by Duff Beer!! .. where is Homer when ye need him. So back to the hostel, and some chatting and watching Chronicals of Narnia on the big screen. Lion the witch and the wardrobe. So next day checked out the Eastern State Penatentary, Really quiet a grusome place, it was the first planned prison in the new US, bulit in the early 1800's it was the puritans idea that if you keep a prisioner in solatary with a bible he will see the error of his ways and return to the light.. Still it inspired the design of over 300 prisions around the world, and noted such guests as Charles Dickens and Scar face Al Capone. The place was closed in the 60's and the ruin is now as much a tourist attraction as it was when it first opened! Check out the pictures on the pictures section. Although it changed over the years, the first inmates could have spent up to 3 years there without speaking to anyone!! what a hell! Also did some touring with my swiss and south african friends and took the lift to the top of city hall for the view. The city is really class, it was layed out like an english country garden, with city hall in the middle, and each corner having a park. there is a diagonal that goes from the centre through one of the parks up the museum where the "rocky steps" are, ie the famous scene from the rocky film where he was running up the steps, there is even a staute at the bottom. We were informed that no trip to philly would be complete with out philly cheese steak sandwich!! so we tried it and i must say! very nice!! Decided to check out a film at the cinema, room 1408, but to our surpise there are no cinemas in the city centre, had to go out to dodgeville in west philly!! kinda boys in the hood neighbourhood!! but still got the "damn !!! your irish !! cool accent" as for the film, not bad, some jumpy moments, but typical stephen king.. hard to believe he wrote the shawshank redemption also..

Progress!!

Well this evening finally light at the end of the tunnel!! Customs have cleared the bike!!! Yes!!!!! and its en route to the warehouse so tomorrow i will be off over to New Jersey to to be reunited with my baby!! So i am still in New York, just been checking out the sights etc, enjoying the sun and reading in the park! Central Park really is fab. So nice to just sit out and relax. Did you know that there were an Irish shanty town with small farm holdings there at one stage! Amazing what i am learning. Went the the Metropolitan museum of Art today, my god its huge! such a collection youd get lost inside it. It kind of inspired me back to drawing, so Niamh that notebook is fast becoming a diary/sketch pad!! it will be worth millions someday.. Also have organised to go fencing in one of the NY clubs tomorrow (New Amsterdam fencing Academy). So will report on that soon! Was in a pub last night off time square ish... around 45th street and was chatting to this couple from Coolock, just went in there for dinner,.. and was still downing pints at 2 am. The two owners came over here 10 years ago as chefs and now own the place.. So Ian,.. still in the bar trade are ye. !! Right so plan for tomorrow i think will be get the bike, install the GPs, and go fencing, and get ready to hit the road!!

The Trip begins!

Well arrived in New York in one piece! but not before i got the usual grilling from Customs, Where are you going, what are you doing there, when are you leaving. Once he saw the arabic stamps from Morroco then he was like woooah.. then i mentioned mexico.. and it was like step this way! take seat over there and i will be back. so i get called in by another one. What is your profession.. its seems the yankees just love money.. how much money you bringing to the US? .. then well all was ok! what can i say. money talks!!So arrived in New York and went to Kathleen's (my cousin) office, Its a government building, so there are metal detectors on the doors,and scanners like at the airport. so here i am putting my bags through when this horrid look comes over the girls face.. "you have at least three band items in that bag!!" She was taking exception to my swiss knife, my shovel/pic axe, my pliers, and the scissors... apparantly i was a security threat.. hahaha mmmmm killings some fat government official.. good start i say! So that was that, off to a cafe with Tim Pat Coogan and the Irish dispora to keep me company for the next hour. Did you know that an Irish guy by the name of Wall used to be prime minister of spain?.. anyway So meet up with Kathleen and had shelter from the mad thunder storm we had last night. SO was really shattered.. think it was like 4 am irish time before i went to bed. So now have to finalise the insurance docs for the bike, have a look at a few art galeries and wait for the bike to arrive wednesday.

Bike in Dublin. I decided that Bull Island - Dublin would be a good test track for the machine, however with hind sight road tires on soft sand is probably not a good idea. It did provide a good opportunity to get some photos.

Preparation

Finally preparation is getting underway. The bike arrived last weekend and have spent the week getting used to the awesome power in the GS. Next step now is to book the tickets and get the shipping dates finalised.

The route is:

- Phase 1

Dublin to Ushuaia

- Phase 2

Ushuaia to New Zealand , via Santiago

- Phase 3

New Zealand back to Dublin (Route to be decided)