OK, bear with me on this one, because it's a bit of a rambling question that, I suspect, will only provide subjective answers...

Having come up from Ushuaia we now find ourselves in Ecuador with 2 months remaining before we have to be back at work. Our original plan was to head to New York and ship back to the UK from there (I will not sell the bike, despite the obvious cost saving). I figure 2 months to get from Ecuador to New York would mean going at a fairly good clip - possible, definitely, just not with a lot of time to spare.

Another traveler we met who was heading south suggested that we could fly the bike from Bogota to Miami, which would give us plenty of time to explore Ecuador and Colombia (two countries we really want to see) and then allow us time to explore the US a little more than we had originally planned and spend time in the National Parks, maybe even ride coast to coast, which would be cool.

For various reasons (most of which are probably unfounded!) my wife and I just aren't excited about riding through Central America. I would like to see parts of Mexico (Baja, Copper Canyon), but that's about it. I hate corruption, corrupt cops and shitty border crossings (a speeding ticket puts me in a foul mood for days!).

I'm not so ignorant or prejudiced that I can't appreciate that the central american countries must surely be wonderful and have wonderful people, but my concern is that due to time constraints we'd have to stick mostly to the PanAm and not be able to explore these countries and get a good appreciation of them, thereby balancing out the negative experience of the border and cop hassles that we would surely come across.

There's a part of me that says 'come on fella, it will be an experience to go through that part of the world', but there's another side that thinks 'why put yourself through the hassle - this is meant to be fun' (this is our honeymoon after all!).

I know going straight to America isn't exactly adventurous, especially considering the company I'm in here on the HUBB, but as a new rider riding two up on dirt roads, sand dunes, through rivers and landslides, I feel as if I've had a fair amount of adventure already, and I don't want to spoil a fantastic experience by rushing through a string of countries just to get home. Additionally, I don't anticipate ever being able to have the opportunity to ride coast to coast across America again in my lifetime, so this has a certain draw for me.

Thoughts very much appreciated from those that have been there and done it - if you had your time again would you rather spend it in Ecuador, Colombia and America, or was CA the highlight of your trip?

I loved Mexico and Central America, and when I had to make a choice similar to yours on my return north, I Stahlratted the Gap and rode the rest of the way home. I've been on a bike to all but Belize at least twice, and I'm not sick of it yet. The corruption isn't really that bad (unless you're unlucky and/or practically beg for it, as many riders do), and you can also avoid the worst of it if you want.

On the other hand, I do seem to have a high tolerance for stuff that really irritates some folks, and I am often thoroughly amused by stuff which might make you crazy.

FWIW when weighing your options: You can ride Central America to the US border in two weeks moving steadily but not obsessively. Four weeks allows a fair bit of sightseeing, but you still need to keep thinking about your schedule. Add Colombia and Ecuador and you're more or less out of time.

But riding coast to coast, as you claim you'd like to do.....hmmmm. Starting from Miami? Don't forget you'll have to ride back again if leaving from New York. Don't forget it'll still be winter throughout much of the country, particularly in areas which are actually spectacularly beautiful and contain much of what's worth riding.....twice. You'll be limited to the southern tier, and even so you might get kind've chilly from time to time. April is probably a fine time to visit south of the Mason Dixon line, but in the mountains of the west plus anywhere north of, say, Kansas....not so good, sometimes. The last thing you want is to be a week from your departure date when you run into a blizzard in Wyoming; this has happened to me during May.

Just one more thought: if you're going to skip Central America, ship the bike and yourselves from Colombia to LA, not Miami, then ride across. If you've got an extra couple of weeks, go to Venezuela first or drop down to Copper Canyon from Arizona along the way. That way you'll see some of the American southwest during a good time of year, but still be able to shoot across to the east coast and up to New York without risking much more than cold, wind and rain enroute.

Hope that helps.

Mark

Thanks, Mark.
Helpful as always. I didn't know Bogota - LA was an option. That makes infinitely more sense. And yes, a coast to coast route would have to take in the southern states only during that time of year, so missing Yellowstone, but still getting to see zion, moab etc. Hell, we may even go to Disney Land

Panama to USA border possible in 2 weeks? That's food for thought.

Bugger. I hate indecision.

Jeff's right, of course: there's a half a lifetime of fine riding in Mexico.

Start talking to Mike at Casablanca Hostel in Cali now so that shipping doesn't eat up too much of your available time. Anything is possible: it just depends on the price and how much trouble it takes to make it happen.

But hey, you hate indecision and you hate corrupt cops: what's left?

