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We have finished the trip

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 13:06:00 +0000

We arrived at our goal, Ushuaia, the end of the road and of the world, with mixed feelings. We felt happiness of having reached our goal and soon seeing friends and family again, sadness of leaving freedom on the bicycle behind.

Looking back at the travel it has been a wild mixture between wonderful encounters, great landscapes, environmental disasters, courageous and innovative people, roaring glaciers, lush forests, steep climbs and winding roads.

We have been surrounded by friendly and helpful people. We have been gliding around in the sun in some of the coldest and rainiest places on earth. We have hardly been sick and never stolen. We have been lucky maybe but mainly I believe this is the standard when choosing a life on the bicycle. The life can not be easier then when the biggest thing you have to worry about is a broken tire and when every day is filled by exercise, excitement and new encounters.

It has been a great trip!

Peninsula Valdez- birthday without luggage

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 11:36:00 +0000

For my birthday the 20th of december we had a wonderful rest from the cycling in our rainy and cold route next to the Andes. In Esquel we took a bus and crossed Argentina from west to east in a overnight bus to arrive the next morning in the warm and sunny Puerto Madryn at the Atlantic coast from where we went to Peninsula Valdez.

Peninsula Valdez is a known and important nature reserve and a world heritage site where it is easy to spot all kind of marine wildlife. To go there was a great birthday gift!!

Unfortunately it was not the season for the wales at the moment as they come to the waters around the peninsulabetween May and December to mate, give birth and impress the tourist with their high jumps out of the water in front of the boat.

We had three wonderful days walking and cycling on the peninsula. We saw penguins, sea lions, elephant seals and fur seals with great frequency and from very close. The best moment at the peninsula for me was when I had the oppurtunity to swim with a penguin, unfortunately I was so scared that a sea lion of 600 kilos would suddenly put his head out of the water infront of me, that I kept very close to the shore while the penguin tranquily swam some hundred meter further out in the water.

A hike with the bike

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 12:18:00 +0000

Soon after we left the maritime wonderland at Peninsula Valdez we entered another astonishing area. We crossed the Andes at Futalufu and started out on the among cyclists and adventurers legendary Carretera Austral. I had feared this stretch of the trip as autumn was already in the air and the area is known for beeing extremely cold and rainy.

This "highway" made by Pinochet runs about 1,200 kilometers from Puerto Montt to Villa O´Higgins through beautiful, wild and green chilean Patagonia. Many times we had the feeling that we were riding through a jungle while trespassing this cold rainforest. The frogs were responsable for the "tropical" sounds and the mosquitoes were much more abundant then at any day in the Amazon. The lush green forest and the fog really gave you the feel of jungle.

My fears were proven unnecessary and the ride on the Carretera Austral turned out to become one of the most memorable and enjoyable rides of the whole trip. I kept surprising myself by deeply appreciating the loneliness and the quiet nature. It is far between the villages and the people are tranquil. Something that really helped in appreciating the chilean Patagonia was that we were extremely lucky with the weather. We had sun and clear blue sky day after day!

The bordercrossing between Chile and Argentina at the end of the Carretera was a nice desert. With boat and trail we needed two days to reach the road again in Calafate. It was a great adventure in magnificent nature, glaciers and reddening magellanic forest. The funniest bordercrossing in the trip too, when pushing the branches to the side, almost not able to see the track at times suddenly to be greeted welcome to Argentina!

We have finished the trip

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 11:42:00 +0000

After 8 Amazing months, Asa and Javier have finished their trip in South Amrica. The crew of deepeei film productions has met them in the most southern tip of Argentina. Ushuaia.

posted bij (deepeei)

The End - Crossing the Panama Canal

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:03:00 +0000

I felt empty and void of any feelings or emotion in the last three days cycling towards the Panama Canal. I couldn't work out why and it was frustrating. Alex beamed with smiles all the way but I was struggling with it and was subconsciously stalling at every opportunity to delay the end. Part of me could not wait for it all to be over but another part of me was worried about what I would do afterwards.

