The Final Chapter (I think!)

August 8, 2012

Alfred, NY

Its been over a week since I've been home and while things are starting to feel more and more normal everyday its still a pretty big transition for me. I've been truly surprised at how quickly I can go from meeting countless new people and traveling to new cities on an almost daily basis back to sitting in front of Netflix watching episode after episode of whatever I'm currently into (right now its Scrubs!). Everything still doesn't really feel back to normal for me at all, but doing little things like actually grocery shopping for real and restocking your fridge certainly helps.

Every time I come home from a big trip it seems to get harder and harder to reconcile the changes that have taken place though. Sitting with friends I feel like I'm truly overflowing with stories I'm sure they'll get sick of, but the hardest part is feeling like you've accomplished something that only you really know what you did. You can try to explain and every once and now and then you'll get the satisfaction of a truly captivated audience, but it still doesn't seem like enough. Besides, you can only work into a conversation that you went on an 8,000 mile motorcycle ride down to Mexico so many times before even you yourself start to feel like a broken record, but thankfully I'm not there yet.

One of the hardest parts about coming home is that you know you've changed inside as a person, but it seems like no one else has. In the last two months I've dealt with more obstacles, more on your toes challenges, and triumphed more times than I probably deserve so I know those changes are real. I've traveled alone through countless states in both the US and Mexico, and through couch surfing and the hostels I've met more people I will never forget so I feel deep down that with these experiences change is inevitable. Just how deep those changes really are is still questionable though and I'm curious to see if my diligence to details, planning skills, and new found appreciation for paying closer attention to small things (like listening closely to my engine for hundreds of miles on end for any signs of trouble) learned on the trip will hold over to my work life, but I won't be holding my breath. When you think about it everyone has changed; everyone has done something with their summer that you didn't get to do, but you still feel that somehow somethings different. You've accomplished something that you know most of your friends and acquaintances never will and that fact is pretty hard to accept. While these feelings of separation are without a doubt getting better everyday its still going to be a continuing struggle to accept the tedium of everyday life, but thankfully when the students get back in a week or so I'll be able to dive head first into that.

Either way, for all the confused and doubtful looks I received before I left when trying to explain my plans I now know that I can do it, and I did though I never had any doubts. Riding back into town over a week ago I felt victorious once again confirming that anyone can really do anything they want to if they put their minds to do especially if they've decided they will succeed. For me the question that if you life was a book would anyone read it plays heavily on the choices I make, yet I do these things for no one but myself. I can say that I've lived in 3 countries, have traveled to many more, have backpacked for two months across the amazing country of Brazil, and have taught English in Nicaragua for two months as well, but now I can add to that list saying that I've taken an incredible motorcycle voyage to Mexico and back as well. It wasn't always easy everyday, but it was unquestionably one of the best things I've ever done in my life, and the benefits far out weighed the difficulties.

Now without hesitation I list this last voyage off as a real accomplishment but I'm also aware that I didn't achieve everything that I had wanted to do. I made it no further South then Mexico city, and certainly failed to enter into the other countries that I had wanted to visit. But the truth is that I'm okay with that. I said in the beginning of the blog its the journey that matters and like I've said I'm sure to peoples annoyance countless time before, the journey was mind blowing. While I didn't get to see the places I planned, the people I met along my way and shared parts of my journey with far outweighed an sights that I missed. Whats for sure is there will be a next time and I'll be back to adventure traveling as soon as possible. If that will be by bike I really can't answer, but if the opportunity presented itself I know I'd be up for it. Back in New York it will still be riding season for at least a couple more months and I plan on taking as many mini trips by bike as I can. Its been a while since I've visited one of my favorite places in New York State: the Adirondacks, so that will probably be my next destination for now. After that I plan on trying to meet up with some incredible new inspiring friends around the world from Washington state, Mexico, and as far away as New Zealand, but for now we'll just have to see how things go and where life takes me next. I'm not too worried though...

The end of my voyage (and a $506 stripper bill!)

July 31, 2012

Alfred, NY (HOME)

Lots of fun to be had in Nashville

 

Well its all over now and I'm finally home again. The last four days of the trip were grueling tests of endurance due to bad weather and long mileage to say the least but I finally made it. While the beginning of my stay at the Music City Hostel in Nashville wasn't very impressive, I finally met some cool people at the end of the night but to my disappointment they all ran off to bed early leaving me with an incredibly boring group of people. It seemed like they were all trying to make it as musicians in a city that was about to eat them whole, all the time while discussing how little known singer songwriters had deeply influenced there lives. Being a musician myself you'd think I'd have a little more compassion for these people, but so late in my trip I don't think I had the energy to make the effort. I listened to there stories, one girls demo which wasn't too bad, but couldn't help feel that I was past that point in my life. While I'd love to be able to get paid to bring my music on the road I'm all to familiar with the incredible odds against them and quite frankly feel past that stage in my life. Now when I play I like to play for fun and just for myself, and ever since that orientation has changed music became that more special to me. That's not to say that people who really love it shouldn't try to make something more of it, maybe just don't spend the entire night talking about it...

An incredible view near the CS host in Covington

From there I moved on to Cincinnati, or to be more precise right across the river in Covington Kentucky. Without a doubt the end of that leg was one of the worst I had experienced because a hundred miles from my couch surfing destination the weather seemed to simply go insane. The wind started to blow pushing my bike back and forth on the road causing me to have to lean heavily into the massive gusts, tree pieces and leaves quickly filled the air, the sky grew dark, and before I knew it I was crawling along a road covered in downed trees with the rain pounding down on me. The storm I had hit in Florida had been pretty bad if not short, but the downed trees everywhere followed by the gushing wind and rain definitely challenged my abilities to the max. Yet being so close to my stop for the night I felt like I had to push on and I eventually made it exhausted and soaked to the bone.

