Bike Gypsy

Belize Photos

2009-01-28T10:28:00.000-08:00

This sacrificial victim was a 14 year old girl.

This skull from a Mayan human sacrifice had a full set of teeth until a tourist dropped a camera on it

I am in the ATM cave

I went hiking/swimming into this Mayan ceremonial cave called Actun Tunichal Michnal or ATM

In a resort on Ambergris Caye

My Christmas Vacation in Belize

2009-01-02T09:58:00.000-08:00

I had met a school teacher on the plane from Mexico City to Chetumal. On Friday, it was the fiesta of the three kings, and he invited me to his house in a nearby town to celebrate it with him. I went, and we went around to various houses of his friends where they had made food. He told me there were 12 stops on the route, but we only had room in our stomachs for three of them. At the last one, they taught me how to make tortillas over an open fire. It was fun.

I stayed the night at his place and took a bus back to Chetumal, in the morning. For breakfast, I drank oaxytl, (I think it's called), which I had not had before. It is a pale, warm drink made from corn and is slimy in texture. For the untrained, it is pure laxative, which caused me much discomfort because the whole rest of the day, I was stuck riding buses.

At the bus terminal, in Chetumal, I asked if there was a bus going to Belize. They said there weren't any buses, and that I needed to take a cab. (Later I learned that the Belize Buses leave from the market downtown.) So I took a cab to the tarif free zone at the border, where I caught a bus coming from Chetumal to Corazol. In Corazol, which is where I planned to take the ferry from to Ambergris Caye, I learned that it would have been better to just stay on the bus to Belize City and take a water taxi from there. The ferry from Corazol would not be leaving until 3pm and it was about 11 am, and it cost 45 bz. The water taxis in Belize City cost 15 bz and leave every 2 hours. The bus fare would not have been more than 5bz more. Since I was already in Corazol, I decided to wait for the ferry. I met a guy there who showed me the town. I bought 3 red snapper from a fisherman, and my new friend helped me get them prepared. Then we bought some coconut bread and cokes. We ate our lunch, and I saved one of the snapper for later. Belize had just finished with their hundred year flood a couple months before and there was still water draining off. The last time they had a flood so high was in 1968.

The ferry ride took about 2.5 hours. I was staying at the Costa Maya Reef Resort, which was six miles north of San Pedro, the main town on the island. They had a complimentary water taxi come pick the guests up. It was dark when I finally arrived.

My family had planned to meet me here, but couldn't make it. Therefore, I had the biggest room in the place all to myself. The reef was just a little ways off the beach in front of the resort. They had kayaks, bicycles, segways, and fishing gear available to guests. Snorkel gear was available for rent. While there, I went sea kayaking, snorkeling, and fishing. A lady I was kayaking with capsized the kayak, so my cell phone died from the water. I hope the pictures in my disposable camera, which also went over, turn out. They also had guided tours leaving from there everyday to different parts of Belize. I didn't go on them because they were so expensive and I was going to do that stuff later anyway.

I went lobster and conch hunting but didn't get anything. I baught a spear gun in town, which was way too expensive. I went fishing with it. While down under the water, I found a shark sleeping. Luckily, he didn't wake up to the scent of blood from my fish.

In town, I rented a motor boat one day and took wind surfing lessons another. I also got to pet a wild crocodile on the snout. They can't see you if you stand directly in front of them.

After leaving the Ambergris Caye, I took a bus from Belize City to Belmopan and stayed there. Near Belmopan, I went to the Jaguar Paw resort to go tubing on the Caves Branch River and rock climbing and zorg balling. It was raining though, so I couldn't do the rock climbing. Zorg balling involves being strapped inside a giant inflated ball and rolling down a hill. I went in the Crystal Cave with the inner tube. The guid let me hike around some areas inside the cave and see broken pottery. After 1 hour, I got bored and went back out.

Also in Belmopan was the Banana Bank Lodge, which is a working cattle ranch. I went horseback riding there. I got to gallop around and ford rivers and climb cliffs with the horse. I felt like the Man from Snowy River. After, I asked the owner about working there. They said they could use me during next holiday season. The owner also offered to give me a ride into town if I waited a couple hours. The trip was long and taxis were expensive, so I decided to wait. I went to see if the head cowboy needed any help with the horses. His two helpers had not showed up for work that morning. I ended up helping herd som mares into a coral and giving them medicine. It was fun.

