Vistos del Baño

For English (or your own favorite language), try Google Translate.

Baños en todo del mundo parecen como lugares donde se colocan avisos, señales, y carteles. En los Estados Unidos, es muy común ver listas de limpieza (muchas veces poco usadas). Disfruto buscar y leer carteles mientras viajando en Latinoamerica. Es un método para ver los usos típicos en países diferentes. Durante este viaje, empecé a notar señales en los baños que me parecen divertidos.

Empezamos en Canadá, donde las duchas requieren monedas especiales. Desafortunadamente, la oficina estaba cerrada.

...y aquí vimos un señal importante. Es un aviso que los malabaristas no deben tirar las pelotas en el inodoro:

Después de ingresar a México, noté este cartel en el Walmart, hablando de la conservación de agua:

Una palabra nueva! "Migitorio"...es el agua en el inodoro?

Otro aviso del conservación de agua! Qué bueno!

En muchas de los mataderos donde trabajo, hay señales diciendo que es importante tirar el papel higiénico en el inodoro y no en la basura. Es porque hay muchos hispanohablantes, y en estos países es muy común tirar el papel higiénico en la basura en lugar del inodoro. Algunas veces hay carteles que hablan de esto:

...y algunas veces existe poesía en los baños...

Es muy importante no bloquear los tubos!

También, importante quitar el agua sucio del inodoro...

Otra vez...pero más bonito...

...y limpie las manos!

ugh...debe limpiar el cartel en este caso...

La limpieza de los baños es la responsabilidad de todos!

Ah! Algo diferente. La cabeza de la ducha es muy grande aquí, no? Este provee agua caliente...un calentador de agua muy pequeña. Es muy común en el norte de Sudamerica, pero muchas veces no funciona muy bien. A lo menos, el agua no está frío...

Este cartel viene con ironía. El baño no esta muy limpio adentro...

...o afuera...(pero los flores son bonitos!)

...y es todo que he coleccionado hasta ahora. Disfruten, amigos! Y diganme tus favoritos en los comentarios!

Where Things Stand: Rocks and Hard Places

Haven't updated in awhile because we've been making miles. Mad miles. Two solid weeks of driving every day.

But it has caught up with us.

Those are a couple of well-ridden, dirtied up bikes!

The routes through the mountain took us up to nearly 16,000 feet, through snow, slush, mud, and dust. By the time we had gotten to Nasca, we realized Nick's forks were leaking again. Tried a shop there, but they didn't carry parts for big bikes and recommended that we head into Arequipa. We got to Arequipa yesterday morning, but despite being the second largest city in Peru, we couldn't find the parts we need here either. The best option was to order them from Lima: a 3-day process.

So here we are.

We are, at least, in a fine hotel (for a bargain price!) in a fine city.

It's really not a bad place to be stuck, fortunately. We've both remarked that it feels pretty relaxing here, and there are some interesting tourist-y things to do. We can use the time to update the blog (so many miles to comment on!) and do some various maintenance to the bikes. And it's also just nice to be relaxing for a day or two rather than on a time crunch.

Unfortunately, some tough decisions are going to have to be made pretty soon. Due to the trip's various delays (eh-hem! Matilde, I'm looking at you!!), we're running short on time.

• Option 1: To continue as planned through Bolivia, along the N Yungas Road (World's Most Dangerous Highway (formerly)) and Uyuni Salt Flats, then down through Chile and Argentina to Tierra del Fuego would mean arriving in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, 15 Aug. That leaves zero room for error in getting the bikes bundled up and shipped back to the States, and then ourselves onto a plane and headed northward.
• Option 2: To aim for the Uyuni Salt Flats, bypassing the N Yungas Road, but still catching a glimpse of Bolivia would only save us about a day, putting us into Buenos Aires on Tuesday, 14 Aug.
• Option 3: Taking drastic action and heading straight to Chile after repairs are complete here in Arequipa would mean bypassing Bolivia entirely. ugh. There are some neat places to drive in Bolivia. But if we elected to do this, we could arrive in Buenos Aires on Sunday, 12 Aug. This would leave plenty of time to take care of shipping the bikes and ourselves home, and even a little room for error between now and then.

