Here are the pics. Attachment 16196Attachment 16197Attachment 16198Attachment 16199Attachment 16200

Well that was another eventfull week. From dallas to austin there was nothimg much to say about the road but a very big gas station (More than hunderd pumps)and a little detour at a tire shop for a rear tire of mine. Attachment 16211 Attachment 16212 As i was trying to fix my blinkers, mitch went in the shop and came back outside telling me that i need to hurry up because there was a probably mispriced tire that would fit my rim and i could get for a good deal (40 bucks). Back on our way with the tire we arrived in austin where we were received with a couple of beers by caleb and jackieAttachment 16214Attachment 16213. As we had cooled down from our day ride in the texan sun we decided to go to a creek. In the dark we decided to walk in what we perceived as something that had more the appearance of a sewer system. So there you find yourself in the middle of the night crawling to a water stream that felt more like going thru other peoples backyard. How did i and up here? How can you imagine that visting austin will be something like that.

After a good shower the next morning we departed for the last day in the US to cross the border in aville. Again there is not much to say about texas roads but straight lines without anything for 60 miles as you cross the kings ranch. After a quick belt replacement on mitch bike on a parking lot Jules and his wife gave us a warm welcome and a last taste of being in the US.

It had finally arrived:
The first border crossing with the bike. I heard so many storries and was quite worried. Once on the other side i did not want to stop for a least 100 miles. The paperwork was a piece of cake although i did tell the officer that i was planning to stay in mexico for a month probably and after some pressure from mitch he agreed to give me a longer 180 day visa. Attachment 16215
I got a nice shiny sticker to put on the bike and within two hours we where back on the road. After riding for a while we figured we needed gas and before that we needed money. Close to the border there are not many gas stations and even less atms. Next city over was san fernando that seemed to be big enough to have an atm. After riding thru having crossed a few armored trucks and finding a place to exchange money we decided to quickly get out.
Getting out of the city as fast as we could we did not stop for gas or food and figured that a the next town would be nicer. Only to figure out that going north west from San farnando is a very isolated area. Mitch had to get some gas in somebodies backyard otherwise we would not have made to china were we found a gas station. As the gps mitch had was not giving much information i though it would be usefull to buy paper maps at the first opportunity as getting lost here was not an experience i was looking forward to. Trying to get to Lineras that day we ended up in Montemorelos. At that point mitch discovered his suspension had a funny noise. Luckily we came across a member of a motorcycle club that brought us to his shop and helped mitch welding the parts togehter. It was funny to see how fast one can change his opinion about a region within a day. Attachment 16216
We ended up drinking some beers with local bikers and mitch went to a drag race later that night. The next day i was eager to leave again as i was surprised from the prices and was looking forward to stay in a hostel were i could meet fellow travellers that i can understand.

As we passed Linares the temperature finally dropped a bit and we rode along a nice road in the mountains. Attachment 16217Attachment 16218
We found the road between monterrey and san luis de potosi were we ended up staying that night. Attachment 16219Thinking we were doing a fair amount of distance we met some bikers on the road that were travelling to Leon which was another good five hours extra riding in the rain/dark.
Feeling relieved that i made it to the hostel as my bike was starting to making funny noises. Iuliana opened the door for us and i, still afraid of my bike getting stolen, was happy to find my bike parked in the court.

The next day i figured that fixing the valves would solve the noise problem and i needed to buy a feeler gauge to measure the spacing at the valves. Attachment 16220. Adjusting the valves was another lesson in mechanics and as the engine seemed to be working smoothly we figured to make the rear wheel turn to see if rattling noise at high rpm could be reproduced. By engaging the first gear i realized that i did not need to turn the rpms Further up and that the u-joints of the drive shaft were broke which meant i had to stay some time getting parts.
After taking apart the bike to isolate the drive shaft i figured to let it rest for a day and go see the waterfalls in Tamul.

David and Chrissie, i met in the hostel, had prepared food for lunch and we took off early that morning with the rental car. Five hours later we arrived at the waterfalls. Attachment 16221Attachment 16222Attachment 16223
On our way back in the dark we ended up riding for a longer time than expected but luckily david had a great amount of french music we could listen too and enough to talk about. Unfortunatly david and chrissie had to take a bus that night and continue their journey.