With 20kms to go I steadied myself and tried to prepare for the end. But nothing could stop me from bursting into tears as soon as I caught my first glimpse of the top of the bridge in the distance. I cried all the way to the end. I don't know what happened but it suddenly hit me, the enormity of what we had done. On top of the actual ride itself, from a personal point of view it felt amazing completing the goal having almost lost my leg one and a half years ago. I could still live life, still complete huge physical challenges. Even more fulfilling was the thought of how proud my friend Brett would have been, living life to the full, a life he never got to live having died so tragically in spearfishing accident in the Marshall Islands last year. Brett I thought of you every day mate and you willed me on to the end.

It was a shock to see the police escort gathered and the Panama Tourism Authority along with the film crew. After meeting the crew and regaining my composure we cycled ove the bridge guided by the police, as the crew filmed us from the back of the van. It felt amazing.

After a double magarita (promised to Ron and Barb in Anchorage) at the end of the bridge we headed off for the Gamboa Rainforest Resort - where the Panama Tourism Authority kindly put us up for 4 wonderful nights. I spent the majority of the 4 days, three sheets to the wind, with a sore head most mornings. It was an incredible hotel, right on the Canal, where we could go kayaking next the cruise liners passing through, or hike in the pristine rainforest. The breakfast buffets were also so so good and we got caught 3 days in a row, walking out with muffins and pancakes stuffed down our trousers.

The best part of all was that our good friends from the road arrived in Panama City on various modes of transport and all of them came out to party and crash in our room at the resort. It was a wonderful end, to be able to reminice and share with the fabulous friends we had made - Tuulia, the girl from Finland we had met 4/5 times throughout Central America, Nicholas and Emi, the cyclists we had pedalled with from Guatemala to Leon, Nicaragua and of course brothers Paul and Eric, the motorbikers we hung out with many times whom we first met in Oaxaca Mexico.

Now I am back in Costa Rica for a 10 days rest before heading back to the UK for my much needed knee and ankle surgery. I am so glad I was able to do this, its been the most incredible experience. You have to live life to the full and take every opportunity life gives...cos in 15 years or even 5 years you may not get that chance again. Live the dream not the pay check! Thanks for reading and sharing this amazing journey with me. One final huge thanks to Alex - mate you have made this experience unforgettable and I couldn't have wished for a better person to share this with. See you on the road mate.

The Final Week through Panama

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:22:00 +0000

After many border crossings we had become quite relaxed about getting the camera out to film. Unfortuantely when the Panama Customs officials got sight of the $8000 camera they decided we needed a good searching. Asides an extra hour at the border and having to repack all my gear the inspection proved fairly uneventful and we rode off into our final country of the journey.

Immediately we hit thunderstorms, head winds and undulating hills. We had made the mistake of thinking we had finished but we soon realised we still had 400km of the Pan American Highway to do, a long and tedious highway road. If the roads weren't bad enough we got attacked twice by swarms of killer bees which didnt do much to help our motivation. Alex was hit the worst with about 15 stings and I got off lightly with 3 - fortunately we weren't allergic.

But with only a few day to go, we were crossed by Paul and Eric again who we had first met in Oaxaca Mexico - it reminded us of just how far we had come and the enormity of the trip. It gave us the extra boost to get to the end. Next post - Crossing the Canal

The Final Leg

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:42:00 +0000

Crossing into Panama with less than 500km to go, we could not help but feel like we were nearly there. Even though the thought of 500km on a bike would have been inconceivable to me just 8 months ago, it truly felt like we were on the finishing stretch; one road, one country and less than a week of riding. Just as fate would have it however, Panama had a few surprises in store for us.

We had been so lucky on our ride down through Central America, with good roads since Guatemala and clement weather throughout, we could only expect this to continue for the last section. Things changed however in Panama, the Interamericana Highway became a busy single lane road with frequent and long sections of roadworks, sharing the lane with large traffic and battling head winds for days at a time. All these, I suppose, were to be expected on a long bike ride but we were also faced with another, less habitual problem, bees. The "Africanised honey bee" was introduced in Brazil in the 1970s and has slowly made its' way up the continent. Unlike its American counterpart, it is extremely territorial and will swarm on any intruder, attacking it until the latter is a fair distance from the hive. Even though we never saw the hive, we were apparently close enough to it to warrant the colonies undivided attention. I suddenly found myself being repeatedly stung on my upper body, all while trying to out run the bees that were now flying at about 35km/h right along side me. A dozen stings later and rather shaken up, we stopped down the road to process what had just happened.