We discussed these options over breakfast this morning. The breakfast was delightful. The trip options were bleak. There are some other considerations we came up with, though.

• Trip extension. We could request a leave extension from our respective workplaces. Probably easier for Nick, though the thought of missing teaching time is distasteful to him. I think my workplace would probably work with me, but I feel like this is already quite an imposition and hate to impose even further. Personally, I'd like to hold this as an absolute last resort: "Hey, boss, we got to Buenos Aires on the 12th, but a freak ice storm hit and no planes are flying until next Monday."
• Ushuaia by other ground transport. I'm skeptical about renting a car to get to Tierra del Fuego -- as we did to get to Prudhoe Bay -- because it requires crossing borders. (If you look at the southern tip of South America, you'll see that we'll go from Argentina to Chile to Argentina again before arriving at Ushuaia.) It may work, though, and is something we'll look into. Barring that, I do have a contact in San Carlos de Bariloche. Not sure if he'd be amenable to a road trip (or if he even has a car), but that's a message I'll be sending shortly. Riding in a single vehicle with multiple drivers would allow us to pack in more miles each day, as well as assuage some concerns associated with the winter weather in southern South America. If conditions and/or scheduling us unfavorable to get the bikes to Ushuaia, using some other form of ground transport is my preferred option. At least we could still feel the miles from tip to tip of the Americas.
• Ushuaia by air. We're also kicking around the idea of driving straight to Buenos Aires, shipping the bikes home, then taking a flight south to Ushuaia before flying back to KC. With this option, we still get to see the southern tip, though we would miss out on driving the extent of the Americas. Not my favorite, but certainly a workable plan.
• Skip Ushuaia. This is distasteful to me. Although we would make it to the southern-most country, passing through both Chile and Argentina, and would have made it to the end of the official Pan-American Highway, we would have no claim to traveling the Americas tip-to-tip. Having come this far, that would certainly be a disappointment, even though such a claim is no more than a handful of words. It is highly unlikely that there will be another opportunity to accomplish this trek -- especially by motorcycle (mostly) -- again.

So that's where things stand. We have a day or so to mull it over and decide on a course of action, though it likely won't be confirmed until we get farther south. "Unexpectations" between here and Santiago, Chile, will necessarily mold our choices, and there are still many miles between here and there.

A fruit tree just outside of our cottage here in Arequipa. Is it a fuzzy apple?

Ecuador

Ecuador was quick but beautiful and fun! 

We checked out of Colombia in about 45 minutes.  It took 3.5 hours to check into Ecuador.  Most of the people you see are Venezuelan refugees.

There are two equator monuments in Quito.  The first one we hit is the one that is exactly on the equator.  The bigger, touristier one is a few meters off.

Been a while since we snuck in some juggling photos.

For $5 we could drive the bikes onto the monument!

Oil change, new rear tire, new rear brake pads and a super washing!

Finally got Cuy.  I don't know how to describe it other than like having a gamier, smokey chicken.

This is the monument that is more well known.

It got dark and rainy so we basically checked into the first hotel we saw.  Turned out to be pretty fancy!

Banos!

La Casa de Arbol, aka, the swing at the end of the world.

Wheeeeeee!!!!

You can't see it because of the fog but there is a big volcano behind him!

Thanks, Ecuador, you were fun!  Checking out took about 15 minutes!  So easy!

Feel the Miles

We've met a few other overlanders on our journey. Most are surprised to learn how fast we're doing our trek: 3.5 months to zip from Alaska to Argentina. It is a bit crazy, truth be told; and it leaves very little time for taking in the sights -- let alone taking in the culture. Many don't see the value in all the travel when there's no time to appreciate the places we're passing through.

