Welcome.

This page is not a translation of the stories in spanish, which would be a big effort that I cannot afford while I am traveling. Anyway, I have many friends who do not speak spanish and some of them asked me to include some information in english about the journey.
So, what you can find here is a compilation of emails that I have sent to my friends through the last years. It starts from the last update and goes back only to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in summer 2008. 
I apologize for the bad grammar and misspellings. Please, keep in mind that this is just a compilation of emails. I hope you enjoy it, or you find some useful information.
There are not pictures in this page, so if you want to see some of them, please go to the other pages and scroll down until the end of the text in spanish. There is a slide show at the end of each page.

For any question, you can write to: [email protected]

Argentina, December, 2013
Journey from Bogotá (Colombia) to Salta (Argentina)

It has been a long time since last email in english, sorry about it, I had to use my business time for the second book of my journey -Asia-, and believe me, with this kind of life I enjoy, there is no much time for business… Book release is planned for December, hopefully…

So, last time I was in Bogotá, Colombia… this was March or April… wouw… lots of Andes since them. I have to start saying that colombians, along mexicans, are my favorites so far. Educated, kind, easy to talk, and happy to enjoy life in a simple way. And the country is a gem for a bicycle, you have tarmac and dirt, you just choose where you want to ride, and I did the latter, of course… 

I started there a serial killing of Andes crossings, not high to be honest, but remote and beautiful, Andes in Colombia are still green. From all of them, 'Trampolín de la muerte' (death road) was the most spectacular, from Pasto to the jungle, in the very south of the country. If you are a cyclist, this is the road you want to do in Colombia. A crazy narrow dirt road -3 meters wide in some places- that snakes along deep and lush valleys, kind of being inside the intestines of mother earth. When, the last day, before the down hill to the jungle, everything awakened among clouds… wouw, it could not be more scenic and atmospheric. Great ride there!

Then, this jungle ('La Hormiga') was going to be the crossing to Ecuador and my last ride in a jungle… dear friend, my journey is getting closer to Patagonia, then to Europe… so, closer to an end, and therefore, the beginning of another set: 'last time in…'

I can swear that enjoyed like never the singing of orioles, also the sweat, the humidity… and I climbed again to the Andes, now to enjoy the volcanoes in northern Ecuador, something that it is not easy. In this country, remote roads, as those heading to volcanoes, are cobble-stone roads, but not like you are thinking, like romans did 2000 years ago!

Add to the big blocks a gradient average of 10% and you have the craziest climbs in Latin America along Guatemala roads. Anyway, there is no wind there, and when you are camping in front of Cotopaxi, or Chimborazo, over 4000 meters, with this weird scenery of barren volcanic sand, no life, no people… this is a wonderful experience. And still not very cold, so it is possible to enjoy the stars. Well, it did not happen in the base camp of Chimborazo (4400), because I suffered these days for the first time the Andes wind, and I got the camp with the cold inside my veins. Luckily, clouds let me see the sunset light over the snowed volcano, but I was happy and shivering…

If you cycle there, I would recommend Cotopaxi, despite the roman road legacy (are historians sure that no roman ever invaded Ecuador?). A kind of moon plateau with some other volcanoes, because the back-country roads leading to Chimborazo were a strength test: rain, mud and pushing time. A perfect example that roads no showed in Google-maps should not been ride with a loaded bicycle.

But the remote roads in Ecuador also let me enjoy a humble country full of nice fellows, happy to share the small food, the basic needs of life, and their big hearts. I keep this days in a special place in my heart, when it was weird to hear not only a car, but a electric sound. Of course, they did not choose this style, like Amish in the US, but they seemed to be quite happy, and more in the south, Peru or Bolivia, happiness is not that common in my opinion.

To cross to Peru, there is a famous road, famous because of deep mud, Zumba road. It is the last crazy stretch of steep roads (it is well-known that romans did not know the concept of switch-backs), before peruvians passes, and I had pretty good luck. I got my share of mud and slippery downhills, but I did not end up asking for a lift as it is not unusual for the few cyclists that try the Zumba road. Anyway, mud is good for human skin, not for bicycles, and I tell you that sometimes I cannot believe how strong my bike is. Specially in Peru and Bolivia, she had to ride jumping on stones, washboarded roads, until a point that my wrists where together with my shoulders, and… well, a couple of welded points and broken bolts, that's it. Great!

Then, after visiting the immigration officer at his house (he was taking a shower at 2 pm, this things happen when you take these lonely borders…), I changed the lush green Ecuador for the peruvian dark green. And even this poor green was gonna last only a month, before disappearing in highlands of small bush for lamas. But, they know switch-backs, oh, yes, they know… After more than 70 passes over 4000 meters in these 8 years traveling, I can tell you that peruvian passes are as long as tibetan are, no more than 5% gradient. At the lowest point (usually, 2000 meters) this is annoying, because it is hot and it takes a never-ending 20 kilometers to reach the 3000 meters line, but when you reach the 4000 meters line and start to fight with the air in your lungs, you are very grateful…

I really loved northern Peru. No tourism, beautiful and laidback towns (like Chachapoyas, great place), and people is kind, friendly. Unfortunately, it is not the same in the rest of the country. And a plus, the downhill to Marañón river, from 3600 meters to 800, the most exciting 60 kilometers of my life. My friends, the bolivian 'Road of death' has the reputation, but I promise you, the downhill to Marañón river is the top 1. You feel like you are flying at a every single corner, and you will fly if you do not keep at least one eye on the road. Stunning ride.

I said that my bicycle is strong, but I had to re-build the rear wheel in Cajamarca. A local mechanic did it so well that after the worst american roads it is still intact, not a single broken spoke. And in Cajamarca I started a kind of challenge: to not loose altitude on my way to Cordillera Blanca. I made it, but I took some of the worst roads I ever cycle. Some days I could not ride more than 40 kilometers, and exhausted in the evening, then, you got your price: a cold cold bath in a stream… 

I think I have done in Peru more remote roads I should have, and I am paying now for that, feeling tired of fighting in the highlands, but I spent days and days in places that hardly I can believe. Beautiful lakes at 4000 meters, deep canyons with a free fall of 1000 meters, no cars, no motorbikes, isolate villages, in one of them the mayor came to say hello and greet me as… the first tourist ever in the village!
So, happily, I had a week of bad weather in Cordillera Blanca and forced to rest before the biggest mountains, the big glaciers.

I will be very serious here, my friends, this is the best climbing in the world. The two passes crossing the snowed picks of Cordillera Blanca, Punta Olímpica (4920) and Portachuelo (4750), are unique. Nothing compares to them, even in the Himalayas. You get so close to the glaciers and the picks that if there is a climber you will see the logo in his jacket. Incredible. No doubt, very hard ride, but the 5 days ride of my journey.

Then, more passes over 4000 meters, many of them quite close to 5000, but Central Peru is not as spectacular as it gets in Cordillera Blanca, and people is not very educated, neither happy or kind. It is true that they have very hard live there, few moments for dancing or just enjoying life, but sometimes it seemed to me like they throw up their unhappiness toward the 'gringos' (or those who enjoy life).

Anyway, I made it into the south and looking for one of the big challenges in the Andes, the loop in the Arequipa province, to Cotahuasi canyon. A extreme road (do not try to google it, instead go to www.andesbybike.com, crazy guys…) with several 4000 and five 5000 meters passes. This is a mining area, with two tiny villages, and the road is in such bad conditions that I pushed my bicycle more kilometers in the 8 days ride there than in all my Africa journey… I said, a challenge. This is where you get as closer to the moon as possible on a bike, and scenery sometimes looks like, you see amazing colors in the mountains and lagoons, incredible. And the feeling of being alone there… this is not the place to have a problem, my friend, but if you do not have it and you make it, you feel like a god.

I made it, even with a strong snow storm in the second part of the loop (a easy one, only 5 passes over 4000 meters), but when I reached Cusco I had to take a month rest. As it happened after Tibet in Asia, I could not even have a look to my bicycle, I was completely exhausted, physically and mentally. I was really sick of bad nutrition (in this places basically you get rice and biscuits), wind, pushing the bike in the sand, camping at -15 celsius… so, when I was in Cusco having a capuccino I almost cry. Sometimes, you can enjoy the hard experience a second time, when you are dry, warm and in a comfy shelter.