I was back at my broken bike and with the newly acquired tools i was able to get the shaft completely off the bike. Attachment 16224Attachment 16225With the part in hand and some help from alejandro i headed down to the best biker garage in town and was driven and helped around town to get the part fixed instead of ordering it. As i was thinking of probably having to stay for a week, they told me that they will have it fixed by the next day. I am very much looking forward to what the result will be tomorow. With all the problems i have had i start to think that going on a bike ride the best thing is probably to break down. I pushes you to ask for help from people you would otherwise not interact with and makes you discover how nice people are.

Glad some amigos are out there helping you out. Nice waterfall, what is it called?... Anyway, thanks for sharing an awesome trip with us couch adventurers, ride on my friend!

D.L.C.L - @motopoet

The waterfalls are called cascade de tamul. There is three of them should have taken more time to visit them. I plan to stay in san luis de potosi for another month and work at the garage shop for a while to learn some mechanical skills and Spanish. I really recommend this guy gallo if you have a big bike stuck in san luis

Hi Bram!
 

Bram, so glad I checked in on the blog to catch up on your adventures! I think it is amazing that you are doing this, and with all the obstacles so far... it is so true what you have said about adverse circumstances: they force you to interact with people you may not have otherwise, and it shows you how nice they are. Despite all your troubles it looks like the journey is already teaching you some valuable lessons (and mechanical skills!)

Kudos to you, man. Spend more time at the waterfalls and smelling the roses along the way. Will look forward to reading more.
big hug
Brynna

Fixing a bike mexican style requirements: coffee, a postive mindset, and patience is all. Attachment 16337 Attachment 16336
Did i say patience? Yes as i am doing this trip and becoming a whole new person ^^. I happen to have plenty of patience as one of my new strong points now. Right before i was going to give up fixing the bike myself; the part was not fixed the way i liked and got the feeling i was going to be stuck in SLP for a couple more weeks the mecanices managed to grease the u-joints as i hoped and i had been able to puzzle the bike together with a liter of coffee and some grease. I got some assistance from evan and gregg whom gave me some feedback on the concerns i had over the internet. Next thing was a test ride to the garage shop where i arrived with a couple of heineken beers in the paniers. A lot of people here know where holland is and as you try to get the conversation around football and international championships thereof; weed and heineken beer are usefully a common topic of conversation. Occasionally you come across people who have been to Amsterdam and you end talking about the red light district. So this explains the reason i bought red star bottled canal water in Mexico. Weed was not something i could come across easily and a hooker would hardly fit in the panier. When you illegaly drink a beer together on the street on the middle of the day with police man watching: Attachment 16342
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To be continud when i got uploading the pics sorted out again

Finally i can upload pics and continue my blog.

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The last couple pictures were from shopping with the people of the hostel for materials needed to decorate the hostel for dia de muertos. I am really greatfull they have involved me in this traditional celebration. This is a wonderfull aspect of travelling ;meeting the people warm and proud of their city/country that they seem to enjoy helping you discover it too the full extend. In san luis potosi at the hostal corazon de xoconostle they certainly give you the possibility to fully dicover the region. I have been thinking about studying spanish in san miguel but before we left i decided that i rather come back to san luis potosi. I had calculated that staying in san miguel de allende would be all together more expensive. I also asked at the bike shop if i could help out in the afternoon to which the owner agreed so this would mean i will be able to keep myself busy for the full day.

First a nice week in san miguel de allende where i was driving too with chriss. Curious about riding my bike again we arrived san miguel without trouble to find an historical old town with plenty of steep streets with nasty stones to ride on. Joe has generously offered me to stay in his house which after some rounds thru a busy city was found on top of probably the steepest hill in town. I gladly parked my bike for a couple days and was amazed by the view and comfort available in the house.

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Chriss and i met with mitch and we had a nice self made dinner while talking about the travel plans we all had.