That night in Covington I had a really nice host from Couch Surfing who for the first time was a female. She was a college professor close to my age and we spent the whole night swapping travel stories and helping her plan her next big trip. It was a nice night, but I was exhausted so I hit the hay early and was rewarded with a great early start in the morning.

The next stop from there was Cleveland, Ohio this time staying with some of my best friends from my work and the night proved to be one of the most memorable on the trip. It was Troy and his girlfriend Malory (always up for a great time!) and this time they were accompanied by two of Troy's friends (we'll change their names to Lucky and Marco for privacy).

The beginning of the night was great. We went to two different breweries, had dinner, and made our way downtown for some drunken fun at a few of the local bars. But soon enough Troy and Malory got tired (OK around 2am) so we headed back to the Bed and Breakfast with them, all the while conspiring on what our next move would be between the guys. Unfortunately earlier that night we had noticed an interesting place located pretty close to one of the areas we were at and in our incredible state, and being 3 men it seemed like the perfect idea for the end to a fun evening: a strip club.

After dropping the two tired lovers off we made our way back out to see what more trouble we could get into, and trouble at the club was what we found. As soon as we got their we went to the ATM's and took out what we could ($12 service fee!!). Because it was the end of the trip for me there was really not a lot left so I settled for making dirty jokes and hanging out with the others. However, after being inside for no more then 20 minutes my cash was gone and the two other guys were no where to be found. I made numerous circles of the club creepily peering into every dark corner trying to find my friends while no doubt appearing to be a real creep checking out everyone at the club.

After what seemed like forever, I was about to give up when I finally came upon Lucky standing next to two gorgeous scantily clad women. The look on his face said trouble as he was just starring dumbfounded at his credit card and wallet, while the two girls starred at him clearly frustrated and waiting. As I approached him out of no where Marco showed up as well and both reaching Lucky at the same time we asked him what happened.

With a mix of sheepish drunkenness (and a look on his face I will never be able to describe) he finally admitted that he owed the club a little bit of money. Now we had only been in there for about 30 minutes so we both quickly agreed to help him out and do what we could To our complete and total shock though in no time at all he had managed to spend all his cash and wrack up a FIVE HUNDRED AND SIX DOLLAR (NOT PESOS!) bill on nothing more then a few private dances with the two girls in the VIP room. While I was totally unable to help him, thankfully Marco could and with a showing of true friendship paid the bill and we ran out of there in total shock.

It turned out that he had spent the rest of cash for the night and was now left with nothing but his company credit card, though I suspect that may be a little difficult to justify to IRS or his business. Thankfully we made it out of there though, and for the rest of the night me and Marco got endless entertainment out of the situation. “Want a glass of water? Sure! $506 please!” “Tonight was fun, don't know if I'd spend $506 on it though.” “What was the extra $6 dollars for?” “Did you remember to leave a tip?” Things like that which at the time seemed truly hilarious to me and Marco (which were always followed by even more hilarious rants from Lucky), but I'm pretty sure that he learned his lesson.

Without a doubt the girls had seen us enter and had instantly ascertained that we were somewhat new to the strip club scene so they quickly divided us up, and then unquestionably conquered (at least one of us!). More power to them though. I ended up talking to one of the girls waiting for her exorbitant fee and she seemed really nice and told me she was saving up for a trip back home to Syria (or Serbia or something like that its hard to remember). At the very least Lucky should have realized by the end of the night that not all was lost though, because after all was said and paid for he can now tell others that he helped a poor girl fly back to her country, or at least a large portion of her trip.

A Casino in the middle of the beautiful Catteragaus County

After a gorgeous drive the next day through the beautiful Allegany and Catteragaus County of New York (making only a a few stops to aid some minor discomforts from my late night the day before) I finally rolled into my home town to see my parents waiting for me outside my favorite local bar. Jumping off the bike as quickly as I could I hugged them both and at that point I knew I was home. I may have woken up the morning after totally disoriented not knowing where the hell I was, but the transition definitely takes times. While I love to travel, see new sights, and experience new cultures, the one thing I love more then that is my family. They've always been there to support me in my endeavors (though I know this last one was a little bit of a challenge for them), and between my friends in Cleveland and my parents it was the perfect ending to the trip. We had a nice normal dinner for the first time in a really long time, I told them about Lucky and some of my numerous other crazy stories, and for a short time I was really happy and content to be home.

PS- Sorry this post came so late. It turns out the last thing not to make the voyage was my laptop cable so between that and my incredibly busy last few days this was the best I could do!

Memphis in the Buff!

Smells like the KING in here!

July 26^th, 2012

Nashville, Tennessee

Driving into Memphis I honestly had no idea what was a head of me. I knew I loved BBQ more then most people should and that music was one of the most important aspects of my life, but the big question in the back of my mind was what it would be like spending two days Couching Surfing with a gay nudist. Of course I had no qualms at all about Keith being gay as a lot of my friends are and I quite frankly don't care who you like to get it on with, as long as your safe, legal, and careful. But the big question was the nudism: Just how far did my open mindedness stretch?

I should probably pause here to give everyone a little background on myself just so you know where I'm coming from. My best friend who was my best man in my wedding is gay, I've probably gone out to more gay clubs in my life then many other LGBT people, and I'm totally comfortable with body as evidence of my home life. But how those characteristics would translate into being nude in front of another male; I truly had no idea.

