OverlandSphere
Overland Travel, Expedition & Adventure Information for 4x4, motorcycle and truck overlanders
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So I have to back track in order to bring the blog up to date. The next few blogs concerning Peru covers what turned out to be the most challenging and adventurous rides on the trip. After escaping across the border from Ecuador into Peru the first town we came across was Jaen. What an introduction to Peru! It was…
Mission Accomplished (English y Español) After 1 year and 7 months, some 578 days and 27,134 miles/43,414 km I have reached my final destination: the southern most tip of Argentina in Tierra del Fuego. It has been an amazing journey and I have made many many good friends along the way. I really want to thank all the…
The Highest Honda Cub in the World.!!! After a 5 day expedition to Ojos de Salado Chile Team Honda Vs The World reaches 5706m!! The under resourced, ill equipped and barely prepared team succeeded in riding, pushing and wrestling the Honda up mountain to reach an altitude of 5706 m. Unusually deep snow for the time of year prevented us…
Hi Folks.. Sorry its been ages since I updated the blog!! I have been putting up regular updates on facebook and daily updates recently. I have a few tales to tell about Peru and Bolivia, but I will have to back track to update you on that. What I want to do know is fill you in on my world…
Merry Christmas to one and all!! I cant believe its been a year since I spent Christmas in Venice Beach California and now i’m in Peru. Its been a great year with many many adventures along the way. I have covered over 22,ooo miles or 35,000 km. El Burrito is holding up well and I have really been putting it…
“Can I see your documents please Sir” The Ecuadorian Customes Officer asked in Spanish. “Si claro” I responded . I opened my document wallet. Hmm now where are they. ”No seriously where are they? I had them yesterday!…..Uh oh !!”, The official went off to look at the Gavin and Gordon’s documents and in that moment while I was looking…
A Note on Ecuadorian dogs. If I was to describe Ecuador from a motorcyclists perspective I would call it the land of unfriendly dogs and nice mountains. Of course there is far more to this magnificent country than this, however these things stick out in my mind. What the hell is up with these dogs from Ecuador? Do dogs follow…
So our next stop was Ecuador and what a pleasant surprise Ecuador turned out to be. But we had a rather insalubrious introduction to Ecuador and the only one thing I could complain about Ecuador was about the dogs, but i will get to that later. The border crossing into Ecuador was pretty uneventful apart from a minor language misunderstanding.…
I arrived in Cartagena Colombia a bustling beautiful town by the sea famous for its fortified walls built to protect the wealthy port from pirates and later to defend it’s position against the British and Americans. The first few nights were spent catching up with Gavin. Gavin had had enough of seeing me on my adventure on Facebook and on…
I sent an email to Captain Ludwig saying “Count me in” finally a decision was made on my route to Colombia. I would be sailing on the Stahlratte (the Steel Rat). Built in 1903 in Holland the Stahlratte started life as a steel hulled fishing vessel. Since then many modifications have been made to it including an enclosed galley and…
After San Vito Costa Rica I headed straight for Panama. At this stage I was only focusing on how I would get across the Darien Gap to Colombia so I wasn’t planning on staying in Panama too long. Despite what people may think about the mythical Pan America high way that connects North and South America no road has ever…
Having left my bank card in Nicaragua I needed a safe place to send my card to. I had briefly met a girl called Jenny Xie in Lago Atitlan Guatemala who worked in San Vito Costa Rica. This was my only contact in Costa Rica so I arranged to have my card sent to her work place. What happened regarding…
(Para leer in Espanol- abrir in Google Chrome y clic “Traducir esta pagina” So I had been scrimping on tyres a bit, hoping to make it to Colombia where I would fit out my bike for the next leg of the journey. But in doing that I had left myself exposed to punctures. The tyres themselves had plenty of grip…
My first stop in Nicaragua was a city called Leon. Leon is an extremely important city in Nicaragua famed for its part in the initiation of revolutions and revolutionary leaders. It is a very politically orientated city. The day I arrived happened to be a day of national celebration and commemoration. It was this day in 1959 when 4 students…
I left Guatemala City and headed towards the El Salvador border. I decided to make towards the Pacific Coast border crossing down south. I rode into the border town of Ciudad Pedro de Alvarado. Immediately on my arrival I am greeted by a guy asked to see my papers. This is the start of a common border scam. Scam is…