I had yet another tough country, Bolivia. The ride to the capital, La Paz, after all long climbs in peruvian Andes, after all stony and sandy roads, was on the almost flat highlands of 'Puna', and it seemed to me as a Sunday ride. For a week, the only problem was the wind and the cold, this is not too bad at all, and I stopped in Copacabana (not brazilian beach) to enjoy the most spectacular sunsets in America, over the lake Titicaca. They just get the lake fired!

This is the relaxing ride… after La Paz, again on remote places and extreme roads where most of the villages are abandoned, no-one wants to live in such remote places anymore…

I wanted to ride between the border Chile-Bolivia, a part of the barren 'altiplano' where cycling is closer to survival rather than cyclotourism, but also they have stunning peaks, volcanoes and thermal baths everywhere, so you have to carry food for 4-5 days, sometimes 10 liters of water. Also, the luxury of every single night bathing in sulfur hot springs, and with incredible views for neighborhood. Mountains do not talk, though…

Back to southwest Bolivia, I had the first of the biggest salt plains in the planet, Coipasa. It was good to ride on a kind of shinning marble instead of sandy roads, and I had the first surrealist experience with the lack of references, nothing is like it looks there, but my aim was the next salt plain, Uyuni, 120 kilometers of hard salt, and nothing else. I had dreamt of Uyuni all my life, and the ride there was unique, nothing as weird as this flat land where no life is possible (no life at all! this is not normal in our planet!), and the views you have reach only 200 meters in front of you… but you never reach this 200 meters… only after 120 kilometers…

The night camped there, in the middle of this death land, was incredible. After wind was gone, a huge silence came, impressive, maybe I enjoyed a bit of what Death may be. 

So excited with memories and tired, I still had the last tough ride in Bolivia: Colors lakes road. A simple name, because road does not exist, it is just a bunch of tracks on the high desert. Temperatures went up, something not usual, to sleep at 0 celsius over 4000 meters in Bolivia is uncommon, but the wind became also lighter and crazy. It took me 8 days of rocky, stony and sandy roads, in the middle of nowhere, yielding at the wind, always thirsty (keeping my water) and eventually quite hungry. For what? high altitude desert, colorful mountains and weird, very weird colorful lakes. Despite the scenery, for this route I am not sure that the effort was worth, too much effort, I ended up feeling very weak and bad-tempered. Maybe I would say that the reason is the challenge of crossing 'Las lagunas', a route which cyclists consider 'the hardest in the world'. I would not say this, but for sure, one of my top-10 hardest routes ever.
You see, just vanity…

I took a 3 days rest in the Atacama desert, not enough but Chile is bloody expensive and Argentina is not, because of dollar black market (everything is half price here for me), so I crossed again the Andes (and I have forgotten how many are now…). Being used to eat for a couple of dollars, or less, from Ecuador to Bolivia. Or markets where fruits cost cents… Chile is like being back in Europe and I was crazy looking my budget gone… believe me, it is more expensive than supermarket in the US (or just maybe the US eventually is quite cheap).

Sico pass is still high altitude desert land, the beautiful picks of magazines are further in the south, here is still the same: wind, sandy roads, water every 100 kilometers, and survival-cycling. 
I made it again, of course, what else can I do? to settle down there and start to talk with the wild vicuñas? But I am sick of high desert, it has been enough, so I will enjoy Argentina forest and touristic roads for a while, until snowed peaks came to my eyes…

Here, well, Argentina is a wonderful country after Andean countries, full of culture, life, cheap, and quite developed. It is gonna be fun to cycle here for a while, and relaxed.
Andes range was for sure one of my biggest dreams, and I wanted to cycle as remote as possible, to had strong physical experiences there… well, it is done. Maybe a bit too much. It has been a bunch of months with a lot of solitude and mountains, less contact with people than usual in my journey…
Now, it is time to close my eyes, enjoy a kind of fullness, and… pride -why not?-, a capuccino from time to time and keep going slowly to Ushuaia. I think I have easy months in front of me before reaching the last challenge of the journey, Patagonia winds… 



Colombia, April, 2013
Journey from Cali to Bogotá, through Venezuela and Brazil!

I spent a long week in Cali with good colombian friends that I met in Cape Town, 5 years before. This is a real wonder of traveling, to meet friends again. So, with a warmed heart, and warm equipment, I started a big loop in the north of South America, while it was raining in the big Andes.

Although, the rain even affects northern Andes, and I got a lot of storms on my way to Venezuela, anyway I was really happy to have again good climbs ahead, not 4000 meters yet, but quite over the 3000 meters line. Before reaching the first big 'alto', Palo de Letras, (the highest in Colombia), I made a turn to visit Cocora valley, my favorite place in Colombia so far. Friends, this is a hidden valley, green and full of rivers, that makes you to want to live there. Climate is fantastic, and people is more gently than average colombians, which means a lot. But, there is something more that makes unique this place: the wax palms. At the end of Cocora valley, between the 2000 and 3000 meters lines, hundreds of thin palms grow with the aim of touching the sky, many of them reach more than 70 meters. And even more, with the magic mist; in the northern Andes, once you are over 2000 meters, there is always a thin mist moving non stop, covering and revealing the forest, the mountains… absolutely wonderful. In this scenery, I was speechless, camped in front of those palms like a ghost army, and the mist moving through… what a place in the world!

This is the most famous coffee area, but in my opinion, wax palms are by far more interesting than coffee plantations. Then, I start to climb the colombian Andes. Not very high, not very deep, but I was happy to be back in the mountains after Central America, and be able to test the Vaude equipment: wonderful, I was a happy warm and dry cyclist. The good thing in these Andes is that nature is green, with grass in the passes, so the campsites I enjoyed, often where at the border of a dramatic view, in front of a sea of mountains, and never lower than 1-2 celsius degrees.

Many of you may wonder about safety in Colombia, but all I can say is that I spent 2 months there and I never have a glimpse of danger. In the 'páramos' (the highlands) I visited, there was no sign of 'guerrilla', and wherever I stopped to ask for camping, in a farm or a community house, I was welcomed without suspicious and without worries, just like any other latin-american country. The effort to stop the 'guerrillas' is bringing success, despite there is a lot of complains about the way of cleaning and the drug business. Nobody says that the government is a nice guy, but everybody says that Colombia is safer now.

And Colombian, thanks to lack of tourism, has quite a number of old colonial towns that are almost untouched, beautiful places to stop for a couple of days and enjoy 'tinto' (coffee) in the squares. Some, like Villa de Leyva, have become a tourist spot, but still they are far away from becoming an 'open and living shopping mall' that I have seen in other countries.

Anyway, if Colombia has little tourism, what about Venezuela!! So, I crossed the border and from the first day until the last day in Venezuela, I was absolutely trapped by the warmth of the people. Incredible. Kind of Iran in the middle of Latin America. Maybe they are friends because of this…
I am not gonna say anything about 'Chavismo', because these days there is a lot of information in the news, but only two things: Venezuela is a disaster with an incompetent government and mr. Chavez made many many mistakes. Still I think that it is better to go wrong trying to help poor people, rather than helping the big corporations. In Spain, a democratic country, people now has to pay a rescue for the banks crisis, does it make a interesting point of view?

Anyway, Venezuela has gone too far. At the same time I enjoyed the hospitality and warm heart of the people, it is true that I could not find in supermarkets basic products like sugar, milk powder, toothpaste, toilet paper… locals, they know how to find them at a higher price, and very often the gave me presents. So, since there is a black market for the dollar and no many fancy things to spend money (cup of expresso is dirt cheap), I found myself spending four-five dollars a day, including a restaurant meal, locals snacks, and drinks. Fantastic country!

With a plus: Los pueblos del Sur. An old road in the Andes links several old villages, far from the two main roads. These villages are only farm places, with a very religious and traditional life, with no internet and no 'contrabando' business (there are thousands of venezuelans selling to Colombia subsidizes goods and gasoline). The road goes up and down crazy steep mountains, green, among the 1500 and 3200 meters. It is really hard effort, but the scenery is the reward, with no doubt the most beautiful passes since I started the American continent. And no traffic!!