It was an interesting reminder of how exposed one is to the elements when on a bicycle. Riding for the next two days with my mosquito net at the ready, we were both expecting to be swarmed again. The time old saying that "the expectation of pain is worse than the pain itself" proved to be true.

After 5 days of riding in thunderstorms, headwinds and all but friendly bees, we have arrived within 110km of our final destination and are now waiting for the film crew to arrive in Panama to capture video our arrival and celebrate with us what has been one of the most amazing experiences of our lives. Even if the next 100km see us cycling in 50km/h winds under torrential rain on a road in construction, I don't think that there is much that could dampen our spirits and spoil the moment that we have been cycling towards for the last 7 months (as long as there are no bees).

The Lungs of Costa Rica

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:05:00 +0000

With only 700km to go and plenty of time, we decided to take a detour and head to the Osa peninsula in southern Costa Rica. It is reputed to be one of the most pristine areas in the country.

After 80km down the Panamerican highway between palm plantations, we turned off onto a small side road towards the peninsula. Within a few miles we were climbing steeply into the mountains and engulfed in real jungle. I think that one of the best indicators of health for a tropical rain forest is the noise. The deafening sound of millions of insects, all advertising themselves in their own way, thousand of birds calling their partners and monkeys letting us know that we are in their territory turns the jungle into a cacophony so loud that you can hardly hear yourself think. So many forests have suffered what is the called the "Silent Forest Syndrome", in which one or several species have been removed form the forest by hunting or for the wildlife trade causing the ecosystem to collapse and the forest to become silent.

This, however was not the case in the Osa. We cycled for several days, immersed in this amazing environment. Arriving at the beaches on the south coast of the peninsula, we became aware of the huge numbers of Scarlet Macaws (of which Fin has a great photo) in the trees all around us... and apparently we were there in the quiet season.

After spending so much time riding through degraded environments in Central America, with trash strewn along the side of the road and waste burning everywhere, it was a real moral booster to see that with proper management, some places were still kept in their pristine state for everyone to enjoy... in moderation of course.

Pristine Tropical Rainforests in Costa Rica

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 01:53:00 +0000

Instead of pedalling directly southeast towards Panama on the Pan American Highway, we took the 'Long Way Round' Southern Costa Rica, through the stunning Osa Penninsula. Unlike Ewen and Charlie however it took us 4 days to do, not 4 hours. There is only one road in and out and then if you are on foot, or bicycle, you can catch a small passenger ferry back to the mainland at Puerto Jimenez. The road was one of our top 3 best cycling experiences of the entire trip. Hardly any cars, just the incredible deafening wildlife of the rainforest for company - Wow those Toucans and Scarlett Macaws were so so amazing. We hit our first tropical down pour of the trip in the rainforest, infact our first rain since the Oregon coast in the States. It was so refreshing as the humidity and strong sun has taken its toll on us. There is a little video here of one of several bridges we had to cross....ignore my dreadful Arnie impression at the start....

Costa Rica!

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:22:00 +0000

We stupidly ignored the sound advice and arrived at the Nica / Costa Rica border at 5pm on Sunday Evening...right behind 3 coach loads of tourists and hundreds of locals returning to Costa Rica to work for the week...We queued into the night for our passports to be stamped and pedalled off into pitch darkness a few hours later. The first sign of light was at a gas station, where we promply set up our tents behind petrol pump number 4..an ideal first nights accomodation in beautiful Costa Rica.

We decided to cycle down the Nicoya Penninsula on the Pacific side of Costa Rica. It was an immediate contrast to the other Central American countries. With tourist development comes cash and with cash comes better environmental and natural resource management. After all, if the decision makers have any sense, they will realise that its worth protecting the very resource that the tourists come to see. It appears Costa Rica's Government has got it right...very right. Gone was the domestic waste on the side of the roads and in its place household metal bins with said domestic waste waiting to be collected once a week by the Government waste services trucks. I was impressed.

Costa Rica has not let me down - and is very much the picture perfect image you see in post cards or holiday brochures. The Government had the foresight to protect 23% of the country as National Park back in the 80s and is now reaping the rewards. Tourists flow in and out bringing in essential dollars to help the Government manage and protect rainforests and beaches. Money that would have been spent on a National Army, is redirected towards education and health - nice!

