David Crothers ride his motorcycle from Denver, CO to Lima Peru. 15,000 Miles $5000 5 Months and amazing adventures through Latin America. A trip of a life time, I hope you enjoy the film!

Also check out moto video part II

“Update”

Since this was posted on my old website back in March, I have been working on updating the new website. It has come a long way! Let me know what you think!

Brendan and I left Trujillo, Peru and hit the mountains in full force. The roads have been bad and as we climb in elevation the rain comes down harder and the roads get worse. We have seen hot springs, snowy mountains and now we are getting prepared to hike in and do an overnight trip from Huaraz into what looks like a beautiful area.

We have been trying to make it to Caraz, Peru for over a week now, but with rough roads, torrential rain, and getting lost, getting there has been a daunting and seemingly impossible task.

We have taken bad falls from exhaustion, while trying to muscle our way through soggy rugged roads. The cold rain and snow seems to never end, making the journey that much harder. The roads are like quicksand, once my front tire hits the indistinguishable mud; Brendan and I are thrown to the ground. This happens consistently and without warming, and picking the bike up fully loaded with gear is like trying to move a whale. Brendan, at this point, has taken the liberty of walking, and pushes me when I am stuck. He moves at about the same pace I do on the motorcycle. We are both muddy, tired, and the bumps and bruises are the least of my worries; getting out of this heinous weather is all I can think about.

We are a big deal up here to the locals. Everyone stares at us and at times they laugh at our misfortunes. We are not a pretty site, caked with mud head to toe; people take a step back when I approach for directions. But the amusement can’t help but be shared. Smiles and grins are exchanged and I do all I can to see the sunny side of the situation.

The motorcycle has run out of gas twice, we’ve managed to completely rip off one of my touring boxes attached to the side of the motorcycle, and have fallen over several times crossing rivers and streams, leaving all our clothes and contents soaked. We continue the misery down twisting and winding dirt roads, somewhere along the way we made a wrong turn and got lost only to wind up about 3 hours from where we had started the day. We made a huge circle in the mountains, and ended up in the middle of a religious festival in a small Andean Mountain town.

Latin America is full of festivals; every month is the start of something new to celebrate. April just so happens to be a holy month. They celebrate with ear piercing indigenous music, dancing, and parading around drunkenly, though most don’t drink, you do get some sour apples.

We landed ourselves in the middle of these festivities at night and with no where to park. I had no option but to park in the middle of a huge crowd. They were all standing under canopies out of the rain; we were surrounded by people just as dumbfounded as we were. You could almost hear people trying to catch their breath.

Brendan and I quickly dismounted the bike and ran for cover. But it was obvious only after a few minutes no one was willing to help a couple of smelly, wet, muddy gringos. We were forced to mount the bike once again in the rain and head for the next small town to seek shelter. With only my motorcycle spot light to negotiate the mud. On our way out of town we saw someone walking along the road. I could barely make them out. He was dressed in a full black trash bag that was keeping him dry (typical rain gear in small town Peru).

I pulled alongside him and shouted over the rain and motorcycle engine

“Hola, Buenas Noches! Cuanto tiempo hasta el proximo pueblo?” (Hello, Good Evening! How long until the next town?)

He replied, “Three or four hours!”

We continued to shout over to each other for what seemed like hours. I asked if there was a place to stay any closer so we could get out of the cold rain and he offered us his house. It was pretty amazing to dry off and warm up in his home with his family. He insisted on giving us food and warm soup; an offer we could not decline. Out of exhaustion we could not cook for ourselves. We slept well after talking with his curious family and the following morning the clouds broke showing a bright, but brisk, sun. We eventually found our way to Caraz and onto another adventure into the Andean Mountains.

Anyway, I picked Brendan up at the airport on the 16th with a very hospitable couch surfing family I found on couchsurfing.com. If you are not familiar with couchsurfing.com you should check it out. It is a great way to travel on a budget and meet great people at the same time.

