Had an interesting few months that i'll start posting tomorrow and i can asure that it'll make many more than a little jealous!!

This was made just for you

Hurray!!!! That means you're still alive after riding through Columbia. I'm sure a lot of the stories are unfounded but I was more than a little worried about your choice to go through there big fella.

Just read through this whole thread! CRAZY!

One of the reasons i wanted to get a motorbike was because i watched Ewan McGreggor and Charlie Boorman do their long way round and long way down trips and just loved it! This is boys own stuff! Road tripping from place to place with not a care on earth except petrol, food and shelter! ha ha! SOOOOOOOOOOOOO jelous man! But you are the cats PJ's without a doubt!

I'm not trying to tease and be assured over night i'll get up to date so when you all reach work you can look but i'm a tad busy now. Basically my bike is a dual sport single cylinder and now its paid me back a bit for jumping it in utah, wheeling everywhere, taking it out on the ocean for a week and doing too much off road.!

If you want to imagine a picture then the hostel garden looks like a scrapyard. The bikes in bits, i've replaced the wheel bearings, replaced salt rotted cables from the boat trip, charged the battery, cleaned the chain, changed tires and now the engine is on a paving slab, the heads off and been welded where i made a hairline crack along the top of the rocker cover. Valves adjusted and everythings going back together with extra silicone to get a snug fit.

Part of the joy of bikes is working on them and i'm just glad i have the ability to try because this dog is one dependable tool. Is it possible to fall in love with a runt??? (i suppose if you look at david guest then the answers yes)

Martin, ignore the warnings, i fell in love with colombia, the scenery, people and plastic boobies were jaw dropping

Right all the way back to central america then! Nicaragua was a nice enough country but bar some beach riding it was very poor weather so pushed onto costa rica,

Great country, had a few overnighters in various towns and then dropped into san jose for a few nights and to watch some football. Pretty standard fare for a city but the trains outside my room were certainly done a little different to home!!

Yep thats the main road it cuts across with all the safety and warning of a few toots of the horn!

It was time to see the carribean coast and try some of the loacl rum and my aim was to find a secluded beach town with a few bars. The ride was spectacular, fallen trees, mountains and then banana plantations abound!



a few different shots too..

Arriving and getting some good old style fruity pancakes, a great place to stay on the beach and a sweet local town


Just outside my room was a great hiking trek along the beach, various wildlife and a few deep spots!



bugger!

Into panama! The border crossing up at the top of costa rica with panam is walking only but bikes can apparantly get through although rumours were of a bridge that had seen better days. Naturally i prepared for this well by having a serious night on the local rum (Flor De Cana, if you can hunt it down i highly advertise its beauty) got in about three am and awoke with my sheets soaked in blood from a gash on my hand where apparently i dived into the sea but there was a canoe in the way

I dont remember but i had a nasty cut, a serious cold sweat and frankly felt that standing was a challenge. Seeing the bridge well, my god it was wet, slippery and those planks were resting not bolted downand each gap would swallow a wheel nicely.


I got across somehow though i was too petrified to stop and get a picture! Although i was greeted by some amazing waterfalls


Then it was a meander down to panama city over a week stopping off when it took my fancy but shenanigans were level headed, i had a big few days approaching.....

I didnt have too long to explore panama because i'd stopped and explored central america and lost track of time!
I had a good time entering the city though and of course spent a day at the world famous canal. The sheer engineering feat is boggling, watching cargo boats going up and down like that is spectatcular!.



I'd also met back up with the two people i'd seen at various stages in central america, another graham and sean an aussie on the older bmw 80gs.
I needed to get to south america now! The choice is either freight the bike and fly to bogota in columbia or container ship it. These options were incredibly expenisve and i had researched this thoroughly and got a passage booked on a catamaren. If i could get the bike to him he'd happily take it for free. But he said the road was gravel and lots of rivers and canoes. Have a looksie...........

Probablt the most exciting thing i've ever done this. I was ready for once too. Bed early and up at 4am!! The boat left at ten and it was a long way to him. Grahams up and ready but where is sean? I find him in a different bedroom than his with a very sheepish grin. Good boy sean.....

The road started off okay, some great dirt and gravel

Then it got a bit deep and fast flowing

Go on lad

There were a few deeper spots too...



That was hard enough, the bmw took on water and needed a carb clean out but i felt like a true hare and hounds rider! We made it as far as the main estuary to the carribean and got another form of transport!