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The stay in the house was reminding me that this trip really is a huge vacation as well. Besides the house i would lie if i said i had a great experience in san miguel de allende. The town is really interesting and i would recommend people to make a stop there but i felt like i had ended up in the united states once again. There is a Starbucks and the food is priced just for you as a tourist. The people in the streets are mostly tourist and at any moment i had the impression that people where trying to make more money out of us than necessary. Once you have this idea in your mind it is hard to change this and things do no seem to get better. On top of this chris got his phone stolen which did not help to improve this perception. By Friday i wanted to get back and we headed back to san luis potosi. I could find my way around better in san luis potosi and we spend some days to get chriss his gps ready for central america. As we had discovered it is hard to find your road with just an ipod without internet. For me this meant buying a paper map that could not run out of signal or battery and also is a great starting document to discuss your travels plan with local people.

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As i was wandering around in San luis on Saturday night for entertainment i came across a group of street artists of some clowns that made people laugh and seemed a great entertainment for the children. I had of course not a clue what they where talking about but though, what a great way of spending your saturday night instead of watching some Saturday night live show on Television.
As i took a this picture to remind myself of this example of good quality of live i had the unfortunate luck off become part of the entertainment.

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-Hey you Guaro whats your name?
-Bram
- Que ??

Before i was aware i was no longer part of the audience but trying to make my name understandable using my hand and feet next to a clown in the middle of the plaza. It's really fun making a spectacle when you have no idea what people are talking about and are laughing at but i figured that i could not care less. The clown found me a girlfriend in the audience with whom he wanted me too sensually dance with and showed me how to make a dog with balloons. I have no idea why but i turned out to have a balloon that seemed impossible to inflate which made it only more embarrassing for me and more enjoyable for the audience. Once i told him where i came from we smoked half a churros to represent smoking a joint. Unfortunately being able to legally smoke weed is the thing we should be most proud of about as dutch.

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After this experience my trip had taken a positive turn again. That monday chriss left as he fixed his GPS and i started my spanish classes at the university a couple blocs from the hostal.
In the afternoon i helped out in the bike shop cleaning the bikes and doing some maintenace work on bikes while praticing my spanglish.

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I learned that before ordering new parts for a bike from the manufacturer there is always a Mexican way to get the job done faster with a hammer some silicone and glue. I sadly discovered that with some gasoline you could perfectly clean your air filter instead of carrying your expensive air filter all the way from Boston.

In the weekend i got to swim in tamasopo at beautiful waterfalls in a environment that reminded me of a tropical swimming pool back home but instead het the slides and dives where carved by nature. The most amazing thing about this place is the story of a girl that was explaining that a long time ago Tamasopo was the home of mountain elephants. She made a really detailled description of how they lived there in the middle of the jungle. Who could imagine elephants lived in the middle of a mountainous jungle.

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So many good experiences have to be balanced with some things that put you back to reality and last night i was finally pulled over as i was driving in the wrong direction thru a one way street. The cop wanted to see my papers and as i had not taken them with me for the first time (really), i imagined myself going to the police station and having my bike towed to a obscure car lot. The cop was able to use one word of english: CASH. Luckily i only carried 120 pesos on me. After almost kissing me in order to check my breath on the trace of any alcohol he sadly accepted my contribution to his Christmas savings that he could give to his chief to hope for promotion next year. I must say that after some instructions how to drive in Mexico i had a smile on my face that was worth a least paying double that much money. With all the scenarios i had imagined if this would happen this was the best one, of course i was lucky but i later understood he was bluffing when he was telling me he was going to town my bike away as that would have been illegal. Besides riding a in the wrong way not having your papers on you is not a crime in itself. Making a statement would only have resulted in a bigger fine for driving in the wrong direction. It might be unjust from my perspective but hey! this how the system works here and i did not come here to change the system.

Bram, haven't heard from you in a while. How are things? Any updates for us couch surfers?

Hope all is well my friend!

D.L.C.L. - @motopoet
www.themotopoet.wordpress.com
~Ride on, Blink Slow~

Last I heard, Bram was still in San Luis Potosi learning Spanish, motorcycle mechanics and dating local chicas. Not sure which order

Boston to Buenos aires
 

Yes i am still busy doing that. Got a drive shaft problem which i fixed temporarily. I ordered a part online and i will waiting for that one more week. Will give a more detailed update as i leave

Ahorita: the space of time defined between now and never. Most things will be done in mexico ahorita. That does not mean you have to wait indefinitely but when the people feel like doing it.