Brendan’s first night in town we went to a couch surfing gathering in the old part of Guayaquil called Las Palmas. We had to hike up 270 stairs to get to the place we were going. There was another 500 to go all to get all the way to the top. The gathering was in a small local bar with a great view of the river running around the city. It was a great introduction for Brendan.

We spent a few days in Guayaquil seeing all the cool spots, Malecon 2000 a huge garden next to the river in city, Parque de los Iguanas, a park with a ton of Iguanas, fat Iguanas. It was very nice of Erika to show us around, I think she just loved to drive that’s why she did it and because she enjoyed it as well but mainly because she liked to drive. Erika and her family invited us to spend a couple nights of Carnival in Salinas, Ecuador with them so we agreed, but first we wanted to head to Puerto Lopez where we could hike around a national park for a while. So we headed up the coast and found a nice beach to camp on until the following day. We hike all down around big rocks, through tunnels, found amazing beaches and Miradors (look outs) with outstanding views. You have to see the pictures because there is no way I am able to describe the beauty and tranquility of such a place. After an exhausting and hot day of swimming, cooking, and hanging out on deserted beaches we headed to Salinas to let the party start.

The next day was another full day at the beach prepping for the night to come. I rested, Brendan drank, and walked around. We left the beach only to go to another beach where there were 10 foot waves, at least. We played and got tossed around by the water until the sun went down. On the way back Brendan and I bought a bottle of Zhumir which brought back instantly memories of my ride with Aisha to Lima four years ago. We had the same Zhumir and the same orange juice and the same thing happened. The seal on the orange juice was broken so we drank bad orange juice with crappy Zhumir. Zhumir is sugar cane liquor. The night was crazy once we hit the streets, we hitch hiked into the center hooped into the back of a big truck, foaming  was going on everywhere. I ended up spending $20 just on foam because I was having so much fun. We walked, foamed, got foamed, and laughed like we were little kids in preschool. It feels good to let loose like that once in a while. We finished the night off dancing until the early morning and as soon as I got home I crashed until late afternoon the next day.

After our eventful Carnival in Salinas Brendan and I made our way to Aisha’s host family. They live in Pasaje, Ecuador. It was very nice to see them again. They took us in and took us out to dinner, they are amazing people, I already miss them and I wish I could have spent more time with them. While we were there we went to Machala, and to Jameli, a small Island off the coast of Ecuador. It was crazy we waited in line for about a half hour to get on the boat for a half hour. There were so many people. The beaches are packed during Carnival. Once we got to the Island there was hardly any room to move, loud music, people dancing, drinking, smiling, it was a great vibe and we fit right in. It is hard not to with all the excitement. We spent a while, swimming and picking coconuts from trees and drinking the juice before we made our way to the line for getting off the island. The line got intense people were getting angry yelling pushing, at one point we were getting crammed at the entrance, not very safe, but we were just laughing and cheering. Everyone thought we were crazy, and we were.

After an eventful Carnival experience in Ecuador it was time to finally get to Peru, where we wanted to spend the majority of our trip. We are trying to head to the mountains and still are trying to head into the mountains but it just seems like it’s taking forever. Like I said we have been sick for the last 3 nights and 4 days, so it has put a big stall in getting anywhere. Well we crossed into Peru making our first stop in Mancora, a lively beach town, a lot livelier then from the last time I was there. We spent a night there and made our way to couchsurf in Chiclayo, Peru. Once we arrived in Chiclayo that’s when all the fun started. We hadn’t eaten anything but two pieces of bread so while we waited for Yuli, our couch host we ate some Tamalies from the street on an empty stomach. 3 hours later, I was rolling around on the floor telling Brendan how sick I was feeling. Brendan being Brendan, ignored my pleading and moaning, and brushed it off by later telling me he thought if I just went to bed I would be fine in the morning. Well later that night he came crawling into the living room from outside moaning himself. We spent the whole night sharing the bathroom trying to filter water with fevers, mixing up chlorine water because it was quicker and thinking it might kill whatever is in the stomach. Well it all just ended up coming back up anyway. Yesterday was the first day in about 4 days I felt good enough to do anything, after two days of bathroom running I took the window and we hit the road for a three hour ride to Trujillo. I just want to thank Yuli and her family very much for taking care of us the way they did. They gave us medicine, juice; whatever we needed it was there. If it hadn’t been for them Brendan and I would be praying to the porcelain god still, probably completely helpless.