Mark

yes what a question indeed. One with no real wrong answer. Having just returned to the US from Honduras, I can say that CA and Mex are outstanding rides! Do not worry about what you hear on the news. I never had an issue of note. It depends, for me, what you are looking for. If it is 'riding', the US provides everything you can find anywhere in the world; huge paved highways, small winding roads through the mountains, offroad, mud, gravel, dunes, twisties, rain forests, high deserts, desert floors, huge cities, small towns, etc etc, I don't think there is anything you can't find here on a coast to coast. that being said, the US is a different culture than CA or Mex. But possibly after your first two months in SA it is time for a change anyway. A coast to coast ride across the US can be remarkable, however, a large part of the incredible, the OR and WA coast and mountain passes, the CO mountains, UT and its national parks, yellowstone, Beartooth pass, the Blackhills, the grand Canyon, glacier etc etc, out west may not be accessible at this time of year due to the weather. And in my opinion, having to ride from LA through AZ, and ugh(texas) is not anywhere near my top 20 ways across the country unless you just want to say you did it. So given the time of year, I say enjoy CA, and make sure you save at least a month to get a good feel Mexico, it is a lovely country, with outstanding riding and the people are wonderful.

I'm going to break the trend here with my personal opinion.

I didn't like Central America, and we gave it a fair chance doing mixed back roads and Panam riding. To me when riding in CA I felt like I was in a broken loop: volcano, beach, colonial city, jungle, volcano, beach .... I was actually starting to get sick of our Latin America trip until we arrived in SA (Colombia) and it was like a breath of fresh air. I have enjoyed South America a million times more than CA and if I were to do this trip again I would ship myself and bike straight to SA.

That's my 2 cents.

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Canada to Argentina 2010:http://nomi-beto-adventures.blogspot.com/

Website:www.MotoLara.com

Just noticed you live up the road from me, do you get down to the Dee for a brew or a coffee much on a sunday,

steve

Not recently.....

PM sent

You definitely do not want to ride across Central America in a hurry. I did that and the corruption will start to drive you mad. I swore that I would never ride through Central America again because of the borders. I have never had patience for that type of inefficiency.

I agree with some of the posters above who recommended only exploring 1-2 countries at a time.

From a cost standpoint, if you are wanting to ride South America it is less expensive to ship your bike there directly as opposed to riding it there through CA. The Darien Gap is a $1k hurdle that some riders overlook.

The best way to see South America is to buy another travelers bike in Argentina using photoshop for the paperwork, see a few countries, and then sell the bike for cheap and fly back.

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http://www.journeyrider.net Latin America blog (07-8)

Wow, what a question.

I'm a yank who spent all of 2008 going from SF to Panama and back (RR linked in my sig). I've also been to Alaska and back. I can't judge relative to South America, but I can tell you this:

* Nothing ruins a trip like being in a hurry.

* While I really enjoyed Central America, there is not a single moment I've ever spent on a motorcycle that has come within 10% of the joy I have had riding in Mexico. That country is a motorcycle *paradise*, especially if you stay off the highways. The variety in peoples, cultures, geography, food, drink, architecture... beaches, deserts, jungles, mountains, cities... I really can't rave enough. And it's cheap.

My advice, if you have the $$: Cancel any other plans and fly straight to southern Mexico. Spend all two months there. Forget the US, by comparison it's BORING BORING BORING.

My further advice: Sell the house. Sell the car. Sell the kids. Find someone else. Forget it! I'm never coming back. Forget it!

Jeff

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SF to Panama and back
How I Nearly Killed My Friends In Baja

OK, I'm sold - I'm off to Mexico!
Time is the killer for me. I need to look at your (and others) blogs to see what people can achieve in a certain amount of time and whether it was enjoyable. Thanks for the response.

Sell the house? Two of the most evil words contained in the English language my friend: 'Negative' and 'Equity'. Nothing else to sell, except maybe the wife.....


Edit:

F*ck it. I'm gonna get me some mangoes.

In short, YES.

We took 3.5 months to get from Toronto to Panama, but could have sent longer.

My advice, fly to Panama City (quicker than boat), shoot through Panama and Costa Rica, then enjoy Nicurgua/A small bit of Honduras/ El Salvador.

Give Guatemala a bit of time, then get into Mexico.

Don't worry about tales of corrupt cops etc, we have had no issues. Just do not give them an excuse :-).

At borders, *DO NOT USE* Helper, it will cost you more in time and money.

Mexico rocks, loved it.

I disagree with the US being boring, but it i worth trip in it own right.

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http://www.ytc1.co.uk

Thoroughly enjoyed Central America and Mexico. My favourite countries were Nicaragua, Guatemala and southern Mexico. The only thing that really bugged me were the topes in Mexico. Trip report and pics: Round the World TBSdotCom

cheers
Chris

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