Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
Immediately after the border, EVERYTHING CHANGED. In Mexico there was a dry/warm climate, flat land and an average of 2-300m altit...[Go to Post]
The Equator
A special monument and exhibit marks the Equtor at the point where it intersects the Panamerican highway. Not much information in ...[Go to Post]
Horea is next
Today I said goodbye to my friend Horea who left on a 8000 miles (planned) journey across USA. More about this on his blog. Let...[Go to Post]
The Dakar KTM
Many people in Argentina are somehow involved in motorsport. We’ve seen many racing cars or bikes being transported on trail...[Go to Post]
Annapurna Himalayas
We just came back to the lowlands from a 2 days Annapurna incursion. As per Laura’s bright idea, we left most of the luggage...[Go to Post]
Beijing
We arrived recently in Beijing and we had one day before departing to North Korea. I felt incapacitated without wheels so I decide...[Go to Post]
The rotary phone
Discontinued in all other countries that we visited before, the rotary phone (with genuine pulse dialing) is still common in Ecuad...[Go to Post]
Moncopulli Auto Museum
After Osorno we changed our heading towards East, in order to get to Argentina. After 25km there is an interesting auto museum, so...[Go to Post]
São Paulo
After a long ride through the Brazilian pampas, we arrived in São Paulo. We stayed there for two days. The first day we were a bi...[Go to Post]
Isfahan 1/2
Isfahan’s main tourist area is the Imam Square. At one end it has the Imam Mosque (a UNESCO World Heritage site, together wi...[Go to Post]
Food and beer
We enjoy Korean food and eat it regularly. So we were eager to see how Korean food made in Korea tastes like. We had a very pleasa...[Go to Post]
Scala Rider Q2
Today I got the chance to test our duplex communication device. I got from Amazon.com a Scala Rider Q2 Multiset manufactured by ...[Go to Post]
The long way West
Since the last trip ended in New Jersey, Palomina has been resting and recovering there, in my parents’ garage. Now it’...[Go to Post]
Test ride
Since the work was completed, Radu decided to go for a test ride with his sister. The ride was, as you can see, not without inci...[Go to Post]
Change of plan
Finally, after riding for four days through the Amazonian forest, we made it to Santarem. But in the meantime an old friend, who r...[Go to Post]
Museums: Postal and Communist Party
A postal system existed in China, under various forms, beginning with year 1600BC. However, such systems were inconsistent and usu...[Go to Post]
The parts are here!
Since Palomina is the one who took the worst hits in the trip, she deserves now most of the attention. So I got her a new battery,...[Go to Post]
The Sugarloaf Mountain
The Sugarloaf Mountain is easily accessible by cable car (built in 1912, claimed to be the third in the world, after Spain in 1907...[Go to Post]
The canyon
Since we couldn´t see anything while travelling by train during night, we decided to take a 3 hour walk along the railway....[Go to Post]
The Salvadorian Military Museum
This is the only museum we visited while in El Salvador. The collection was limited, but they had some interesting items: a numism...[Go to Post]
The end of Part 1
We are now at the end of our 7900km journey through Indochina. It was an amazing opportunity to discover new things and have fun a...[Go to Post]
PCM MMCZ MMUN KEYW
Back in Playa del Carmen after 5 days in Tulum. Airport waiting area very informal, more like a bus station. Fuel tanks too low &#...[Go to Post]
More electricity problems
Just as I was writing about the energy crisis in Nepal I found myself in a unusual but related situation. I went to the barbershop...[Go to Post]
Tabriz
Tabriz was our last scheduled stop in Iran. We spent the night with some Azeri students in their dormitory. They cooked some food ...[Go to Post]
Panama City, Panama
Panama City was our first stop in Panama. The city surprised us with the beauty of the old center and the spectacular waterfront o...[Go to Post]
The Old Yungas Road / Camino Muerte
Once in Coroico, we found the entrance to the old road and we began ascending. At 1500m altitude and in the middle of the rainfore...[Go to Post]
Amer Fort
Just North of the city there are 3 forts. The main attraction is the Amer Fort, built in the XVI-XVIII centuries. This fort is wel...[Go to Post]
Sukhothai
Sukhothai was the capital of the Siamese empire (predecessor of Thailand) during the XII-XIV centuries. While not as impressive as...[Go to Post]
First day in Buenos Aires
The next day we rushed to Buenos Aires to solve some business at the Romanian consulate. We took the “General Roca” tr...[Go to Post]
The launch boat
Since Sapzurro and Capurgana are not connected to any road, the next step was to get us and Palomina aboard a launch boat in order...[Go to Post]
Key West / Miami from above
Landed in Key West, Florida, went through the customs, allowed to proceed. Night flight above the Overseas Highway towards Tamiami...[Go to Post]
Lake Coatepeque
Close to San Salvador there is Lake Coatepeque. After 30 minutes of riding through a dusty road we finally got there. Funny: all t...[Go to Post]
Gasoline prices
At $1.48 per US Gallon (or $0.39 per liter, for the 84 octane unleaded gasoline) this the lowest price we ever found. The 90 octan...[Go to Post]
Almost ready!
After replacing or fixing many broken/ worn/ missing/ cracked/ bent/ corroded/ burnt/ leaking/ uneven parts, our bike is now almos...[Go to Post]
Calcutta: the good things
As one might expect from the former capital of the British India, Calcutta has plenty of beautiful buildings (administrative, mans...[Go to Post]
Suspension tune-up
Longer spacers + lowering the tubes in the triple tree is 25mm. In the rear, replacing the Koubalinks with regular BMW links is an...[Go to Post]
Greetings from Baja!
Well, not quite. I had to return from Tijuana to get some stuff that I forgot. But hey, even NASA postpones the launches sometimes...[Go to Post]
Antalya & Olympos
Although acclaimed by many beach going tourists, Antalya doesn’t have too much to offer… apart from the sea side and t...[Go to Post]
National Rail Museum, Delhi
First day in Delhi we visited the railway museum. It has a toy train ride and also an indoor exposition. It is the only museum we ...[Go to Post]
Water pump play
Guess I was over confident in Palomina’s self healing capabilities. That’s why I added tap water to the cooling system...[Go to Post]
Blogging from Taiwan
After a 14.5 hrs flight we arrived in Taipei, the first stop en route to Vietnam. Unfortunately, due to some paperwork issues, the...[Go to Post]
Wat Saket – Golden mountain
The modern temple named Wat Saket is built on an artificial hill near the city center. The whole construction took more than 100 y...[Go to Post]
Chiang Mai
Upon arriving in Chiang Mai we booked a tour. A bit pricey at 50USD/person but well worth. We saw an orchard garden, then 1hr hour...[Go to Post]
Muddy days
Day 1: We were in a village searching for a hotel. It was around 8:30PM when we entered a muddy street because I thought there was...[Go to Post]
From Cuenca to Macará
This was the last segment of road before exiting Ecuador and the third crossing over the Andes. Very spectacular views. For the fi...[Go to Post]
Guanajuato, Guanajuato
One thing that distinguishes Guanajuato from other cities is the network of underground tunnels. Some time ago a river was flowing...[Go to Post]
Still alive
Sorry I have been unable to post during the past week, but we were somewhere in the middle of the Atacama desert, struggling to ad...[Go to Post]
Kaesong
The city of Kaesong is situated South of the 38th parallel (therefore was part of South Korea from 1945 until 1951) but was conque...[Go to Post]
The Military Museum
The fall of Constantinople is depicted with paintings, models and artifacts at the Military Museum. This is the chain the defender...[Go to Post]
Siem Reap
We left Phnom Penh and, later the same day, we arrived in Siem Reap. Many tourists everywhere, very popular destination. We got di...[Go to Post]
From Potosi to Uyuni
From Potosi to Uyuni the road goes around some hills and through many canyons, occasionally accompanied by the railway tracks of t...[Go to Post]
10.000 miles
As the bike reached 10.000 miles, things were still looking good. Only the ABS was not working. Probably some error code was recor...[Go to Post]
Vaccination
Being vaccinated against yellow fever is a requirement in order to apply for visa for Bolivia. We paid $170 in US and a little u...[Go to Post]
Getting in
At this moment, most tourists can only go inside the DPRK as part of a guided tour. We picked Koryo tours, a travel company with (...[Go to Post]
The first flat tire
It finally happened. One morning I find the rear tire flat due to a nail puncture. Not a problem, I used my portable air compresso...[Go to Post]
Part 3: Iran
We managed to regroup in Shiraz, Iran. The first impression is that this country is much cleaner and better organized than India, ...[Go to Post]
Demilitarized zone
Our tour included a visit to the DMZ. As we were driving South I was able to see several groups of defensive obstacles. The road i...[Go to Post]
The wooden houses
Many older houses in Paramaribu have a distinct architecture. In select areas they are properly maintained, but about to collapse ...[Go to Post]
The Vinh Moc tunnels
Sometimes in 1965 the US bombers began attacking a village located on the coast. The villagers initially built some air raid shelt...[Go to Post]
The neighborhood
One day we decided to explore the nearby villages. Impressive off road capabilities for the scooter but too much dust in our shoes...[Go to Post]
Technical difficulties
What might be more fun on a rainy day than a broken ignition wire? Of course, the only one to blame is me, since I did not pay att...[Go to Post]
James and the winds
When we were happy that the rains were over, another meteorological issue arrised: very heavy winds from the side. For fear that w...[Go to Post]
The road to My Son
We decided to go visit My Son archaeological site, located just 40km West of Hoi An. Lesson learned: don’t rely on “GP...[Go to Post]
Angkor
Built during the heyday of the Khmer empire (in the IX-XIII centuries), these temples cover a huge area just Nort of Siem Reap. On...[Go to Post]
Royal palace and barges
The Royal palace complex is a popular tourist attraction. Still used today for official business, but most of it can be visited. A...[Go to Post]
The Khmer Rouge era memorials
When the Khmer Rouge regime came to power in 1975 they initiated a total reform, meant to bring self sufficiency in all aspects of...[Go to Post]
More Andes
The next destination was Cusco, but in order to get there we had to go once again over the Andes (the pass was at 4200m). The view...[Go to Post]
Americas 2010 featured at Radio Guerilla
As a result of a live interview at Radio Guerilla that brought a lot of traffic, the blog was down for 1-2 days. The bandwidth all...[Go to Post]
The Halong Bay
The Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a must for Vietnam visitor. We took a $85/person 2 day, all inclusive, bus and bo...[Go to Post]
The Citwan National Park
En route towards East we stopped at the Citawan National Park. We booked a 4 hours safari tour to see the park. We had the chance ...[Go to Post]
Still alive
We are still alive and back in the low lands (Amritsar, Punjab) after spending almost one week in Kashmir. Will post soon about th...[Go to Post]
Still alive!