Once in Trujillo I was getting tired and sick of the traffic, and Brendan was feeling sick again. I was trying to find a place to put us up for the night but no luck. So we tiffed it a bit and sat in the park until a guy on a bike came over to us and offered us a place to stay. He takes in bikers from around the world and competes in Tour de Peru. His name is Luis and the name of his place is Casa de Cycletas. This guys is a serious bicyclist with tons of information for any traveler, this is a must stop for anyone traveling this way by bike, moto, or even backpack. We loaded my bike in his house; I tuned it up and took a rest. Later that night he invited us out to go dancing we agreed but then Brendan felt sick again, so I went alone. It was a lot of fun, I got to see my first live Salsa band, the music was loud and a lot of fun.

We are leaving Trujillo in a few hours to finally make our way into the mountains for a week or so. I hope all is well and I hope everyone enjoys the photos!

I left Cali and slowly made my way to Bogota through the Mountains, exploring a cloud forest with palm trees some as high as  50 feet. I rode through a national parque with spectacular waterfalls and rough roads. I camped out on a farm and stayed with the family who took me in and fed me. I was so grateful, one of the kids was sick, and I noticed they weren’t wearing any socks. They next morning I gave two pairs of socks to the family, and gave each child a coin of where I had traveled, some sun glasses with no lens, and thought them some English. It was a great experience for me to see how the farmers live on these small fincas, growing their own food, I got to have freshly picked potatoes, potato soup, and milk still warm from the utters of the cows. I didn’t mind freezing my butt off sleeping in my tent because the next morning when I was the snowy capped mountains, gave the kids there gifts and saw how happy they were, made it worth it. The milk alone made it worth it. The next day I rode on a rough road for several hours until I got to a nice paved road that would take me to Bogota where I would meet Aisha a few days later.

Once Aisha finally arrived, we didn’t waste any time getting to the north of Colombia. She wanted the beach, so we took the long two day ride getting there. It was nice to have someone on the back of the bike; it can get pretty lonely at times.

Our first destination was Taganga, a small fishing beach town off the Caribbean Coast. The water was so blue and clear, it was paradise for sure. We spent a couple days there wondering the beaches, visiting Playa Grande, eating and cooking fish. The coast is a pretty busy part of Colombia. I believe it is where most the tourism is and I can understand why because it is so beautiful.

After getting sick of hammocks and beer, we made our way to Tayrona National Parque but stopped about a quarter of the way there. Clouds covered the area, and strong winds turned us around. We talked to a couple who said they were there for two days and it had not stopped raining. Not wanting to get wet I suggested we make our way to Cartagena, Colombia. It is labeled to be the most romantic city in all of Latin America.

It is a very nice and beautiful place, right on the coast. We got to see many of its beaches, talked to some sailboat captains, and visited the Old Walled City. The Old City is very beautiful full of restaurants, and shops, the buildings have been restored to what I imagine to be there original state. It was a great city to visit with someone you love.

Aisha and I ended our trip together on the beach of Playa Blanca about two hours south of Cartagena. A beautiful white sandy beach, the water and wind were rough so we walked to where it was calmer and swam. The next morning we started the dreadful two day ride back to Bogota.

When we arrived we only had one day left to spend in Bogota, so we walked around the city all day, and had a great dinner at a local Italian Restuarante, where they made their own pasta. The next morning, everything happened very quickly, her cab came and she was gone, I was a little taken back because at one moment I had somebody to finally share all these amazing things I am seeing and the next I am alone. I got kicked out of the room I was in because they had someone else lined up to take it. So instead of taking my time to leave Bogota, I left about an hour after she did.

