Montreal to Buenos Aires via the Pan American Highway

[CarlS]

Two guys are riding from Montreal Canada to Buenos Aires, Argentina on the Pan American highway. What might make this really interesting is that they have arguably the best bikes for this trip: the two 800's from BMW and Triumph. So this will be a direct comparison for 25000km/15k miles. I am interested to read their comments on the two bikes.

They have started a blog, though there is not much on it yet: http://panamride.com/

You can also track their ride, though this part has not been updated. http://panamride.com/track

 

[DaveM]

Thanks this should be a cool one to follow

 

[The Seeker]

I hope they don't get murdered going through Mexico and other very dangerous Countries along the way!

 

[Rocky]

Thanks for the heads up.
This should be really interesting, and even more interesting to me because I may have ridden on some of the roads in South America that they may ride on.
There was a recent article in a motorcycle touring magazine about a bike tour in Peru.
I smiled when I read it because I had been there and did and saw the same things.
I wish then good luck and a safe journey.

 

[CarlS]

I hope they don't get murdered going through Mexico and other very dangerous Countries along the way!

That though crossed my mind. I hope they understand the "system" down there and have bribe and protection money readily available.

Thanks for the heads up.
This should be really interesting, and even more interesting to me because I may have ridden on some of the roads in South America that they may ride on.
There was a recent article in a motorcycle touring magazine about a bike tour in Peru.
I smiled when I read it because I had been there and did and saw the same things.
I wish then good luck and a safe journey.

You are welcome, Rocky. I would love to be riding with them on this trip.

 

[Rocky]

Mexico and Central America can be dangerous, but South America is pretty safe.
Crossing Central American borders is where you run into the corruption and bribery.
It pays to have many copies of your drivers licence and insurance papers. Hide the originals well and only hand over copies as the corrupt border guards threaten and do keep your documents unless you pay up. You can ride off and leave them.
I learned this from many rider blogs I've read. The guards are armed, but the chance they will shoot at you is pretty small. It's all about bluster, bluff and intimidation with them.
Not so in SA, but they do have a lot of red tape down there when you want to cross a border. Very civilized down there, but also "efficient" with their red tape.

 

[CarlS]

One definitely has to understand the system - and it pays to travel with a local. I don't have a lot of experience in South America; but I do have plenty of experience with Central America and Mexico.

 

[Rocky]

The boys made it to just north of Mexico City yesterday.
From their blog they had an "intersting" encounter with armed soldiers in the middle of the night at their modest hotel where they were the only guests.
The army was allegedly looking for drug dealers, but the guys made it through and were apparently treated OK.
I'm going to be intersted in their experiences with the border guards in the Central American countries.

 

[CarlS]

The soldiers were probably looking for rival drug dealers. When they cross the borders, they need to have a twenty dollar bill in their passports. That usually makes the crossing smooth.

 

[Rocky]

The soldiers were probably looking for rival drug dealers. When they cross the borders, they need to have a twenty dollar bill in their passports. That usually makes the crossing smooth.

I've read on rider blogs that border guards in Central America (and also in many countries in Africa) consider bribery as part of their salary and they take whatever they can get.
If you go prepared to grease palms then you get through quite easily. If you resist then they can delay you as they see fit and give you as hard a time as they see fit. Pretty hard to argue with people of questionable character who have guns.

 

[CarlS]

Spot on. Bribery is a way of life in much of the third world. I fold a twenty in my paperwork when going through customs at an airport.

 

[Rocky]

I may be the only one keeping up with this adventure so will give you a short update.
The guys are still in Mexico and taking some time to see the sights before moving on to Guatemala.
The other night they arrived in a small city in the pouring rain and got lost.
They spotted a motel and stopped there as it also had a secure place to store their bikes.
After they turned off the TV and settled in for the night they could then hear the sounds of ecstasy coming from the other rooms.
It was then they realized why the motel was so cheap and that it was a no-tell motel for pleasures of the flesh
Anyway, they finally did get to sleep and moved on the next day to the coast before heading south.

 

[DaveM]

I actually don't know why people would want to travel in any 3rd world country. Even knowing how thing work does not make it any safer This is why if I had to do an epic ride it would be around one of the first work countries that speak my language and are safe and secure.

 

[Rocky]

I actually don't know why people would want to travel in any 3rd world country. Even knowing how thing work does not make it any safer This is why if I had to do an epic ride it would be around one of the first work countries that speak my language and are safe and secure.

I guess it's all part of the risk and a certain element of danger that adds to the adventure, thrill and excitement.
At this very moment there are dozens and dozens of adventure riders doing exactly the same thing all around the world.
And then there are people jumping out of planes, base jumping off cliffs, driving race cars at 350 kph and doing all sorts of risky thing just for the thrill of it.

 

[DaveM]

Yeah I know I suppose living in a 3rd world country and seeing how they operate has made me want to just get away from them all. The guys that did that Cape to Cairo ride that I was following the one guy had his passport stolen by one of the border officials and that cased him endless grief trying to get it all sorted out. In the end he had to return home. The bikes were to be shipped back to SA from Cairo the ones that they have managed to get back are absolutely wreaked. They last bike is still there and they hope to get it back next year some time , almost a year later and I can just imagine what will be left of it.

Nope not for me thanks

 

[Rocky]

Yeah I know I suppose living in a 3rd world country and seeing how they operate has made me want to just get away from them all. The guys that did that Cape to Cairo ride that I was following the one guy had his passport stolen by one of the border officials and that cased him endless grief trying to get it all sorted out. In the end he had to return home. The bikes were to be shipped back to SA from Cairo the ones that they have managed to get back are absolutely wreaked. They last bike is still there and they hope to get it back next year some time , almost a year later and I can just imagine what will be left of it.

Nope not for me thanks

Yeah, that's the thing - you never know what you're going to run into at border crossings.
There are many places on this earth that I wouldn't go either.
When Carl and I went to South America some of our friends were horrified that we would be attacked by rebels and bandits.
It's very safe down there and I never had a moments concern - except when I knew that I was going to crash into a concrete drainage ditch.
I was a bit concerned at that moment

 

[DaveM]

I think that is an understatement lol

 

[Rocky]

The boys have made it through Guatemala, El Salvador and are either at the border or just across the border in Nicaragua.
They posted some pics with only captions so I don't know if they had any border problems or not.
From the pictures they seem to be having a great time and their rapid pace seems to indicate no problems or delays.

 

[CarlS]

I think they will really enjoy South America.

I am trying to follow their blog; but I have my hands full right now - hammers, staples wire pliers, paint brushes, etc.

 

[Rocky]

The guys just updated their blog.
Crossing the various borders was without incident other than taking 2-3 hours.
I experienced the long delay crossing from Chile into Peru so I know what that's like.
The only corruption they encountered was entering Nicaragua. They eventually gave in and paid up.
After leaving Mexico they were stunned by the poverty of the Latin American countries, but thoroughly enjoyed the riding and fantastic scenery.
One of them ran out of gas and had to be towed by the other in one of the countries. It was probably the Triumph Tiger as they commented earlier that it uses more gas than the BMW. They were simply unlucky to have been between gas stations that were spaced further apart than usual.
That incident and the slow border crossings have put them a bit behind schedule as they are meeting someone on 15 November in Costa Rica.
As a result they can't linger too long, but are enjoying the food and the people along the way.
I agree, they're going to enjoy South America.