Happy and quite skinny (I insist, a big effort!), I arrived in Mérida, the Venezuelan Andes capital, where I left my bicycle and equipment with my friend Neudy, a great local climber. This was November and I had a different adventure: to sell my book in the International Book Fair of Guadalajara.
So, I flew to Mexico (thanks to the black market, a flight ticket cost me nothing in Venezuela) and spent with my friends two months, and well…, yes, of course, there is a beautiful girl too. Things happened to work well and I sold almost all the printed books, so I recovered the money invested and earned around 500$, enough to spend nice holidays there. But the most important thing is what I learned about book business, who knows what I will do when I finish my trip? And I am starting to trust in my writing. By the way, a week ago, I was offered to translate the book into english, so maybe it could be available after summer as a e-book. In case it works, I will let you know.

In January, I flew back to Merida. Still there was no sense to cycle southwards, so I tried a challenge and an old dream: the amazon border of Cucuy, kind of nowhere. 
I went down to 'Los Llanos' (the lowlands), a flat, low, big land in both Venezuela and Colombia, between the Andes and the Amazonia. Plenty of birds, some of them really nice and colorful, those that you think only exist in National Geographic, caimans, snakes, and lots of lagoons life. Great. And also, high temperatures with face wind. The famous Trade winds, that helped spanish boats to 'discover' America, were in front of me, so I had to pay for the crimes of my ancestors. I was thinking to cycle with relax in a flat land, and instead of this I had to do again a strong effort,  with a daily heat strake. Fortunately, the 'llaneros' were very happy to have a foreigner, despite I was spanish, and always welcomed to sleep in their farms, many times they invited me for lunch, very generous people.

So, I went to the remotest state of Venezuela, the southern tip: Puerto Ayacucho, where the road ends and the Amazonia starts. Very soon, I realized that to go down by river and reach Manaos in Brazil will not be easy: restrictive area. The government wants to protect the yanomami and others tribes from the western influence.
Anyway, I met the right people. Asking here and there I finally was invited by a famous local cyclist, and he said he will try to help me. So I end up sleeping in the Center for Tropical studies, meeting a lot of interesting doctors and biologists. And this is a very long story to make it short, but after 10 days I got a permit from the General to cross the Amazonian state up to Cucuy border, and this place, my friends, is really far away from anywhere. Wonderful.

It took me a lot of different transports, boats, lanchas, indigenous canoes, and even a short army flight to avoid a dry river! What an adventure, and you can imagine… not the place to carry a bicycle! My beloved bike become a real problem sometimes… but I was there, in the Río Negro, a remote amazonian river where only lives indigenous communities. 
I have to confess that I did not enjoy very much the rivers transport, quite boring because rivers are huge, but it was very interesting to see how people lives there, in deep connection with nature, from where they get most of their daily necessities. And I will tell you something: these people are happy. And something more: many of these communities have a good life. The most significative thing is that they do not seem to need more than they already have.

So, I crossed the Cucuy border, a triple border among Venezuela, Colombia and Brazil, perhaps the remotest border in South America, and the brazilian army gave me a warm welcome. Even more, they gave me a lift in their lanchas to get Sao Gabriel de Cachoeira, the first town since I left Puerto Ayacucho, fifteen days before. Then, it was easy to reach Manaos by public boat and from there to hit the road again. A long long way by river, I had crossed the equator line!

Manaos was an important city in the middle of Amazonas, for sure very interesting fifty years ago, but now it is quite ugly. Anyway, I had the dream of visiting Manaos for one reason: the union of river Negro and river Solimoes. They join to became the Amazonas river, but the wonder here is that the waters of both rivers run parallel for kilometers without mixing, one is dark like black tea, the other one is brown like milk chocolate. Amazing!
5 years before reaching Manaos, I was in Khartoum, Sudan, where the Blue Nile meets the White Nile. There, it was March, 2008, I dreamt of visiting the other big waters marriage, in Manaos. Of course, I wasn't thinking that this journey could take me there, I was just dreaming… and now, when I was in Manaos, I felt really happy, really proud of myself, and really grateful to all the humankind that is allowing me to cycle the planet. My friends, to have a dream is something powerful, not a foolish loss of time.

Well, I resumed the cycling in order to reach again Venezuela, northwards. I am sure you know that Amazonia is a jungle, the greenest place on earth, well… then, imagine it in rainy season. It never stopped!!! Crazy!
Fortunately, it is warm, it does not makes you cold, but I spent 5 days under water, with blisters in every possible place of my body, and this is not funny when you are down hill, jungles are not flat! 
Anyway, scenery was great, specially the protected area for the waimiri tribe, 140 kilometers of pure jungle, where there is not allowed to make a house, a restaurant, not even to stop the car!! This land belongs to the waimiri and results of this, the jungle is absolutely virgin, full of monkeys in the branches, weird birds… fantastic. 
After this, jungle starts to vanish for cattle land, and slowly slowly, as I crossed again the Equator line, it started to rain less and less, making it a weird cycling week going from the rainy season to the dry season: 1000 kilometers in an almost straight line north-south.

I entered back in Venezuela through Gran Sabana, an altiplane famous for its strange and old mountains: the tepuyes. All this area is the oldest place of the planet, and the top of the tepuyes has been for decades a mysterious place. Of course, there are not dinosaurs, but this corner of South America has the most beautiful rivers of the continent. All of them have lots of tannins, and you feel like bathing in gold tea. Flat bed rivers, with beautiful surroundings, huge waterfalls, they are amazing. And also, the area is almost completely sterile, few patches are able for crops, so it is almost uninhabited. It is a pleasure to cycle in a land where there are no sings of humanity, just nature. And here, I paid a second visit to one of my five favorites places in the world: Quebrada de Jaspe. One of the rivers in the Gran Sabana has an amazing stretch where it runs very quietly over a red jasper stone of 300 meters. Incredible, isn't it? Try to imagine, a flat bed river made of red jasper, and little water on it, clear like air, when the sun shines over it, then the jasper becomes a light of different types of red color… 

After this, well, Venezuela became a bit boring on my way back to Colombia and the Andes. I enjoyed some places, some rivers, but it was the people and the weird economic situation of the country the only remarkable things. Oh, and the Trade winds, now I got them in my back!!
So I crossed to get again Puerto Ayacucho, which is the border between Colombian and Venezuelan lowlands. A tough cyclist friend of mine, retired now, told me a couple of years ago: 'if you want adventure, Salva, go to Colombian lowlands'. So, I went there.
In the meantime, Chavez died. To be honest, I did not worry, the situation in Venezuela cannot go worse, or not very much. People said about an army coup, but reality seemed to show the psyche of venezuelans: make it easy. The only problem was for me: border was closed 3 days!!

Then, the colombian Llanos (lowlands)… I had in front of me 800 kilometers of dozens of tracks heading everywhere, it is like a delta system or sometimes like a labyrinth . I had to keep westwards for half of the way, and then southwest, and I managed to get lost only twice!!
This is one of those places still living with other system, and I love this places. No coffee shops, no internet, no tarmac, no roads, no publicity, no electricity… only sabana with farms every 30-50 kilometers. People is really kind and everytime I stopped there (what else you can do in the middle of nowhere?) they opened their hearts and houses. I really loved when I met cowboys carrying the cattle to some other place like in old times, riding… wonderful land.

The 'road system' is only open 4-5 months a year, and a truck driver ask for 1000$ to delivery goods there, so you can imagine how is the place. And of course, money is not the way to exchange things there, most of the farms live with what they produce, and to be honest, I was shocked when I reached the tarmac and I saw again people selling mangoes… why?? 100 kilometers before they were free?
But the road is a nightmare, my friends. I broke one of my racks and two tyres. Anyway, I was really happy there, the effort was worth, and I left Los Llanos with a lot of good stories in my panniers, and many nights with nice people.

So, I reached Bogotá, and I had a wonderful stay with a school friend, who is living there now. 20 years ago we played basketball together, and now… he has a nice family and I am cycling around the world… if we could just imagine this 20 years ago…
From here I will cycle southwards, to Patagonia. I hope to reach Usuhaia before March 2014, but I promise I will write before!


Colombia, september, 2012
Journey from Guadalajara (Mexico) to Cali (Colombia).