After I stayed in Belmopan for two days, I went to San Ignacio. Lodging was only 20 bz per night, so I stayed about 5 nights. While there I went on a tour of the Actun Tunichal Muknal cave. It was probably the funnest of the several caves I have visited in Belize. I had to wade/swim through the stream into the cave for awhile before climbing up into the ceremonial chamber, where there were many pottery shards and human bones from sacrifices. On that tour, I met some Israelis who said that in Hebrew, my name means "He Has a God."

The next day I went to Tikal. I took a taxi to the border, then two Guatemalan minibuses to Tikal. Tikal is very big and has many temples. I climbed many of them. At the top of the tallest were many people talking on cell phones or trying to get service. I walked so fast that I covered the whole place and climbed all the temples in three hours, though most people take all day. On the way back, I got fined 50 bz by the guatemalan border officials for not getting my passport stamped on the first crossing. I split a cab with two other tourists to San Ignacio.

The next day was Christmas and it was raining and everything was closed so I didn't do anything. After that, I rented a dirtbike and went up to the pine ridge. It was fun riding. Alot of the roads become stream beds during the rainy season. I saw the Thousand Foot Falls and Baldy Beacon on the Pine Ridge. The guy who I rented the dirt bike from told me that he knows many very arduous trails up there, which he takes people on for tours.

That night I tried to go Salsa Dancing with a plant researcher from a university in Scotland. I got a quick lesson, then left early because us and one girl were the only ones there and my friend already new how to dance.

After leaving San Ignacio, I went to Sittee River and stayed at Glover's Hostel. There is a bus that goes through Hopkins and Sittee River Monday, Wednesday and Friday twice per day. It was Sunday, so I had take the regular bus which only goes by the junction from the main road. So I had to Hitchhike the 5 miles in with my 70 pound pack. Between rides, I carried it a couple miles. The hostel has bicycles and kayaks available for guests and the room only cost 18 bz per night. There were a lot of bugs though. I went kayaking on the river and saw an iguana swim in the river. The next day, I went to Dangriga to get some money, because there are no ATMs in either Hopkins or Sittee River. Then I went to the Cotscomb Basin Jaguar Preserve. While there I went hiking then tubing down the river. I was glad when I left that area to return to Chetumal because of all the bugs. I did not have any bug repellent, and even though the hostel provided nets to sleep under, I still got eaten a lot. My ankles are one solid mass of bites. The worst were the tiny bugs that bite instead of drill like mosquitos. I have now been in Chetumal three days and have used an entire tube of itch relieving skin cream.

I was going to meet a friend for New Years, but couldn't reach them on the phone, so i didn't. I am going back to Guadalajara tomorrow. More pictures are coming soon.

In Chetumal

2008-12-11T08:44:00.000-08:00

I am on Christmas vacation now. I am staying a week in Chetumal, MX, which is where I am writing from, then I am going to Belize. I will return to Guadalajara, MX on Jan. 3. I have finally got time to finish my creation and evolution website. The audio sucks because I used the built in mic in my laptop, but at least it's up. I fix that later.

the weekend

2008-09-21T17:56:00.000-07:00

I went to church today. The sermon was two hours long in Spanish. It was hard not to sleep. Then we played soccer at the park. It rained really hard, but we kept playing. Yesterday, we did a bible club at a park for some street kids, then we did homework. Tomorrow, I will go to spanish class, then homework, and possibly a ministry. Not all the ministries are up and going yet because it is the beginning of the year.

trip pix

2008-09-20T16:17:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from my trip. This is a sideways view a canyon wall I climbed to in Sedona.
This is a sideways view of a deer in some trees on the rim of the grand canyon.
This is a sideways view of some bushes in Sedona. I think there is a yellow butterfly in there somewhere.

This is the trail I hiked in Sedona.