We are still alive, on a mountain road somewhere in the Annapurna region of the Himalayas. I will update the blog as soon as I hav...[Go to Post]
The repairs
It took me and another guy from a shop around 12 hours, but now Palomina has a new water pump, oil seals, chain, sprockets, front ...[Go to Post]
Hierapolis-Pamukkale
Pamukkale is an unusual site, where mineral deposits brought by water have created terraces. On top of the hill there is the ancie...[Go to Post]
Colombia
Before I got to Colombia the only things I knew about this country were the Medellin Cartel, the FARC guerillas and football team....[Go to Post]
The long recovery
During the winter, Palomina is going through a long recovery process. My father took it apart and found some broken plastic items ...[Go to Post]
Miami
Was fun wandering around in the art deco district of Miami… Of special interest was the Wolfsonian-FIU art and design museum...[Go to Post]
Tulum
As we got busier having fun during the trip, I also got more and more frustrated with uploading and adjusting one by one the pictu...[Go to Post]
Next was Iceland
What a paradox…. Greenland is mostly ice while Iceland is mostly green. Anyways, the flight to Iceland was easy and uneventf...[Go to Post]
Accomodation in India
After almost one month in India we haven’t found one neat&clean-yet-affordable-place-to-sleep-for-the tired-traveller. ...[Go to Post]
10 days left!
More shopping, more work on the bike and more testing. Still a lot to be done but only 10 days left!...[Go to Post]
Machu Picchu
As any tourist visiting Peru, we wanted to check out this place as well. But everybody seems to be interested in making this exper...[Go to Post]
Mina Cata
Besides the Guanajuato center, the nearby mines are also on the UNESCO World Heritage list. So we visited one of these mines. Can...[Go to Post]
Chinese Shanghai
Given the history of this city as a international business center, most of it’s famous neighborhoods were shaped in a Wester...[Go to Post]
El cambiador
“El cambiador” is a person like this one who makes a living by exchanging currency at border crossings. Please note th...[Go to Post]
Edirne
This is Edirne. It has a well preserved old district, as well as a few mosques. The most interesting sight in this city is the Med...[Go to Post]
Islas Ballestas
This group of islands is considered to be the low-budget alternative for the Galapagos. Various species of birds can be observed, ...[Go to Post]
Royal Palace – Silver Pagoda
This is perhaps the singe most important attraction in Phnom Penh. I was expecting some similarities with the Vietnamese style but...[Go to Post]
The My Son compound
This is, for me, the singe most interesting item I’ve seen during this trip. Built during 1000 years (from 4th to 14th centu...[Go to Post]
The Blue Ridge Parkway
I continued North using the Blue Ridge Parkway, a very scenic road and one of the most visited parkways in the USA. It runs 750km ...[Go to Post]
More adventure travellers encountered
As I said earlier, Ushuaia is a checkpoint for many tourists visiting South America. We ran into Nick, from NYC, who is now biking...[Go to Post]
By train to Shanghai
The fast train took nearly 5 hours to cover the 1300km from Beijing to Shanghai. Very exciting! It ran mostly on dedicated, elevat...[Go to Post]
A busy street in Hanoi
This is how a busy street in Hanoi looks like. But it could be even worse. Once I got caught in a jam that was so tight that not e...[Go to Post]
Toasted
One of our cardo units has been dead since we were in Hue. Today I had the time to open it up to check for some obvious problem. I...[Go to Post]
Incredible India! (1 / 2)
One guy who saw my first post about the Indian roads commented that travelling with your own vehicle in this country is so unpleas...[Go to Post]
The end of the world train
The area around nowadays Ushuaia was colonized during late 19th century, in order to assure Argentinian sovereignty over the newly...[Go to Post]
The favela
Like any big city, Rio has its own sketchy areas. They are called “favelas”. According to statistics, 20% of the lower income ...[Go to Post]
Teotihuacan
The Teotihuacan archaeological site is in the immediate vicinity of Mexico City. Fortunately, it was not very crowded. They also h...[Go to Post]
La plata and the “milonga”
Owing it to it’s relatively recent development, La Plata has a strange and funny street pattern, a combination of grids, dia...[Go to Post]
Our last day in Buenos Aires
This was our last visit in the capital city. Raining, as usual. First we went to Recoleta where we visited the famous cemetery whe...[Go to Post]
The Kuna Taxi
Seeing the dock, I was expecting some sort of Ro-Ro feature but no, we had to muscle Palomina (the bike’s name, after the ho...[Go to Post]
Entering El Salvador; Tazumal
Tazumal archaeological site is another example of Mayan civilization. Even if it was closed, since it was Monday, we got a pretty ...[Go to Post]
The missing bridge
Just before reaching the shore we found out that the last bridge was still under construction and all vehicles had to go through t...[Go to Post]
Jalisco
After Nayarit comes Jalisco. While riding East, we passed several agave (the plant used to make tequila) fields, in the vicinity o...[Go to Post]
The shipwrecks
In the middle of the Paramaribo river there is a German shipwreck dating from World War II (first picture). Trying to get closer I...[Go to Post]
Istanbul
Blogging from Bucharest, where we arrived on the 18th of June, 6 months and 12 days after arriving in Hanoi. Istanbul was a huge s...[Go to Post]
Part 2: Hello from Kathmandu!