It took me a while to leave Guadalajara (Mexico), where I spent almost 3 months. Girls are really beautiful there, my friends, and I fall in love with one of them, so I stayed in Mexico until the very last day of my permit stay, 6 months.

About Mexico I have to say that I did not like the scenery, only in the very south, where the jungle starts. Dry mountains and canyons are the common views, few forested areas and some places really hot (I got over 50 celsius crossing the road 51 to avoid Mexico DF), but there are in my opinion two highlights in this country: the beautiful colonial cities and the mexicans themselves.

The later are obviously everywhere, so to travel in Mexico is a pleasure. Among the cyclists who ride the Americas, mexican and colombians are both considered the most. No worries about where to sleep, easy people to start a conversation with and always trying to help. I never felt unsafe there, well, maybe eating this hot 'chile jalapeño'…

And the cities, they have a very relaxed atmosphere, good food, beautiful gardens, squares, old buildings. For long time I did not spend such a lovely time walking in a nice city, the majority of my memories is related to friendship and nature, not about the pleasure of a beautiful town where is nice to stop and enjoy a coffee. Anyway, the maya temples are really worth, but be ready, very touristic, all of us want to see these amazing pyramids. Nearby San Cristobal de las Casas is Agua Azul, a stunning blue river that I really liked.

The food is delicious (if you like hot chile or mole) but, to be honest, is not the best for cycling, plenty of sauces and lack of real gasoline (rice or pasta), so I ended up cooking a lot just to get enough calories for the ride.


Crossing to Guatemala was a relief about it. Market food is 1-2$ with enough rice to climb the mountains. And you need it. What a country!

I had a lot of expectations there, but reality is even more impressive, this country deserves its reputation. Narrow mountain roads with step gradients (very steep, for instances, 1000 meters of elevation in only 11 kilometers, which is not a normal climb in the world. To give you an idea, 1000 meters of elevation usually are climbed in 18-22 kilometers), sometimes there is tarmac and sometimes only stones, big stones. I had to make an extra in my budget to buy plenty of pads for the breaks, and then, a second problem because of the extremely steep downhills: if you break constantly (and you have to if you do not want to crash yourself) the rims get very hot, so much that they make the inner tube to explode. Funny, isn't it?

You can go from jungle to up 3000 meters high, but most likely you keep between 800 and 2200 meters high. Up and down. Very forested in places, and you feel like flying in places, luckily I have no vertigo disease. Wonderful country.

In one of those deep areas is Chemuc Champey. Many people go to lake Atitlan and Antigua, but not many to Chemuc. Atitlan is nice and that's it, another beautiful lake among mountains, but Chemuc… my friends, this is an unique place. Try to imagine a river in the jungle where the centuries have build a rocky bridge of 300 meters over it. And the centuries have made dozens of incredible emerald pools in this bridge, jumping one into another, like a dream. One of those nature wonders that you think they only exist in King Lion movies. Amazing.

The roads there… they make you pay a high price for the visit. Amazing too. Sometimes I thought that I was cycling on a river bed rather than a road, very very rocky roads.


Another place that impressed me was Tikal ruins. They are not as sophisticated as Chichen Itza or Uzkusmal, but they are still in the jungle. If you climb to temple IV you see this unforgettable view of the temples top raising over the jungle. Speachless. Without no dubts, the hour I spent there (alone!) enjoying this view will be in my top ten moments of America.

It is quite remote, so there is few buses going there, nothing like the big business in Mexico. Wonderful place, and full of toucans, other birds, snakes, lovely racoons… 

Well, snakes are not lovely, and here I am starting to worry about it. Too many. One afternoon, walking in a river and looking for a beach to camp… I steped on a green one. Terrible. Luckily my foot felt something wrong and I jumped immediately like 3 meters away! I felt stupid, just for some seconds I did not pay attention and… she was there. Nothing happened, she run away too, but here, in Colombia jungle, the other day there was a coral snake unhappy with me and she stand up to fight me… later, neighbors told me she was not dangerous...

Well, I spent more than a month in Guatemala and despite the big effort of mountains and rough roads, I would say this is the greatest country in this area, from Mexico to Colombia. Small, full of interesting places, easy to travel, cheap as 1.5$ for a meal or 4$ for accommodation in the tourists spots, and the indigenous population is as exotic as friendly. Wonderful country for a month holiday.

From Guatemala, I crossed to Belize. I had curiosity about a country that most of independent travelers does not like. Me, neither. The hummingbird highway was beautiful, though.

So, back to Guatemala, to the latin culture, warm people again. More mountains and then two countries in a couple of weeks, Honduras and El Salvador.

The first one, Honduras, was the only country I have felt a bit unsafe, even nothing happened. People does not trust people, not mention strangers, and even they are kind and they help if you ask, I felt a strange air in this country. 

Also, I was in the rainy season in Central America, so I did not try to cross wild Mosquitia coast, which I am sure it would have changed my opinion about Honduras.

El Salvador, which is usually in the top 5 of crime world list, was safer for me. I had friends to visit in San Salvador and I have to say that I liked this tiny country, people is totally different to Honduras fellows, very open and happy to see a foreigner, easy to talk.

What amazes me in those countries is the consumerism and the huge shopping malls. They are right besides streets with shacks, and when they have some money, they go there, to the air-conditioned malls, clean, fancy, to buy or just to look and dream of a day they will be able to buy.

Maybe because I have been living with little daily money for the last 6 and a half years I have experienced another reality, and therefore I know that wealth is not at all a target to reach, but I am still surprised of this crazy seeking for money, specially in countries where they have -in my opinion- the real treasure: time. 

Any way, this is a constant in the world. People in developing countries is not trying to find their own way, they want to reach the movies dream, the wealth. And in America, after all the revolutions, all the communism dreams, blood and death, now they are trapped in the search of wealth. They should know that in wealthy Japan, where people works up to 16 hours a day to be rich, there is 35000 suicides a year…

And talking about revolutions… Nicaragua and his president, revolutionary Daniel Ortega, was an unexpected surprise. After communism fall, now, the country motto is: 'Nicaragua, christian, socialist and solidary'. They have built already the first big malls…

Nicaragua became a kind of my favorite country in this area, there is an african feeling here. No doubt, the poorest country of all here, but not as cheap as Guatemala. People, despite lack of material development, is the happiest of all here. I am starting to develop a weird theory about wealth and happiness…

This is a land of lakes and volcanoes, and many of its scenery looks like if 'le petit prince' had painted it. Beautiful. Ometepe island was by far my favorite one, two huge volcano-island raising from the lake, and life there goes with a path of the past, long time ago past. Few traffic, as usual in Nicaragua, and basic life in a tropical forest.

I climbed some of the volcanoes and yes, you get a good view, but not very much. Tourist spots in Nicaragua are nothing spectacular or unique. I think that the highlight here is the local life, as I said, similar to Africa. Times goes slower than in the rest of latin countries (try to imagine if you compare it to California rush!), they like to say 'one hour is a moment'. And when you cross into Costa Rica… what a change!

Cyclists, we use to sleep quite often in fire stations (though, for instances, I try first other options), and both countries are two different worlds. In Nicaragua, you see really old stations, you sleep in the floor and have a hose shower, and a warm welcome. In Costa Rica, there are warm showers, air-condition rooms, wifi, and the latest fire trucks model. But the welcome is more something about 'yes, you can sleep there' and not even a good night.

Costa Rica is kind of rich, my friends. And plenty of its land is owned by foreigners. Crazy. They protected their jungles from logging and massive agriculture, but they did not do it for the sake of humankind, they did it to make money with jungle, beach and colorful frogs. Fees for national parks are even higher than in Canada, as the bread is too, and even more, you need to pay a guide most of the time. It is, no doubt, a beautiful country and very clever, they invented the eco-capitalism.

So, I learnt why cyclists cross Costa Rica as fast as possible. Me too. Anyway, there are many jungle areas with no development, so I had good time there.

I understand that many retired people, o relaxed rich people, want to live there (even this option is gonna increase the prices of everything for the locals), is a really nice country, stable, with no army, charming. What I did not understand is the beach tourism. Ugly, ugly beaches, black sand, and despite this, the hot spots in the Pacific coast are full!!