Back on the road, Colombia never fails to amaze me. I made my way to La Plata, a small farming mountain town, where I stayed until I could cross into an Andean Mountain Pass the following morning. Before I left Bogota I asked around to get information on the route I was going to take. I wanted to head south directly from Bogota instead of crossing paths with the same way I had arrived in Bogota. The route I had planned I was told had high Guerrilla activity, but I was confidant I wouldn’t have any problems and with the rumors that are spread around down here, I said I would make my decision once I got there, and in fact the route I planned was perfectly safe. After talking to several people in La Plata and being told it was a beautiful road, I felt confident enough to take it. It was rainy at times but there were plenty of waterfalls, mountainous meadows, cliff faces, and spectacular views to take my mind off the rain.

Once I made it over the pass and back to the main road I stopped to get gas and food in a small town. As my bike was getting filled, I went inside a small market to see if they had food. They did indeed but not for the public, just fruit, candy and drinks, but they were making food for themselves and they offered me a plate for free.

It was just a mother and her 20 year old son. I was delighted by the offer. Hungry and tired, I politely accepted. It was nice chatting with Daniel and his mother about Colombia. The politics of their country and why people think it is so dangerous when in fact it is probably one of the safest countries in all of Latin America. We chatted for about an hour before we exchanged emails and I was on my way. I would have stayed longer but I was pushing to the border that was still five hours or so away, and being one o’clock I knew I was going to cross at night.

I finally arrived at the border with a little day light left and the crossing went very smoothly. I was in and out in about an hour. I made my way to Tulcan, where I got chicken soap with three chicken feet in it and stayed in a bed that must have been used several times because it smelled so bad I pulled everything off and slept in my sleeping bag.

Up early the next morning I headed to Quito, the ride was amazing, deeply cut mountainous valleys and canyons. Some of the canyons were inhabited; others were so deep you couldn’t see all the way to the bottom from where the road was. It was sunny, the roads were nice, and I felt great. The roads were smooth twisty and very scenic. When I started to enter into Quito, Ecuador I saw another biker and honked until I caught his attention. We met and chatted quickly at a red light, he was passing through to some place south and I was going to stay in Quito because I had some time to kill before Brendan got here. We talked and then the light turned green and we separated, I pulled off to get to Amazonas Ave. and find a hostel but immediately got stopped by traffic. I rode up on the sidewalk, cut some people off and headed south out of the city. I hate traffic and decided maybe I will go to the same place as Patrick from Ireland is going. Turns out he was trying to get to Cuenca. We arrived here yesterday after riding though the worst weather I have seen yet. Cold, rainy, foggy weather all day. The rain has stopped now but it is cool and cloudy. Cuenca is an amazing place, I am thinking about talking to some schools here about getting a job teaching for a little while, save some money then continue, but we’ll see. Brendan gets here in two days and we are heading into Peru for three weeks, should be a blast. I just hope the weather clears up.

Well I made it! It all came together last minute and before I knew it I was on a cargo boat (not a cargo ship) to Colombia. I overheard a guy (Zach) talking to reception at Luna’s Castle, a hostel in Casco Viejo which is a part of Panama City. He was asking about boats and was wondering if they had any information. It was the same answer everywhere, no boats were going anywhere because of holidays and the sea was bad. I chimed in and said I had been to Colon, which was a dead end as well.

The day before I had taken the train into Colon because I was nervous about riding the motorcycle there, getting lost, and potentially getting mugged. With so many rumors surfacing about Colon, I didn’t want to take any chances. Colon is not a nice place and I wouldn’t recommend going there unless you have too. Nonetheless, the train ride was nice. The tracks go from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast in an hour. Not too many people can say they have gone from coast to coast in one day.