We arrived two days ago in Kathmandu, Nepal. Palomina followed suit, one day later. Today we went to the customs to claim her. It ...[Go to Post]
Now, in the tropical zone
As we passed the Tropic of Cancer, while approaching the Nayarit state, we took a moment to make a picture with the sign....[Go to Post]
The trip to the North, part 2
Once we advanced further towards the North we found many terraces, virtually taking all the landscape. The road climbed up to arou...[Go to Post]
Lake Arenal, Costa Rica
This was the first objective in Costa Rica. Wonderful jungle, cute little animals everywhere, a volcano and a lot of bicycle rider...[Go to Post]
Xocimilco
Xocimilco is a community nearby Mexico City that is famous for it’s network of canals. Being on the UNESCO list, it was also...[Go to Post]
The road to Calcutta
To survive the streets of India you need a good driver, good brakes, good horn and good luck. That’s what a local taxi drive...[Go to Post]
Cuenca, Ecuador
Cuenca is another colonial city located in a mountainous region in Southern Ecuador. There is not much I can say about it, but it ...[Go to Post]
Humayun’s tomb
After losing his Agra throne in 1540, the Mughal Emperor Humayun (together with his wife and few followers) seek refuge to present...[Go to Post]
Tire repair kit
Together with the tire irons and the bead breaker, this one will make our lives way easier in case of flat tire....[Go to Post]
The cars of Mexico
As we were riding South through Mexico, I observed how the typical vehicle on the street was also evolving. If the standard car in...[Go to Post]
Greenland
Greenland… I’m afraid I’m gonna have to add this one to the “Glad I got there, not going back” count...[Go to Post]
Leisure time
Almost every day there was some leisure time allowed, either picnic, games, sports (such as running for 5km in Pyongyang) and amus...[Go to Post]
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut
After crossing West Virginia and Pennsylvania, I finally met my parents in New Jersey. I was pleased to see them again, since I...[Go to Post]
The Atacama desert (2/2)
The next morning we found out from the tourists we were just 20kms away from the Laguna Colorada. Also, I suddenly remembered I ha...[Go to Post]
Towards the Caspian shore
Soon after Tehran the scenery improved dramatically, as we decided to cross the mountains to reach the Caspian sea. Many tunnels, ...[Go to Post]
Cusco
Cusco, the historical capital of the Inca empire, is the best looking city we found in Peru, with narrow streets and old buildings...[Go to Post]
Palomina
It’s time to congratulate our third crew member for the 40,000 miles (64,000 km) succesfully completed. That’s 50,500 ...[Go to Post]
Paramaribu
After crossing that river I entered Albina, a poor village on the river bank. I had to stay there for one night because the insura...[Go to Post]
La Trochita
La Trochita (or The Old Patagonian Express) is the name of a 402km long railway system running from Esquel to Ingeniero Jacobacci ...[Go to Post]
México, D.F.: Fixing the bike
I am writing this from Acapulco de Juarez, Guerrero. Meaning that I am about 4 days late with the postings. We spent 4 nights in M...[Go to Post]
Americas 2010 on BMWBlog.ro
We had a little chat with the guys at BMWBlog.ro and they decided to share our adventure with their readers. View the article here...[Go to Post]
Sinaloa, Mexico
As we crossed the mountains and reached the coast, in the city of Hermosillo, the wheather was once again warm. We continued our w...[Go to Post]
Pyongyang
Not much is today left from pre war Pyongyang because it was razed by US carpet bombing during the 1950-1953 war. It was quickly r...[Go to Post]
The Mekong river delta
Fom Saigon we took a 15USD/person day tour to the Mekong river delta. The boat first took us to the floating market (where merchan...[Go to Post]
Transport
There was a mix of old an new on the streets of DPRK. Side by side were 1950s GAZ, 1980s Mercedes-Benz, 2000s Ladas and 2010 Audis...[Go to Post]
Palomina indefinitely disabled
Somehow, the water pump kit that we purchased in Peru is leaking. So, during the first day in BA we got a new one from the dealer....[Go to Post]
The New Providence
We spent most of our time on the island of New Providence in Nassau. Impressive aquarium at the Atlantis resort, but I prefer swim...[Go to Post]
Izmir & Pergamon
This is Izmir, a city on the Eastern shore of the Mediterranean see. It has a cute winding road on the side of the beach. Not too ...[Go to Post]
The third accident
This one happened not even 15 minutes after being almost squashed and I was still reflecting about life and death… Suddenly,...[Go to Post]
The Kennedy Space Center
I was interested in visiting the Kennedy Space Center to observe the differences between it and the one in Guyana. Owing it probab...[Go to Post]
The Atacama desert (1/2)
There are two things one should know about the Atacama desert. First, it is the driest place on Earth. It never rains. So there is...[Go to Post]
Quito, Ecuador
Quito, like most major cities in Latin America, is paralized with traffic, lacks an efficient transit system and suffers from high...[Go to Post]
A rainy day in Buenos Aires
Yesterday we spent many hours in BA. First of all we went to the old docks area, where, after a walk on the waterfront, we visited...[Go to Post]
Elephanta Caves
Departing by boat from Bombay towards the Elephanta Island one can see the Taj Mahal hotel (left, scene of the 2009 terrorist atta...[Go to Post]
The bike is here
Yesterday Radu brought the bike to the garage. Romanian style hauling....[Go to Post]
The Bangkok rail system
To keep up with the rapid expansion, the city built various rail transit systems. One of them is the regular subway. All stations ...[Go to Post]
Fuentes Georginas
Fuentes Georginas, located next to the town of Zunil, is a place with thermal waters, plus restaurands and lodging. A 10km mountai...[Go to Post]
Warsaw
After Krakow we returned to Romania where we packed and prepared for the flight back to California. En route we had a layover in W...[Go to Post]
Pacaya volcano erupted
At the time we were there, things were pretty calm (and boring). But now it seems there is a lot of action in Guatemala: Reuters 2...[Go to Post]
Lima, Peru
Once in Lima we took some pictures, first in the Miraflores (beach) area and then in the older District. At some point we got stop...[Go to Post]
More welding
In Panama City we almost lost the rear plate and the Pelican case together with that. Somehow all the weldings were cracked. A loc...[Go to Post]
The parts are H E R E !!!
But getting them was tricky! In the morning we took our daily walk to the post office asking whether the package has arrived. They...[Go to Post]
Thailand
Upon arriving at the customs (mid day, Cambodian side) we found out all staff was resting and the facility wasn’t opperation...[Go to Post]
Cappadocia
Sinan Pasa, Bayazid and their attacks against the Romanian medieval countries: that’s – pretty much – what we le...[Go to Post]
The BenQ DC C1250 camera
So, we purchased this BenQ camera from Montevideo to replace the Canon A710 which I have been using happily for more than four yea...[Go to Post]
Good news bad news
Bike arrived today in Hanoi. But without the papers. Shipping company again messed up. For some unknown reason, they shipped the d...[Go to Post]
A ride through the Kuna reservation
The kunas are indigenous people living in the coastal areas of Panama and Colombia. To get to Carti, our destination, we had to ri...[Go to Post]
Esfahan 2/2
The Chehelsotoon Palace is highly appreciated for it’s exterior architecture (wooden columns, mirror decorations, water pool...[Go to Post]
Bhimbetka rock shelters (Madhya Pradesh)
The paintings found in the rock shelters at Bhimbetka are, most likely, the oldest man-made thing we’ve seen in our life. Th...[Go to Post]
Camping location
After leaving Nazca, the road climbed sharply. It was getting cold and dark and there was no trace of any village, not to mention ...[Go to Post]
Sailing on the Amazon
Our ship was an older, wooden vessel with a carrying capacity of 100 passengers. But only about 30 passengers were aboard, so the ...[Go to Post]
Acapulco de Juárez, Guerrero
After ~400km on a very EXPENSIVE freeway and a night of camping in the wild, we finally got to the beach again. This time in Acapu...[Go to Post]
Crashing in the wall
For the sake of variation and in order to satisfy my needs for adrenaline, sometimes I take Palomina (and Laura) off-roading. This...[Go to Post]
Crevetzi Vietnamezi
For the Christmas the hotel organized a party. Note the “crevetzi vietnamezi” (expanded schrimp) Brings back memories ...[Go to Post]
Butterflies vs landmines
Inside the Angkor area there was also a butterfly exposition. Tanya, the attendant, was so nice to walk us through. We were able t...[Go to Post]
Christ the Redeemer
The statue of “Christ the Redeemer” is situated on top of the Corcovado mountain in Rio de Janeiro. Even better than t...[Go to Post]
The Nepalese food
Nepalese traditional food is “thali”. Rice with a selection of vegetable sauces and a mutton or chicken dish. Better b...[Go to Post]
Traffic in Vietnam
Traffic is a madness, a “free for all” where the motorbike rider has no rights and no obligations. After being stucked...[Go to Post]
Slovakia Ring
My old Romanian motorcycle friends informed me there was a track event in Slovakia, near Bratislava, so we decided to extend the t...[Go to Post]
Ming Tombs and Great Wall
First 4 pictures are from a visit to the Ming Dynasty tombs. There is an exhibit hall with burial objects. Unfortunately, our tour...[Go to Post]
Top Gear goes to South America
After watching this episode from Top Gear, we knew we have made the right choice. At least regarding the destination…...[Go to Post]
Bombay
We found Bombay was in much better condition than Calcutta, but very expensive as well. The cheapest room in the tourist district ...[Go to Post]
Old Constantinople
Some of the oldest ruins visible today are the walls of Constantinople, built in the V century by Emperor Theodosius II. Most of t...[Go to Post]
Getting out
All travelers, except for US citizens, have the option to depart the country by train. We choose to do this to have the chance to ...[Go to Post]
Fixing a flat tire
Where might be the best place to have a flat tire if not in the neutral zone between El Salvador and Honduras? No shop around and ...[Go to Post]
San Miguel de Allende
This is another colonial town with good looking buildings. Too bad the streets are always crowded with cars. As we found out while...[Go to Post]
The Bangkok waterways
Apart from the Chao Phraya River, there are hundreds of narrow canals servicing many neighborhoods in Bangkok. One can book a tour...[Go to Post]
Palenque to Playa del Carmen
Palenque is a 6 months fresh airport so no piston engine fuel is available yet, only jet. Our plane is certified to use automotive...[Go to Post]
Good bye Iran! Hello Turkey!