But maybe… if in Spain the real state sharks made such a huge money with our ugly beaches, here it is easier, I guess, jungle and parrots are right at the corner. Anyway, my friend, take care with photoshop and beach publicity when you decide where to go for holidays…

Then, Panama, where jungle is the same, but prices drop down a lot. I went to visit my friend Anna, at the tip of Veraguas peninsula, and I crossed lovely farm areas, where there are more cowboys on the road than cars. It was a relief from Costa Rica. I found out panamanians pretty welcoming, easy to talk, nice people. One of those places in the world that people says: you can sleep here, the river for bathing is there, and later we will come to talk with you. Pretty nice.

Then, I spent a week almost in Panama city. Not only to enjoy the old town and get admired by the Canal (wonderful how these huge cargo-boats go up and down with the water), but to try to get a permit for crossing the Darien Gap.

In somehow I got it in the main office, but the reality was that when I reached Yaviza, the end of the road, the army did not let me go through. And this is a very long and complicated story to tell. I tried and tried for 3 days with no success. The area is dangerous because of colombian guerrillas and absolutely patrolled by the army, to avoid illegal colombians too. They do not want another story in the news about murdering or kidnapping in Darien jungles, so they did not let me cross the jungle path. Even I said I did not mind to be robbed, that money was not important for me… no way. I had to undo the road and go back.

So, I crossed a crazy road to the Caribbean coast (40 kilometers of the steepest hills I ever cycled before, not Guatemala, neither Lesotho can compare with San Blas range hills) and jump in a water-taxi to Colombia. Pretty sad, I have to say. I had the dream of crossing the Gap. Now, I will come back home, in the future, and along many adventurous places I have been, the Darien Gap will not be. I am not happy about it.

Well, if you are sad, Colombia is the country to go. Colombians have something special, a kind of romantic speech, sweet, more cultured (in average) than most of latin american countries. And women… my friends, they are forbidden to look at the grass because risk of fire!! Very sensual and lovely women here, one day my neck is gonna break looking back…

Coffee is another plus. Where in the world you can sit at a nice square, with trees, and enjoy a colombian coffee for 25 cents of dollar? I could live in this country.

I wanted a bit of fun, something to make me forget about Darien failure, so after a couple of 40 kilometers passes (I am in the Andes already!!) I turned to El Chocó, the western jungle of Colombia, a Farcs territory.

Luckily, I did not meet the Farcs soldiers. They were hidden after burning a bus and 3 army trucks a week before, so I was almost alone in this fantastic jungle. There is again a 40 kilometers climb and then, a long, long, descent to the jungle plains of Amutra river. Road is horrible, full of mud (it rains everyday here), rocks, pools, so there is almost not traffic, and it is hard, hard effort to move here. The reward is a lonely jungle full of clear rivers and waterfalls from the Andes. I really like it, despite I ended up pretty tired. And, finally, I have seen here one of those colorful tiny frogs (that I did not see in Costa Rica), look but do not touch them!!!

I climbed again towards the Andes and went to Cali, where I am having a rest with good friends.


Mexico, April 2012
Journey from Tijuana to Guadalajara, Mexico.

I am fine, still in Mexico, a great country, not only because it is big, but because of its people, extremely kind and warm. I feel at home. Maybe (some friends told me this) the reason could be that after 6 years traveling and living in countries with a very strange culture, very different from mine, I feel in Latin America like back home: my mother language, easy life, similar habits, pretty black eyes with that look… 

So, I have to say that I have not travel a lot for the last two months; actually, I made more friends than kilometers. And I finished something I had to: my book about Africa is ready!
Yes, it is a book about the first 800 days of the journey and, well, I know you do not speak spanish, but who knows how many spanish-speaker friends do you have? Or maybe you want to buy a present to a beautiful latin girl? -)
Anyone from any country can order it at www.paquebote.com (they have a website with english version) or straight with the book link: http://www.paquebote.com/9788461577477/ 
So, end of the marketing time! enough!

I crossed peninsula Baja California through December, and after this experience… hum… I would not recommend it to another cyclist, though the north of mexican mainland is neither a good option.
December in Baja was cold, windy, hilly, and rainy. A desert filled with cactus but not a pretty desert, where even the water is disappointing: salty. The beaches, when I get there, were not very much that a patch of sand to a rough sea. So, I am not sure from where it comes the reputation about Baja.

Yes, some areas have very interesting cactus, some of them are unique of Baja, and to camp there, with starring nights, I think it was the best of December. Quiet. People is nice, and there are long distances to enjoy solitude. Maybe I had too much expectations, or maybe the reason is that mexican mainland has being much more exciting for me.'
Anyway, I was welcomed (thanks, my friends!) for Xmas in a beach, this was a nice story, I had an empty and abandoned hotel on the beach for me, yet with a king size bed and sheets! This beach is the habitual meeting for many canadians and they invited me to a delicious xmas turkey.

Also, I think that December was a particular month for me. I became forty, and also some stories from the past were surrounding my mind, so I think I was quite meditative and closed to the beauties of the world. But in La Paz, south of Baja, I met a wonderful family which hosted me for a week and I could not resist anymore the warmth of mexican people. Relaxed life, and something that you cannot feel in many countries, the feeling after a couple of days that you know this people since you were kids. When in Mexico they say 'you can stay here as long as you want' they do mean it; it is like Middle East people but speaking spanish!
And for me it is easier the communication, I can ask deeper questions about their culture, they also can explain to me much more… well, I love Mexico!

Then, from La Paz I crossed to mainland. Even the ferry company was nice, and they gave me a free ticket for my bicycle and me. Then, I landed in Topolobampo, nearby the Tarahumara mountains. This was a place that I was longing for.
All the locals told me not to go, because of drug lords, bandits, lack of law in no-man mountains, and the more that they warned me, the more I wanted to go. It has been almost a year cycling in rich and safe countries! I missed fun!
Another plus was the road, even more, the lack of roads. In the maps there are no links from Los Mochis to the famous Cooper Canyon. I asked, 'but there is people living there, there must be a road' And they said, 'well, a road…'

So, I went there. Filled up with food I left Los Mochis and very soon I found the detour to the mountains: a wide and sandy rough road. I climbed up the first hill and saw for the first time the Sierra Madre, a middle size range that crosses Mexico.
The first day I cycled 47 k; the second, 43 k; and the third, 20 k. And I promise you I did my best, I was absolutely exhausted. Locals were right: what a road!
Actually, it is a mining road with few villages, dozens of hills and some passes. A very sandy road where is hard to cycle, in many places there is no option but pushing, and it has -so far- the steepest gradients in the journey here, America continent. I will never forget the climb from Tubares to Piedras Verdes, even to push was complicated, because of the slippery sand and the gradient I was unable to stay in balance, many times I fell down and yes, you know, when you are pushing the bike and you fall down, the bike does not take too long to hit you, like in a cartoon.

Anyway, even though my body was paining everywhere, I reached out the highlands of Sierra Madre, over Piedras Verdes, and I had the views I was looking for. You should go there, my friend, these people -the tarahumaras- are poor in terms of money, very poor, but they have the views that a rich man would pay for. I was wondering what kind of heart would have someone who opens his door everyday in such a place…
And even more, the Urique point of view was awaiting for me. I went after all those places to the famous Cooper Canyon, which resembles very much Grand Canyon in Arizona, but Urique Canyon… this is the place. Almost a mile deep, but the thing -which it does not happen in most of big canyons- is that you see the bottom, you see the river, the never ending cliffs, the crazy road twisting down to the village,… this is a view, my friends. There are not many roads leading to places like this.
So, when I hit the tarmac road and I went to the touristic Cooper Canyon… I felt I wanted to come back to Urique. But, no way! not even if I forgot there my passport!

Anyway, there is no tourism anymore there. The violence in northern Mexico has kicked out the big bunch of tourist, the neighbor US. Quiet towns, nice people, but I was exhausted as I was not in a year, so I head to the desert, looking for easier roads.

The violence in Mexico… to be honest, my friends, it is a very serious problem (many killings and insecurity), but it does not affect to the independent traveler. The drug dealers fight between them, they do not give a shit for someone on a bike, neither for a backpacker or a retired couple in a RV. Your chances to be in the middle of a shooting are in expensive restaurants, so I do not think it is gonna happen to me… Even more, here where I am now, Guadalajara, there was a fight between them few weeks ago, and they asked for apologies to the civilians the next day. I am not saying that they are nice, absolutely not (they are criminals!), and this is a serious problem -a very complex problem where not only the mexican government has something to say-, but believe me, there are much more chances to die in a car crash in a first world highway rather than here in shooting. Statistics.