To my incredible surprise though Keith has been one of the nicest people I've met on my trip so far. He really is an inspiration to Couch Surfers everywhere and has to be without a doubt one of the most welcoming people I've ever met with or without clothes on. His house is an incredible ray of comfort after a two month long trip, and the fact that he shares his food, dining, alcohol and pretty much everything else with you a real treat. I think he found out early on that hiding things normally gets you no where, and just like his dress at home he's an open book which is incredibly refreshing in this day and age. You can ask him any question and he'll freely answer often continuing on answering numerous others unknowingly. I found out quickly that being nude to him has almost nothing to do with sex (though he admits sex is a lot more fun when naked!) and that for him its simply an expression of his freedom, and the wonders of the human body.

After only a short couple of hours I had no choice but to join him in his freedom and as weird as that sounds, if you knew Keith the way myself and all the other couch surfers before me do, you'd know its really not at all. It simply feels natural and I really believe that if everyone was as comfortable with the human body as Keith was, America and the entire world would be facing a lot less difficulties due to body image issues and the countless problems that can cause. While I got a lot more information in a fantastic interview with Keith last night, like always its going to take me a while to go through it, edit it, and post it, but for anyone curious you should really watch for it to come out.

Besides hanging out and spending numerous hours chatting away into the night with Keith my time in Memphis was really spectacular. Both nights I got to enjoy delicious BBQ pulled pork, and the second day I finally left the pool and made it down town. I got to walk the mythical Beale Street and even got treated to a little bit of free Soul Music while walking through the park. The big treat of my trip was a tour of Sun studios though, seeing exactly where mythical musicians like Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and of course Elvis recorded. At this point in my journey I'm definitely happy to be quickly approaching home, but Memphis proved to be a memorable stopping point. Hopefully someday I'll get to see Keith again, and hopefully someday he'll be able to tell me that he finally went to the Burning Man festival he's considered going to for so long.

Got to cross the mighty Mississippi by bike!

One part that I forgot to mention was that in driving to Memphis I felt like changing things up a little and that I was most severely punished for it. I knew I only had a 2 hour ride and seeing so many other bikers riding around in minimal clothes I decided to stow my heavy gear and helmet and try the minimalist approach (perhaps in preparation for meeting Keith?). As great as it felt in the beginning by the time I actually arrived in Memphis I was totally fried by the sun and all exposed skin had long since turned red. Taking a lesson from that experience today I was back in my full ridding gear and even comfortable because it almost feels like my clothes give me a small layer of protection against the hot blasting air cruising down the road at 80mph.

I'm finally checked into my hostel though and so far so good with the small exception of one thing. I know I'm a teacher by nature and this should be something that I appreciate, but it appears that there are rules written everywhere! “Please do not open the window, Please enjoy alcohol but don't get drunk, Please... etc.” So far my favorite is a sign on the microwave in the kitchen begging hostel goers not to microwave anything during certain hours. While I know rules are important, I can't help feel that instead of writing all these stupid signs they could just try and talk to there guests, or at least spend some of that time on the upkeep of the hostel. Now I'm getting a little grouchy I know, but so many rules just seem to rub me the wrong way. After all when first entering a hostel you're really looking forward to learning all the things you can do, not being told all the things you can't by stupid little pieces of paper. I promise to give the Music City Hostel a fair chance though now that I'm done venting and who knows? Maybe they'll read my blog, consider their evil ways, and create a wonderful little bonfire in the back yard. Haven't seen any rules against that! Oh wait there it is: “No using our stupid little pieces of paper with our insensate rule dictations to fuel massive bonfires to the massive glee of all who stays here...”

I'm on a Boat (made of cardboard)!

July 24, 2012

Little Rock, Arkansas

I feel like I can now honestly say I have had the real couch surfing experience and now I know exactly why so many people rave it about so much. I arrived in Little Rock at 7pm to meet my French host Adolphe and the entire night was a blast just as fun as any hostel experience.

With his merry bunch of friends, Adolphe and four or five others have signed up for a local boat making and racing competition unlike anything I've ever heard. I entered his apartment yesterday to see an almost 10 foot boat taking up most of the living room made entirely of Gorilla tape and cardboard. For the rest of the night I hung out with Adolphe and his friends (including one interesting Canadian Asian who claimed to have an accent in all languages) taping holes and finally painting the boat as best we could with clear hopes of winning the annual competition (or at least loosing with style) apparent on each of their faces.

To say the least it was a great chill night and after my 8 hours on the road I couldn't have asked for anything more. At Adolphe's apartment complex he had both a pool and a hot tub so before the night was through we made use of both. At no point did the night feel forced or awkward, instead it was more like new friends meeting back up to hang out. And this morning I was happy to see that I've had two other invitations excepted, so if they're even half as fun as last night, my trip home should be great.

Although I've heard only very little about it, Little Rock Arkansas seems like an incredible little city. Its clean, quiet, and quaint and I can only imagine how fun it is on the weekend or even Tuesday Adolphe says. Its definitely a great little place and if I wasn't so excited to head out for Memphis I could easily stay awhile, but “Walking in Memphis” it is. I've always wanted to visit the city and being only 115 miles away the excitement is building. I love music and food, so my love of BBQ naturally fits right in and I cannot wait to see what Memphis has to offer even if only for the night.

Without a doubt I pride myself on my open mindedness and I always tell people I'll eat anything and almost always try anything at least once (speaking of food I'm eating one of the most amazing versions of Eggs Benedict I've ever had from a great little trendy cafe in Little Rock called The Root). I love learning about different cultures and trying to understand peoples different beliefs and I'm pretty sure my next is going to test just how accepting I am of other beliefs.

