The journey so far.

In America they warned us about the Mexicans, in Mexico they are warning us about the Guatamalans, either people just get meaner the further south you go (god help us in Chile) or everyone is paranoid about their neighbours.

The ride began on September 15th with the clock on the bike reading 48230 miles. A quick detour up to Chico for a birthday party before heading south started the journey well. Stopped for the first night just outside San Luis Obispo and continued the fruitless search for a workable and affordable helmet comms system. Called in with the BMW team in Ventura to replace the battery, thanks for the help Peter and team before crossing the Mexican border at Tecate. A little paperwork confusion caused us to re-enter the U.S. using the motorcycle to cut into the front of a border line that stretched as far as the eye could see. Finally it felt as though we were on the way.

Our route took us down the coast of Baja through quiet little coastal villages before criss-crossing back and forward over the mountains all the way down to La Paz. Passed through wide and varied terrain of high mountain desert with the classic cacti to turquoise bays with white sandy beaches. It took 3 days to reach the ferry to the mainland and another day to secure a place on the 18 hour crossing, anyone trying this bring your own tie downs for the bike as the ferry carries nothing and the boat can get rough. We crossed just a few days before one of the seasonal hurricanes had pounded the coast. Into Mazatlan early in the morning to continue down through Mexico and it slowly began to dawn on us just how vast this journey would be. Sure we had an idea but to be covering such huge distances each day only to see our progress on the map at the end of every ride put it all into perspective and we are beginning to realise the time we have will just be enough, can afford to go a little over but not much.

As we approached Mexico city the directions and signage began to become more and more confusing but riding through valleys surrounded by the flat topped cones of long dormant volcanoes made the journey much more tolerable. Progress was very slow through this region as all of central Mexico seems to be one large extension on the city itself. Speed bumps abound, we are sure they put one bump in to warn you about the next one and it spirals out of control. Just as you get into the riding you have to slow down for another village averaging about 30 mph. It helps with adjusting to the Mexican pace of life.

Currently in San Cristobal de las Casas after the winding climb into the misty mountains of the Chiapas, Mexico's rebel region, home of the Zapatistas. Beautiful area dotted with ancient Mayan temples. We spent a day exploring Pelanque one of the most spectacular, hidden amongst the rain forest with tropical birds and howling monkeys bringing the place to life. Cut off the beaten track to find some of the more obscure ruins lying under thick vines and heavy vegetation. Very hot and humid. Spent the night in a Cabana in the jungle near the ruins in the midst of a tropical storm.

Adjusting to the roads and the driving habits has not been as dificult as we expected but tomorrow takes us into Guatamala and who knows what lies ahead, planning to pull over for a week in San Pedro de Laguna on the shores of Lake Atitlan at the foot of a volcano, to study Spanish in a live in school. Joining a family for 5 days of intensive spanish lessons, we really need it. Sorry about the lack of pictures but we are still figuring out a way to upload with the basic faclities. Will try to share what we have so far on the Kodak website. Stand by....