Trip to Central America mid to end Nov. 2016

[Tommytrojan]

Hi All,

was going to go on my own and maybe meet some fellow riders on the road. Was amazed finding this site. :-)

So my plan is to leave from Bend, OR around mid of November, go down to LA and leave from there sometime in the second half of November to Costa Rica. I plan on spending most of my time in Costa Rica but might 'cruze around' a bit. I'm hoping to make it down to CR within 10-14 days.

Looking at getting a 1200GS for the trip (I ride a few other bikes but nothing I think would be a good fit (ZRX, SuperDuke, etc.).

I'm semi-retired, so I'll be bringing my laptop and might have to occasionally spend an hour on the computer.
Otherwise I don't have a concrete route yet and will see what others have done.

If anyone is planning a similar route at around the same time please let me know. Would like to rather ride with somebody than solo.

Cheers,
Thomas

[swissglobetrotter]

10-14 days is very little time for the trip unless you are not interested in seeing anything. While it is possible distance wise keep in mind there are several painful land borders that adding up will make you loose days of your trip. I live in Mexico and there are so many places to visit, ride and see that I would suggest crossing Mexico alone in 2 weeks if you can afford to stay away longer. Without taking anything away from the others as every country has it's nice places, Mexico is definitely the most diverse country of the region in all aspects: nature, culture, sites, cities,... I live in Mexico but I am European and have traveled through Central America so my opinion is not biased.

[Tommytrojan]

Originally Posted by swissglobetrotter

10-14 days is very little time for the trip unless you are not interested in seeing anything. While it is possible distance wise keep in mind there are several painful land borders that adding up will make you loose days of your trip. I live in Mexico and there are so many places to visit, ride and see that I would suggest crossing Mexico alone in 2 weeks if you can afford to stay away longer. Without taking anything away from the others as every country has it's nice places, Mexico is definitely the most diverse country of the region in all aspects: nature, culture, sites, cities,... I live in Mexico but I am European and have traveled through Central America so my opinion is not biased.

Thanks for the tip. I think you are right on! I did some more research and it seems it would be very ambitions to make it to Costa Rica in two weeks given exactly what you mentioned. I do have about four to five months total. So even if it takes a month to get down to CA that would be ok.

How long of a preparation would I reasonably need in your experience? I was thinking of heading out in about four weeks but from what I read there are tons of preparations and paperwork that needs to be filed, insurance, etc.
Is a month of setup overly optimistic?

One thing that I would like to do on the trip down is to find a good immersion school to pick up some Spanish. Any recommendations for that?

I'm from Germany originally but live in the US.

Cheers,
Thomas

[0ddball]

I just did Mexico in 6 weeks and wish I had more time, but we all do what we must. Currently in San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala at the Corazon Maya Spanish School. They do home stays and also have 5 private cabins. While I have nothing to compare it to myself, there are few students here that have told me this school is better than the previous that they have attended.

Good luck and enjoy your time. I always move fast and sometimes wish I would slow down more. If you have any questions about what I did, or saw in Mexico I am Scott Pfeiffer, self employed MotoAdventurer on Facebook. You you can as here.

[Tommytrojan]

Originally Posted by 0ddball

I just did Mexico in 6 weeks and wish I had more time, but we all do what we must. Currently in San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala at the Corazon Maya Spanish School. They do home stays and also have 5 private cabins. While I have nothing to compare it to myself, there are few students here that have told me this school is better than the previous that they have attended.

Good luck and enjoy your time. I always move fast and sometimes wish I would slow down more. If you have any questions about what I did, or saw in Mexico I am Scott Pfeiffer, self employed MotoAdventurer on Facebook. You you can as here.

Thanks for the tip about the Spanish school. That is one of my plans and I have heard that Guatemala is a good place to learn Spanish. Did you ride by yourself or did you have company?
Did you run into many riders along the way?

Sounds like you liked Mexico. Did you have any problems there (police, theft, etc.)?
I have been to Colombia a few times and didn't have any (major) problems (got my phone pickpocketed) and felt pretty safe. But that was without a bike.

Cheers,
Thomas

[0ddball]

Yes I am currently riding by myself. I have met a few riders along the way, but so far I have not ridden with any of them.

I have had no problems anywhere yet other than the road from San Cristobal de las Casas to Palenque. The road sucked, was very crowded, more topas than any other road I have ever ridden, many ropes on the ground for extortion and too touristy for me. To get to Agua Azul I had to stop traffic 3 times as there was a rope across the road. I ended up not paying all the way to the falls by having all the time in the world and taking up the whole road. While there the child I did not pay to watch my moto took my headlight protector which was just in place with velcro and a tether. Why???? It will only fit my 1190!