Without giving too much away, the host contacted me on CouchSurfing after seeing my last minute advertisement for a couch in Memphis. He has over 30 references making him one of the most talked about and highly recommended hosts I've ever seen much less stayed with. Now for my interviews of which I've done 2 so far (have yet to edit and post them!) I normally try and look as best I can using only what I can find in my small back pack. The question on my mind though is will I attempt to dress up and look as nice as possible, or will I embrace his style of living and philosophy and be nude. I guess we'll just have to wait and see from the pictures.

Hanging out with the Barenaked Ladies, my bro, and mucho Margaritas!

Blues Traveler rocking our world!

 July 23, 2012

Dallas, Texas

Its been a great couple of (really hot!!) days with my brother here in Dallas and I couldn't be happier with the time I got to spend with him. Weighing heavily on my mind, I knew at the beginning that coming on this trip would mean missing two amazing concerts back home: Dave Matthews Band at Darien Lake, and Blues Traveler and Barenaked Ladies at CMAC. But as luck would have it while searching the net for things to do to my surprise I found that Barenaked Ladies and Blues Traveler were coming Dallas one day after me and Ian should have parted ways.

Hearing the songs I grew up with from BNL!

Like any good adventure traveler though we quickly changed plans, made new ones, and had a blast at the show. It was an incredible night “sipping” Margaritas with my brother, with Blues Traveler putting on another epic show with the incredible abilities of John Popper and the band, and the Barenaked Ladies rocking out in their own original fun kind of way. Although they're from Toronto which is only a couple hours away from my home and I've always been a big fan since the 90's, last night was my first time getting to see them in concert. They played a lot of their hits, some new stuff, and just really seemed to have a great time doing what they loved the most.

One of the best parts of the night though was (like I always do [I know... CREEPER!]) was camping out outside their tour bus. Like always though, before long we got to meet the members of the Barenaked Ladies and each one seemed truly impressed with my little brothers veteran status and were a lot of fun to talk to. While it must be weird for them to try and make small talk every night with people they've never met before, you couldn't tell as they all seemed like a lot of fun, easy going, and great to talk to. A huge thanks to the Barenaked Ladies for a great show last night and taking the time to say hello! Not knowing they were all going to come out I found myself with nothing for them to sign, except of course for my passport. Lets hope its still good!

I should be hitting the road today for Little Rock, Arkansas. Its only 2 hours away from Memphis, so it should put me in a great position to see the city the next day. From this point on I will be couch surfing and now that I have a few references it seems to be getting easier to find hosts. As of now I have one invitation from a guy in Memphis with a rather interesting life style. While it sounds like a great new experience especially for the blog (and myself who claims I'll try anything), it's going to be something that I'll have to think about...

Chilling with Ed Robertson!

Jim Creegan! (Bass)

A bad pic of the great Tyler Stewart (Drums)

Tequila and Frogger!

July 20, 2012

Killeen (UGH!), Texas

Me and my little brother are at it again! I clearly remember requesting a semi quiet night last night due to our long drive to Dallas today. After purchasing the beer and tequila (you can take the American out of Mexico...) after dinner though then things get a little foggy. We hung out, watched Family Guy, and bored in our hotel room devised a great variation of home run derby with a beer bottle for a bat and the empty lime juice container as a ball. Thankfully nothing got broken except for maybe some world records and after we went for a couple games of pool at the local pool hall right up the road.

Remember when I said that the Alamo should be interesting and or might be a nice surprise? (Warning: For any Texan's reading this you should probably skip this section) Well it wasn't. It wasn't that nice and I wasn't really surprised except with how small it was. “The Alamo” is in fact a one room building, old without a doubt, but a pretty small exhibit compared to the sites that I've been accustomed to. For all the fuss that's made about the place being the true monument to American bravery and heroism I was definitely expecting a little bit more. It had some exhibits next door that were slightly informative at best explaining what a mission was and showing off some old guns, but the whole time I couldn't help but focus on the fact that it wasn't just attacked, but captured as well!

Okay there was one other thing that was surprising about the place. Standing guard at every corner of the small park were armed park rangers. And when I say armed I don't mean clubs, or tazers, or notebooks ready to ticket offenders . I'm talking about huge looking pistols on these guys with cowboy hats, boots, and the Texas ranger sunglasses to match their intimidating demeanor. Now what they are exactly on the look out for I have no idea. Maybe some visitors get a little over zealous and try to take home the only cannon on the premises with them? Or perhaps they're worried that as a true symbol of American authority and power (except for the time it was captured of course) if Mexico does decide to attack us the Alamo would be their first primary target to crush our spirits. Either way the cannon wouldn't fit on the back of my bike so I left only with a little bit of disappointment and a slightly sweating shirt in the incredible morning heat of San Antonio.

From there I packed up and made my way to Killeen. At this point I think I need to make some kind of statement about the differences between driving in Mexico and in the states. In Mexico you move with traffic gleefully ignoring the speed limits, or if your car isn't fast enough you politely move to the oversized shoulders (which I've actually seen done in Texas on some of the back roads). Every time you drive somewhere in Mexico its with a purpose and the main objective is to keep traffic flowing as smoothly as possible. In the beginning it might seem chaotic but soon enough you realize that drivers in Mexico are actually very good and know what they're doing. Not once did I see an accident and not once did I have any close calls. No one puts on their brakes for no reason, they use their flashers every time they go slower then the speed limit and everyone is polite. Only a few times at traffic lights did I hear honking of horns, but they weren't for me because motorcycles always drive up the middle of lane before stopping. After all why hold up the line with another vehicle when it can just as easily pass by and keep the flow of traffic moving.