I remember when I started to travel in 'rough' countries in my twenties. My friends and family were very worried for me, and it was the time that ETA terrorists were still active in Spain. I always asked them the same:' would you recommend a korean tourist not to come to Spain because of ETA attacks?'
But it seems that when the violence is far, in a third world country, or even worse, a muslim country, this violence is in every street and every man is carrying a kalashnikov looking for a cyclist to kill.
So, in my opinion, considering the traffic statistics, the cities mafias, and those crazy fanatics that one day solve their problems killing a dozen people in a metro or school, I think that better that staying home, I have been safer traveling remote roads and being hosted by good people all over the world. And I had more fun!

Well, this is just a gypsy point of view; back to the road, I crossed the northern desert mostly by highways, since the national roads have much heavy traffic and they are pretty narrow. Believe me, with no shoulder and roughly 10 meters wide tarmac, there is no much room for a bicycle when two trucks cross their paths…
This area is heavily patrolled by the army and the police, Zacatecas state is the Zeta country, where this mafia creates panic among the locals. They deal with anything that brings money: prostitution, drugs, assaults, killings… they are not nice at all. Also they operate in other states, but in Zacatecas was the only place I felt something could happen. Anyway, nothing happened. I asked in places where I felt 'hum… something smells bad here' if it was safe to camp, to cycle the road.. and I always got the same answer: 'está cabrón (it is rough)'. So, I kept with my normal life and I did not see anything wrong, they also told me that Zetas do not like bicycles, neither any kind of physical effort.

But, this area, specially cities like Torreón… well, I would not recommend to go. Anything can happen anytime anywhere in the world, but chances are bigger there. I crossed the state and reached Guadalajara without any hassle, maybe protected by my naivety… I like to think that to be bitten by a snake does not depend on the number of snakes in the bush, but on your personal mood. I got spiders bites from time to time, though!

Another good thing in Mexico is that living standards have become much more affordable. Mexico is not a cheapie though, actually despite being very populated it is more expensive than any country in South East Asia; people says that Guatemala and beyond are better for low budgets. Anyway, here with few dollars I live much more better than the past year, in expensive countries. A hearty breakfast in a market (though I cook it in my tent most times) costs 2$, and if you do not need that crazy amount of calories that the bicycle eats, you can get a simple one for a bit less. A full meal (comida corrida) goes from 2.5-3$. Local snacks (tacos, gorditas, sopes…) are not a deal, just a fancy bit, though jummy jummy. I love hot spices and here the food is great. So, what I want to say is that the same 7$ a day give me much more luxury life here than in the US…

In touristic cities you can find dorms for 7$, and this is the cheapest option; anything other option starts from 10$, so I keep very attached to my tent corners. It is not difficult at all to find a quiet place to camp in the desert or the mountains, and in towns people is friendly, they always allowed me to camp in their yard. But from here, Guadalajara, I think I have to start to look for a hammock or mosquito net, nights will start to be warm and humid very soon.

Guadalajara… well, I am still here! I came here to catch up with an old friend, Lonxto Rojo, a basque cyclist I met in Congo 5 years ago. Again we crossed paths, but this time we spent 3 weeks together in the wonderful Casa Ciclista of Guadalajara. Lontxo is an extraordinary man, humble and peaceful, who has been cycling since 1998…

A Casa Ciclista (House of cyclists) is a welcoming house for cyclist, that is in somehow quite popular in Latinoamerica; there are a few here and there. But in Guadalajara it is a really good one, with an enthusiastic group of local people very committed to spread the use of the bicycle in the city and the journeys, among other claims about environment.

I came here to renew my passport too, that was about to expire. I knew I had a second chance, in Mexico DF, in case I was refused, and … yes, I was. An old fashioned bureaucrat was not happy to help my case, which is not mentioned in the spanish law (there is not a strong tradition of traveling in my country, neither a number of us big enough to re-write the laws), and after 2 weeks of discussions he said the last word: no. This guy from old times made me think about the old Spain I did not get to know, the dictator ship times when our rights were in the hand of somebody who may not like your earrings… These days I was really aware of rights situation in better democracies, like in the US or Norway.

Well, my mom came to visit me for second time (first one, she came to Malaysia) and I went to the capital, DF, where, luckily, the main embassy was more representative of the actual Spain. Happily, they listened to me, smiled, wished me the best and started the process of a new biometric passport with 10 years validity. Happy! So, we are not Norway but, we are not Somalia neither!
So, I spent two weeks with my mom, talking a lot about home… enjoying the pyramids and the wonders of Yucatan, and back to Guadalajara.

And now, my passport is in my pocket. The embassy sent it to the same consulate I was refused ('oh, do not come back here, no worries; we can send it by our diplomat pouch to the Guadalajara consulate, and you will have the pleasure of greeting again your friend…' told me an officer smiling), so I am free again to go around for 10 more years if I wish, and this nightmare is over.

Plan A is still to cross the border in late May (Immigration thinks the same!), but I will see. I think I am gonna be slower in Latinamerica… 

Actually, because of this long break (I first came here the 2nd of February!!) I will enjoy myself cycling in the rainy season through Central America and, of course, I will be late for this season in the Peruvian Andes… let's see. Life is good!



Mexico, December 2011. 
Journey from Montana, US, to La Paz, Baja California.


I am in Mexico, speaking my mother language after 6 years of difficulties with conversations, and enjoying the warmth of latin people. I feel kind of 'home' here. I let you know about the latest months of my journey.

I left Missoula, Montana, southwards with my friend Jake, who wanted to experience how is life on a bicycle, and allelujah, one more human being has been converted; this means one less car too. We crossed pretty interesting ghost towns, which are true ghost places at night, on our way to Yellowstone, and I was really delighted by Montana scenery: quite roads, very friendly people, and great open valleys. Beautiful serenity.

Then, Yellowstone, which is nothing about serenity. It is spectacular! You know, when you are traveling you get used to be far from big tourist places, you love the truly contact with the locals, but Yellowstone is one of those big places that is worth to visit. Stunning, like some other national parks in the US. This country has, honestly, some of the most amazing sceneries in the planet. I have been jumping from one national park to another (well, sneaking around too, since they have expensive fees; and watch your words if you say that Nature belongs to Humankind and nobody should make business with it..., you are a communist!), and the good thing is that in between the national parks, scenery is great too. So, from Yellowstone to Tetons, and then towards the Utah's wonders. 

I have to say that I was happily surprised in general by the US people, but even more by the mormons. You know, it is almost impossible to not have prejudices because of all the Hollywood market that we grow up with, so I was glad to realize that the fellows here are, perhaps, the most approachable people of all first world countries. Very laidback, friendly, generous, and basically, happy to speak for a while. And, back to Utah, this is even more among the mormons. I was not pushed by fundamentalists, but pushed to stay longer! Yet some people told me 'things are different when you live with them', but as a traveler I found out Utah as one of the best places in the world for a bicycle trip. Actually, I stayed more than a month!

It was also the beginning of the winter, which starts pretty early here, another issue I was unaware of. In the house of my friends Lou and Julie, in Salt Lake City, I saw the first snow of the winter, right the 1st of October! Well, my friends, I have to say that I was very tired of coldness. It seems to me that I have been living in winter since I entered in Siberia a year ago. My 'summer' was in Alaska and Canada, and well, we, spaniards, have a different idea about what summer is.

Anyway, my friends, the warmshowers community, and many other anonymous people that I met on the way, warmed up my heart. Even the police! One evening, very cold, I made a wrong turn in a red light and suddenly I heard the police car coming behind. Well, the police man did not point a gun to my head, neither treated me badly because of my dark skin, just opposite. He kindly asked me why I did the wrong turn, I explained I wanted to cross to a next church garden to camp, and being about to snow again, he not only let me go without a ticket but gave me the address of a charity building to sleep nicely and 5$ to have a hot chocolate on his health… this kind of attitudes are not only kindness, I think they arethe best ambassador possible and they break boundaries between countries.