After exploring my options in Colon, and checking out pier 5 where all the cargo boats float in and dock, I was told there were no boats for a month because of holiday. Although I did discover, after I left about how to find more information on cargo boats running on the Atlantic side. If anyone is interested in taking this route you can contact Germain Perez, a Kuna Indian who sells tours to the San Blas Islands. His phone number is 6734-3454. Also if you are interested in this Route via Colon to Turbo check out this website, it has a lot of detail From USA to Venezuela , solo motorcycle trip. The guy who runs the website is Claude and he is very helpful. If you are looking to sail around the Darien Gap check these websites out Sailing from Panama to Colombia with Hostel Mamallena, Backpacker Hostel Wunderbar – Home. They have information on their sites about all the captains sailing in the area.  This thread has also been helpful for some Shipping a Motorcycle from Panama to Colombia.
Anyway, back to crossing the Darien Gap on the Pacific Side. After I met Zach, I chatted with him about boat options. He said he was going to the pier about 500 feet from the hostel to check on a boat that was apparently full. I tagged along for support and to see for myself. Once we arrived at the pier, the docksmen said it was full, so we requested a chat with the captain. We got the name of Marco who over saw all the boat operations. We waited around on a bench and struck up a conversation with a guy next to us who just so happened to be the brother of the captain of the boat we wanted to take. The boats name was La Victoria, it is a small boat with not to much room but it gets you where you want to go and we were told it was the only boat that ran this route. I don’t know how true that is. Marco’s brother negotiated a price of $110 for the motorcycle and $20 per passenger and then called Marco. We could have gotten the price lower if the boat had not been full. Marco said it was full, but his brother said we wanted on the boat, so he agreed. We were on!

Once we got our passage the rest of the day was filled with buying food, and getting ready for the long trip. We loaded the bike on the boat, which was very stressful for me. They tied a huge iron cable around the middle of the bike and were going to swing the bike into the boat. I protested loudly because it would have dropped 8 ft or so hit the boat and potentially fallen into the sea. The tide was low so the boat was about 8 ft. lower then the dock. I was screaming at the guy pulling my bike with the lift to stop, and eventually he did. We devised a new plan where 5 guys in the boat held out a plank and another rope was tied to the rear of the bike. With this system the bike could slowly work its way under the lift they were using so it didn’t swing and damage anything. I was pleased with the method and the bike landed in the boat safely.

After the bike was in the boat we had some time to kill so I cooked hard boiled eggs and plantains for the trip. It was a good idea to shop and cook for ourselves because otherwise we would have gone pretty hungry. Once on the boat we had a long hot and cramped ride to Jaque, Panama where we would have a layover for a day. On the boat ride we got to see dozens of dolphins, a whale blowing water at us, tuna jumping out of the water so high you could almost grab them, and my favorite, manta rays jumping out of the water trying to fly like sea birds. It was awesome to see this things jumping rippling its wings and a small tale and then slap back down on top of the water.

Once we arrived to Jaque, Panama the sea was crazy and the waves were bouncing the boat all around. There was no way I was letting the bike off the boat into a little lancha boat. A lancha is a small boat with a small out board motor. So the captain agreed to keep it on the boat until the following day. We met some captains once we got off the lancha, and the lancha ride costs about $3 from the boat to the main land. After talking to a few captains we went to a hotel and crashed pretty hard since our beds on the boat were not so comfortable.