Driving in Texas on the other hand is a totally different nightmare. I've been told countless times how dangerous route 35 is and without a doubt that is definitely the case. But the reason why is because Texans don't really seem to abide by any of the basic rules of driving on a highway. They seem to choose any speed they want and then pick any lane they want planting themselves in that lane no matter the flow of the rest of traffic. And while veering back and forth in a desperate attempt to simply go the speed limit is difficult on a two lane road, its even worse on a three lane highway seemingly much like Frogger having to jump back and forth with no clear pattern of what people are doing.

Nevertheless we made it and have checked into our hostel. Its Ian's first stay at a hostel so I hope he enjoys it. We have a few hours to relax and do our laundry before we plan to take the train to down town and hit the town hard. Should be a good night followed by a nice relaxing day tomorrow.

The Wild Wild West Backpackers Hostel in Dallas

Well ladies I may not be #1 but at least I'm not #36! ( A "gift" from Whataburger)

Flash Floods and Border Xing

July 19, 2012

San Antonio, Mexico

Good morning America! Although I was sad to leave Mexico its nice to know that after so many weeks on the road I'm finally getting closer to home. Yesterday's trip was one of my grueling endurance tests but overall it went well. Leaving Monterrey early after a few minor annoyances of having to find gas, money, and of course forgetting my bike was locked (again) I made the 2 and a half hour trip to the border quickly and with no problems. Well their was actually one problem. I managed to set Ipod (its alive!) to repeat the song by mistake instead of the entire CD so for about 40 miles being to stubborn to stop and see what was wrong (I was hoping it would fix itself?) I listened to Blues Traveler's “Hook” countless times. At first it was great and I continuously sang along because I love the song and the live version is one of my favorites, but after the 4^th or 5^th it got a little annoying and I eventually rode in silence.

Other then that though the drive was great, winding my bike through the thick traffic at 75 mph to reach the border in no time surrounded on all sides by gorgeous jutting mountains. Now the border crossing was a totally different issue but all in all it was relatively easy. Ignoring the fact that I must have waited for 2 hours in 90+ degree weather in full riding gear and my helmet, and by the time I finally made it across I was shaking with dehydration, I made the crossing without issue.

There's Texas! (Waiting for ages on the bridge)

From there it was two and half more hours to San Antonio and when I finally managed to arrive at my first hotel in a while I couldn't have been happier. I got a little nervous approaching San Antonio because at one point when taking a quick break I got an emergency message saying flash floods where more than likely in my area and it had just started to rain. Looking at the skies though I must have missed the heavy downpour by only a mile or so and I made it thankfully without any unintentional river crossings (though that might have been a fun story sans bike and all possessions floating away of course).

Hostels without a doubt are great places to meet new people, hang out, and have a good time. But when you smell like a dirty old sock and are totally exhausted theirs nothing better then a big comfortable bed, AC, and bad TV shows. Managing to make it up until 10:00 I finally passed out and gave myself the gift of 9 and a half hours sleep.

With three hours until check out, now I'm off to see the Alamo by foot. After all, being the history buff that I am I can't possibly stay in San Antonio without seeing such a glamorous part of American history. I'm not expecting a lot, just a little stroll in the morning before heading out to see my brother, but who knows? I might be in for a surprise. From the map I can see that this city has an interesting set up. The Alamo itself seems to be right in the center of the city in a small park. Should be interesting.

Monterrey Revisited (This time with nice things to say about it)

July 17, 2012

Monterrey, Mexico

For anyone who read my first post about this city and thought I gave it the shaft I'm truly sorry. I know now that every city in Mexico has an enormous amount of urban sprawl attempting to hide each cities inner beauty. I guess after a being in a few cities in Mexico that's just a fact I have to accept and without a doubt Monterrey isn't any different.

While I can see why people passing through tend to skip of this gigantic maze of streets, skyscrapers, and one unsightly dried up river bed Monterrey really does have its own charm. Today I took a few hours to walk around its city center and got a huge surprise. While the main pedestrian streets seem to be overrun with overpriced stores selling top names in fashion, the rest of the area is like many of the other places I've been to here in Mexico. It has majestic parks, great colonial style streets, and even a gorgeous if not obviously man made canal running through one part of the town.

I know it looks a little bit like an amusement ride in some theme park, but I just could help but be intrigued by the time, effort, and money that must have gone into the canal here just to give the people of Monterrey something nice to do on a hot day. Its surrounded by some impressive museums talked of being some of the best in Mexico and at the beginning theirs even a massive fountain where children and families can splash around and swim in.

A sunset like no other I've seen in Mexico

Without a doubt the mountains surrounding Monterrey make it one of the most beautiful places I've been to in its own right. In fact it reminds me a lot of Rio de Janeiro: a lot of danger, but a lot more beauty.  In both cities you have to be on your guard at all times, but the mountains in almost every backdrop and the jewels just waiting to be uncovered inside of the cities center make it a worthwhile destination.

I'm really glad I gave this city a second chance though the choice wasn't really my own. As its the last day before payday I had to scrape together everything I had just to pay for my lodging tonight, and to my disappointment Saltillo had no hostels that I could find so the obvious choice was to come back to Monterrey as its so close to the border. But as fate would have it I feel like I was supposed to see more of Monterrey and now that I have my opinion has definitely changed. This time I didn't get lost for 2 hours trying to find a place to sleep, I know now that every suburban area of any city in Mexico looks as uninviting as junk yard, and I found a nice little hostel well within my budget. Its nice here, its clean, and the people are friendly. Yet again another great city to be explored in Mexico.