And I totally agree. When the Marine Corps sent me to Japan, I went from mild disappointment to deep enthrallment over the course of three years. The longer I was there, the more I enjoyed being there and the more I appreciated time's ability to enrich my experience of the culture.

But this trip isn't about that. Certainly, there's a desire to experience the places we're traveling through, but we knew going into this that we wouldn't be able to see it all or do it all. This trip is about feeling the miles. It's about making 18,000 miles more than a calculation, more than a line on a map. It's experiencing destinations and all the points between them.

Many years ago, my cousin moved to the Kansas City area to start her family. That was right around the time I started doing much highway driving on my own. I remember going to her place, and "Kansas City" became "just off of I-35 at 119th Street" to me. Later, I visited the City Union Mission Family Center after volunteering at their Camp In The Ozarks (CUMCITO). My brother began working there full-time, so Kansas City became "just off of I-35 at 119th Street" and "just off of I-70 at Prospect" to me, with only a thin line of interstate connecting the two.

Eventually, I discovered the Kansas City Juggling Club and spent some time here thanks to the USDA. I developed an array of disparate, scarcely-connected, segments of the City. It wasn't until I moved here in 2012 that the interstitial areas began to fill in and I began to appreciate the relationships between these various areas and appreciate their connectedness.

That's the idea with this trip: not only to catch glimpses of the variety of the Americas, but to feel the distance; to experience the vastness.

---

Thanks to Kasper (Together On Wheels) for capturing this concept so well in a single, succinct phrase. We met at the Kaluz Hostería in Ecuador and were chatting later that night. When he uttered this phrase, it stuck a chord, encapsulating not only the drive behind this trip, but also others I've taken: the length of I-35 south to north and Hwy 71 from the Canadian border to my house in KC. I've been on every mile of Hwy 24 in Kansas, but have often pondered doing it all in a single trip...just to feel the miles.

We return to your regularly scheduled Everyday.

 "Travel is the only thing you can buy that makes you richer." I don't know this quote's origin, but I do know no truer words were ever spoken. My week in Cartagena with Ryan and the Civitellos will be with me for always.

I hardly know how else to begin this post. Do I mention the many hiccups we experienced just getting there? (Once we knew Ryan and Nick would be unable to make it to Quito in the time we had, we decided just days before departure that Nadine and I would fly to Quito as planned, spend the day, and then meet them in Colombia. This was not an easy decision on my part, as it cut into our already short time with our fellas. And of course there were the delays Ryan and Nick had dealt with on the road with tricky border crossings and bike repairs, and were now dealing with while the Colombian aduana held their bikes hostage. Every day a question of where they will be and when, and how it would match up with mine and Nadine's plan to meet them. Stay tuned...)

Quito is beautiful! Nadine and I spent most of our day at the Ciudad Mitad del Mundo. The monument is impressive, the multi-storied museum interactive and educational and the views are breathtaking! (The cuy* was delicious, and they serve the perfect cup of coffee.) *Bingo hit!

From there, our driver, Orley, took us into the city to see the Basilica del Voto Nacional. Legend has it that the completion of this awesome structure will occur shortly before the end of the world, so they just keep working on it. (I refrained from following Ryan's instructions to nab a brick during our visit.) 

Art is EVERYwhere in Quito!
If it's not painted on every
imaginable surface, it's laid out
in the splendor of the natural
surroundings.

This is Orley, our personal driver
for the day. So patient with our
limited Spanish!

          

We had time to walk the narrow, hilly, winding streets of Quito in search of an open market before making our way to the airport. All in all a lovely day full of beautiful sights and and anticipation of our final desitination, so... on to Cartagena!

(Did I mention hiccups? Nadine and I had separate flight plans to Cartagena from Quito. I flew through Bogota-their airport is huge!- on Avianca; nice flights, great crews, very great price. Nadine flew through Panama where she ended up staying the night due to electrical issues on the plane. Another delay.)