We could not move forward with blogging without expressing our deepest consideration towards all Iranians who did everything withi...[Go to Post]
The Sechura Desert
This is the second desert we had to cross, after the Sonoran Desert in Northern Mexico. But this was even more dry compared to the...[Go to Post]
ND4SPD
From Chiang Mai we took route 108 westbound and then 105 southbound. No police on the street but many military checkpoints (first ...[Go to Post]
The funny commercials
Once South of Lima the landscape greatly improved. Everything was cleaner and at least seemed to be better organized. Also, a lot ...[Go to Post]
Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi
This archaeological site is located near Bhopal and contains the oldest stone structure in India, the great stupa, dating from III...[Go to Post]
More Baja
From Tijuana we got to Rosarito, home of some Fox Studios. We were planning to visit the Titanic setting. Bad luck, that “mu...[Go to Post]
Back in Delhi
Since, after one week of emailing back and forth, we were still without a firm and acceptable offer, we decided to return to Delhi...[Go to Post]
Veliko Tarnovo
Veliko Tarnovo is the former capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire. Therefore, many old buildings and other interesting sights ca...[Go to Post]
Lost in the jungle
Yungas Road was exciting but not as challenging as expected (by me, hehe!), so I began looking for thrills elsewhere. I found soon...[Go to Post]
Ephesus
Ephesus, the former capital of Asia Minor, is the biggest and most impressive Greek/Roman archaeological site so far. Well preserv...[Go to Post]
Ankara
In the middle of Ankara we found this citadel, on top of a hill. It is the oldest part of the city, build during the Roman times. ...[Go to Post]
Getting used to handle the Hanoi traffic
The traffic in Hanoi is hilarious! There seems to be not a single rule that is always in effect yet no accidents! We rented a 125c...[Go to Post]
A trip to the countryside
There were two trips outside of the capital. One was towards Nampo (West) and the other one towards Kaesong (South). Other tours h...[Go to Post]
Goa
From Bombay we went South to see Goa, a former Portuguese colony, conquered by India in 1961. Very nice tropical scenery and the f...[Go to Post]
The metro system
Serving (with it’s 95 stations and over 100kms of track) most areas of greater Santiago, the metro system is a convenient wa...[Go to Post]
Sonora
Further East there is the State of Sonora. Big plains, big trucks (usually double-semis, 34-wheelers!), and finally I managed to p...[Go to Post]
We got the Bolivian visas
Bolivia is the only country in our trip that requires a visa for Romanian citizens. Fortunately, the consulate was less than 10km ...[Go to Post]
Film studio
This is the Pyongyang movie studio. Opened just after the founding of the country in 1949 to create patriotic features. Today ther...[Go to Post]
The Ottoman times
The Ottoman Sultans ruled, at the beginning, from the Topkapı Palace. We found inside a collection of arms and armors, gems, jewe...[Go to Post]
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
From Nepal we went straight to Darjeeling to find the narrow gauge railway, completed in 1881 – a new addition to the UNESCO...[Go to Post]
Ayutthaya
En route back to Bangkok we stopped for one day in Ayutthaya, the former capital of the empire with the same name, another predece...[Go to Post]
The sand dunes
One of the few things you can do in Nazca is to explore the dunes with a buggy. This particular one was built around a Nissan Patr...[Go to Post]
Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala
The capital of Guatemala was a real disappointment for both of us. Except for the central square, all the streets in the historic ...[Go to Post]
The miner’s strike is causing more delays
So, we’ve been here in Nazca for the past 11 days waiting for an EMS shipment with parts from USA that was supposed to take ...[Go to Post]
Nobody conquers Vietnam!
After defending their country against the French and the Americans, now the Vietnamese are defending against big engine motorcycle...[Go to Post]
Leaving Buenos Aires
Even though we would have stayed longer, we had to leave. The next destination was Colon, right across Rio de la Plata. On our way...[Go to Post]
A ropeway above the tea plantations
Prior to the introduction of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the journey from Siliguri to Darjeeling took up to 5 days, employin...[Go to Post]
Bobby
While we were stopped at a restaurant on the side of the road, another rider passed by. He saw our BMW heavily loaded and he turne...[Go to Post]
Kalka – Shimla railway
This century old railway is also a UNESCO World Heritage site, together with the DHR railway, noted for it’s technical achie...[Go to Post]
Reinforcements have arrived
Just recently we got a package. New visor for me (I scratched the brand new visor just after departure), Skullcandy ear buds for L...[Go to Post]
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh)
Upon reaching Bhopal (scene of the worst industrial disaster in history) we found the family of a friend, ex co worker at Columbia...[Go to Post]
Michael
We met Mike, from Germany, in a gas station in Northern Argentina. He had been traveling on his old Africa Twin for one year, and ...[Go to Post]
The Panama Canal
The main tourist attraction in Panama City area is the Panama Canal. At the Miraflores Locks (some 15km South of the city) there i...[Go to Post]
More Baja
We continued our way down with the intention to ride on the peninsula until Santa Rosalia and take the ferry to Hermosillo. Not mu...[Go to Post]
The snake wine
While waiting for the train at the bar we found this snake wine, a quite unusual drink. Since I am not the most knowledgeable pers...[Go to Post]
The crew
Laura, 28, Romanian – enjoys outdoor sports and other related activities, except for those which may cause injury. She wil...[Go to Post]
The bike
The next question was which kind of bike to use. A guy i know, Marcos, (we used to go off road-ing together in Romania) used his...[Go to Post]
Entering Nicaragua; Rob and Mike
We entered Nicaragua on a stormy day. There we saw very long trucks, similar to the ones they have in Australia. Then we met Rob a...[Go to Post]
Tierra del Fuego national park
We spent half a day in this park. Since now it’s winter down there, not many tourists were present and everything was very q...[Go to Post]
Happy new year!
We are now in Chang Mai. Yesterday it was the Chinese new year, also observed in Thailand. We had a few beers to celebrate. All pe...[Go to Post]
Leaving the beaches
I’ve never been in love with the sun and the beaches. By the time I got to Savannah, Georgia, I had already too much of thos...[Go to Post]
Across the USA
The first part of the trip was pretty smooth, except for a little thunderstorm in the vicinity of Prescott, AZ. We did refuelling ...[Go to Post]
More friends
In Brasilia we encountered more friendly people: Joe and Eladio. They invited us to stay at their houses, fed us and also wanted t...[Go to Post]
Daytona Beach
Heading North on the coast I arrived at Datyona, where driving/riding motor vehicles on the beach is permitted. Last time I did so...[Go to Post]
Agricultural visit and industry briefing
We visited two farms in DPRK: Taesongsan combined fruit farm and Chongsan-ri vegetable co-operative farm. Each time, the guides em...[Go to Post]
The plan (continued)
The first question was: what are the chances of succeeding? Which might be the risks? One very good source of info was ADVRider. T...[Go to Post]
We’ve got some options
Just found this bike at a local dealer. Has some front end damage, however the rest looks OK. Only 6k miles. We agreed on $2...[Go to Post]
Toodeshk
After Na’in we stopped at Tak-Taku Homestay (09139165752) in Toodeshk. Riding the bus in the Iranian heat got us really exha...[Go to Post]
The Kuna village
There were hundreds of small islands on our way. Usually after 5PM the catamaran was anchored close to one of them and we were abl...[Go to Post]
Valle de la Luna
This park is a true lunar experience on Earth! It is located just 10kms West of San Pedro de Atacama. Once off the highway, there ...[Go to Post]
To Cuiaba
Laura, tired because of sun but also bored because of too much pampas One of the many cotton fields Laura, cleaning herself after ...[Go to Post]
Guadalajara, Jalisco
Allthough Guadalajara is Mexico’s second most populous municipality, we only had few hours for sightseeing. We spent the tim...[Go to Post]
Hoi An
Hoi An is a UNESCO World Heritage site for being an example of well preserved trading port from 15th to 19th centuries. Once South...[Go to Post]
Transmission problems
This malfunction almost ended our trip! The chian got very worn and at one point it got off the rear sprocket. There was a chance ...[Go to Post]
The second accident (near miss)
You know what’s the good thing about people who use to run traffic lights? They do have the habit of observing the incoming ...[Go to Post]
Cerro San Cristóbal
This is one of the biggest parks in Santiago. Taking advantage of the hilly terrain, the designers installed here a funicular syst...[Go to Post]
45 (or so) days left!