The next morning we woke up and went to immigration. The day before we had to check in with the police and they kept our passports for some reason, not really sure why but they said we could pick them up at immigration in the morning. So at immigration we had to tell them what boat we were going on before we could get our stamps and passports. When we went to solidify things with the captains we learned one captain went and got my bike from the boat already. I was pissed, so we waited until he showed up and I gave it to him in the broken Spanish I know. So he said we couldn’t ride with him. His name was Camaron, shrimp in Spanish. We said ok we didn’t want to ride with him anyway. We went to talk to a different Captain and he said we could go with him for $100 for the bike and $30 per passenger. These boats are small boats with a small out board motor. This is where the bike got beat pretty bad, with a lot of scratches, and minor damage. If anyone is looking to do this trip don’t expect to have a nice shinny bike after and if you are on a time schedule don’t take this route because it could take up to 10 days maybe longer depending on the boat schedules. So we loaded the bike into the boat and headed out to Jurado, Colombia. It was a short ride only an hour and a half, but a little nerve racking. The sea was wild and we had to get over the breakwater with huge swells coming into the boat. I was scared for my motorcycle most of the trip. Once on the open sea some of the waves were about 10 feet high and you couldn’t see the horizon anymore. The boat was catching air, rocking up and down. It was a true test of keeping myself under control. On a good note the coast line was beautiful, with fresh water waterfalls landing right into the ocean, water caves, fish jumping out of the water, deserted palm tree beaches, it was spectacular. I was relived to make it to Jurado, Colombia. We had to cross into another breakwater area with huge crashing waves bouncing the boat all over the place. I have to hand it to the guys who handle these boats; they know how to get them through anything. We got the bike off the boat but not before breaking my tool case on the bottom of my bike and a reflector on the front fork. Once we got onto the Island of Jurado, we checked into the police station and we told we could camp on the beach behind the station. We made friends with the police which eased our stay. We ended up staying and waiting for the boat for 7 days. There isn’t much to do in Jurado, so we tried to entertain ourselves with chatting with the police, exploring the island, hunting down coconuts, and just going crazy.

Finally the boat arrived it is called Correo Del Mar (runner of the sea) and we were on our way to Buenaventura, Colombia. The ride cost about $45 for the bike and $60 for passengers. It was a long 28 hour ride, but it felt great when we saw Buenaventura in site. Once we arrived into port it was late so the captain let us stay the night on the boat even though it is prohibited by the coast guard. We got the bike off the boat with a lift the next morning I made my way to get stamped and get my import papers. I got my stamp but the Transit Department was closed, so I went to see if I could get a note from the police saying I was ok to ride to Cali. I didn’t get the note but I got to meet the Chief of Police. He took me everywhere imaginable to get my papers on a Saturday. It didn’t happen and I couldn’t find any place to get insurance. They told me I would be fine to get to Cali. One of them called his friends that work the route between Buenaventura and Cali and told him I was on my way to Cali and not to give me any problems. He described what I looked like and the bikes make up. I don’t know how well it worked but I didn’t have any problems getting here. I am now at Casa Blanca Hostel, it is a motorcycle hostel. I am happy to take a break.

I have been in the city a few days now and think it is one of the best cities I have been in yet. There is a lot of construction going on and new development all over the place. It is for sure a booming area. As for its neighbor Colon, not so much of a booming area. It is very poor and decrepit. Buildings falling apart, people look like they want to kill you, or see what you have in your pockets. It is a city that you don’t want to make a wrong turn in. So hearing all the bad news about Colon I thought it would be best to take the train in rather then ride the bike get lost and robbed. The train ride was amazing, we followed to canal from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Not to many people can say they have see both oceans in one day! Once in Colon I hopped in a cab and rode around the city to various ports with no luck on finding a boat. I am glad I went to Colon, but also glad I know it is not a place I want to visit alone or at night. The cab driver was just filling my head with all sorts of horror stories about how police don’t even try and stop assaults or run in to buildings after people because they just get shot. So needless to say, Colon is not an area you want to get lost in.
Yesterday as I was writing everyone who has helped me out while I was trying to find a boat and letting them know I was just going to fly. In the process of writing I was over hearing a conversation of a guy looking for a boat and about to go to Colon to check on some boats there. Since I had taking the train to Colon a couple days again I knew it was a dead end. So I chimed in and started talking to him. Next thing I know we were headed down to the port 100 yards away from the hostel trying to find a boat that was apparently full. If I have learned anything about this Latin America, it is if you have the money anything can happen. So with a few bribes we were on the boat, with the motorcycle as well. I also said by to the BMW riders last night over a beer in Panama City. It was sad to say by but we have made plans to meet up again in Montreal. They are on a bit of a time schedule and now in South America it is time for me to slow my trip down a bit. As of now I am waiting for my boat to leave and take me on the first leg of my voyage to South America. Once on the other side.I will write everyone and post pictures.