I arrived at the Cartagena airport Monday night around 11 and was greeted there by the very sweetest of sights:

Guess who just forgot ALL about
the weeks apart and the stresses
 and worry of planning and delays and...

Nadine arrived Tuesday morning. Ryan's and Nick's first priority was to get insurance for the bikes (have they mentioned yet the troubles they had with that last week? I'll let them tell the tale.) We went with them in lieu of being stuck in the apartment for an indeterminate amount of time. Got in and out of the office in under twenty minutes, so we're off to a good start! Nick and Nadine went off in search of a market while Ryan and I explored Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas. What an awesome structure! There's a (recommended, though kinda lengthy) video you can get in out of the sun to watch, telling you all about the history of why and how the place was built. Gorgeous views from all sides; Winding, surprisingly breezy tunnels where the soldiers bunked you can't imagine having to traverse while wearing 60+ lbs of armor; History embedded in every stone. It is beautiful.

Ryan, being Ryan and amazing, struck up a conversation with a sweet lady who asked him to take her picture. I still don't know everything they talked about, but apparently he's funny in multiple languages.

We had a week in Cartagena, so we did everything we could. We wandered the streets of Old Town, saw monkeys and a baby sloth in the park, visited Convento de la Popa, ate delicious local fare, rode the bikes to Volcan de Lodo el Totumo ( see: Gloriously Gooey). We walked the beach that was just fifty yards behind our apartment. Friday night we were lucky enough to catch the terrific Circus de Terror. Such great talent! Two hours of really solid entertainment.

Did I mention the bike rides? Easily my favorite part of the week. After the mud and a meal of the most delicious fish I've ever eaten, Ryan took me along the trek he had ridden solo just the week before. A three hour bombardment of beauty I can't begin to describe. (I've had to apologize to Ryan for begging for more photos of everything he sees. I know now, firsthand, that there's only so much you can take in! And a camera will never truly capture the depth of color and texture.) Saturday, we rode south and a little west in search of Playa de Blanca. Google Maps showed it reasonably easy to reach. It is not. Of course, I'm with Ryan. Between the two of us, I can't think of any place on or off the map we don't want to try our hand at, so we go anyway. A couple of local men tried to get us to leave the bike for one of their smaller ones, and to take a boat around the tricky part. Not us! So, they lead us down the...beach. The 'road' is a beach. A narrow strip of rutted, soft sand. There is a nice, wide, stone-based road being built right alongside our path, but it's unfinished and not open to traffic. (I've been promised a return trip in ten years to check it out. *grin/wink*) We make it, after much self-propulsion- in the blazing heat- by Ryan, to the end of the peninsula, to the charming little town of Baru, which happens to be the hometown of one of our guides. The town is small and colorful, the locals friendly. Ryan talks with them while I walk around snapping shots. Getting there was a workout, getting back was an adventure! Check this out, especially around minute mark 9:55:

https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipO-rvt_O_3c1zxKCp2_HXj_Vpy9_lWUEAQe3IxE/photo/AF1QipNMDIoPWFmos5HimBvAEfeKumBRKWxOghVzgQOh

Let me tell you, there is no one in the world I'd rather be on a ride with. Eye-witnessing how skilled and deft Ryan is in such extreme conditions has actually made me less nervous about the roads he and Nick have yet to face.  

Saturday night meant a special dinner out at a lovely place just blocks from us. I don't remember the meal, just the company. A top-notch adventure in itself! Sunday was departure time. My original plans had me leaving Monday, but that meant delaying the boys another day, so I took a standby position for the flight Nadine was taking. I didn't get a seat. So, back to the apartment, where I book a 9:45 flight for Monday morning. Cartagena to Miami to Charlotte, NC to KC. My ears still haven't quite recovered. And now I'm home, back to the everydayness of things. Friends are rife with questions about the trip; "What did you see?" "What did you do?" "Where are they now?" ... My only question is "Where do we go next?!"

And now, a montage of highlights. Some because I like the picture, some because I especially like the memory, some because I think Ryan is pretty dreamy.