So i have learned a live lesson. When do you continue your trip? or when do you update your blog? The answer is ahorita; when i feel doing it.

My drive shaft still gave me some worries. So i took it apart again and greased it again and to be sure ordered an extra drive shaft online. But when does it get delivered? Of course ahorita, nobody would be able to tell you. And then when i decided to leave without waiting for the part to, it was there last friday. Maybe i will be carrying a spare drive shaft all the way to Argentina without using it but at least i will not have to wait for the part too be shipped if the drive shaft breaks again.

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The past couple of days has been quit similar; drinking beer, going camping and wandering in the city.

On one of the trips i was finally able to help an other motorcyclist out with his bike. Alejandro's bike had the bolt of his clutch lever that got loose. As i turns out by now i am a riding mechanic shop and if you need a bolt that you do not carry with you there is always a bolt that you can unscrew and miss for a couple hunderd kilometers.

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We visited the caves north of san luis potosi where Alenjandro went climbing frequently. The ride there was amazing and two weeks later we decided to go back and camp there in the middle of the desert. A great and cold experience in december.

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Back in the city some students and professors of the school took me on a night visit thru the old buildings that are thought to be haunted.

At the garage i kept learning spanish and about motorcyles. At some point we went to a guy that refurbished radiators that also breaded roosters for fights. It is funny to see how a calm and petting animal will turn aggressive when he sees another rooster.

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Thru the HUBB i got in contact with two other beamer riders Matt and Brian. Tomorrow i will head to brians place in toluca and continue from there on with them towards costa rica.

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Ow and i came across gustavo who is drive from ecuador to florida to see his daughter.

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I needed to meet him before leaving further south as he had amazing stories about honduras and guatamala. Camping in the middle of the capital of honduras and meeting people that take 4 hours of their day to be sure that you are helped out. I start to think that once i am in honduras people will start warning me about Colombia or another country i will be crossing: fear of the unknown that is all it is. It is crazy to see how much people have that fear which is most of the time not well argumented. Of course you have to be careful and be aware of the risk. But if you stay humble and do not approach everybody like if he is going to screw you over most people are very open and helpful.

Okay now it is time to get the rest of my stuff ready and sadly leave san luis and the people behind.

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It has been a long time since my last update. Maybe its because i have hardly found time to sit down and focus on one thing for more then an hour. Every day has been an unexpected adventure and at this point traveling has really become living in the moment. Leaving San Luis Potosi i was heading down to Toluca to meet with Brian and Matt that i have met previously and who were planning to head down south to Guatemala and Panama as well. It was the first day since United states i had to travel on my own again. Maybe Mexico is not the ideal place to travel by yourself but by now i had gained enough confidence about the safety issues in latin America that i did not see many problems in doing the trip alone. One advantage when on your own you have a complete freedom to choose where to go, when to leave and when to stop for a break. My guia roja (Mexican michelin road map) was great to find my way down to Toluca where i got to without problem. In the city i had to ask my way around to find Brians place where i found his wife opening the door. The great thing with staying with people who like long distance traveling on a motorcycle is that you have a lot of topics to talk about. Traveling, motorcycle gear, and of course the bike and all the problems you can encounter. Most importantly the several solutions one could find for each problem. Brian made me understand what owning a BMW motorcycle really means. I all comes down to; BMW: turning motorcycle owners into motorcycle mechanics since 1950. The most common answer you will get for one of your doubts about that rattling noise or strange vibration on any BMW is: They all do that. And thus after staying another day at his place collecting equipment for Brains trip later that week i left Toluca with the assurance that my bike would keep giving me worries all the way to South America and i will have to start learning to live with it.

