January 5th....Chiapas region San Cristobal to Pelenque

note: Photo Albums added on the right!..still playing catch up ...and now back to Chiapas...

Jan 05 Mexico Chiapas - thru Zapatista territory
From Zipolite we headed inland into the beautiful Chiapas region in southern Mexico, home of the EZLN and Zapatista territory...

these first pics are from friends from Uruguay, Elianna and Jimene, who we actually did not meet until briefly in Guatemala and then met again in Nicaragua, where we became much closer...they went to a village and were invited to meet some of the EZLN... the Zapatista movement has been somewhat "put down" by the Mexican government, but as we see is still alive in the more remote villages...they don the balaclavas whenever "outsiders" are around.

Jan 5th - San Cristobal de la Casas
I really like the city of San Cristobal. Standing in the square brought back vivid memories of the last time I was here with my good friend Joseph in Jan '07. I had bought a Toyota truck in Puerto Vallarta and we traveled down the coast intending to go into Guatemala and further south, but when we tried to cross the border they wouldn't let the truck in as it wasn't titled correctly. We came back to San Cristobal to assess the situation an decided to separate, me heading back 5 days to P. Vallarta to sort out the truck and Joseph carrying on into Central America. It was a special moment as we shared a final "Boots" cigarrette, one of many on that trip, and said our goodbyes...good to be back to revisit that.

this dude was a very strange marketing gimmick indeed, his job to entice the tourists into their "store" to buy something!...from a Farmacia?...condoms maybeeeee?






Readying to leave our hostel for Palenque with Stefan ad Nicole...






A very cool moto spied by Stefan...






Can't remember where this was but dem Grosses are everywhere!..






Drying coffee on the side of the road in the Chiapas highlands coffee growing region





Jan 8th Cascades de Agua Azul enroute to Palenque

Some very spectacular natural beauty(s)" here...

and still in the heart of Zapatista teritorry









Jan 09.09 Palenque

Palenque was my first Mayan ruins, pretty amazing...(more pics in Photo Albums on the right tab)
Our camping spot near Palenque required navigating over some small narrow bridges to get into the "jungle"...was a great spot however we were kept up all night by a "loco mujare" (crazy woman) camped near us in her hammock who was traveling and camping with no less than 3 little yappy white dogs that she would leave by themselves all day and go party...wee bit of a bitch me thinks...very often hard to get a good nights sleep in Mexico...

This bus had come from California and was full of "muy bonita muchahchas" on an adventure ...they were very inviting and I was very tempted to ditch mi moto and climbed aboard for a while!




To our surprise we met up with Baz (from the U.K.) again in Palenque...first connected with him in Zipolite but he was anxious to get moving and headed out days ahead of us. Turns out he had a bit of an "encounter" in the village of Chiapas de Coro when he hit an old man who stepped out on the street unexpectedly resulting in a broken. The police came and after assessing the scene suggested that they leave now as the crowd that had gathered was getting snarly...they took Baz away in the police cruiser while one of the cops rode his bike...he thought they were becoming "mates" as they fed him and took him for a test ride in the cruiser getting to 160mph all the while assuring him it was not his fault...then they unexpectedly took him to a grungy "Mexican jail" off the main square where he spent a very unnerving night amongst another 100 or so "inmates" grasping at him thru the bars...the story made the front page of the local rag...poor bastard!

After Palenque I was still uncertain weather I wanted to go up around the Yucatan or keep heading south...that morning I left with Stefan and Nicole but after 30 minutes driving my body/mind kept hollering me to turn around, so I signalled to them to stop and we said our goodbyes and I headed back to San Cristobal. Upon turning around I immediately began to feel relaxed and knew I was on "the right path" as they say....in San Cristobal I ran into to Baz again and we crossed the "fronterra" into Guatemala the next morning together...the journey continues...

March 07.09

March.07.09 - Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Hola Amigos y Amigas….. landed here in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica a few days ago after a week on the backroads of Nicoya Peninsula doing hot and dusty dirt roads with lots of exciting river crossings (lots of fun)....was here in PV last year for 6 weeks, great place but has rained the whole time here ... first rain since leaving Vancouver...It's OK tho as it gives me some cacooning time to catch up on things....interesting to be here again in a totally different space than I was in last year...feeling pretty good .