I had developed some combustion problems simlilar to what I had been experiencing when my air filter was clogged up. I stopped into Honda in Guatemala city to see if I could pick one up. After speaking to a few people the word started to get around about the presence of one special little bike on its long journey south. …
In Guatemala there exists the very strange Cult of Maximon. Maximon or San Simon is a mixture of ancient Mayan religious practices and Catholicism. Legend has it that while the men of the village were working in the fields Maximon slept with thier wives. The men were so enraged that they cut off his limbs. Detailed information on the orgins…
Lago de Atitlan has been described by Aldous Hulxley as the most beautiful lake in the world. Surrounded my mountains on all sides with 3 volcanoes overlooking it it certainly is breath taking. Dotted around the lake are several very colorful Mayan towns each very individual and unique. After spending a couple of days in San Marcus relaxing by the…
Bike update. I have put the bike through some really punishing stuff over the last few weeks. Lots of muck and a couple of hundred miles over very rough and rocky roads. I have riden through tropical jungle areas, through beautiful alpine environments of around 2500m altitude right up to cold inhospitable mountains top of 3,300m. Whilst on these roads…
Call for Assistance I have decided I want to auction my bike off at the end of the trip to raise money for a yet to be named charity and possibly to undertake some other fund raising activities or ventures. The auction of the bike will come with some conditions which I need to consider further. Parting with the bike…
This video was recorded on 20th of Feburary 2012. My map showed a dirt road leading off through the desert to a seculed beach called Aqua Verde, the opposite direction from La Paz Mexico my intented destination. I flipped a coin to decide. The coin said Aqua Verde. The decision was made. What a ride it turned out to be!!…
The last few days have been some of the most inspiring and most fulfilling days I have spent on my trip so far. Spending the night sleeping on the steps of the temple in the Gran Palaza in Tikal was a very special and unique experience followed by getting lost in the mountains of the Verapaces of Guatemala. There is…
After I heard there was an outside chance of sleeping in the amongst the temples and ruins of the ancient Mayan city of Tikal I decided I had to do it. I had met a French Canadian girl called Paola and she explained that if you gave the guards a slip and/or paid them 100 Quetszalas it as posible to…
Here’s a short video of the road to Barton Creek Belize. Rough dirt and rock roads, some footage in the cave and a river crossing!! first ever.. I had to go back and play the next day…
The Joy of Movement. The early stages of depression, loneliness kick in as I wake up alone. Why am I doing this? I question myself. What for? There is a hollowness within me. I gather my things. Pack my bags. I say goodbye to my temporary friends. I briefly survey my route and check over my bike. I swing my…
A short video of my Border crossing from Mexico to Belize. 9th June 2012. I refuse to pay the border scam exit fee, but manage to get my bike out of Mexico with my deposit also. So long Mexico its been great. I wont let the shitty border scam ruin my opinion of Mexico. Its been great.…
The stranger side to Mexico. I have started writing about other areas in Mexico which I have visited that demonstrate it’s beauty and culture and of course the very friendly people. I have made many friends here. Mexico has surpassed my expectations on all levels, but unfortunately I haven’t got around to posting these updates yet, but I will shortly!…
Its all fun right?? I am having the time of my life right!.. sure I am.. but sure shit has to go wrong too and I have had a interesting week of it… here is the gist of a conversation I had with a doctor today conducted in Spanglish.. The note has no particular form.. its more of a brain…
Another eventful day today… it started really well.. The bike had done 112 miles on 1 tank.. incredible.. I pulled in for lunch in Cintalapa, Chiapas, and parked the bike up beside Santa Muerta…( Saint of the Dead) the writing was on the wall.. When I came back I had a flat.. on closer inspection the tyre was not seated…
Ok.. A quick bike update… Basically the bike is running better than ever… seems crazy right?? Well after the wheel rebuild with nice fat spokes she’s more stable on the road, especially with so much weight hanging out the back. The old rusted spokes just refused to tighten.. well they were pretty old… but big news on the engine front…