We steered clear of the touristy beach areas, having had a good dose of beaches already and headed straight for Jaco where Alex's had some friends running a horse riding business. Chris and Andrea moved from Cornwall in the UK about 8 years ago and have never looked back. One can hardly blame them - they live in a lovely condo equipped with pool right opposite gorgeous Hermosa Beach and lease a huge area of pristine virgin rainforest for their daily horse riding tours. Alex and I spent 3 wonderful says with them chilling out, horse riding in the rain forest and generally taking it easy before heading south towards the untouched Osa Penninsula. (Video below of us being ovetaken by a road race and then managing to keep up with 50kg bikes!)

Crossing into Rica

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 04:16:00 +0000

What a contrast... Looking back at our first few blogs up in Alaska and now, 2 weeks and 850 odd km from the end of our trip, I can hardly start to process all that we have seen and experienced.

Crossing into Costa Rica, we immediately noticed how special this country is, not only for the generosity of the people but also for the quality of the natural environment. Like flipping a light switch, crossing into Costa Rica turned on all the bird song and the deafening drone of insects all around us. The trees shot up to staggering heights and we immediately found ourselves in the jungle. After a few miles, we suddenly realised that the real difference was the lack of garbage on the side of the road. Even though we had gotten used to the constant eyesores of smoldering plastic bags and PET bottles, the sudden disappearance of any form of pollution was an immediate relief.

Having chosen a slightly longer way down through Costa Rica, down the Nicoy peninsula, we were fortunate enough to get a real insight into small town "Tica" lifestyle and some fantastically unspoilt primary rainforest.

True to our fashion, we could not go too many days without a break, including swimming pool, beer and a lot of good food. Reconnecting with my Cornish ancestry, we stopped off with Chris and Andrea, a fantastic Cornish couple that have set up Discovery Horse Tours, a very reputable ecotourism venture in Playa Hermosa on the Pacific Coast. Two days of relaxing and exploring the jungle has recharged our batteries for the final push, the last 850km to THE END!!!! not long now....

Sustainability in Nicaragua

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 22:23:00 +0000

Saying a sad goodbye to our cycling companions Emy and Nicholas in Leon, Nicaragua we went off in search for Andrew and Jane Longley of Nuevas Esperanzas, a non for profit organisation working to help rural communities in remote parts of Nicaragua to become more self sufficient and sustainable.

In the past during the dry season villagers would have to walk for 4 hours ever day down a dirt track to access clean water. With the help of Nuevas Esperanzas, a rough road has been built along with several large rainwater catchment systems, that collects rain from tin roofs into huge tanks which last the majority of the year. Now the community no longer have to walk 4 hours ever day for clean fresh water. In addition, Andrew and his team are helping the community construct a new building which doubles up as a school and large roof area for more rainwater catchment. The additional water is allowing the villagers to farm crops in an area that was hampered by lack of water in the past. Andrew tells me, 'there is no one quick fix to environmental problems and the impacts of climate change - to be become more sustainable we have to take a holistic approach where we tackle all the problems together, whether it be social issues, geographical issues or/and environmental issues, because they are all interlinked.'

Seeing the community working side by side Andrew and his team restored my faith in Non-Profit groups - if administered correctly, western help can have substantial life changing impacts on communities.

The next day Andrew kindly arranged a visit to Polaris Geothermal Plant in Nicaragua. The whole area is extremely active and the Vice President of Polaris Jim Randle tells me they have the potential to produce 200% of the country's energy demands and even sell electricity back to the USA. Right now they only produce 7-8% from the heat from the ground but Polaris are expanding their operation next year. It was inspiring to see clean energy being produced by a developing country - excuse my ignorance, but I really didn't expect developing countries in Central America to be so progressive. I have learnt many lessons on this epic adventure including much about my lack of awareness.

On the way back from San Jacinto we stopped off at some boiling mudpools with Nicaragua's superb volcanoes in the distance - check out the little video below - I don't think Augustus Gloop would have survived a fall into this bubbling mocachino!

Nicaragua's efforts don't stop Geothermal Power. On the way south to the Costa Rica border, we were swamped with an almighty cross wind blowing off the vast water mass of Lake Nicaragua. There, 20 enormous wind turbines have been erected and are producing 2 Mega Watts each currently enough for 320,000 homes in Nicaragua.