A Second Round at my Favorite Road

July 16, 2012

Zacatecas, Mexico

Its nice to once again be back in the quaint and familiar city of Zacatecas. For the first time ever I didn't need to use my GPS to find my old hostel as its impossible to miss now due to its proximity to the massive cathedral in the town's center. Now this doesn't mean that I was able to go straight to my hostel though. I actually managed to do three full circles around the block looking for the right one way street before realizing that I had to go up a little further to get to where wanted. I guess that's not exactly lost, but at the end of a 6 hour ride its just plain annoying.

Although it seems like so long ago that I wrote about the ride from Zacatecas to Aguascalientes the truth is it was exactly two week ago that I took same mind blowing ride, just going in the opposite direction. With a few days off the bike, and some new found confidence from knowing a little of what to expect I pushed Saphira to her limits today on the winding, dangerous curves, and switchbacks through some of Mexico's most beautiful mountains. Instead of keeping her around 30 mph today I kept it mostly around 50 and had a total blast. Again the sites were out of this world and I even managed to find a little picnic area this time to take a break. When I got my bike a couple months back one of my bosses said that when you were really comfortable with it you'd manage to scrap the pegs turning too sharply. For the first time today I actually did that and after realizing what I had done let out a loud YEAH! and gave it more gas. While for the next trip, where ever that may be, I should probably consider investing in a newer bike, as of now Saphira and I are perfectly in tune. Repeatedly leaning one way, and then sharply to the other today's ride was absolutely incredible again feeling like a scene out of a video game or movie. A nice bonus as well: it's also a free road.

Egh  I tried...

Tomorrow I'll be making my way to my last city in Mexico to be explored before crossing back into the US. Hopefully after an early start I should be rolling into the peaceful town of Saltillo perfectly complimenting its bustling border city of Monterrey not to late to do some last minute site seeing in Mexico before heading for the border. While my time in Mexico has been absolutely unreal, I can't say that I'm not a little excited to be getting even closer to my own country and my home.

A last great meal of fish tacos in Guadalajara well worth the wait!

Thoughts on Traveling

Got some delicious Sheep Tacos here!

July 15, 2012

Guadalajara, Mexico

After another night on the town which I believe makes 3 in a row, I feel totally beat today. But worse then being just exhausted, I'm also feeling a little thoughtful and as always I'm not exactly sure its a road I'm ready to go down right now (yes pun intended).

A few days ago possibly in Mexico City I slowly came to the realization that this trip was even more important to my own personal well being then even I had known. I also realized that ever since I had left I had been searching for something elusive, as often travelers do, but what that thing exactly is I'm not totally sure. Maybe its as simple as looking for the next great ride through the mountains or breathtaking site, but I can't help feel its something much more important than that. So as a warning for anyone enjoying the lighthearted readings I've posted before maybe its just better to skip this one.

For the last couple years I've honestly seemed to struggle the entire time. I've struggled with my health due to two surgeries both failing to fix the same thing (again use your imagination). The healing time for both of those times was incredibly long, and I don't think I've ever felt so helpless in my life. They weren't life threatening, but if anything they totally challenged my positive outlook on life putting barriers in the way of most if not all things I love to do except of course watching TV. I can happily say now though that I finally think I'm healthy. If there was ever a time that would be proven it would be here on this trip after countless hours on my motorcycle, but to my incredible delight I think that part of my life is finally behind me.

The second struggle I've dealt with and probably the hardest thing I've ever had to face in my life was my failing marriage and all the problems that compounded our difficulties. Perhaps I'm being over dramatic here, but it seemed like from day one we had severe problems. When we were on vacation, going to a concert, or doing something wild and adventurous everything would be perfect. Unfortunately day to day circumstances seemed to be our biggest downfall though. Stress from bills and money, our masters programs, and countless other daily distractions managed to weasel its way in until it finally got to the point you see in the movies were the couple can't even stand to be in the same room as each other. Now how a couple goes from having the most incredible wedding (in my mind at least!) to not being able to stand each other is beyond my writing skills, but it just seemed to slowly happen over time. Without a doubt our grueling hours at work managed to magnify our problems and certainly didn't help, not totally the jobs fault though. At this point I wish I had the energy to make one last attempt and this time try and get some marriage counseling, but like I've said before I'm just not sure I have the strength, the hope, or the drive to try. That may sound cruel or lazy on my part but I believe what I read one time about counseling that both couples have to be totally invested in it, and I'm really not sure if that's something I can do.

With everything I've struggled with these last couple years, the closest thing I can think of that I could be searching for is some inner peace and the person I used to be. I believe I'm searching for the happiness I once had and my own comfort with myself. While I've had endless incredible times experiencing new things and putting myself out there meeting new people, I've really challenged myself with enjoying my own company. For the last couple days alone is certainly the last thing that I've experienced though, so I think I'm also a little hesitant to loose that as well. But just like at the beginning of the trip I have to keep moving forward. The next ride will bring my four hours closer to home and back to the familiar colonial city of Zacatecas. Without a doubt my journey isn't over as confirmed by the 4,000 kilometers distance indicated to me by google maps. Now I just have to wrap to wrap things up, figure out what I've learned about myself from this trip, and get ready for another intense semester.

A Tattoo Instead of the Beach?

July 13, 2012

Guadalajara

Looking at the weather report for today and trying to figure out my route home I've decided to forgo the beach and just take a few more relaxing days here in Guadalajara. Its been a while since I've felt at home and comfortable, but here at the hostel with the staff and my friends I feel totally at ease. Besides, their should be some big parties here tonight that I'd like to check out and I've been invited to join the restaurant owner next door to her band practice.