The 2009 edition of the Dakar rally took place in South America. Check out the beauty and variety of these lands! Breathtaking...[Go to Post]
Back to the drawing board
At this moment we learned that the Pakistan visa will be ready in an unspecified amount of time, which could exceed our limit. Bei...[Go to Post]
Bike maintenance
Acquiring BMW parts in this part of world turned to a real challenge. At the local factory dealer they had nothing on stock and ET...[Go to Post]
Crossing the Andes (2)
After Bogota we had to go back over the Andes to continue South to Cali on the Panamerican highway. We both agreed this is the mos...[Go to Post]
The Mumbai Mail
Having had such bad experience with the Indian roads, we decided to continue the trip by train. Eager to get out of Calcutta as so...[Go to Post]
Guyana Space Center
The visit at the center lasted for about 3 hours. We moved by bus and visited two launch sites and two command centers. We learned...[Go to Post]
The mine (Part 1 – preparations)
The visit to the mine was very informal. The guy at the agency had a brother who used to work at the mine. There were no entrance ...[Go to Post]
The villages
From Sapa we took a 6 hours trip through the surrounding areas. We visited 2 villages inhabited by an ethnic group that migrated f...[Go to Post]
The Suriname railways
Today there are no railways in operation in Suriname, but I learned from my father about the old railway that has been abandoned s...[Go to Post]
Amritsar (Punjab) 2/2
Apart from the Golden Temple, there are many other Sikh or Hindu temples in Amritsar. An interesting example is Mata Temple. In ad...[Go to Post]
Ellora Caves (Maharashtra)
Our patience has finally paid back. Just watch this true wonder. A prime example of World Heritage Site, at par with the Angkor or...[Go to Post]
Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
So, once again, ready to roll. This is how the GS looks now, fully loaded with all the gear. But the problems did not wait to show...[Go to Post]
Hharkonnen unit deployed
I think it’s been 15 years since I played Dune II last time. However, given the circumstances (bike still en route) I decide...[Go to Post]
Montevideo
We didn’t spend too much time in Colonia, instead we rode straight to Montevideo. And in case you’re wondering why the...[Go to Post]
Government propaganda
As you might know, propaganda is very strong in the DPRK. The cult of personality is far beyond what I witnessed in Romania 25 yea...[Go to Post]
Antofagasta
This is the city that made us realize Chile really is different than other Southern American countries. Even though it isn’t...[Go to Post]
The end of Part 2
While we were originally hoping that part 2 of this trip was going to be the last one, the Pakistani consulate personnel messed up...[Go to Post]
Leaving Argentina
As we finished the Iguazu park, we were ready to leave Argentina once again (this was the fourth time we were exiting its territor...[Go to Post]
Jaipur (Rajasthan)
This could have easily been a fascinating place to relax, similar to Hoi An (1, 2), if it wouldn’t be for the omnipresent tr...[Go to Post]
Na’in
Na’in is a small town in central Iranian desert. With the help of tour guide and internet cafe owner Mahmood Mohammadipour (...[Go to Post]
Spot reminder
This is the link to use to see the progress. Until I figure out how to make a new page to include that, I will have to repost....[Go to Post]
Education
The guides emphasized how the revolution improved the education in DPRK, increasing literacy rate by providing free compulsory sch...[Go to Post]
Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro
This was our last stop before Mexico City. Santiago de Querétaro is another well preserved colonial city, also a UNESCO World Her...[Go to Post]
Next
The plan was to get from Los Angeles to Rio de Janeiro in two and a half months. We are now in Rio, just two and a half months lat...[Go to Post]
Mazatlan
The flight from Culiacan MMCL to Mazatlan MMMZ was short but fun, with broken clouds at 3000ft – some of the most fun clouds...[Go to Post]
Chandipur
On the way to Calcutta we decided to camp in a forest, in the immediate vicinity of Chandipur, a muslim village. We cooked a soup,...[Go to Post]
Brasilia (Capital Federal)
The plans for this city were laid in the ‘50s. As a result, many streets and buildings have odd but interesting shapes. In the c...[Go to Post]
Rebuilding the front fork
At the impact, the front fork has been severely damaged. Only some internal parts could be salvaged. So when the replacement p...[Go to Post]
Lake Atitlan
Lake Atitlan was our next objective. It is surrounded by 2 volcanos and few villages inhabited by indigenous maya people. They spe...[Go to Post]
The Damneon Saduak canal
From Bangkok we took a 11hrs tour (advertised as 12hrs). First we went to the Damneon Saduak canals, a place made famous by an old...[Go to Post]
Unbelievable coincidence!
The other day I decided to email an acquaintance I haven’t spoken to in more than 6 months, merely to say “Hello”...[Go to Post]
The border to Guatemala
Before reaching the border, we were somehow concerned, after reading other peoples’ stories about crossing from one country ...[Go to Post]
The Teleferiqo
The observation point (located at about 4100m above sea level) can be reached using the Teleferiqo, after an impressive 30-40 minu...[Go to Post]
The professional bystander
Since Nepal we became accustomed with having at least 5 people watching closely the bike during each stop. But this accomplishment...[Go to Post]
Fritz the Cat
Fritz the Cat was our ride out of Carti. A 15m catamaran capable of sleeping up to 15 people (or so) sailing under the Austrian fl...[Go to Post]
The Amapa jungle
After completing the 1000km of jungle South of Amazon we said to ourselves “How easy. That was it?”. But here, in Braz...[Go to Post]
The biskotso
The first stop, once in Ecuador, was to eat some biskotsos. A special local recepie. Very good with cheese, caramel cream and milk...[Go to Post]
Plan B: Asia
While attempting to obtain visas for the countries in Africa I discovered most of them are tourist unfriendly, especially some on ...[Go to Post]
Shipped!
After receiving a last moment order from MaxBMW we took Palomina to the shipping company. After this, I already feel more relaxed....[Go to Post]
Aphrodisias
Aphrodisias is a well preserved ancient city named after the Greek goddess Aphrodite. There is an open air museum as well as a cov...[Go to Post]
The restaurant and the people who don’t respect the deal
On our way to Chiapas we stopped at another restaurand on the side of the road. While our lunch was being preprared, I decided to ...[Go to Post]
La Paz
Situated at an elevation of 3660m above sea level, La Paz is the world´s highest capital city. There are many hills, from which w...[Go to Post]
At the KTM shop
While shopping around for 4T oil (very hard to find there) we entered a KTM store. To our surprise, a promotional video from Roman...[Go to Post]
The first crash
Finally, it happened! It was night, and a road work area came after a very fast section. I reduced the speed but not enough. We ha...[Go to Post]
Motorcycle and equipment review
While I was shopping for a motorcycle I had in mind the warnings I was receiving from everybody: “you are going to be robbed...[Go to Post]
Thank you, Raphaelo!