...visiting friends (James + Marise) here for a bit then on to Panama City to cross the Darien gap into Columbia - for quite a while now I have felt much more attracted to getting into S. America asap - and particularly excited about Columbia, every traveler we have met in the last few months, either backpacker or biker, who has come north has said that Columbia was without question the highlight of their trip, very friendly people, great countryside, and safer has it has ever been, and totally underrated... I plan to spend some good time there exploring the country, may even rent a place for a while, but we'll see ...

Keeping the blog updated is proving kinda challenging for me, especially when I get way behind like I am now.
Also, I am noticing that at times the blog reads like more of a chronological recount and I think that can get a bit boring so have decided to include more of what I am thinking and feeling.

Sometimes on this trip there have been moments where I have wondered what the hell I am really doing. People often ask me about my “vacation”, but somehow it doesn't feel like I am on a vacation. Yes there are the typical things like the adventure of meeting new and interesting people, restaurants, great places to visit, some amazing sights and of course not working, but it feels very different than a vacation. I am not sure if it is about traveling on two wheels and the freedom that brings to go places that are more difficult than traveling by backpack, but more than likely has to do with ending everything back in Canada and not really being sure if and when I will go “home”.

This recent period in my life has brought so much change that its hard to imagine my life as it was. Each day I wake to start the day not knowing what will be next. Sometimes this is exciting but often I still feel much anxiety and fear about the future, although this anxiety seems to wain the more I am traveling and I am happy about that.

Over the last two years I ended my life as it was back in Canada, my relationship with Leela, living with my three sons, my 33 year career, my home, city and pretty well everything else that defined me and my life as it was. I sold virtually all my “stuff” except for my guitars, bought the bike and left with very little planning. It has made for a very different journey and for me for sure has very different feeling than a vacation but is hard to articulate. Most "travelers" I meet know that they will eventually return to their home to resume their lives in familiar, comfortable and predictable surroundings and therefore are definitely on a vacation. Other than to visit family and friends, I don't when I will return home and that open endedness is both exciting and often a bit daunting. Actually it is not totally open ended as at some point money becomes an issue, but for now I prefer not to think about that.

The decision to buy a bike and head south did not come easy. I had returned from some travel last winter and lived for nine months in Gibsons with my sons. While it was wonderful to have all three sons together and be with them during this time, it was also a very difficult time filled with some depression and much anxiety about my future, constantly worrying about what is next in my life, where would I go, what would I do and had much difficulty making decisions. It was a time of feeling total emptiness with absolutely no attraction or inspiration to do anything. The only thing that felt right was to keep selling off or getting rid of my “stuff”.

As September was drawing nearer, each of my three sons were moving to different cities and it was kinda like...”O.K. Lee what the hell are you going to do, where are you going to go?”. In all my years of working I had many places that I wanted to visit but couldn´t, and now I had somehow created the possibility to go anywhere in the world I wanted but had no idea where to go as in the emptiness there was absolutely nothing attracting me. The thought of grabbing my backpack and traveling didn't excite me at all, mostly because I would need to pick at least a starting destination and I couldn't. The only thing that had any juice at all was the idea of getting on the bike because I didn't need to have a destination. Also I discovered that the sensation of movement when getting on the bike also seemed to calm my now relentless anxiety. However, I feel the most beneficial effect for me is that when riding a moto, I am forced to be completely present in every moment, and this is magnified when traveling on roads in the “two thirds” world as it is much more dangerous. Its a great metaphor for life really as one never knows whats around the next corner of the “long and winding road”. I am not sure if it has been the "carrot" or the "stick" that is the motivation; has it been an escape from something or a moving to a new way of living life?...I like think it´s about “making a life" because like many, I am tired of “making a living".....ahhhh, but for now we go way, way back to Guanajuato, Mexico...

Dec. 10.08 - Guanajuato

Guanajuato seems like a long time ago now. I ended up staying there nine days, doing a whole lot of nothing. Guess I needed the rest after the challenges of Copper Canyon as my body was still pretty sore, but more so I figure it might have had something to do with the fact that the local indigenious meaning for “Guana” means “Frog” and “Guanajuato” means - “Mountainous place of frogs”...ribbit, ribbit...

This old gal was keeping an eye on things from her perch overlooking the plaza, making sure the locals didn't get out of line I'm sure....Mexican made moto..

Alas US influence is ever expanding as the first Starbucks opened that week. Unfortunately their disposable technology was evident in the trash everywhere very quickly, too bad, as most coffee shops still serve in a real mug.