So, I do not want to bore you with hundred of stories, but believe me, US people has nothing to do with their reputation. Why being so kind and nice they have this aggressive goverment… I have no idea, to be honest.

Well, I do not know if you are familiar with the Utah's national parks, Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce, Zion… they are just great. Day by day I cycled, stopped, camped, really happy and with an open mouth. Even if I had to sleep again with very cold temperatures, up to 9 celsius negatives, and cycle against strong winds, I really recommend to visit this state, it has been one of the highlights of my journey. For instances, the rough road (and I mean 'rough') into Canyonlands, called the Shafer trail, is definitely one of the most dramatic roads I have cycled with panniers.
And something else, here (well, actually is in Arizona but the trail starts in Utah) is the place that many photographers say is the most beautiful spot in the planet. I do agree. It is 'the big wave'. A small boulder-canyon of sandstone which resembles ocean waves. 
Since I met in Kenya a famous german photographer I have been dreaming of this place. It is very restricted area, only 10 tickets are given everyday by lottery, so I was determined to camp there and try my luck until they give me one. I got one of the lottery tickets in my third try, and it still makes me smile. It is so beautiful, my friends, so beautiful…

Anyway, I am european so I am not supposed to speak good things about the imperialist country. I have to stop here. And I am not kidding if I said that I felt south California quite different from the rest of the states I visited. People were on their business, a bit distant, always in a rush, living lives ruled by a watch and a schedule, and very very obsessed with consumerism... One of the places that you can feel that people is measured for what they have, not for what they are. But… even here, I met nice fellows! 
Actually, one of the most remarkable things of the US is the diversity of the people, regarding their principles, their behave. You can find in the same street a tough cowboy that writes 'freedom fries' in his cafe menu, an old hippie smiling at you, a group of pirates on their Harley Davison, a snob gentleman looking down your bicycle from his antique car, a cheerful handful of young guys ready to do a kayak trip, or a peaceful lady leaning on her Yoga saloon door… whatever. Pretty funny.

Back again to my european friends, yes, guys, it is true: they claim they have been in the moon and yet they do not know how to make tasty cheese. What to say about the black water they call 'coffee', the 'vegetarian' beans (there is any kind of non-vegetarian beans?)… well, tasty food is not a target in this country, they love peanut butter!!!
Another thing very remarkable from an european point of view is the car culture, they spend more time inside the car that outside. With dozens of cup holders inside their vehicles, well, they have cup holders even in the supermarket carts…. But seriously, they are crazy about cars, the bigger it is, the more awesome you are… this made me feel sad, watching thousand and thousands of those huge 4x4 vehicles sending emissions without any reason, just to drive you to the grocery store.

So, to make bigger the smile of my non-american friends, I will tell you the two things here that impressed me the most. First: money, money is God and the nation's dream is wealth, no matter how. Second, when somebody offers you 'let's have a coffee, it means literally to have a coffee, nothing about to sit down and talk nicely about life; just grab the coffee and get back into the car. And become mad choosing which cup holder you prefer to use.
Oh! There is a third one!: the suing issue. Since you can sue to anyone from the goverment to the coffee stall, you can sue the gas station owner because you belong to a minority that drinks coffee with milk from bulgarian goats and they do not have it and you feel outcast, and you can make real good money (remember, wealth, no matter how, mrs. Levinsky knew about it).This makes everybody pretty careful about everything. So, the cups for coffee have the words 'this drink can be hot' or the peanut butter container says 'this container may contain peanuts'. Well… this is not the best ambassador of the US cleverness!

Well, anyway, I made into San Diego crossing the Mohave desert, which I really liked. And the Salton lake, full of birds, quiet. Very nice desert. And I spent in the city some days with a good friend that I met in Mongolia. Again a surprise, California set up does exist. Life here is like in the movies, everything is perfect and beautiful; the parks along the beaches, the palms, the old cars, the fancy shops and restaurants. I liked this city.

So, do you want to enjoy the US and you think it is expensive? Well, you are right. There is no public transport net, since everyone has at least a car, so you have to rent a car. And hotels start from 40$… but come on a bicycle. You can camp easily in the public parks in small towns, or ask somebody to camp in his garden, and of course in plenty of lonely spots in the national forests. To be honest, there is a lot of contact with nature, really good places to camp and nobody will disturb you. Food in supermarkets is cheaper than in Europe and you can make it with 6-7$ a day, plus the warmshowers community is very friendly and helpful. People like cyclists, they like foreigners, and they will make you feel happy in their country. Do not get biased by propaganda.

But even I did enjoy very much the US, well, Mexico is something different. Not only that I left behind an excess of wealth which with I do not agree, neither I need at all, but the latin life… my friends, it is just different. I had a crazy introduction in crazy Tijuana, and after this I have cycled the Baja California peninsula. Scenery is nothing great, cold in winter, very windy; the desert is not nice, neither the beaches. But people is sweet. In spanish, we say that Love has a brown skin. I think so.

From here, I will take a ferry to mainland and cycle towards the Tarahumara mountains, where live the rarámuri community. Then, southwards…



United States, August 2011.
Journey from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Montana, US.

I am in Montana, US. In the house of my friends Bonnie and Tim, who I met in Kyrgyzstan 3 years ago. To meet again friends from the journey is something great. I feel them like my brothers. The ride in North America is so far, easier than expected. Scenery is great, people is friendly and laid-back, and days are trouble-free, but some mechanical issues. Food… well, this is where McDonald rules! 
I let you know about last 3 months of the journey.

I flew to Anchorage from Tokyo and I had a great welcome from my friend Dave. He took me to Denali NP and I could enjoy 4 sunny days, including a perfect view of McKinley mountain, which is pretty rare to happen.
Dave advised me to not expect this weather in Alaska forever, and yes, he was right. Not until Calgary when I enjoyed again 4 sunny days in a row. I would say that in Alaska and Canada the weather is shitty, but better to say: it rains very often.

Well, my friend, do you know about sincronicity law? This is when things happen in the right moment… Sometimes I think I am blessed by a star. In Anchorage, I met Fred, a cheerful AirAlaska pilot, and he asked me 'do you want to cycle down to Argentina from the very north?' 'YES'. And he gave me a pass to fly to where the Artic is: Deadhorse/Prudhoe Bay.
And this is how the world makes me go around. If it is not because of the good people I met everywhere I go, honestly, a poor gypsy on a cheap bicycle could not make it. Thanks!

So, I was there, the 2nd of June, right in the very north, willing to start the Big Downhill to Argentina. Obviously, in the Artic coast there are not coconut palms to welcome cyclists, and what I got once I left the airport was -3 celsius degrees and a bloody wind that cracks the penguins skin.
First 3 days in the tundra were great and rough. This ecosystem is unique, difficult to see in the world, and still lots of ice on the barren land of the tundra. Sometimes the wind was so strong that pushed me off the road, and there was not relief but at 'night' (the sun is up 24 hours there), when I tried to sleep some hours in a tent shaken by the wind. Anyway, after the Brook range, I reached the taiga and weather was better. Small trees start here too, and they become taller and taller all the way south. Yet, there are not villages for more than 800 kilometers.

This road, the Dalton HW, leads eventually to Fairbanks: 830 k. with only 2 cafe-restaurants. It is a stony, or muddy, or gravel road, so you can guess that it is a real adventure road. Well, it is not. The reality is, although you have to be self-contained with the food, the camping and the equipment problems, you share the road with the oil company trucks, the goods transport trucks, few motorbikers and some intrepid motorhomes. I mean, the famous Dalton HW is rough and it is a personal challenge, but in case of need, you are never alone. I found myself cycling covered in mud (like in Africa!), climbing one steep hill more, and then, speechless to see how a clean tourist inside his pick-up was taking a picture of me. He did not say 'hello' even… 

Anyway, the road is demanding and I arrived in Fairbanks exhausted. My friends Janet and Robert took great care of me and I rested enough. But I noticed that the way to Calgary was pretty much the same: long distances between towns, 800-1200 k (which means supermarkets, for me), and an impressive wilderness… again shared with motorhomes and the scattered plus expensive campsites.
It is a weird feeling for me. I went through great sceneries, lot of mountains, glaciers, lakes, wildlife, and I camped on my own. I had to carry food in my panniers for up to 12 days, be aware of bears when cooking and camping, and all this happened among hundreds of motorhomes which carry the same comfort that they have at home. I felt like Robinson Crusoe living in the corner of Hawaii islands. Really weird. But this is not Central Asia and it is what they call 'adventure and remoteness' in the First World.

