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Category Archives: Travel
Greatest Electric Guitarist in the History of Rock Music
We push off from Portobelo, Panama on a trimaran with both KLR650s tied down on-deck. We soaked both bikes thoroughly with WD40 to prevent rusting from the salty sea. Setting sail for Cartagena, Colombia on what is supposed to be a 5-day journey - we never knew how wrong we were but as they say, 'ignorance is bliss'.
South America Trip - Panama to Colombia Boat Trip
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It's exciting to sail out from port, heading out to sea for a country we've never seen before. You can feel the excitement on board, spirits are high. We booked passage on a sail-boat instead of flying from Panama City, the more adventurous option of course. We share the boat with people from all over the world, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, the US, Sweden, Taiwan, Colombia. Backpackers.
South America Trip - Panama to Colombia Boat Trip
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We've loaded up on food, beer and rum. Panamanian Balboa beer and Ron Abuelo. Lots of it. The last thing you want when you're out to sea is to run out of rum. You can always fish for food but rum? No, you're screwed if you run out.
It is here, 20 miles off the Panamanian coast on a boat captained by Capt. Ron's long lost cousin that I discover, or re-discover, American rock and roll. I don't remember exactly why I'd loaded about 100 old-school rock songs onto my mp3 player but there they were and the crew (most of it anyway) loved it.
South America Trip - Panama to Colombia Boat Trip
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As the boat cut through the bright blue sea we blasted Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Rolling Stones, The Guess Who, Eric Clapton and more into the Caribbean sky - the perfect soundtrack for our motley crew on this broken vessel.
We had our troubles between Panama and Colombia but Jimi kept our spirits high...
Cannon at the Fort in Portobelo, Panama
Portobelo, Panama is a tiny port city near Colón and is as slow and sleepy as it gets.
It used to be something back in the day though. Founded in 1597 by Spanish explorer Francisco Velarde y Mercado it was an important silver-exporting port of the Spanish Treasure Fleet. It was captured and plundered by Admiral Sir Henry Morgan, a notorious privateer, in 1668 and apparently Sir Francis Drake was he was buried in a lead coffin somewhere near here.
We loaded our motorcycles onto a Trimaran from the port of Portobelo and set sail to Cartagena, Colombia. For about 10 days we sailed through the caribbean stopping at several of the beautiful Kuna islands on our way. The trimaran, captained by Capt. Dennis and his trusted first mate Angel, has seen better days unfortunately.
But even with a missing main sail, a slightly broken dingy, very broken toilets, a broken radar, a shortage of food and rusty fuel tanks forcing us to keep our diesel on deck in plastic tanks with a garden hose running down into the engine and required someone to stick their toe down to shift into reverse and back, we made it safely to Cartagena to continue our motorcycle trip.
The Cubs Beat the Cardinals at Wrigley Field in Chicago
We talked some people out of their tickets because they were convinced they could not get re-entry to Wrigley Field - we got in just in time to grab a beer, find our seat and to see the Cubs beat the Cardinals.
Hong Kong Walkway
Walkway from the ferry going across the channel from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon.
Human Wingsuit Flight in Norway
This amazing video gives me chills:
Huntington Beach Pier in Winter
A winter storm rolling through Huntington Beach, CA, also known as Surf City USA.
Adventure Bikers Rolling off the Ferry in Mazatlan
Five adventure bikers on the docks in Mazatlán, Mexico just minutes after rolling off the ferry from La Paz. We ran into David Collett and two young gentlemen from Seattle as we were waiting to board the ferry in La Paz.
The 18-hour crossing from La Paz to Mazatlán was on a car ferry which was short on creature comforts. No cabins were available so we slept, or tried to sleep, in some chairs in the common area where a couple of TV's with the volume stuck on 11 were blaring at us all night.
The deserts of northern Peru
Crossing the border from Ecuador into Peru we're riding south towards Lima going through some fantastic desert landscapes. Imagining Peru before the trip I would think about beaches, the Andes mountains, Machu Picchu and tropical jungle but not desert so I was surprised.
The landscapes are stunning and we stop for a while to play in the sand running up the dunes as far as we can before we stop to take in the views from a higher vantage point.
I got a good shot of Andy sprinting down the sand dunes before we geared up to and set course for Lima.
Tangier Medina, Morocco
Walking through the Medina in Tangier, Morocco was quite an experience. A busy place with very tight alleyways and vendors selling everything from vegetables to carpets and furniture. Haggling is definitely a requirement.
I'd come to Tangier that morning on the ferry from Algeciras, Spain and was scheduled to go back that evening - not enough time to explore but it left me with the desire to come back.