We stopped off in Managua on the way south from Leon to Granada on the shores of Lake Nicaragua and were kindly hosted by Martin and Lilly at short notice - they made a superb curry for us and sent us off in the morning with a massive plate of pancakes - they were also tour bikers in the past and really appreciated we were totally over beans and rice for dinner and oats for breakfast!

Back on the road we had a wonderful surprise as 50 cyclists past us on the other side of the road. They were from the British Charity Macmillan Cancer, who were on a sponsored bike ride from Costa Rica. By complete coincidence, I have been raising money for Macmillan for the last 2 years if interested in sponsoring me go to www.justgiving.com/andrewfinlay I knew there was a chance we might see them so had informed the group leader Ellie, that we were heading south during the same period. It was great to say Hi and meet other cyclists, even if just for 20 minutes. With the evening closing in we pushed on to the Costa Rican border to try and clear immigration before night fall.

A special resting time

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:44:58 +0000

Hi!

Today we woke up in another beautiful place in the beautiful Patagonia. We decided to change to Argentina ten days or so ago, because we got lots of rain in the verdant rainforests of Chile. It paid dividends, since we enjoyed drier conditions in Argentina, but the situation has changed the last days.

It is still drier than in Chile, since we are in the rain shadow of the Andes (the clouds come from the Pacific in the West), but it is raining now and will continue like that for at least 4 days more. It is coldish also.

So in a sudden decission after checking the map we decided to visit Peninsula Valdes, one of the very best places in the World to observe penguins, whales, sea lions and sea elephants. It is just a night far by bus . We still have to decide if we leave the bikes here or if we put them in the bus with us. The first option would leave us freedom for moving there between the several faunal observatories, the second would allow us to just pick up a couple of beaches and let us enjoy the fauna around us while doing nothing. Uhm...we don´t know yet.

In any case we will resume the bike trip from the same place in Patagonia (Esquel) in about 4-5 days from now, hopefully in better weather conditions. We have ridden 12146 Km till now, and I guess we will reach about 14500 Km in Ushuaia. This leaves us with a tight schedule for the next weeks, in cold and windy areas of Southern Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego.

We will worry about that little detail later, for now we just aim to enjoy the +20 C of the coast and the gorgeous wildlife of Peninsula Valdes.

Araucanía

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 05:48:00 +0000

Hello everybody!

Here everything is going fine. Meanwhile we have reached San Carlos de Bariloche in Argentina and we have now officially entered Patagonia. We have just crossed the border from Chile to Argentina for the third time. There are a lot of rearing crystalline clear and icy cold rivers and impressive forests in Chile. The weather was very bad most of the time though with heavy clouds and rain preventing us from seeing and enjoying the white tipped Volcanoes that we had came for so unfortunately we spent much less time in the beautiful Araucanía then planned.

The absolute highlights of our short visit in Chile was the impressive hospitality of the people that kept inviting us to have showers, eat and sleep in their homes and the National Park Conguillio. We had one nice day with blue sky and stunning views in the Araucaria and Lenga forest that surrounds the very active, perfectly cone shaped and snow covered volcano “Jaima”. The last big eruption was in January 2008 and the traces of lava that had flown all through the park is impressive.

The border crossing was very easy this time and was made partly on a ferry boat!! It was kind of magic to stand there in the heavy morning mist on the ferry with the sun rising and with absolute wild forest and mountains as far as the eye could reach around the narrow strip of silver colored water carrying us across a big part of the Andes. The horn of the ferry sounded and we went off. It was our fourth crossing of the Andes in total during the trip, and it has never been easier then here at Hua Hum with only 655 meters to climb.

The Central Four

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 22:40:00 +0000

Since leaving the Film Crew in Antigua, things have accelerated dramatically, hopping from one country to another in a matter of days instead of weeks.

Although the countries are linked by a common language and a similar colonial past, the disparities between each border crossing were significant, Primarily in terms of wealth and development. El Salvador, with large American styled, air conditioned shopping malls and the highest minimum wage in Central America contrasted starkly with its neighbour Honduras, one of the poorest countries in the region. One thing that was universal however, was the friendliness of the people throughout. We are constantly greeted by smiles, waves and whistles along our way, with kids trying to catch up with up on bikes or guys hanging out of buses to cheer us on. I cannot help but feel taht we are getting a very unique experience travelling on bikes at the same pace as the locals.

