USA to Central/South America

So I got tired of working and thought, hmm, I think I'll quit my job and ride my motorcycle around Latin America for 6 or 8 months. Naturally there was some planning and saving involved, but basically that is what happpened. The general plan is to leave my home in Seguin Texas (near San Antonio) about the 1st of August 2006 and ride south all the wayto the southern tip of South America.

Just some quick notes to let you know what I have been up to. I can't get my pictures to upload from my sister in law's Mac, so I'll have to try that some where else.6-18-06 start 46,034 end 46,642

6-24-06 start 48,154 end 48,737

Left Stanley on ID hwy 21, a great road that goes over two big mountain passes 6-24-06 start 48,154 end 48,737

A few pictures with comments. They're not too big, but could take a little while to view.It's not the Virgen of Guadalupe, you'll see some of those once I get 2,000 miles south, but this is what those Norskies in Wisconsin build for roadside memorials.

Southwestern Wisconsin has some of the best motorcycling and bicycling roads anywhere. Seven months out of the year, anyway.

7-6-06

It rained a litle overnight, so I had to pack up soggy gear to get going in the morning. 7-6-06 start 50,264 end 50,675

It seems hard to believe, but I’m almost ready to pack up and head south of the border. I have spent the last week or so doing fun things like putting money in escrow to pay my property taxes at the end of the year. It is surprisingly hard to give people money ahead of its’ due date. “But Mr. Tiegs, we don’t know what the rate for your homeowners insurance will be until October.” As far as I know, I’m done bleeding money for the time being.

Real de Catorce7-24-06 start 29,055 end 29,348

Made it through the Tortilla Curtain today (that would be the Mexican border, stolen from a TC Boyle book) without any trouble. Crossed at Piedras Negras/Eagle Pass, the actual paperwork station is about 40 miles into Mexico. It always feels weird to me to just ride across the border and keep on going, but that is what I did for 40 miles. The smaller crossings the bureaucratic thing right at the border.

Roosters crowing, donkeys braying, church bells ringing, now that's the way I want to wake up in a Mexican town. 7-28-06 start 29,735 end 29,735

Real de Catorce: The view out my hotel window on a misty morning. View of the main Cathedral in Real. Looks a little better inside, no? I´m told this is where Julia Roberts, et. al., stayed while filming "The Mexican" here. I saw that when it came out, guess I´ll have to rent it sometime and see how much I recognize.

San Miguel de Allende: The main church there. Pretty futuristic looking, makes me think of the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz.

SMdA: The main plaza. The whole town looks like Guanajuato, only flatter (a relative term) and more Yuppified.

Taxco: Typical street scene.

"The Bar Mas Bohemia"7-31-06 start 30,120 end 30,332

8-3-06

From your reporter on the ground....8-8-06

Dateline Oaxaca:

The big story here is the "Teacher's Strike". I put that in quotes, because there are clearly a lot more issues at stake than teacher's pay. The main issue seems to be that the protesting faction believes that Oaxaca state governor Ulises Ruiz was elected fraudulantly, in 2004, and they are demanding his resignation. Why it took 2 years to reach this point, I can't say.

8-11-06 My week in Oaxaca is almost up, and while I'm really glad I was here during this time, I am just as glad to be leaving tomorrow. The Spanish school where I took my class organized a trip to Teotilan del Valle, which is a little town east of here that is known for it rug weavers. The most well known weaver here is named Isaac Vasquez, and has had exhibitions all over the world. We got to tour his workshop, where he showed us the techniques they use to weave wool rugs.

I think I'll go to Chiapas, because it's so much safer than where I am now.8-13-06 I never thought I would say, I think I'll go to Chiapas, because it's so much safer than where I am now, but that's what I was thinking as I left Oaxaca. I was headed for San Cristobal de las Casas, but I knew it would be more than I wanted to do in one day. I got out of town at a reasonable hour and made good progress, although the going was pretty slow through the mountains and a bunch of little towns.

Somewhere in Chiapas: Mark and Chantelle, Dutch couple who got a little more adventure than they planned. They seemed fairly civilized, for Europeans ;) They even knew that all Americans don't watch Jerry Springer and vote for George Bush. They do put mayonaise on their french fries, though. Near Ocosingo, Chiapas: I was waylaid by these Chiapan bandidos on the highway. They held a piece of twine across the road, and wouldn't let me pass till I bought oranges from them.

Adios Mexico, Hola Guatemala8-15-06

I took a little walk...8-19-06 to 8-21-06

Prettiest city in Guatemala8-22-06 to 8-25-06 After the big hike to Lake Atitlan, I spent a pretty uneventful day doing laundry, buying a few things and just recovering. That night I went to a presentation on the election controversy in Mexico. If you recall some of my adventures in Oaxaca, you know why I had an interest in what was happening back there. While this talk was mainly on the national election, they did talk about the Oaxaca thing some as well. It was held at a restaurant called Cubatenango, which, not surprisingly, served Cuban influenced food. I had dinner there also.

Final thoughts on AntiguaAntigua is really unlike any other place in Guatemala, whether that is good or bad depends on your point of view. It is touristy, the high end restaraunts have menus in English and prices in dollars. Of course that means you can get a decent cup of coffee and a slice of New York cheesecake anytime you want it, not to mention being able to see the Packers on Monday Night Football at a sports bar, even though the Bengals handed them their asses, but it also means that you aren't seeing what most of Guatemala is like if this is the only place you go.