If I miss one things from my real home it has to be playing the drums. For me playing the drums is like a complete package. Its gets me going when I'm dragging ass, its a stress reliever, its a good workout, and its a great way to spend a good hour or so forgetting all about the problems and the difficulties in life. So when I was invited to attend the practice I had to say yes. It should be great to see how my mostly American rock roots compare to the flavor of the Latino music.

After the band practice there’s also a tattoo party that I've been invited to celebrating the grand opening of a new place. I've been told that there will be tons of women there looking to get tatted up, and that if I want I can get a number “13” for Friday the 13^th for less then $10 dollars. While a tattoo would be a great way to remember the trip and I am interested in getting a final piece to celebrate my good health and good fortune, I'm not exactly sure a 13 will fit that bill, but we'll just have to see how many beers I have.

Like I said before I'm comfortable and its a great feeling to have friends and contacts again. For dinner tonight I'm dining at the girl's restaurant next door who I'm pretty sure my friend Pete has given up on, but it should be one of the nicest meals I've had in a while. Staying in one place means a lot of extra money as I'm not paying for the normal gas, oil, or the ridiculously expensive tolls when I'm on the road. After countless meals of street food I got an incredibly juicy and delicious steak with perfectly blended mashed potato and garlic bread pieces all for less then $10. For the past few weeks its been nothing but Tacorias and cheap food, but tonight I ate like a king.

In one or two days I will be back on the road heading for the border. While I look at the incredible list of places I've stayed in Mexico it still somehow manages to feel like not enough. Without a doubt this is an incredibly rich country with countless beautiful and awe inspiring places to see. Its been a great run for me personally, but I do hope that I'll get the chance to come back someday.

Finally a Familiar Place

Peter and Osmara hard at work

July 12, 2012

Guadalajara, Mexico

After a great night in the wonderfully charming city of Queretaro its great to be back in a familiar place. It feels like I've been on the road for so long now that when I pulled into a familiar city, found my old hostel, and saw numerous old faces from the last time I was here a week ago it couldn't have been nicer. The day I left Guadalajara I realized I didn't get the contact info of my Irish friend Peter and kicking myself I accepted that I'd probably never get to hear how the end of his lady wooing would go. But as luck would have it pulling in at 5:00pm after a long 6 hour ride, my longest in a while, their he was in his usual spot taking his daily Spanish lesson. Where I've had a few problems on my trip so far for the most part things have had a great way of just working out.

I didn't get to spend much time in Queretaro as I'm now making my way over to the Pacific coast to eat up a few days of sun on the beach, but what I did see was probably one of the nicest and wealthiest cities I've been to while in Mexico. Every other block had wonderful squares with tall trees boasting incredibly groomed leaves and theirs a great assortment of modern dinning and drinking establishments scattered through out the city. The city was celebrating its 101^st something or other so there was events every single day of the month and I got to see some great live music for free.

If I would have had the time I could have easily spent more time in the gorgeous city of Queretaro. What was really nice though was the hostel I was staying at had a great vibe also being one of the nicest that I had stayed at. The truth is though my time is running short and even though I have a little less then three weeks to get home, I'm starting to feel the time crunch. On this whole trip I've been to the beach only once and that was just a break on a long ride. Tomorrow though I make my way for a small surfer town hopefully to find what I've been looking for since setting out on my journey. A hammock, a cold cerveza, and some waves.

One of the many great squares in Queretaro

Mexico City: An enchanting city with teeth.

Only half way there...

July 11, 2012

Queratero, Mexico

After an incredible 4 days in Mexico City I've done my best to try and understand the city and see the sites it has to offer, but I now know that no matter how many days I had here I'd never have it all figured out. Everyday brings something new to do, see, talk about, or try. Mix that in with the incredible people I met at the slightly downtrodden and grouchy hostel and it was really one the most excellent times I've had on the trip so far. Its the longest I've stayed in one place since seeing my brother and although I still don't feel like I got enough time there, I'm happy to have turned around and started heading for home even if my drive was only a meager 137 miles today. To try and recapture so many things that we experienced and saw would be nearly impossible. However, a few key moments stand out in my mind.

Basil (Swiss), Isabelle (Belgium), Michi (Swiss), and Me

Normally due to my wandering personality (and tight budget) I'm much happier walking around , visiting free places, and doing some good old fashioned people watching. But two days ago I left my comfort zone for a prepackaged tour of some ruins. While the tour was great and the ruins were absolutely incredible completely overshadowing the first ruins I saw in size, easily the best part of the trip was the company. With us we had two Swiss guys who couldn't pass up a joke to save their lives, two Finish girls whose clothes I believe kept us out of a church, a quiet but sweet Belgium girl, and a nice girl from France who proved my French language skills too rusty and forgotten to be of any use to anyone. The entire time we laughed, made jokes, tried the local liquors based on Tequila, and took in the incredible historic scenery.

When I say that no two days are ever alike in Mexico I really mean it. Like always after a long day our big group wanted to have some fun and experience more of the night life. However, because it was a Monday almost nothing was open. That's when we heard about a huge square that fills with raucous people, music of numerous Mariachi bands, and is the only place in Mexico City where you can drink in public. It was definitely one of the rougher parts of the city I had been to, but it was still so incredibly nice just to relax in a square, listen to music, and talk with your friends until well after midnight. Some of us even took dancing lessons from Ana who of course turned out to be a well known dancer back in Slovenia, although I suspect that because I did not buy her hot chocolate earlier as requested I was not one of the lucky ones.