The ride through Costa Rice was beautiful and full of rainy cold weather. 3000 meters up on a mountain pass gets pretty cold especially when it is down pouring. We pushed through to make it somewhere nice for Christmas Eve. It was worth the push, after leaving Dominical and having a nice dinner with the guys Christmas Eve, we rode the beautiful coast of Costa Rica. The beaches were nice and clean, the roads were smooth. The tropical forest there and here in Panama comes straight down to the water, so when you look down the coast line you see nothing but unspoiled beaches, for the most part. We would have stayed longer in Costa Rica if it had not been twice as expensive as every other country in Central America. In some cases it is more expensive then the US. So with money being of concern we pushed to Panama. It felt great to get into Panama, the last leg of Central America. I felt pretty accomplished having made it this far.
Panama has been great so far but you cant really say bad things about spending time on a tropical island with beautiful beaches. I am now in Bocas Del Toro, a group of tropical islands off the Caribbean coast  of Panama. Getting here was an adventure in its self. After we crossed the border we still had a ways to go in order to make it to the ferry. Everyone was tired and it was getting late, so Miako suggested we stay at a cabin along the way, we saw was for rent. Mark and I wanted to keep going but I was also ok for staying, because the cabin and scenery reminded me of Vermont. So Maiko and Mark got into an argument and so we headed into the dark to cross the mountains in order to get to the coast. Once we neared the top of the pass it was almost dark, the wind was whipping hard, it was raining, and the fog was so thick I couldn’t see Maiko in front of me. Water was rushing over the rode, there were cones in the rode around parts where the pavement has been washed out and down the sides of the mountains. The road was in horrible shape, we took it slow, riding through it all. Maiko took off way ahead of us and Mark and I didn’t see him until the next morning on the ferry. Mark and I rode into a sketchy town, were people were celebrating Christmas by drinking and smashing bottles and being sketchy. We looked for a hotel but no luck, getting worried about our safety under the shadows of night I found a police officer and talked to him. He escorted us to a hotel, but it didn’t have any parking, so he told us of a place in the next town over, right next to the police station. When we arrived there we happily parked our bikes and took a room in order to get out of the rain. Wet and tired we both just hopped in bed, wishing of sweet dreams that never came. The power kept going out because we had the fan going and every time we wanted to turn on the light the breaker would blow. Needless to say the hotel we slept at was not the Hilton by any means, but hey I am in it for the adventure. The next day we got up rode through another downpour, but made just in time for the ferry. Had we stayed in the cabin I don’t think we would have made it in time for the ferry, so we were lucky to have caught it when we did. Bocas Del Toro is amazing, and we plan to stay here until January 2nd then head to Panama City. The last hurdle for Central America is getting to Colombia, that is going to be an adventure. I can already tell!

I started to play dumb, messing up my Spanish, answering the wrong questions, so on and so on. Eventually I was given back my license not before threats of keeping it and mailing it to the capital where they would hold it for 2 weeks if I didn’t a fine. I played dumb and they laughed at me for not knowing Spanish and eventually I was on my way. Once I made it to Managua, I phoned Dan and Hannah, and we met at Rodney’s and Gio House. Rodney and Gio are their friends they were staying with, a very nice couple, very welcoming and helpful. We went out and met some of their friends and went to a great market. I was very tired from the night before so I wasn’t all that much fun. The dinner was great, we had pork sandwiches, that Rodney made. The next morning I saw them off and headed to Granada to meet up with the BMW riders once again. We explored Granada for a few days and then headed to a volcanic Island off the coast of Lago De Nicaragua, called Ometepe. Two volcanoes make up the Island, one is not active, but the other still makes some movement now and then. We toured around the Island a bit before we made our last stop in San Juan Del Sur, off the Pacific Coast. Here we will be surfing and relaxing before our final push to Panama. The beach is amazing, surfing the Americas!