Once in San Salvador we got to the BMW Motorrad dealership. Remember the ABS light was on since Guadalajara? Raphaelo, the BMW tec...[Go to Post]
The village across the river
For 3USD on top of the 5USD paid for the My Son tour, we got back to Hoi An by boat instead of bus (lunch included in price!) We h...[Go to Post]
More bystanders
Although not as many as in the West or South, bystanders continue to be a nuisance, especially due to their high number. Almost an...[Go to Post]
La llantera
It was late and, as we were heading South on the Pan-American highway, suddenly a tropical rain started. Huge drops. A lot of wate...[Go to Post]
The ore trucks
As a result of the War of the Pacific, Chile annexed it’s current Northern regions from neighbors Bolivia and Peru. Lucky th...[Go to Post]
Timekeeping
Plenty of watches are available for the adventure people. But out of all the Tissot T-Touch series combines features, style and in...[Go to Post]
The survivor
When you see the flotation device on the screen of the laptop you know something is not right. Finally, after 3 years and 5 months...[Go to Post]
Find the spot
Findmespot.com is providing this satellite messenger + GPS tracker that we decided to have. The unit itself was $150 and the plan ...[Go to Post]
Xiamen (Fujian)
The next stop was Xiamen, in the Fujian province. This is less known tourist destination, visited mainly by Chinese. We saw only 2...[Go to Post]
The motorcycle meeting
We were some 100kms South of Santiago, stopped at a gas station having a snack. A biker with a R1200GS stopped and we began talkin...[Go to Post]
Lake Titicaca
Once in Puno, we booked a tour of the Lake Titicaca. First we went to visit one of the artificial floating islands inhabited by th...[Go to Post]
Kashmir
We arrived in Kashmir and found accommodation on a houseboat. All Kashmiri people, just like our hosts, are very different than ot...[Go to Post]
Pattadakal
From Goa we went East to find Pattadakal (Karnataka state), an archeologic site with temples dating from the VII century. Not near...[Go to Post]
Mocanita from Maramures
In Viseu de Sus (Maramures County) there is one of the few (or maybe the only) remaining mountain railways with steam traction in ...[Go to Post]
Agra (Uttar Pradesh)
First thing in Agra we went to the Taj Mahal. It was built in the XVII century by Mughal Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his wife, M...[Go to Post]
The Cu Chi tunnels
As opposed to the Vinh Moc tunnels (built to host families) these were build to support the guerillas harassing the US garrison ne...[Go to Post]
The tuc-tuc
In Cambodia we sighted a type of vehicle we never saw before. The so-called “tuc-tuc” consists of a one axle trailer a...[Go to Post]
The North Yungas Road
For me, the most important attraction on Bolivia was the Old Yungas Road. That one starts from the Amazonian rainforest (in the to...[Go to Post]
Tierra del Fuego
The last 1500km were VERY boring. A lonely freeway and the endless pampas. Nothing else. Since this route is very popular among bi...[Go to Post]
Announcement: Africa 2011
After arriving home, it took us less than one day to miss the unexpected. So we got back to the map and began planning. This is wh...[Go to Post]
Bucharest
Bucharest was one of the biggest surprises of our trip. Maybe it is because we’ve been away for a while. Or, probably, becau...[Go to Post]
Energy problems
No, this is not Palomina’s Rotax. Instead, it is our hotel’s power generator. It looks like we’re going to spend...[Go to Post]
The cars of Colombia
First good thing about traveling by motorcycle in Colombia is that you don’t have to pay tolls, or you pay less than others ...[Go to Post]
“Sleeping” inside
We arrived in Hoi An tonight. After the first 1300km the bike still runs strong. I adjusted once the rear suspension to make it ha...[Go to Post]
Palomina
We decided Palomina deserved its first shower after 5 months and 35.000km. Bad decision, since we had to spend the next two hours ...[Go to Post]
The former railway museum
We went to the Thonburi Train Station to see the nearby steam locomotives museum. But the station was no longer in use. All tracks...[Go to Post]
Aluminum panniers
$239 on eBay. Welded aluminum, lockable latches, rubber sealing. Now we need a way to mount them on the bike....[Go to Post]
Finally, she is here!
I can’t accurately describe in writing my feelings when opening the box. Switching the engine on felt probably the same way ...[Go to Post]
Palomina ready to roll
With the help of Carlos and his colleagues, Palomina is once again roadworthy. We changed the oil, tires, water pump seals and fix...[Go to Post]
Rio de Janeiro
From São Paulo we continued on BR 101 route towards Rio. There is also another route (shorter & faster) but this one goes cl...[Go to Post]
Yazd
We spent 3 days in Yazd. There is a nice old part of town worth visiting, with mud brick hotels, museums and narrow alleys. We sta...[Go to Post]
Kathmandu
We actually visited Kathmandu just after arrival in Nepal, but I couldn’t write about it at that time as there was no reliab...[Go to Post]
The high Andean plateaus
From Cusco we continued through the Andean plateaus on our way to Lake Titicaca. Except for the mountains, the land was so flat as...[Go to Post]
Santiago de Chile
Santiago de Chile surprised us more than any other city in Latin America. Nobody could guess this is actually in America. The feel...[Go to Post]
¡Feliz Bicentenario Argentina!
Yesterday we returned to Buenos Aires to visit some museums. First we went to the National History Museum. Then we went to the Fil...[Go to Post]
(C) What type of food can you expect in Vietnam and Romania?
If you love exploring, traveling and discovering new countries and cultures, then you are sure to be enjoying reading our Asia to ...[Go to Post]
Stripped BMW
The condition of the bike is better than expected. All the required parts have been ordered for ~ $600. Hopefully, it will be ...[Go to Post]
The second day in Mexico City; Tudor
I was happy to see Tudor (and his girlfriend) during our second day in the center. Last time we saw each other it was 2-3 years ag...[Go to Post]
Medellin
Our next stop was in Medellin. Pablo Escobar was no longer there so things were quite smooth. The first day we used Palomina to si...[Go to Post]
The mine (Part 2 – inside)
After chewing some coca leaves (the local custom… or maybe to get in the mood for what was to follow) we got inside. The fir...[Go to Post]
The haircut
After 3 weeks I decided it was time for a haircut. Like most businesses in Hanoi, the barber shop operates on the sidewalk (under ...[Go to Post]
First day in Mexico City
The first day we spent in the center we took some pictures. Since it was Saturday, the streets were overcrowded with cars and peop...[Go to Post]
Amritsar (Punjab) 1/2
On the way back from Kashmir we stopped in Amritsar. The most important attraction in the city is the Golden Temple, the main Sikh...[Go to Post]
The Florida keys
From Miami I continued South towards Key West. The road is very scenic. There are long bridges that connect the islands, side by s...[Go to Post]
The prison
The old prison is nowadays home to all municipal museums, covering such aspects as ship navigation in the area, flora and fauna, t...[Go to Post]
The Noibai Customs office
I arrived today at 8:30AM at the customs office in Noibai to clear the shipment. The amount of required paperwork was incredible. ...[Go to Post]
Mate de coca
The coca tea is served everywhere in Peru and Bolivia and sometimes in Ecuador and Chile. Also, one can buy the leaves the same wa...[Go to Post]
Manuel Antonio National Park
Some crocodiles en route, and then we got to the park. After a 30 minute walk we got to a beach. Monkeys were everywhere, plus igu...[Go to Post]
The Florida keys revisited
Not much changed in the keys since 2012 but this time there was enough time to visit the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Key West &#...[Go to Post]
Still alive
Still alive, even though we encountered some dificulties. In San Miguel de Allende right now. Will post more pictures soon, probab...[Go to Post]
This has to be a joke!
The people I spoke to were proud to be living in a country where everybody, no matter if black, white, chinese, jew or muslim, may...[Go to Post]
The Amazonian rainforest
Day 1 In order to get to Santarem we had to go 900km through the jungle on unpaved road. The surface was sometimes well compacted ...[Go to Post]
In Rio Gallegos, Santa Cruz, Argentina
We are still alive, but unable to post. I understand the GPS tracker hasn´t been tracking for a while (I have to send a congratul...[Go to Post]
Sechin
The Sechin archaeological site is the capital of a pre-Incan culture, estimated to be ~4000 years old. Some sculptures and other t...[Go to Post]
Capurgana, Colombia
After 5 days on the sea we finally got to Capurgana, Colombia. Everything went fine except I got some sun burns and Laura got sea ...[Go to Post]
Arrival in Sapzurro
Sapzurro is the first golf in Colombia. We unloaded Palomina first and then we went by taxi-boat to Capurgana, the next golf, to g...[Go to Post]
Ancient water management
For millenniums, the size of communities was determined by the amount of water readily available, which in desert is limited and i...[Go to Post]
Volcan Pacaya
As we reached the Pacaya Volcan, a guy jumped from the bushes and stopped us. With a maceta in his hand he informed us he was a se...[Go to Post]
Bangkok
There are so many faces of Bangkok. For us, the first one we saw, it was the busy, crowded, crazy one. I was literally going insan...[Go to Post]
Van Nuys to San Felipe (MMSF)
The first leg of the trip was just under 3 hours. Flew along the coast to San Diego, then direct to San Felipe over Tijuana Intern...[Go to Post]
A train ride through the canyons
The Chihuahua – Pacifico railway has been completed in 1961 and offers spectacular views while going through countless tunne...[Go to Post]
Tulum ruins
The Maya ruins in Tulum might not be the biggest nor the best preserved aboriginal sites, but they sure are located in the most sp...[Go to Post]
Technical dificulties
The last five days have been full of incidents. Not a single day has ended without problems! Day 1, Tierra del Fuego national park...[Go to Post]
The border to Bolivia
The border to Bolivia looks crounded in the picture, but 95% of the people you can see are just selling something, so actually few...[Go to Post]
Istanbul misc
This is Hagia Sophia, a former orthodox church, catholic church and mosque. It’s use, shape and decoration varied over centu...[Go to Post]
Parting ways
Since two days ago we are in Cayenne, French Guyana. Trying to sell Palomina here is less successful than expected. So today I app...[Go to Post]
The Mexican Jetta
We rented this 2012 VW Jetta for ground transportation while in Oaxaca. Was so surprised to see it equipped with NO AIRBAGS and wi...[Go to Post]
Am I missing something?