To add the the enjoyment of the trip, we combined forces with Nick and Emi, whom we met briefly in Antigua, who are also biking south, with, as of yet, no predetermined goal, taking the trip one day at a time. They have sped ahead of us now but we will hopefully catch up with them upon arriving in Costa Rica and share the road a while longer.

Hopping across Southern Honduras and into Nicaragua

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:47:00 +0000

We continued south from El Salvador into Southern Honduras with Nicholas and Emi. Travelling with them had been such a pleasure in El Salvador that we found excuses for it to continue as long as possible. By now border crossings had become a bit of a routine. Starting with a stop a few kms before the border to film, followed by the hectic bombardments of requests to change money from street exchange vendors, some anxiety at the immigration, followed by a hassle free passport stamping and immense satisfaction of making it into another wonderful country to explore.

The route south along the coast to Panama meant only a few days cycling in Honduras. I had previously travelled round Honduras in 2000 having worked on the Bay Islands and Alex and I both decided we preferred to spend more time in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. We had a meeting in Leon, Nicaragua to make in 3/4 days time with Nuevas Esperanzas, a Non Profit Organisation working on sustainable livelihoods in rural communities. So we pedalled on together through the southern arm of Honduras to the border.

So far my computer is reading over 11,000km - it would be a fair bit more if it worked in the rain..so not sure how much more we have pedalled....It feels amazing to have come so far, overcoming all the hurdles and challenges, especially as the furthest we had cycled in the past was just a few days here and there. We have come along way over the last 6 months. Now we are so close, the finish in Panama is constantly on my mind. I force myself to try and stop thinking about it, try and revel in the moment, the present, but its not easy. For me, completing this ride will be the greatest achievement of my life, coming back from almost losing my leg two years ago. I find myself unable to contain my excitement at the thought of completing the goal.

Small video below of cycling in convoy with Emi, Nicholas and Alex as we head into Nicaragua

packing up memories with Ortlieb

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:30:00 +0000

Thinking about what to bring on an 8000 km bike ride makes my mind boggle. Tents, sleeping bags, food, music, books, medical kits, bike repair kits, water filters and visas hastily fly around my cerebral cortex without so much as a touch-down. With all that folded, cramped and wrapped around a bike, I guess it’s rather unlikely there’s room for favorite outfits. Just a couple of socks, underwear, pants, t-shirts and sweaters will make sure that maximum baggage weight and space has been reached. But enter into that a Dutch production crew who hands you some cameras and external disks to document your adventures. How on earth are you going to make sure you and your gear are going to make it through unharmed?

As I found out through the course of all the blogs and footage, Ortlieb has to be the number one choice for adventurers all over. One of the founding members of the “Association for Conservation" of the European Outdoor Group, Ortlieb is and has been a perfect fit for the bikers of Going South. Their waterproof bags have been tested on numerous expeditions, so it’s a logical choice when it comes to durability and usability.

“To be able to carry all the stuff we need for any trip we use panniers of Ortlieb; two on each side of the bike and one on the steer. The Panniers are very durable and water proof, so it will withstand the harsh conditions in different environments. The panniers are easy to attach and lock, so they won’t be an easy target for thieves.”

See, I wouldn’t have even thought of thieves….

Dear Javier, Fin, Alex and Asa, my sincerest admiration goes out to you. Two more months to go…I hope you make it through to the end safe and sound, with all your memories securely packed away.

Guatemala's Volcanoes

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:52:00 +0000

True to my usual fashion, I am always one step behind Fin on the blogging front, except that this time, I am actually three counties behind. Yesterday we crossed into Nicaragua, a good 700km south of where these photos were taken. I was too busy getting pummeled by the waves in El Salvador, and our fleeting stint through Honduras was internet free... so here it is. Our trip up the Volcan de Pecaya...

A truly unique experience, the complete lack of any regulation or safety precautions really puts your well being back into your own hands, making you responsible for your own actions, something that we might have forgotten back at home...

