11/9/2010 - Chimborazo, Ecuador: Goofy Peter Pan Hats

I'm totally stoked, I saw my first wild llama here in Ecuador. Soon enough, I'm going to try and ride one. I've got to do all I can to enrich my South American experience. Keep your eyes peeled for a retarded YouTube video. Anyhow, right about now I'm feeling pretty well immersed in the continent. There are short natives wearing their goofy Peter Pan hats, llamas all over, and ponchos have finally made it back into style. How nice, it's pretty much how I pictured it all in my head.

Spooky llamas in the mist

Ecuador is the about the size of Nevada, but what it lacks in area it makes up for in height. It has some of the grandest mountains I've ever seen. Right now I'm camping at the base of Volcán Chimborazo. It was a little adventure getting up here because my poor motorcycle was gasping and wheezing on the thin mountain air. Eventually, I pushed La Chupacabra about as high as I could then set up an early camp for the night. Doing some simple chores I found my self winded, and not realizing it was the elevation I was beginning to think I'd gone soft. Definitely not the case, because when BJ checked his GPS we were at a whopping 15,600 feet. (4770m) I've definitely never been that high, well if you don't count college. In fact, taking into account the equatorial bulge in the planet, the peak of Volcán Chikborazo is the farthest point away from the center of the earth. It was simply gorgeous to be above the trees, clouds, and vast empty valleys below. Playing guitar and watching the clouds whip by the snow capped volcano was a pretty nice way to spend a cold afternoon. Hands down, one of the best campsites I've ever been too.

Typical American

Some kick ass camping

Looking over the wold at the base of Volcan Chimborazo, Ecuador

The country of Ecuador gets it's name from being on the equator. That said, you'd think they'd put up a goddamn sign when you pass through it on the Panamerican Highway. Of course I drive right by the mofo, only to realize my mistake twenty miles south in Quito. Fuck. I'm sure it's no big deal for locals who pass it all the time, but when I drove 8,000 miles to reach the southern hemisphere and get a stupid picture with a sign. It's kind of upsetting. Oh well, I guess on the way home I'll watch water spin different ways or my compass act goofy. Just an imaginary line with sentimental novelty. Next time.

One of the first stops in Ecuador was Quito. Usually, I avoid country capitals like the plague. Because they're usually filled with a ton of traffic, bad drivers, too much business and too little culture. Quito is a bit different, even though it's a massive and populous city, it's not even the largest city in the country. Very anti Central American, and very welcoming. Our hostel has about everything, short of a good crowd, you might ever need. It's got cheap beer, ping pong, a pool table, comfy beds and a stunning rooftop lounge. Needless to say, I made myself comfortable the first day and wasted much of it relaxing, reading, and enjoying the view. So for dinner, BJ and I decide to hunt the town for some local cheap food. You can get a good meal with soup and drink for about a buck fifty. So after searching for about twenty minutes, we find the only thing around. The golden arches of McDonalds beckons us to have a meal. I give in and let the thought of delicious fries take over. And even though they didn't have the mystical McGriddles that are made out of magic and pixie dust, I was still happy to have stopped in. It was quite an experience eating there, for me it's usually just survival food, but down here there were young couples on dates, or families on their big night out. Totally different than what I'm used to at home. It's kind of like that Pizza Hut I saw in Paris; where people were eating their pizza with cloth napkins and forks. Well ok, I guess it wasn't that dramatic, but still.

Beautiful outlook over Quito, Ecuador

Randomly walking home BJ and I start taking with some Americans living in Quito. So after a beer and dinner, we all head out to down town to sample the local spiked cider, Canelazo. It's hot and goes well with the chilly night. Next stop was one of the many local bars with live music. More Canelazo and a few dances later everybody seems pooped, so we call it a night. The next day is filled with more hopeless tourism, and a motorcycle ride with our new found friends. All in all, it was a pretty low key, but still a fun visit to Quito. It's always nice to get something out of somewhere you would have never expected. Such is the life in Ecuador.

I'm going to miss this little country, first off I'll miss the prices. Everything is ridiculously inexpensive here, gas runs about dollar fifty a gallon and huge beers in bars are a buck. Sweet Jesus, there was this market in Otavalo, that if I had a hundred bucks and enough space on the bike, I would have been able to buy so much cool stuff. Goofy hats, ponchos, hammocks, arts and crafts galore. Looks like everyone is getting souvenirs from the last country I visit. Ha! Sorry team.