Closing a motorcycle chain with the master link isn’t rocket science. But it seems it’s not that easy either. This is the thir...[Go to Post]
The Patagonian plateau
What you see in this picture is what we saw for about 5000km 🙁 I can hardly remember any other situation that bored me more. Bu...[Go to Post]
Nemrut Mountain
On top of the Nemrut Mountain there is a group of statues and other archaeological artifacts dating from I century BC. Apart from ...[Go to Post]
Peak tram
Earlier transport methods up the Victoria Peak (such as humans or animals hauling cargo or passengers up the hill) proved unfeasib...[Go to Post]
Canada
Sudbury was advertised on the Canadian immigration website as a port of entry. However, upon landing there (following a direct fli...[Go to Post]
Entering Peru
Northern Peru seemed extremely poor: trash was everywhere, few paved roads, unmaintained buildings and rudimentary vehicles only. ...[Go to Post]
Foglights upgrade
I spent a fortune on those so I decided to make sure they last for a while. The Touratech shield was fancy but weak, so I decided ...[Go to Post]
Visa Ordinaire pour Republique Islamique de Mauritanie
So… we decided to have some options, just in case we get bored in South America…...[Go to Post]
The military museum
The military museum in Hanoi explains the struggle of the Vietnamese people against the Chinese, Japanese and French imperialists....[Go to Post]
Salar de Uyuni
Salar de Uyuni is the world’s largest salt flat and a major tourist attraction in Bolivia. It measures around 200km from Eas...[Go to Post]
Flat tire
For some reason, all flat tires happen during night time. Why? At least this one wasn’t in the neutral zone between two coun...[Go to Post]
Tiwanaku
Tiwanaku is the name of an archaeological site located close to Lake Titicaca. The history of the Tiwanaku culture is complex and ...[Go to Post]
The flight over the Nazca lines
Created some 2000 years ago by the Nazca population, these drawings are today a major tourist attraction and another UNESCO World ...[Go to Post]
Saryazd caravanserai + fortress
Not too far from Yazd is located the Saryazd village. We found there a relatively new caravanserai (first picture) dating from the...[Go to Post]
The road to Uyuni
The next thing on our list was Salar de Uyuni, but in order to see it we first had to ride to Uyuni. The views were spectacular bu...[Go to Post]
Shopping time!
In any vacation there is a time for shopping. That´s what we did while in San Salvador. A new pair of dual purpose Pirelli Scorpi...[Go to Post]
The Bridge over the river Kwai
This time, the real one. Almost. The railway is indeed the Burma railway, built during the WW2 by the Japanese using some 160k Asi...[Go to Post]
To be continued
After 41.200km, Americas 2010 is finally over! We are fortunate to have been able to enjoy a six month vacation that we will never...[Go to Post]
Few more pictures from the French Guyana
Creeks and swamps are very common in that area. Somewhere in the Brazilina jungle we lost the license plate. I had to stop at a sh...[Go to Post]
Pablo Neruda National Railway Museum
From the bikers we learned about this museum, located in the city of Temuco. The museum was closed for repairs, since this year...[Go to Post]
Start
Basically, the whole idea about this blog is to have a way to track the status of preparations for our journey in South America an...[Go to Post]
Red Fort; Qutb Minar
For some reason I forgot to attach this picture explaining Humayun’s journey to my previous post. Very interesting I would s...[Go to Post]
Eastern Anatolia
Fortunately, the road condition improved significantly and the landscape continued to be beautiful: high plateaus, snow covered pe...[Go to Post]
Hue – the imperial city
Hue was the imperial capital of Vietnam from early 1800s until 1945. The emperor built, in many stages, a complete residence surro...[Go to Post]
Ajanta Caves
Unlike Ellora (known for their architecture), the Ajanta Caves are appreciated for the paintings. To better preserve them most cav...[Go to Post]
The Ho Chi Minh road
We moved south on the Ho Chi Minh Road (an upgraded, 2 lane motorway somehow following the famous old Ho Chi Minh trail). We were ...[Go to Post]
Florida
I arrived safely in Florida, after a stopover in Aruba. Since the distance from the passenger terminal to the cargo area was aroun...[Go to Post]
Tehran museums
The Golestan Palace, a former Qajar royal residence, today houses 6 museums focused on arts and crafts, as well as gifts received ...[Go to Post]
Crossing the Andes
The first time we had to cross the Andes was when we went from Medellin to Bogota. The road reached the altitude of almost 3600m. ...[Go to Post]
Jammu
From Kalka we continued East. As soon as we entered Punjab the landscape improved shomehow. There was less trash on the street, st...[Go to Post]
Plovdiv
Plovdiv is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, it’s history spanning 6000 years. We found a Roman ...[Go to Post]
Unusual transit systems
There are two underground funiculars in Istanbul. One of them, called “Tünel” is second-oldest subterranean urban rai...[Go to Post]
More help from random people
We were some 100kms West of Bariloche, in Argentina. After more than one hour of heavy raining, our clothes got soaked (I must wri...[Go to Post]
Clothing
First picture: the King of Thailand does not wear shorts, so tourists are not allowed to wear them either while visiting the Royal...[Go to Post]
The streets of Nepal
There is a disatvantage for having remained independent during the age of European colonization. That is nobody was in Nepal to bu...[Go to Post]
More desert
As we continued through the desert, shortly before reaching the Nazca, we crossed a chain of small hills/mountains. The views were...[Go to Post]
The train cemetery of Uyuni
Very close to Uyuni there is a train cemetery. The dry climate is ideal for preservation, however many of them are cut in pieces a...[Go to Post]
The bridge over the river Kwai
Well, it wasn’t exactly the Kwai river, but I really liked that movie! So, we entered Nicaragua with a full tank of gas but ...[Go to Post]
Spare parts, part 1
New brake pads, oil and oil filter installed. Replacement clutch and accelerator cables routed along the existing ones, ready to b...[Go to Post]
The auto hotel
A very popular accomodation in this part of world is the so-called “auto motel”. Each unit is formed by a garage + a r...[Go to Post]
Antigua Guatemala
Antigua Guatemala, a former capital of Guatemala, is a colonial town with narrow streets and nice spanish buildings. It is, actual...[Go to Post]
Bandar Abbas
After a 12 hrs trip by night train we arrived in Bandar Abbas. Even though we got off at 7AM, the heat was unbearable. By noon, it...[Go to Post]
Pattaya
Around 150km South-East of Bangkok is Pattaya. The islands might be nice (we didn’t go there) but the continental beach itse...[Go to Post]
Americas 2010 featued on 4tuning.ro
Our journey was presented in the news section of 4tuning.ro, but they “forgot” to mention the source of the info :-\...[Go to Post]
The Ho Chi Minh compound
Vietnam continues to be just like I knew it from the war movies: rainy and foggy. We visited the Ho Chi Minh compound, where we co...[Go to Post]
Some random Bangkok photos
First picture: one of the many alleys organized as bazaars. Then some local food made of insects (we didn’t try). A VW Bus c...[Go to Post]
The Chilean “autobahn”
In Chile we found the best freeway system since USA. The road is properly insulated and has very good asphalt. The signaling looks...[Go to Post]
Tughlaqabad Fort
This fort is the 5th of the 7 historic cities of Delhi (we also saw another two, the Red Fort and Purana Qila). Not much is left o...[Go to Post]
Buying fuel at the grocery store
In remote jungle areas gas station are nowhere to be found. But you can go to the grocery store and they will likely have it on st...[Go to Post]
The street car
Once covering many areas of Rio, the street car nowadays runs on only two lines: the departure is common, in the financial distric...[Go to Post]
Krakow
I must say there are only a few cities that we enjoyed more than Krakow. With a vivid and colorful appearance, many parks and R...[Go to Post]
DPRK Art
The guides showed us many different forms of art from the DPRK. We even visited the main art studio in Pyongyang, the place that b...[Go to Post]
Florida to The Bahamas (KTMB – MYNN)
After almost 25 hours of flying it was time for a routine check under the cowling. No major issues to report so far, except for a ...[Go to Post]
Bjorn
On our way to Potosi we met Bjorn, from Germany. He has been traveling for two years now. See his very interesting website here....[Go to Post]
The new plan
With a tent, a few tools and some clothing loaded, we are once again ready for trip. Not by road but by air this time: N29028, a s...[Go to Post]
The Masaya Volcano
The Masaya Volcano is located inside the park with the same name. We took the night tour, that was supposed to show as the glow of...[Go to Post]
Desert riding
Feels good to be cruising at 150km/h, for the first time in this trip. The road from Bandar Abbas to Tehran is good and traffic is...[Go to Post]
The crew – the equipment the mission
Beginning on the 12th of August, me and my friend Bogdan have been flying thin cute little Mooney from California with the intenti...[Go to Post]
Miscellaneous
En route from Agra to Jaipur we stopped to visit Akbar’s Mausoleum (built in XVII century), the Mughal who built also the Agra F...[Go to Post]
National Museum of China
The National Museum of China is conveniently located on the side of Tiananmen Square. It has collections covering from ancient tim...[Go to Post]
Finally, ready!