In Mexico

2008-09-03T07:15:00.001-07:00

I have arrived in Guadalajara, MX, where I will be serving with the Engage Mission progam for the winter. My checked baggage did not arrive, so I had to wait another day for it. The first day here, I worked all day cleaning the new house where the team members will be staying. They are moving the program to a larger house because they had to rent two houses before. I am the first one to arrive. Learning spanish is fun. I am learning fast because hardly anyone but the Engage people speak english. I got to practise a bit with a Mexican girl who has befriended the Engage people and was helping to clean.

Blue Bell

2008-08-31T17:57:00.000-07:00

Blue Bell ice cream is the best ever. I wish we had this brand in Alaska.

Last Leg

2008-08-31T17:41:00.000-07:00

I am now on the last leg of my journey. I am in a hotel in Dallas, and will fly to Guadalajara, MX tomorrow. My bike will be put in storage for the winter. While staying in NM with my friend the Bynx, I got to go to a drive in theatre for the first time. It rained, but it was fun. Before that I saw the Grand Canyon and hiked to some Pueblo ruins in Sedona. Before that, I was in Death Valley. Anyway, I am excited for the next phase of my adventure in Guadalajara. I thank God that I have not had any accidents or breakdowns thus far. Even the rain was minimal. As soon as I get my disposable camera pictures developed, I'll post them.

Grand Canyon

2008-08-27T14:25:00.000-07:00

It is 120 degrees F in Death Valley, and it does not get much cooler at night. While there, I camped in the Panamint Range of the Western Rim of the valley. It is a little cooler there. I tried hiking in the mornings, but I was not able to carry enough water and the coolness of the morning did not last long enough to hike very long. I only stayed there two days. Now I am at the Grand Canyon. In order to see anything really interesting beyond the rim, one must hike down into the canyon, a 2-3 day journey which my time restraints do not allow. Therefore, I am going to Sedona to hike. I hear the temperatures are cooler, and the scenery is just as majestic, and there are ruins to explore.

The Trip So Far

2008-08-20T09:28:00.000-07:00

While passing through Canada, I saw 2 moose, 1 elk, 1 deer, 2 herds of buffalo, 2 black bear, and a bunch of ugly mutant caribou. One of the black bears scurried across the road right in front of me like a large squirrel. I almost hit one of the caribou. It was standing in the middle of the road, and I barely stopped in time. They are a subspecies that have long gangly legs, are dark brown, and have mossy anlters. They live in the woods. The ones in Alaska are grey, shorter, and live in the tundra. They look far more graceful.
I laid the bike down twice. Thefirst time was while following a pilot car through some mud in a construction zone. The second time was while going down an ATV trail in the dark looking for a camp site.
My bike has been holding up pretty well. I've only had to add a little oil.
I visited two of my college room mates in Seattle monday night. Last night I arrived in Yuba City to visit another college room mate. Thursday, I will head to Nevato to visit family. From there I will go to Death Valley. I hope to put some pictures up soon.

Another trip

2008-08-11T14:15:00.000-07:00

I will be driving from home base in Kasilof, AK to Dallas, TX on my motorcycle. I will make stops in Seattle, WA, San Francisco, CA, Death Valley, CA, Carlsbad, NM, and Glen Rose, TX. In Dallas, I will store my bike and fly to Guadalajara, MX where I will be helping with a mission for the winter. Then I will come back and get my bike. You can track my progress at http://share.findmespot.com/shared/gogl.jsp?glId=0BDQB2BBNJuCPRBMbiyy7dm2HhcTvuthc via my SPOT messenger.

I modified my bike

2007-10-23T20:44:00.000-07:00

After my little trip, and the included merger with the bushes, I decided to not only fix my bike, but make it better. So I put a windshield on and painted two scorpions on it. Here are some pictures.

A Bear Came

2007-10-23T20:20:00.000-07:00

A bear came the other night and killed the dog, and the angora rabbit, and ate 7 ducks. It snapped off four ten-inch log posts like they were tooth picks to get into the pen. It broke some more on its way out. We stayed up the next night with a gun waiting for it. Then I was gone for a few days. While I was away, the bear came again and killed two mixed breed rabbits and ate a bunch of animal feed. I stayed up with a gun again, and it snowed. I will stay up tonight as well. I do not understand why this bear is not hibernating yet. It must be a demon bear.