Market in Otavalo, Ecuador

11/5/2010 - Pasto, Colombia: Suck It, Lonely Planet

It's new country day! I'm super excited to be in Ecuador, I've heard nothing but good things about the country. Crossing the border was a total breeze, which after driving through Central America, I definitely don't take for granted. Almost instantly the scenery changed to an almost a California valley feel. Goodbye green green Colombia. There are a few stories to tell from that magical country, so I'll get to it.

Leaving San Agustín was a blast. I had some trouble the previous day fixing a broken clutch cable, but as always a solution usually arises. This time I fixed it with fire. Thank you high school chemistry for teaching me that the inside and outside of a metal ring will expand with heat. So after I busted out the camp stove and lit the metal cable tubing ablaze, I was able to easily slide my new cable through. Lesson learned: fire fixes everything. Anyhow, after my battle ended in the morning, BJ and I took off to see the biggest waterfall in Colombia. I can tell you we were not disappointed.

Relic statues near San Agustin

After about an hour ride on an old dusty horse trail, I finally get to the little hidden town of Salto. Now I'm kind of lost because it doesn't look like there's really a place for a giant waterfall. So I ask around and head in the wrong direction only to be stopped by a bunch of kids. Luckily for us they're happy to show us. It's a gorgeous two step waterfall, that has a good amount of water flowing down. Already impressed by the view and the politeness of the kids, I was even more taken aghast when a little nine year old girl went on a five minute well rehearsed explanation of the waterfall. Including heights, altitudes, flow, and history. Totally crazy, you can tell her parents are going to put her on the tourism bandwagon. It was very cool to see the future of the country. It was also cool playing with a dozen fun little kids. They loved taking pictures, putting on my enormous gloves and helmet, and asking questions about everything. It was quite fun, but of course I had to go, so I waved, beeped the horn, and revved the engine for them and took off towards Mocoa.

Highest waterfall in Colombia.

Somebody looks creepy...

The next day was some of the most intense motorcycling I've ever done. In order to get to the border from where I was, I had to ride about a hundred miles on twisty, unpaved, well used, mountainous roads. The first half was quite tough, as I was constantly trying to avoid large trucks on one lane dirt roads. It really made things interesting because my starter had also died. So when I stalled going uphill, trying to pass a truck coming the other way. I was pissed, so after a flurry of curse words. I had to roll back and squeeze to the outer edge of a very steep and very high drop, so the truck could pass and I could turn my bike around and jumpstart it back to life. It was nerve wracking to say the least. But that wasn't even the worst of it, later while riding I had probably the scariest moment I've ever had on a bike. I was cruising along an in order to miss a rut, I accidentally hit a large rock which then threw me left. No problem because usually, you just let the bike drop down a bit, then slightly guide it in the right direction. This time was different. I way over corrected and hit another good bump, which set me dead on course for a rather large cliff. The only thing I could do was hit the gas and make a hard left, hoping the front tire would catch again so I could get back on course. And as you probably guessed, it worked, but fuck was I relieved. At one point I pictured the last ditch effort of bailing, and hopefully landing on my feet maybe thirty feet below. Oh well, nothing to do but carry on like it never happened. Just like anything obstacle, sometimes you've just got to man the fuck up and deal with it. Later when I hit the asphalt I was about as high on life as a crack head with a fistful of rocks. Next stop Pasto.

Columbian death road.

More beautiful Colombian countryside.

Now according to the worlds leading travel guide, Lonely Planet, there's not much to do in Pasto. This is very peculiar because as I've found out with Lonely Planet, almost everything is a must see, spectacular, magnificent, or whatever other fantastic adjective you can imagine for wherever you happen to be. So when I got to Pasto, I didn't expect a whole lot, but how was I impressed. It was perfect for a day or two. BJ and I had a shit ton of work to do on our bikes, and in Pasto there is a long street with anything you'd ever need to fix a motorcycle. It was by far the most productive day of the trip. I was able to fix my starter, have one of my panniers welded shut, jimmy rig some new passenger foot pegs, get a haircut, change my oil, buy new inter tubes, and get my rear tire changed. Phew! What a day. Then randomly that evening while I was getting some street food, I started chatting with a local girl who wants to go out with BJ and I for a beer. Sounds good, so we all head to a bar / club and start enjoying some beers. A friend or hers shows up and after a nice time of dancing and drinking, BJ and I are beat. Dude, having to actually work is tiring. Sorry for you work force suckas! Anyhow, of course since BJ has had something to drink he's hungry, so the girls take us to the most magical street on the planet for drunks. There is about twenty food carts with everything from hamburgers and hot dogs, to pig intestine, to french fries, to sausage and even some kick ass shih kabob. Suck it, Lonely Planet! Put that in your overpriced book. So as any good overwhelmed Americans would do, BJ and chose hamburgers and we were not dissatisfied. It was greasy, messy, saucy and I think had a piece of ham on it. Perfect end to an unexpected night. Much better than the original plan of eating sausage (no pun) and watching a movie back in the hotel room. Nice couple of days in a totally untravelled and untouched location.