Does he sit next to the statue to not feel lonely?

During our time at the ruins the day before, Isabelle the girl from Belgium managed to learn that I had come to Mexico City by way of motorcycle. After hearing this she excitedly asked if she could have a short ride around the city and yet again another incredibly pretty smile overrode my common sense. So last night after a 6 hour mind blowing, people watching, sight seeing walk around Mexico City with a hilarious self-proclaimed “dirty old man” from America/Canada/Korea, me and Isabelle finally agreed to go for that ride. After all, it was the first time having a girl on the back of my bike and to say I started out a little bit nervous would be a total understatement, but I was determined to try and impress her with my suave drive abilities.

Where most parts of Mexico City portrayed in movies is incredibly false, the traffic is most certainly not. So we waited until it got dark and the streets grew quiet and then finally agreed to head out for a quick trip around the block. It occurred to me that I only had one helmet, but as I saw numerous other people riding without one and it would be no more then five minutes I naively figured that it would be no problem.

My luck quickly started to turn bad when after 4 days of sitting outside and getting rained on the bike refused to idle and continuously stalled at every stop. To make matters worse I tried to give it extra gas in hopes that it would perk up, but that only caused Isabelle's head to repeatedly smack my helmet quickly draining my confidence, but then things some how managed to go from not so great to horribly worse.

Soon enough we took our first turn but quickly found ourselves in the one part of our neighborhood that we had been specifically warned about. Trying to circle back each attempt was rejected by either a one way street in the wrong direction or a dark trash strewn alleyway that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up especially considering the fact that every time I came to a stop (or even slowed down) my bike stalled. Before long trying to find our route back we quickly became lost in the unfamiliar part of the city, but even that soon turned out to be the least of our problems.

Finally getting to a large street that looked somewhat safer indicated to us by the few scantily clad women standing around the streets (sarcasm) we passed our first Policia. To my total heart dropping dismay as soon as we passed, they turned on their lights, pulled up behind us, and started squawking at us in incompressible Spanish from their radio.

Getting pulled over in the states is definitely a nerve racking no fun time for me, but being pulled over in Mexico in a part of the city I had no desire to remain in was very honestly terrifying. So I quickly moved to the side, turned off the bike (it actually just died the stupid thing), and hoped for the best. After waiting a few minutes and stewing in our own fear, the police women finally approached us, said a bunch of very bad sounding things, and asked me for my documentation. The documentation part I understood, but the problem was that was all I understood and because I was used to leaving my bike parked while I was staying at the hostel of course I was without my paperwork except a folded up copy of my passport. My hands started shaking and fear took over as time after time she said something official and important sounding to me that I could only respond to with “Lo siento, no entiendo” (Sorry I don't understand).

Finally I realized that without my paperwork they were planning to impound my bike. I understood that I could try and pick it up tomorrow, but knowing how incredibly time consuming, frustrating and confusing process was back home, I could only imagine the total chaos of trying to get my bike back from the police in Mexico City. I begged and pleaded for them to follow me to my hostel (where ever the hell that was) but finally understood that they could not because their bosses (I understood Jefe) were standing right their.

By this time 3 other policemen had walked up from behind, a truck of assault squad looking police had arrived up the street, and another huge group of cops where just up the road to the left. Knowing what I did though about Mexican police and authority I tried for my only option. I asked if instead of going to the court tomorrow I could just pay the “fine” on the spot and slowly hinting at what the price would be. The one officer grew quiet when talking to me, but at the time with my nerves running wild all of my Spanish vocabulary was diminished to that of a two year old baby boy. Finally, what I think was the head officer came up to me and said $150 dollars in perfect English. Between the two of us though we only had about $1200 pesos, so finally we managed to somehow haggle it down to $1000 pesos. While I heard that this was how things worked here, I could totally imagine trying to hand over the money only to arrested for attempting to bribe a policemen.

Thankfully the situation started to lighten up though and we followed the police woman over to her passenger side of the car. I barely made out “1,000 pesos” and “with discretion” so as discreetly as my shacking hands would allow I got my money out. Unfortunately I think Isabelle didn't get the discretion part because with great gusto sensing we were almost free she pulled out her wallet and started rifling through her bills before quickly realized her mistake. At the embarrassment and unquestionable entertainment of the police officer, she took her hat off and set it in her lap upside down, and we dropped the money in not sure what would come next. To our relief she gave us a little piece of paper which we could only assume was to be used if we were pulled over again. However, although our problems with the police had been taken care of we still had no idea how to get back to our hostel. To the incredible amusement of the police woman who we had just bribed we asked her the way back and gratefully after a huge laugh she pointed us in the right direction.

By the time we got back (after asking two other people walking around [and stalling my stupid bike countless other times]) my heart was racing and I realized any attempts to impress the girl were totally gone. Both Isabelle and I had no idea what we had done wrong if anything, only that they had chosen to focus on my lack of paperwork and had most definitely wanted money. Thinking back if they wanted to actually impound my bike I'm sure they would have actually called a tow truck and they wouldn't have been smiling to each other so much in partial enjoyment but more boredom. I'm sure after we left the only thing that the police were upset about was the fact that they didn't get as much as they wanted and it had taken so long. Now I know how these things work though and hopefully next time if it happens again I can handle it a little better. For now though I thinking I'm done giving rides to pretty girls and oddly now that theirs no woman on the back of Saphira, she's back to her smooth running monstrous self. 

An incredible view from the top of the pyramid

Trying for an artsy picture...