The opportunity to stand feet away from a flowing lava river does not present itself everyday, so even though the soles of our shoes were melting on the hot rock, we scrambled up to the smoldering flow and got as close as was physically possible... maybe not something that would seem like a good idea to anyone with the least bit of reason, but then again, who, in their right mind would choose to ride a bicycle from Alaska to Panama...

New Friends in El Salvador

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:12:00 +0000

Leaving Antigua Guatemala and heading for the coast of El Salvador meant one almighty downhill section where Alex and I reached our highest speed of the entire trip so far - 89km/h on one section and a massive 150km for the day. Certainly beat pushing our bikes uphill all day, the week before at 3km/h and 5 hours. The next day we crossed into El Salvador.

El Salvador had been ravished by flooding during the rainy season these last few years. We spent alot of time filming bridges that had been taken down by flood debris (trees and buildings washed down the rivers). By the time we reached the bridges, the rivers were once again dry and we wheeled our bikes over the river beds, skirting around the downed bridges.

Thanks to Japan, all the bridges are being rebuilt. Thank you Japan!! very kind if you don't mind giving up your vote in support for whaling at the IWC or exclusive rights to fishing tuna within the 200nm Exclusive Economic Zone.....(ok forgive my sarcasm - it comes from my time in the Marshall Islands - i understand this particular interest is for rights to build and control passage of a new canal through Central America)

Pedalling back to the coast for the first time since Mexico we soon bumped into Nicholas and Emi, two bikers who met teaching overseas - Emi from Ontario and Nicholas for O.C. California. They started dating in Japan and realised the chances of continuing the relationship were slim unless they made up another plan for a bike trip. They decided to bike from Vancouver until their money ran out and have made it this far and hope to make it to at least Panama. I love their gear - it shows you don't need expensive equipment to cycle tour - tupaware plastic boxes drilled to the side of the bikes and make up boxes and plastic lunch boxes as handle bar bags....awesome. Nicholas also has a white board on the back of his bike, on which he writes fun messages to passing locals...i.e. Que tenga un buen dia!

Alex and I cycled the length of El Salvador with Nicholas and Emi, which was alot of fun - we stayed a few days at El Trunco, a lovely surf spot with cheap bungalows and awesome sunsets. One night when we didnt camp we found ourselves at a cheap roadside motel....for 5 bucks a night - we really needed showers and a fan to cool down...we pulled the curtain back on the garage for our car (bikes), walked up the stairs to our pink room, to find nothing in there but a bed and a cherry flavoured condom. I handed back the condom to the confused hotel owner, telling him we wouldn't be needing it much to everyone's amusement. We quickly realised it was a hotel for hourly business - at the same time the owners realised Alex and I weren't lovers, just two smelly cycle tourists desperately in need of a shower and a bed for the night.

The Guatemalan Mountains

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:47:00 +0000

From the start of the trip, we had associated Guatemala with mountain riding and some steep climbing, and it did not let us down. The moment we crossed the border, which, against all expectations was actually easier than getting through immigration at a French airport, we started climbing... steeply. having ridden along the coast for the last part of Mexico, we found ourselves in tropical heat at the base of 3500m volcanoes, up onto which the road climbed to nearly 3000m. Now, one would naturally assume that a bicycle is faster method of transport than walking. We have found this to be true throughout the majority of the trip, however, the gradient of the roads in Guatemala we so steep that riding was barely faster than walking, the latter often being the preferred option when the road reared up in front of us like a unsurmountable wall. In summary, getting up the hill was a bit of a struggle.

Up on top however, the air was cool, the views stunning and the coffee was delicious, our efforts had been largely rewarded. Once up on the Altiplano, we traversed half the country staying above 2000m before dropping down into Lago de Atitlan, a large lake formed from a collapse volcano. The place was truly picturesque with large cones rising out of the waters to well over 3000m. Although the lake looked pristine, a severe and persistent problem lurked beneath its crystal clear waters. It periodically suffers from eutrophication, or algal blooms as a result of the large amount of untreated domestic and agricultural waste that runs into it from its bordering townships. The problem has been worsening over the last few decades and at the moment, there is little sign of change.

Climbing back out of the lake and onto the high plateau again we cruised over to Antigua, the colonial gem of Guatemala to meet both the film crew and our good friends Eric and Paul who passed us effortlessly on their motorbikes while we were pedaling like hamsters ina cage up a hill.