Dec. 15.08 - Boca de le Canada

Wound my way thru this really cool tunnel as I had to see the Rio de La Canada of course.

Dec 16.08 – Zinapecuro (near Morellia)

From this bridge I figured there might be a nice camping spot on the lake off in the distance and headed there for the night. Enroute I found some “Aguas Termales” and some nice hot water sounded pretty good to my weary bones. Was kinda weird having the whole waterpark to myself, but with a 40 degree hot pool a few steps from my tent and the Temazcal very close by, a natural steam bath coming up from the ground, who am I to complain...muy bien...while in the pool I met the mayor of a nearby city, Zitacuaro. He gave me his card and said to call him directly if I needed anythng at all. He suggested I visit Ocambo to witness the yearly migartion of the Marisco Manarco???...what's dat?, I said.

Dec. 19.08 – Ocambo

Every year the Marisco Manarco (Monarch Butterflies) migrate over 4000 miles from Canada no less, to this tiny spot in Mexico. So amazing to be in a swarm of hundreds of thousands of butterflies, very sureal

experience and naturally creates a space of profound silence...the pictures speak for themselves...

This shrine/altar was along the road to the butterflies and marks the spot where some relative died on the road. These are ubiquitous in Mexico and throughout most countries in Latin America.

Dec. 20.08 – Valle de Bravo

Of course I needed to stop and check out the local Parapente (Paragliding) scene in “Valle” and figured I might go for a flight. Many pilots I know consider this their favourite flying spot. Was pretty cool place to fly but since I hadnt been in the air for at least 18 months since having a fe crashes, I was feeling pretty tentative, OK fearful, about flying in a new place not knowing the mountain. Things just didn't feel right so I didn't go...Maybe I'm just not ready to get back in the air just yet and convinced myself it would be better get back in the sadlle in familiar surroundings.

Dec. 22.08 – Izucar de Matamoros

Not much happening here but obviously sugar cane was the local industry for generations... and here in this quiet place I had discovered the original source of the unfolding world wide financial crises...

One of the things that I am really enjoying about travelling by moto is that I am forced to be very present all the time, no drifting off into thought at least while moving, because, kinda like life, one never knows what´s around the next corner...almost hit one of these dudes at speed...muy pelgroso si!

Some of the many species of cacti.

Dec. 23.08 Oaxaca Cuidad

Oaxaca was the location of the protests in 2006. The Mexican National police force (PCP) was sent in to restore order and a New York journalist was shot in the stomach and killed in broad daylight. I didn´t stay long here as the exhaust pollution was really affecting me making it hard to breath and also that by now I am getting kinda tired of the cities, longing for more countryside.

Dec. 24.08 – San Jose del Pacifico

This village was at 2300 meters asl on the road from Oaxaca to the Pacific Coast. Muy bonito (very beautiful) but muy frio (very cold). Its claim to fame is Magic Mushrooms and a destination for “seekers of the truth of the fungi”...the local art scene expressed the mighty phallic fungi quite wel thru these wood carvingsl...I figured they needed something eciting to put in the Lonely Planet that would attract some kind of tourism business cause there really wasnt much there apart from the beaty of the mountainous landscape, which was unique to this area and not common in Mexico, remind me of back home in B.C....

the local butcher right in the open on main street...figured my son Dustin would get a kick from how the local abotores (meat cutters) use a specail axe to cut ribs, etc

this fricken “loco pollo” (crazy chicken) was attempting to make a meal from my spokes and tires, while I worked on mi moto, had to be really hungry...

Some mountain pueblos on the way down to the coast...notice the crops, mostly maize (corn) on pretty steep hillsides.

Dec 25.08 – Feliz Navidad – Xmas day in Zipolite

Aaaaah... Zipolite, what can I say, perhaps my favourite place in Mexico, always pretty tranquillo , even when

busy...arrived on Christmas day and spied a couple of F650GS's owned by Stefan and Nicole from Switzerland at Kikos so camped there on the beach with them...went into inertia mode again here for 10 days or so...nice to be warm again in the sunshine on the beach, and great sunsets and sunrises, you get both in Zipolite as well a wonderful display of suntans on the nude beach

My office in the back of Kikos

Puerto Angel

This dude was always hanging around, guarding the entrance to Puerto Angel, looked mean but really he never had much to say.

Very, very strange to see a camel in Mexico...poor thing could barely keep its balance in the trailer as the truck drove around town with the speakers blasting about the camel show happening in nearby Pochutla.