Hamburgers!

I'm going to miss Colombia. It's been so wonderful, that right now it and Mexico are the countries I desperately want to return to. I've written enough nice things about Colombia, and hope I can say the same about the rest of the countries on the way down. I'll just have to wait and see.

11/1/2010 - Calí, Colombia: Chilean Miner Fight!

Colombia is just fantastic. It's really been a motorcyclists paradise. Tourism is relatively new here since the drug wars ended. Medellín was once considered the most dangerous city on the planet, but as soon as they capped Pablo Escobar on a rooftop, the country has really turned around. It's all well deserved since Colombia is filled with some amazing natural terrain. The riding here is the most spectacular driving I've ever done. At one point I was riding along a ridge line with a vast green mountainous valley to my right, and on my left there was another one. Just plain gorgeous. It's strange, this is the first country I've been to where I really feel like I've missed too many things. Sometimes all the time in the world isn't enough. I'm just going to have to come back.

Probably the best part about Colombia, aside from the wonderful coffee everywhere, are the cutesy little cities and their people. The big cities are also nice, Medellin was nestled in a valley with a great energetic vibe. But the heart comes from crazy little towns that sometimes have never even seen a tourist. It's a totally virgin landscape where I can drop kids jaws with my giant (it's a 650cc, gasp!) motorcycle. The culture here is so very different than at home. I'll give you an idea. I was lost and couldn't find the hostel I was looking for. I knew it was close, but couldn't pin point it. So, I ask a guy passing by on a motorcycle where it is. He doesn't know, but his ten year old on the back does. So what now? Yep, you guessed it, the kid jumped on the back of my bike and showed me the way. Then when BJ and I got there I told him I'd give him a ride home, but before I could offer again he just took off smiling. What an amazing kid! I mean that would just never happen in California. From the parents perspective: Oh you're lost? And even though I just met you thirty seconds ago, why don't you take my only son on the back of your motorcycle, and don't worry about him getting home, he knows the way even though it's almost dark. What the fuck? This is something I'm definitely not used to, but it's damn refreshing.

My guide for the night: John

 Colombia is a country in transition, and I'm sure this amazing travel experience won't last forever. Because as long as there are tourists, there are always some shady people figuring out new ways to take advantage of them. It's a shame, but it just brings out a different attitude towards foreigners. Costa Rica runs almost purely on tourism, and depending on what you're looking for it is a wonderful place to visit. As for me, Colombia is heaven for now, it has some of the most beautiful landscape, amazing people, the food is great and dirt cheap. I'll be sad to leave, but I've heard some great things about Ecuador too.

I'll admit I'm a pretty lucky guy, knowing that I've had and taken advantage of the many opportunities in my life. Yes, I wasn't born a peasant in China, but there's something to say about grabbing whatever you've got and taking what you want out of it. For me, it was allowing myself to give up my career for a bit and take a vacation, albeit, on crack, but hey, like my dad always told me, "life's not a dress rehearsal". Take your chances when you can, get out of your comfort zone, and allow yourself to have a good time. Life's too fucking short.

That said, I want to tell you about my Halloween experience. I was feeling kind of blue. I've been away for a long time, and there are a lot of friends and family that I desperately miss. Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays, so it struck up some great memories of old friends. Like just last year with Nicole in her sexy maid costume, or yelling at Sofia "Snow White fight!" so the other Snow White would know who's the boss, or Josh coming in third at a competition as Dr. House, or Jacob telling everyone to shut the fuck up. Even years past in Hollywood have been more fun than ever. So anywho, I was supposed to meet a friend in Calí, and when he didn't show, BJ and I were kind of deflated. Maybe no Halloween this year. Then all of a sudden our hostel actually livened up, and people were actually dressing up. I then decide that looking like an idiot with a mustache is the best costume I could come up with. Whatever. After some drinking at the hostel, we all pile into a taxi and head for the best club in Calí. Once we're there, I'm totally stoked to get some kind of Halloween. Even though the beer is an outrageous five bucks a pop, I suck it up and have a fun time. It's crowded, and dancing in clubs here is very different than at home. Instead of asking to dance, you just go grind on some chick, and hope she doesn't run away. It's very entertaining to watch these ugly dudes give their best shot with hotties. Too bad for them, but hey that's life. Anyhow I continue dancing with some girls dressed as crayons, then I get pushed. I turn around to find it's a massive fight breaking out. Kind of stunned, people start breaking it up, then as people are breaking it somebody else gets pushed, gets angry, then throws a punch. This just keeps happening, and gets totally wild in there for about five minutes, but eventually some people get kicked out, and people just kind of relax. Then normalcy finally resumes. I've never seen anything like that before. It's was totally crazy! It's just too bad, that it wasn't superman fighting a vampire, or a pirate fighting a zombie. I should have probably lied, but I think the only legitimate fighter in costume was a Chilean Miner. Oh well, maybe next year I'll see a wizard and soccer player duke it out. Here's to hoping. The rest of the night was pretty normal, except some absurdly loud pyrotechnics. Then once everyone was tapped out or danced out, we all crammed back into the taxi and called it a night. Halloween accomplished.