A short Trip

2007-09-05T21:07:00.000-07:00

In the interest of testing my bike, I took a short road trip. I traveled with my brother and two friends. Below is a map which includes our route. Altogether it was about 800 miles and 3 days. Keep in mind that Alaska is about twice the size of texas.

We left Kasilof at 6 am Saturday and drove on the Sterling hwy through a fog to anchorage. On the way up I fell down in a gravel parking lot at a gas station. I felt pretty stupid. After a short stop at a friends house in Anchorage, we continued on the Glen hwy to the Matsu Valley. We got a safe distance out of Wasilla (the last sesspool of road cops until Fairbanks) on the Parks Hwy, then opened up the throttle. I discovered that my bike has a top speed of about 107 mph. It is so easy to go fast, especially through Denali Park. We arrived in Healy as darkness was starting to set in, about 9 pm. We decided to continue on to Fairbanks and stay the night there, because one of the guys in our group said he could get us a cheap room at a hotel he used to work at. It is quite exilerating to drive the windy road through the hills outside of fairbanks on a motorcycle in pitch black darkness. Yet that is nothing compared to driving a 2 mile patch of gravel at night, which is what we did, because the road on the outskirts of town was being rebuilt. We arrived at the hotel after 11 pm. The best deal the discount guy was able to work was 160 for a two bed room - just wee-bit disappointing. We were all too tired to complain though.

The next day, we decided to embark for Valdez. So we took the Richardson hwy to Delta Junction. While there we stopped at the Bufalo Diner. Their bufalo chips were pretty tasty. While there, we saw a truck with some sweet looking pipes. About half way between Delta Junction and Paxon, I had a wreck. In the DMV motorcycle manual, it says that when riding in a group, riders should be staggered, meaning that the first rider should be on one side of the lane and the next on the other side of the lane and so on. It also says that when going around corners in group formation, all riders should revert to single file on the inside of the corner. Now I know why. I was riding in formation, but not going to single file around corners. I just happened to be going around the outside of a corner near the white line. There were some small peices of gravel on the pavement and when my bike ran over these, it went from the tilted turn position to the vertical non-turn position. Therefore my bike ceased to be turning and went onto the gravel embankment, but if I had been on the inside of the turn as I should have, I would have had time to correct myself before going off the road. Gravel is not good for turning for a motorcycle at 60 mph on a motorcycle. So I skidded the bike down onto it's side and jumped off. I was hoping that my bike would just skid to a stop. Unfortunately it ran into some bushes first and flipped onto its other side. The speedometer and headlight broke off their mounts as well as the sissy bar. And the handlebars bent. I was so pissed at myself. Fortunately the bike still drove fine. I used some wire to put the headlight back on and put everything else in my backpack. We spent so much time at the scene of the accident, that we would not have been able to make it to Valdez before dark, and I did not want to ride in the dark with my headlight being questionable. So we decided to stop in Glenellen and continue to Anchorage the next day. Driving with crooked handlbars makes your arms tired fast. When we got to Glenellen, we first tried to get a room from the Bible College there, but unfortunatley they didn't have anything available. As everyone knows, hairy people can't be trusted, especially if they ride a motorcycle. Our only other choice was to board at the only other hotel in town, which was rather overpriced.

Monday morning, we headed out to anchorage. It was only about a 5 hr drive. We stopped at the Eklutna lodge for breakfast. Their water tastes like sulfer. We were getting pretty tired of riding.

We stayed the night in Anchorage and I commenced my search for motorcycle parts. I really hate that I damaged my nice bike.

About this blog.

2007-09-05T19:03:00.000-07:00

I am a hairy dude.
And I like black leather jackets.
Therefore, I decided to get a motorcycle. It is a 1997 Suzuki Intruder.

Isn't it sweet?
This is the account of my motorcycle adventures. I plan on riding quite a bit and I will update this whenever I stop. I like poetry and I will probably post some inspired by my travels, but if you don't want to read it, then don't.