message to Pumpy
 

You commented in the thread regarding the death of my son in Arequippa area on October 1st of last year that you heard of the accident the next day as you traveled the same road. I am trying to gather as much information as I can regarding the accident...somehow it helps me with dealing with this tragedy. Anything you can share about the weather ....was it hot? cold? wet? dry? ...what people said about the accident? We never heard anything about his bike ...any ideas?
Thanks

Sad Times
 

I know it's every parent's nightmare to lose their child, no matter their age.

My thoughts and sympathy to you and the rest of the family, it's not easy for our families when we go on our travels, but I know for me it's something I just have to do, and it sounds like Alex was the same.

I have emailed Ela (Pumpy) about your request for information, I think she must have missedthe original post; she is back in England now and we are due to meet up at the weekend as well, when we'll make sure to toast Alex.

Thanks For Reply
 

Hi Tiffany, Thanks for your reply and for alerting Ela to my message. I am grateful for all information about Alex......and am glad to hear you will toast him when with Ela. You are correct about Alex being like you in that riding and traveling were things he "just had to do". Thanks for your condolences. Mamalex

First, please accept my sympathies. I was deeply saddened to learn of Alex's death, I am sorry for your unfathomable loss.

I met Alex at the hotel I was staying at in Ayacucho, Peru. We talked for maybe a couple hours over the course of two days. Mostly, we talked about bikes, and traveling in South America. He loved that XR he was riding and we talked quite a bit about the XR and how each of our bikes had been treating us in general.

We had both been on the road for a long time and made jokes about how slowly each of us was moving. We also talked about how our similar paces enabled us to learn about the people that live in these places and how we were able take in a good part of the language and the culture. Also, Alex spoke excellent Spanish and I was very impressed by his command of the language.

I was headed to Bolivia and Alex told me that he had been there and gave me advice for my travels into that country.

We intended to stay in touch as we were both headed to Cuzco. We were both interested in the same mountain route and were thinking of riding together but I was leaving a bit earlier than Alex had planned.

However, after I had been in Cuzco a while, I had seen the sights and was just about ready to leave for Bolivia, I met Alex again at a local pub that is frequented by moto travelers. He mentioned that he had a great ride through the Andes to Cuzco. I mentioned how I was sorry that our timing didnt work out to ride around Cuzco and the Sacred Valley with him.

I didnt really get to know Alex other than the couple of days I talked with him. However, I do know that he was very enthusiastic about life on the road and was upbeat about all of his travels and experiences. He had a real passion for moto travel and was genuinely excited about what he was doing.

When you are on the road like this for such a long time, you tend to get in a groove where you are relaxed, happy, and content with the life you are living. You are doing what you love, and you can feel it every hour of every day. You giggle in your helmet at your good fortune to be able to experience life like this and feel sorry for people that just dont get it.

I could see this in his face and in his enthusiasm about his future route and travels. He was living life far more than most people ever do, and he was enjoying everything about it. This was apparent to me after just a few minutes of conversation. I thought to myself, "this guy Alex is a kindred spirit."

Every day that I get on my motorcycle to continue my travels Alex is in my thoughts.

I hope I have been of some help,

Abrazos, Vince