This little guy and half a dozen others like him shoveled dirt from the side of the road and filled the sometimes massive potholes. He then stood by the side of the road and expected me to give him money. There was one every 1/4 mile...... 6 of them....


This is why his work was needed. These things are hard to see at speeds of 45 to 60 mph. This hole has rounded edges. The smaller holes still have sharp square edges. With dirt scattered everywhere, I could not tell where the holes were are anymore.


The Honduras immigration official waved her arm in a circle and told me to go to customs. She meant for me to go straight across the way to customs. It is a latin thing. I wound up here.


Leaving the harshness and poverty of Honduras for Nicaragua, I found all this massive farm equipment fully loaded and bulging slightly, headed to market. And the roads were good as well.

Some sort of hole in the electromagnetic force field that causes a vortex of lazy at precisely this spot. Not sure why.


$2 or $3us, plus a coke , gets a plate full. Siting on plastic chairs, at a plastic table in the parking lot. The fat ones always like me.... a lot.


European youth at the pool that is about 100 feet from the vortex mentioned earlier.


Day of the woman in Nicaragua. Yeah...... Latin Feminism.

At the 'Doctors' m/c shop (named after Valintino Rossi) I took both sides off the bike, and got down to the counter balancer tensioner adjustment. Only then did I loosen the lock nut. Nothing!! I reached down and pushed the adjuster (has a curved slot) with my thumb and it moved over a quarter of an inch!! I then sanded the steel plates in the clutch on the concrete, a coarse grit, so that it will grip better when I put that heavy wt oil in because the motor is using so much. I then put it all back together. It has no more rumbling, grumbling noise down below and I am not afraid that that 'thecrankisfallingoutofthisthingforchristsake!!! I can now cross Honduras 'more comfortably'. etc


Oscar, out for a ride with his charming family. He owns the 'Doctors' and charged me only for the oil that I used. One of his guys made a gasket for me. wow, thank you, Oscar.


With a bent skid plate, always put the hard to reach bolt in first. It is a rule. It is in a book.

It is a cheery man that rides this thing. Honest.

About 15 miles to the beach and I found these hammocks. Hot, with a really nice breeze. Cost me $2us the first night and he then raised the rent to $4us. I left and found.....


...lunch at this restaurant and camping was free. The owner helped me tie down the tent and get settled in.


This woman turned this into.....


....this for about $3us. That is fried banana on the left. Capt D's will never be the same for me.

I never knew anybodies name, nor how they were related in the family pyramid at the 'camping/fish restaurant by the sea'. This is the hand of one of the older guys. Three months since he crashed his motorcycle. Yes, it is swollen and that is stainless steel wire.


They have a portable electric water pump with detachable plastic pipe that brings water from the well to various buckets, mostly near the kitchen. Behind the blue tarp is the 'shower'. 15 gallons of water in a barrel and a bowl to pour water it over your head as needed. Stand on the large flat rock. This water was not as cold as it often is in a hotel.


This little guy is just learning to walk in the dirt floor restaurant, but crawling is more reliable. All through Latin America I have very rarely heard a child spoken to harshly, nor have I heard a child 'pitch a fit'. They seem to enjoy taking turns distracting and playing with this kid.


Taking the little guy for a ride. He is not up to holding on so is tied on with a striped shirt

Great post and photos.
Cheers
Moss

Can't quite follow it all, wild stuff, papers in not in order because in wrong place, 9 weeks instead of 12, 48 hours . . . . crashing . . . .


Enjoying your reports and pics. Someday, I wanna hear all the back story, the stuff you can't type out . . . ..

__________________
John Laing

Before leaving the camping/sea food restaurant, this woman, who is part of the large family pyramid, got my foto on her cell phone.


Back in Leon, we tried to have supper in a nicer restaurant, that had several Salvador Dali pics, and service was so bad we walked out after paying for drinks. I was amazed. Half a block away we were served quickly. Was a raucous evening with folks on a holiday rather than a 7 months tour.


Patrick, with a snack, and his brother, road their bicycles from Canada. From him, I learned that I could do the same. Repairable steel frame bike for $500 !! Also, that I did not want to. Easy border crossings but sometimes, meeting a oncoming car while it is being passed by another car and not being unprepared. Too much for me, as I am accustomed to causing such excitements, not being surprised by them. Also, when you have to pedal, it is harder to decide to go on to the next town, because this place is not appealing.


Lawrence Newman fell in love with my KLR.....

Moss, Thank you. I am glad you enjoyed it. I certainly have.
John... Latin Motorcycle law is a thing to behold. The bikes are subject to high taxes, $1500 and up on larger bikes. A tourist can get a 90 pass at customs for little to no money. They do not want anybody to do their 90 days, then exit the country for a day and come back for another 90, thereby avoiding the tax ongoing. SO, the hapless tourist must stay out of the country for 90 days before he can get another 90 pass. Unaware of how this might affect me , I went back too soon. ALSO , El Salvdor is offended by tourists not stopping to spend some money in their country, SO I could get a visa/ customs pass for the bike for 60 days, BUT if I went out of the country to Nicaragua I would have to wait another 60 days to reenter El Salvador. They offered a 24 hour visa /bike pass, with a heavy fine for being late. $1327.(yes) I made the trip in 5 1/2 hours the first time, but had more adventure returning. Still had plenty of time and lived in cheaper and I think more pleasant Nicaragua for 3 weeks. During that time it was decided that Lawrence would take my bike home for me. ( because I need to go to a VA hospital and I will indeed go for a kidney stone check up). Coming to terms...

We went to a lawyer and got a stamped and signed statement as to our intentions. Then we went to the customs main office in Managua and Lawrence charmed the woman in charge of this sort of thing. We got stamped and signed papers from her. And her assurances that all would be well. Mostly, this can not be done.

Great shot's ,A smile cures most problems.

Hoping on the bus for an hour ride Managua and customs headquaters.


Got a plastic bag of cold water for about a nickel. Bite the top and suck to water out.


Got in the wrong line, in the wrong building, on the wrong side of town. Took about 3 hours to redirect.


One of several trips to get more and correct copies. But all details are now good !!

At customs, exiting Nicagura without the bike


After some trouble with a cab driver not able to use the address I gave him, or any other address for that matter, and me slow to provide a landmark, I went back to the same hotel as before and was shown the new kittens.


The morden clean and seemingly well run airport at San Jose, Costa Rica.

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My travel companions to Miami. It turned out just fine. They were charming and easy to travel with.


That big bird just leapt right out of Central America.....

Mike i trust your health issues are being attended to ,have really enjoyed your story i hope you are able to continue when you are well.Noel