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I was heading to Oaxaca that day and kept in mind that i would probably have to stay in Puebla for a night as Mexico city would be challenging to cross without turning around and getting lost a couple times. Again every day is an adventure and you never know where you end up for the night. Brian had given me a turn by turn direction and we crossed Mexico City with google street maps indicating exactly where to make turn and in which lanes to stay to be ready for the next exit. At this point i am still surprised by the accuracy of his description and how i perfectly could follow his explanation. I crossed the city in a record time and was in Puabla around 1pm so i decided to make it all the way to Oaxaca which was very doable on the nice Cuota roads.

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Oaxaca is an amazing city with a nice colonial background. I arrived in the middle of the celebration of a Saints birthday of whom i did not catch the name. In the Hostal i met two guys from San Luis potosi and one of them envied me as he had left his motorcycle back home and took the plane to Oaxaca. He did know the garage shop i worked at and had also heard of the Hostal i stayed in. Again it is a small world and you keep on running in to people with the same interest and mindset. After Oaxaca i was looking at a way to get to the border of Guatemala and ended up driving by La Ventosa. As the name might suggest it is very windy there and in the middle of the windmills my me and my 250 kg bike where blown of the road, nothing very serious it just made the journey very tiresome and long. Luckily a car driver saw my struggle and he let me drive parallel to his minivan for a couple of kilometer so i would stay more out of the wind. That day i made it to Puerto Arista where i decided to stay in a nice Hotel to get a proper rest from this exhausting trip.

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I don’t know exactly how it happened but i think the driving sideways on my bike had put a final hit on my rear tires that where already damaged with dry rot and i was now slowly losing air pressure. I found a mechanic who changed the tire in a split second. And i was on the road again around ten, due to carrying the spare tires from Texas and Mitch his knowledge of tires i finally started to solve my mechanical problems without to much stress. I started to be prepared for the things as much as you can be. The plan was to head to the closest town to the border and cross the next day. But as i was driving thru the city of Tapachula i did not feel like staying there the night and made the mistake to head for the border at 3 pm. It was crazy busy and i took the first helper that i run into. So many mistakes at the same time and it was crazy hot so with the heat i was freaking out before i knew it. Exiting Mexico took some time but was pretty clear. It was 4 pm as i was crossing the no mans land and could not understand where to go and what to do. For that part i was lucky to have a helper. But he started by asking more money. As the bank was closing he would need 20 dollars extra to pay the clerk to stay open for an extra 15 min. Then he added another 20 dollars on the already 140 dollars he was asking. Had i taken the time i would have know that the normal price for the motor cycle permit was 140 Quetzal and not dollars. He just knew i just wanted to get out into Guatemala as soon as possible as it was getting dark and he scared me that if i did not pay i would have had to stay in a sketchy hotel for the night and end up getting the bike stolen.

Looking back i feel stupid and naive but at the end if just lost money and i was was across without another problem. With all bad experiences come supringly good experiences as i run into Rafael and his wife Silvia which i asked for help to find an hotel for the night. We drove in the dark on roads full with potholes slaloming between traffic to a resort with parking for the bike i front of the cabin. With my basic spanish and the use of some english words we again had great talk about motorcycles around dinner and later a few beers. The next day they told me they would drive me to Antigua where we had lunch and drinks the rest of the day. Their friend Mauricio had a friend who owned a Hostal where i was able to park the bike inside and fix the leaking fuel tubes. I felt with my noise in the butter as a dutch saying goes. The stress of the border was totally faded by the welcome and the warmth of the people i met.

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I spend a couple days in Antigua and met with 5 other overlanders Steve, Werner, Erik, Evan, and Eugene. We had time to discuss our plans and share our experiences over a couple of beers. I decided to head out after christmas and meet Evan and Eugene in Puerto barrios to cross the border to honduras together. First i wanted to say goodbye to Rafael and Silvia in Guatemala city and as we where leaving Antigua my clutch cable gave up after two blocks. Luckily Mauricio was riding with me and without clutch i was able to drive to the next mechanic where the problem was solved within an hour. With a spare clutch cable in my luggage we departed for the capital of guatemala where we ended up on this high security compound. Before i knew it i was invited for dinner staying there the night and spending christmas eve with the family. Some many things turn out for the best and especially when you do not plan it things happen without to much effort.

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