i'm still alive

For those wondering I'm still doing good. I just haven't had the time or much internet access to update the last few weeks. I'm in Oregon now and starting the journey home. I should be back home on July 2 or 3rd at the latest. I'll update with more pictures and the rest or my journey then.

Day 14, 15, 16 Palenque

Saw a sign for a waterfall and went straight for it. It was a very hot sweaty day, so a swim was needed. No one else was really there but us. Jumping in the water felt great. Some of the locals there just stared at us for a long time while we were getting dressed and back on the bikes.
We made it to Palenque and found a room with 3 beds again. W have the good luck. After getting some ice cream i was locked out of the room for a few hours while they wandered around the town looking for a bar. It just so happens the happening bar was next to our hotel. So when they got back i showered and we went down for a few beers. After a few beers and a 4.5 liter pitcher of beer the night ended late.

We all slept in and then headed to some more waterfalls after breakfast. Brian wussed out after the first one and went back to the room. Me and Colom headed off to see Agua Azul. It was defiantly worth it going the extra 60 miles. We weren't keeping track off the time so we were stuck driving curvy Mexican roads in the dark. Not fun.

Before hitting the road again, me and Colom checked out the ruins in Palanque. Very cool and worth a visit. They are right in the midst of the jungle and somewhat large in size. It's hot out again so we were sweating a lot walking round the ruins. We looked like to sweaty gringos for sure.
In the end we put on bout 300 mile after leaving Palanque and ended up in Chetumal on the border for Belize. It rained for about 30 minutes then stopped so a good ride. The rain was like natural air conditioning, it cooled me off a bit. Next stop Belize.

Day 11, 12, 13 Back On The Road

I think Garry likes my bike
We left Garry's around noon and ventured out on he road again. Traffic in Mexico city is definantly something you have to get use too. Pretty much anything goes. The fact that there is no driving test to get a drivers liscence explains a lot.
First stop after leaving was to pick up a new air filter for my bike and fuel filters for everyone. Motorcycle stuff in Mexico is always more expensive then the states.
We finally made our way out of the city and into the mountains where it cooled off for a bit then got really hot again. There was even some snow on the top of one of the peaks.
Ended the day in Tecamachalco and found a room for only 400 pesos($30). And it even had three beds. No bunking up tonight.
We did have a weird guy talking to us for a long time at the taco stand. Then we walked his friend home and he had a few beers with us at our hotel. He spoke ok English and we speak very little Spanish so it was interesting. If he would have come to our room we never would have gotten rid of him

The next day we had a fun time driving on some curvy mountain roads. At first there where pot holes and missing chunks of pavement, but it got better eventually. We stopped in the mountains for an authentic lunch. It consisted of soup, pork and lots of tortillas. Plus a coca-cola, all for only 40 pesos.
The day ended in Tuextepec.

Took a small ferry across a shipping channel for 5 pesos. Unlike in the USA theres no railing to keep vehicles from falling off the ferry. Your safety is up to you. The ferry dropped us off in a small town. We tried to follow a road along the ocean but it eventually turned to dirt then just stopped.
We were determined to go to a beach and swim. So we found a path that looked like it lead to a nice beach. It was almost all sand and I promptly fell over in the sand with my bike. Luckily it was all sand so no real damage, except my pride for dumping the bike for the first time. Brian and Colm drove there bikes all the way down the sandy track. At the end the beach wasnt so nice. There was a giant sewer pipe there and the beach was very dirty with trash. So much for the swim.
After the adventure in the sand we headed back to the highway and made it to a town called La Venta for the night.

i've slacked off for too long

I know it's been awhile since i posted anything so I'm going to try and catch up today. Right now I'm sitting on the beach in Puerta Vallarta Mexico. Just having a few cervezas and enjoying the beautiful weather. It's actually cloudy now but the temperature is perfect. Not to hot and not to cool.

Day 10 - Pyrimids of Teotihuacan

Garry and Ivan took me, Brian and Colm to see the pyramids of Teotihuacan. They were amazing. It was pretty hot out, so ll the walking made me sweat a bit. Climbing the pyramids was very rewarding in deed. At the top of the pyramid of the sun there is a spot where you put your finger and receive energy from the sun.
I didn't put enough sunscreen so i got sunburned in two spots I missed on my shoulder. Walking in the heat and climbing pyramids all day was very tireing.
Last night in Mexico city and i'm going to miss it. We ended the night by stop for tacos at the "worlds best taco stand." They were defiantly very good bistec con caso tacos.
Some time in my three days in Mexico city I asked Brian and Colm if we could all travel together for awhile, and we all agreed to travel together as long as things work out. My exact travel plans changed a little as well. I'm going to try and make it down to Panama with the guy's then head back up to Mexico city by myself and fly home for Kristie's birthday. Then come back to finish the trip in August and stop and a motorcycle travelers meeting in either California or Colorado.

We'll see how it all goes.

Garry and Ivan our lovely tour guides/hosts

Day 9

Just a relaxed day at Garry's hostel. Great breakfast and dinner. I did my part and helped clean up after. A little cleaning and I get a free place to stay. Not a bad deal.
Lloyd took us to another party at night. This time it was for a friend of his (Ociana I think, probably spelled wrong) that got her Mexican citizenship. A lot of her family was there and they are from the USA so plenty of English speakers again. Thanks Lloyd for taking us out for another fun night.
Ociana and her mom played a few songs and here's a snippet of one. I thought they were pretty good.

Day 8 - Mexico City Here I Come

Got up and headed toward Mexico City to meet up with Garry and head to his house. Took the toll roads and made good time. The toll roads in Mexico are in good condition and no topes to worry about. The downside is they can be expensive. I spent about 300 pesos($25) to go about 200 miles.
Meet up with Garry at 10:30 am and he was surprised to see the hard panniers on the bike. It's defiantly unique and probably the only GSXR with hard bags. Then he took me for a crazy ride through Mexico City to his house. He and his wife Ivan and son Lloyd were all very inviting and opened there house to me and the other two travelers that where staying there.
After arriving I meet the other two motorcycle travelers and they helped me get my stuff in the house. Brian is from Australia, and Colm is from Ireland. They started there trip in Miami Florida and plan to go as far as Costa Rica and Panama.
First day in Mexico city and Llyod was going to Luche Libre wrestling match and asked us to come along. It was a fun event to watch and something totally unexpected. After the wrestling went to a party and played Rock Band, had a few beers and stayed up way too late. On the way home we stoped for "24 Hour Party Tacos" which were very tasty. The taco stand closed after we left LOL. Just as we got bck to Garry's the sun was coming up and i crawled into bed at about 7 am. It was a long night.
Some quick stats; i rode 2780 miles in 7 days and about 53 hours on the bike. I still have a lot of miles to go