[swissglobetrotter]

Thomas the election is not a problem, don't travel at night nor through high conflict areas and all is good. Follow my advice on the previous messages about continuing from Monterrey.

If confronted with single individuals about the elections just make some jokes about it and all is good. On a positive note for you, the Mexican peso is now worth even less, so while not good for anyone living here, it's great for you using your exchanged USD.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

[Tommytrojan]

Originally Posted by swissglobetrotter

Thomas the election is not a problem, don't travel at night nor through high conflict areas and all is good. Follow my advice on the previous messages about continuing from Monterrey.

If confronted with single individuals about the elections just make some jokes about it and all is good. On a positive note for you, the Mexican peso is now worth even less, so while not good for anyone living here, it's great for you using your exchanged USD.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Great. Thanks for your feedback. Much appreciated. I'll be leaving tomorrow from the Los Angeles area and plan on crossing Friday early morning at Eagle Pass, TX. Thinking of doing the first stop at Matehuala, then on to San Miguel de Allende.

Yes, the exchange rate is in our favor.

Cheers,
Thomas

[LAZ 1]

I did Baja in 6 weeks, which allowed time to stop at various "sweet spots" along the way and rest up or explore the local scenes.

And while there may be "safety in numbers",
I actually enjoyed the return trip riding ALONE even more.

We went south from BC, CANADA, and met up with some guys from Southern Cal who knew the Baja intimately. They provided invaluable information and guidance, and "immoral support", regarding which hotels and bars were best,
AND,
Sage BAJA advice like ...
" never travel with less than three ...
if one goes down, the second can ride out for help, while the third stays with the fallen comrade, to keep the scavengers away"
(;-{)

BUT,
riding into a small Mexican town as a "gaggle" of a dozen bikes, is definitely different than riding solo.

That trip my riding partner broke his leg and ended up in San Ignacio Hospital for a few days. When he recovered from the surgeries, the two of us left his bike in San Ignacio, and followed the rest of the "gaggle" down to Cabo... with him in an AMBULANCE, and me on my bike right behind. Lights flashing all the way, we blew through the usual road check points. A few days later, he flew back to Canada from Cabo, leaving me to pick up his bike and ride it North.

Then I flew back South and rode my bike back to Canada ...SOLO!

The differences in how the locals treated me when riding solo and riding in a pack, were immediately apparent.

Riding alone, I was treated like a "rock star" ... an " explorer "... an "astronaut" ... and a GUEST! Kids ran our with cries of "WHEELIES ... WHEELIES",
and I got invited into homes.

Didn't get that kind of welcome when "the pack" showed up.
And I enjoyed that solo ride back so much more than I did the way down.

[Tommytrojan]

Originally Posted by LAZ 1

I did Baja in 6 weeks, which allowed time to stop at various "sweet spots" along the way and rest up or explore the local scenes.

And while there may be "safety in numbers",
I actually enjoyed the return trip riding ALONE even more.

We went south from BC, CANADA, and met up with some guys from Southern Cal who knew the Baja intimately. They provided invaluable information and guidance, and "immoral support", regarding which hotels and bars were best,
AND,
Sage BAJA advice like ...
" never travel with less than three ...
if one goes down, the second can ride out for help, while the third stays with the fallen comrade, to keep the scavengers away"
(;-{)

BUT,
riding into a small Mexican town as a "gaggle" of a dozen bikes, is definitely different than riding solo.

That trip my riding partner broke his leg and ended up in San Ignacio Hospital for a few days. When he recovered from the surgeries, the two of us left his bike in San Ignacio, and followed the rest of the "gaggle" down to Cabo... with him in an AMBULANCE, and me on my bike right behind. Lights flashing all the way, we blew through the usual road check points. A few days later, he flew back to Canada from Cabo, leaving me to pick up his bike and ride it North.

Then I flew back South and rode my bike back to Canada ...SOLO!

The differences in how the locals treated me when riding solo and riding in a pack, were immediately apparent.

Riding alone, I was treated like a "rock star" ... an " explorer "... an "astronaut" ... and a GUEST! Kids ran our with cries of "WHEELIES ... WHEELIES",
and I got invited into homes.

Didn't get that kind of welcome when "the pack" showed up.
And I enjoyed that solo ride back so much more than I did the way down.

Yes, I can see that riding in a pack might people not approach. Also, being in a larger group I never seem to get going on time or agree on a route, destination.

I'll travel with Jon a fellow HUBB member. I think two is a good compromise


That seems like quite an adventure to do the trip twice. ;-)

Thomas