Two days ago Laura got to the starting point of the trip. Last day was a killer. 14 continuous hours of work and 2 people managed ...[Go to Post]
Tehran
Feels good riding the motorcycle in Tehran: wide avenues, many expressways and no longer dependant on buses and unscrupulous taxi ...[Go to Post]
Leatherman Wave + tie downs
The toys started coming in. I got this Leatherman Wave for $65 on Amazon. Does not look as cool as my friends Skeletool, but it ...[Go to Post]
Crossing the Oiapoque
Like every time before when we had to cross a body of water (except for that time when we crossed the Magellan Strait in Chile), c...[Go to Post]
Touring in Romania
One thing I really missed was dirt biking in the Romanian countryside. So I joined 3 friends for a day trip near Pitesti. Nice hil...[Go to Post]
The weapon of choice
So: in Mexico every security guard had an M16 hanging of his neck. Then in Guatemala it seems you can´t go very far without a mac...[Go to Post]
Cooking
MSR manufactures a range of backpacking stoves. We decided to go for one that Whisperlite fits our needs, since it can burn a wide...[Go to Post]
Fixing a flat tire
One thing that really might happen is to have a tire punctured. Especially in rural areas, a nail on the road shouldn’t be...[Go to Post]
Oaxaca Maya ruins
Some Maya ruins can be found not to far away from Oaxaca. Rainy day, but we found cover under a centuries old arch....[Go to Post]
Incredible India! (2 / 2)
Road traffic is another incredible thing in India. In most countries, a double lane divided road improves safety. Not in India, be...[Go to Post]
Hong Kong
Such a big surprise was Hong Kong for us! One of the few cities we visited so far where, after being there for 6 days, we had to l...[Go to Post]
Leon Viejo
Leon Viejo is the old capital of Nicaragua, from the Spanish times. It was preserved after a volcanic eruption covered everything ...[Go to Post]
Palenque
Found more Maya ruins in Palenque. So far the best archaeological site in Mexico, followed closely by Teotihuacan – that we ...[Go to Post]
Heavy raining
Approaching Hermolsillo, we encountered heavy raining. During the first hour, the gear resisted quite well. But after that, moistu...[Go to Post]
The longest flight
The longest flight (in a single day) happened while advancing from Mazatlan (MMMZ) to Oaxaca (MMOX) with a refueling stop in Morel...[Go to Post]
Civil engineering
This is a water delivery system, as per the Indian civil engineering norms. Instead of having a water main pipe under the street, ...[Go to Post]
Shipping ETA
The word on the street is Palomina might be in Iran on the 18th. But, as a tour guide in Peru taught us, “everything is poss...[Go to Post]
Oaxaca
Oaxaca is the next state we crossed. We enjoyed the remote beaches, something I have not seen since I visited Grindul Chituc, in R...[Go to Post]
The War remnants museum, Saigon
As opposed to other war museums (which focus on the fighting itself), this one focuses more on two different aspects: the internat...[Go to Post]
The Northern Carolina Transportation Museum
I made the first important stop at this museum located in Spencer, NC. It is housed inside an old steam locomotives repair shop an...[Go to Post]
The strike continues
Today the miners protested during morning, so by the time we woke up they were already gone. But not the riot police, still guardi...[Go to Post]
Oaxaca
Oaxaca city center was “occupied” by protesters requesting some politicians sent to jail for fraud. Other than that a ...[Go to Post]
Shipping problems
There seems to be a problem with shipping. Although the motorcycle was supposed to be here on the 4th, 7 days later the shipping c...[Go to Post]
Final preparations
Since most of the troubles during the past trip came from the clip type chain master link, I decided to use a rivet link this time...[Go to Post]
San Felipe to Culiacan
The next leg implied crossing the Sea of Cortez. With a single engine plane and just a pair of life vests on board I decided to cl...[Go to Post]
Hanging out in French Guyana
This weekend was very boring. In Cayenne, most stores remained closed, public library also closed, nobody on the street. So for Su...[Go to Post]
Zip lining
34 platforms, 22 lines (300m being the longest one), 4 rappel drops, 70USD/person....[Go to Post]
Stucked again
Stucked again, this time at the border between Oaxaca and Chiapas. After purchasing a new relay, I discovered the issue was actual...[Go to Post]
B66AMA.com in press
The daily newspaper Evenimentul Zilei will keep a weekly journal of our trip here. Our trip was also presented (again) in 4tuning....[Go to Post]
A trip to the North
While waiting for the customs broker/customs officials to do their homework, we decided to take a 4 days trip in the Northern moun...[Go to Post]
Calcutta: a city is dying
In short words: imagine a beautiful city with many Victorian buildings left in decay for 50 years. Then add few million savage ref...[Go to Post]
Shoei CRAP
I wasn’t decided to part ways with my old Nolan helmet that I was using for 4-5 years. We have been through so many things t...[Go to Post]
Test ride #2 (off road)
A second test ride in the hills South of Bouquet Reservoir revealed that the job we did on the front suspension came out pretty go...[Go to Post]
Shopping in São Paulo
About three days earlier, while charging the laptop and the intercom at a gas station, there was a fluctuation of electricity and ...[Go to Post]
The colony
Wherever we go, we try to find a point with a higher altitude from where we can get a better understanding of our surroundings. Wh...[Go to Post]
The moments I hate Palomina
There is no other vehicle I ever had that has such a complicated oil changing procedure. Due to the dry sump system, I had to remo...[Go to Post]
Other Hong Kong attractions
Hong Kong has one of the highest population densities in the world. One would expect an apocalyptic congestion at street level dou...[Go to Post]
Westernized Shanghai
Give the fact that, at least since the 1840s, Shanghai was the hub for Western businesses that had a branch in China, most of the ...[Go to Post]
Corcovado National Park
This was the last stop in Costa Rica. The road (and the bridges) were still under construction, so some off roading was necessary....[Go to Post]
The plan
We could not tell exactly when we first got this idea. Most likely, it happened long time ago, while we were still reading Jules V...[Go to Post]
Potosi
Once in Potosi, we left our clothes at the laundry and then we began looking for fun. They had a visit to a local zinc and lead mi...[Go to Post]
Epilogue
More than one month passed since the end of the journey. We are now back at our day to day life, while Palomina is resting and rec...[Go to Post]
Bogotá
Bogota is a lively city with plenty of historical buildings, wide avenues and, of course, friendly people. Unfortunately, it lacks...[Go to Post]
The national history museum
The national history museum hosts a wide range of artifacts, dating from thousands of years ago until nowadays. Most of them looks...[Go to Post]
The Iguazu falls
The Iguazu falls was our last Argentinian objective. The waterfall itself is big, and the park surrounding it is even bigger. Ther...[Go to Post]
Arrival in La Plata
After the bellow mentioned problems, we finally arrived in La Plata, which is the capital of the Buenos Aires province. Dan, a Rom...[Go to Post]
Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II – Birkenau
Heading North we arrived in Poland. We visited Oświęcim, better known under it’s former name – Auschwitz. This is wh...[Go to Post]
Shiraz
The main boulevard in Shiraz is Zand. Most hotels and many attractions are situated nearby. This is the Arg of Karim Khan citadel ...[Go to Post]
Epilogue (2)
Same way I did in 2010, I was planning on writing a short epilogue to conclude the Asia trip. However, after reaching Los Angeles,...[Go to Post]
The Phong Nha cave
It is located in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. To get inside the cave, you take a boat and cruise the river for about 30 mi...[Go to Post]
Setting the sail
I am still to post pictures from half of Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. But I don’t have time for that right now, as late...[Go to Post]
Saigon
Officially named Ho Chi Minh City, but still called under the old/short name by most people, this is the economic center of Vietna...[Go to Post]
Beijing 2
As soon as we returned to Beijing from the DPRK we decided to circumvent the mobility problem by renting a pair if bicycles. Final...[Go to Post]