I'm the dude in the middle.

10/25/2010 - Medellín, Colombia: Strange Days

The small things are what make a happy difference when traveling for such a long time. Like a hot shower, an ice cream, a simple human connection, or a extra comfy bed. I've come to enjoy these little perks when I can because usually they're only temporary. Oh, the glamorous life of the dusty traveler.

Here in Colombia, it's quite easy to make these simple random connections. The people here are absurdly friendly. For example you can just be walking down the street, and some skeezy looking bum dude will just ask you where you're from or how you like the county. Then he'll just say 'welcome to Colombia' or 'have a nice trip' and let you be on your way. Totally different then, say, Nicaragua where everyone is after your tourist dollars. Quite a refreshing change. My favorite meeting was on the way out of Cartagena. I forced BJ into stopping for some more of those deep fried cheese sticks because: one, they're fucking tasty, and two, I don't know if I'll ever see them again. So, I'm parked in a motorcycle only parking area eating my cheesy things, and about fifteen guys all start asking me questions about the bike, where I'm from, where I'm headed, and other random things. It was great to joke around and chat with these other fellow motorcyclist about their country. I definitely enjoyed gathering a small crowd around our massive bikes. Then after a delicious breakfast, all my newfound friends said their pleasant goodbyes and I was on my way.

Fellow bikers in Cartagena, Colombia

Even though I didn't do a lot of preparation for this trip, (no insurance, no bike upgrades, no vaccines, no legitimate planning) I can at least speak enough Spanish to truly enjoy something different. A friend, Rodrigo, whom I met in northern Mexico put seeing a country into my favorite analogy. You can talk to a woman, enjoy her beauty and company. Find out a lot about her, but you'll only really know her and cherish her if you're lucky enough to have sex with her. The same is true for traveling. You can travel all over a country, see the sights, and eat the food, but there's still a lot of things you can miss. The only way to be fully emerged is to converse with locals and find what they're all about. It makes the adventure of traveling all the more enriching. Truly a genuine reason of why I travel.

Awesome fattie cat in Medellin, Colombia

A pretty sweet campsite in Guatape, Colombia

BJ and I conquered the giant rock in Guatape, Colombia

Ok, so insight into the mind of a traveler. Check. Strange story, well let's do that next. After a long day of riding, I'm ready to get off the bike and have a beer. So I stop at what appears to be a truckers town. It's right off the highway, and everything is absurdly Colombian. After a bit of rest, BJ and I decide to hit the town. Play some pool, chat with some locals, and have a beer. It's Sunday night so everyone is out and about. I soon find out that we're the only non Colombians in the city. It's apparent that the people here are not slightest bit familiar with happy gringos. A crowd of teenagers develops around our pool table, and while in between gambling on slot machines, some begin to chat with us. Now in some parts of Colombia there is a thick accent. Being new in town and not used to the heavy accent. I politely tell them that I'm learning the language and that you need to speak slowly so I can understand. But as soon as I'm done telling them this, they keep rattling on as fast as ever. It's quite obvious they've never really met anyone where Spanish is their second language. It's all quite entertaining, if not a bit stressful. It's really the first time I've truly felt out of place in a foreign land. It wasn't really in a bad way, but it was definitely strange getting to the real rough and gritty Colombia. It's all in fun, so after I put BJ out of his pool playing misery. I head back to the safety of the cheap hotel. I wonder what I missed out on when I chose safety and sleep, over a unique experience mingling with the locals at the popular local dance club. I'll never know, but hopefully I'll get another chance in this strange and captivating continent.