Anyway, the journey is great there. In Yukon the scenery was really stunning, wide valleys and snowed mountains, lots of ice in the rivers, and great spots to camp. It is an huge and empty territory, plus the midnight sun, which makes even more weird the atmosphere.
Soon, I got used to cross with a motorhome every 20 minutes or meet them in a point of view, but also, it is true that after 6 p.m., if there was a noise, I knew it was a moose or a bear rather than a tourist.
Bears did not bother me. Really. I think that many northamerican people overrate the issue. Sometimes I feel that they want to believe they are in danger, they are adventurous. Opposite than tourists, hunters and rangers have a different outlook and they minimized the danger to the ground. 'Just do not be stupid', they said to me.

I saw more than 30 bears on the road along the way and I camped alone, and never a single problem. The bears are busy eating for the winter and when they saw me, they stood on two legs, realized I was a human, and kept eating without paying attention to me. I could take pictures of them often. Of course, when camping I put my food far from my tent, but I did not carry any bear-spray (40$!... What a business!), neither I think it is a good idea.
So, I saw bears in the same way that wildlife in Africa. They do not want to mess with us and most of the problems are caused by a wrong human behave and fear. But local people seems always to enjoy talking about non-existent dangers, it does not matter if they are bears, or terrorists, or just a neighbor with a different color of skin. This does not help to make a better world, neither to encourage the people to enjoy the world. It just brings unfair fear.

So, I crossed to British Columbia, which is less wild than Alaska and Yukon, but more spectacular. Lakes are stunning emerald color, forested, with lots of glaciers, and some of these glaciers are really close to the road. Of course, it is more touristic because it is closer to very developed south Canada.
But in BC I had the most quiet road though, the Cassiar HW. A small road with almost no services for about 900 k. Full of thick forest and silence, really beautiful, with lots of animals.

After, I joined a main road, N-16, and further the Icefields NP, so the road became pretty busy. Anyway, the road have a good reputation and I would say it is the most spectacular all the way from Alaska, full of emerald lakes and glaciers. Also, lot of tourists. The NP is pretty long, almost 300 k, and although it is a public road, they have a toll gate with the 'NP reason'. In Canada there is not affirmative law to encourage the use of bicycles, therefore, bicycles pay too. Not cheap, 10$ per day!
I paid one day fee and then, I camped hidden during 6 days. You cannot be a good boy in rich countries!

Well, I reached Calgary and I met my friends Mike and Ruby, and this was a big thing. They have traveled by motorbike almost the whole world, and I met them first time in Nairobi, 4 years ago. But I missed them in Ulanbaator, Mongolia, for one day! So, we were very happy to meet, and they really treated me. They are great people.

About the budget for a cyclist here. Well, it is not that bad. If you stick yourself to self-catering, a food shopping of 70$ will last 8-10 days in Canada, and 10-12 in the US (cheaper). But you must buy only in big supermarkets because grocery stores in small villages are expensive. So, I got used to carry tons of food with me. I am dreaming of Mexico standards….
 Anyway, even if it is possible, it is a bit stoic here because you cannot stop for a rest in a cafeshop anywhere. There is nothing to drink or eat below 1'5-2$. Even the coffee! And I swear that this stuff they call coffee should be free, or even you should get paid for drinking it!
Libraries are a good place to stop and get a shelter from the rain, or just a rest. They have picnic tables and free internet. Also parks and visitor centers are good.
Accommodation is out of mind. Even the 'state campgrounds' cost from 10$ to 16$... for a spot that is surrounded by motorhomes and with no showers!
Much better to camp wild, and I promise you that you will get a more beautiful spot, silence, and no shower either.

For cyclists, here there is again another wonder of rich countries: warmshowers people. Warmshowers.org is an hospitality club for cyclists, and thanks to them I had not only a warm shower from time to time, but a delicious food and the chance to meet nice local people, and have a great chat. So, I do thank to all the kind hosts that I met on the way, and now they are my friends. Thanks very much.

Within next weeks I will cross a good number of kilometers: 100.000! I am almost 99.000 right now.




Japan, January 2011.
Journey from Beijing, China, to Kobe, Japan.

I am in Kobe, central Japan, which is perhaps the country I ever most wished to visit. I am in the house of my friend Kim, living with his family, and this is a luxury experiencie.
Japan has an extraordinary different and sophisticated culture, therefore, be able to live inside a family is just a wonderful gift.

After 90.280 km in nearly 5 years cycling, my body and mind are pretty tired. I need a long rest and put things in order. then, I will decide what to do with my life next.
I let you know about last months.

In Beijing I had really good time with my polish friend Adam. I wanted to stay longer but summer was ending and Mongolia too close. For a nomadic life this is maybe the biggest 'problem': to choose between to stay or leave. Such a problem, isn't it? this is a good life, indeed.
So, after 3 weeks in Beijing I left with some cyclist friends and very soon we started to enjoy a clean sky, leaving behind the polluted chinese skies. Also delicious chinese food was left behind, unfortunately. I love it, and to be honest, I would not invest in a mongolian restaurant in my home country...

In August, the Govi desert is not very tough. It is always windy and in parts sandy, but temperature was never over 42, 43 celsius degrees.
There is no a clear road to follow. basically there are deep tracks in the land, a railway and energy or phone poles. all of them help. we followed sometimes the track closer to the railway, sometimes the poles, and we made it. Along the railway it is easy to find water in small stations every 20-30 km (but this means half day cycling in Govi). Far from there, we had to carry 10-12 liters enough for a day.
Even with the great panorama it is not the most exciting desert in the world to cross. Wind is coming from north and there are thousands of thorns in the sand, so we got lots of punctures everyday.
But they are building a new road. Maybe next year finished. and already, the last 200 k are paved but we missed them because a huge mechanic problem. So, with sad faces we had to arrive by train in Ulanbaator.

With everything fixed, more or less, we left for the steppes... my dear friend, this is one of the most beautiful and wild lands in the planet. All what you have is a huge view as far as your eyes can reach, a carpeted land of grass, clear rivers and a small track on the surface that in places can be even difficult to follow.
On a bicycle you are able to cross one or two villages a day (provided you do 70-90 k) but there are gers (yurts) everywhere, and they are extremely friendly. Always they invited us to go in, drink some tea and eat dairy products. Much better than restaurants...


There is no rubbish, not a single publicity advertisment or sing of civilization. Just nature. We lived cooking our food, bathing in rivers, sleeping in tent everyday, breathing pure air and enjoying open spaces, forested mountains, horses running on the rivers, eagles flying over our heads... well, this also means that you must carry on the bike a house and half bicycle shop, love cold cold water, rough roads with no bridges and consider that your tent is a confortable place to live in. Do not come here expecting thailand tourism infrastructure!

In the stunning Khovsgol lake we were up to 6 cyclist, 4 of us long distance travellers, good company! Anyway, also I wanted to enjoy September with the silence of nature, so I went alone again, but only for 2 weeks. Mongolia roads are very rough for bicycles, so imagine for a cheap and old bike as mine is. Hardly I have a month without something broken.


I started to have serious problems and decided to cycled back to Ulanbaator. So luckily, that my rear hub definitely broke at the door of Idre's guesthouse...!
Well, friends, you may wonder if Ulanbaator is a good place to fix a bicycle, and.. just come and have a look in the bikes corner at the big market.. that's all you can get!
But, ok, with some chinese spare parts and some western ones (that I did not want to ask how they got), I fixed more or less my bike with the hope that they would last until the first russian city. And they did it!
I enjoyed a rest and slowly slowly, with the first nights below zero, the 1st of october I was at the Siberian border.

If you are a traveler, you may ask yourself how this bloody spanish gypsy can get a russian visa on the road, since this is not allowed by russian laws. Well, let's say that even a gypsy can be lucky enough to have a friend in an important building of Moscow, and I will tell you the full story with a beer some day...

Siberia was not easy for me. After 30 km I stopped in a farm to ask for water. Dogs were very agressive and the man come to me. I saw a strange look in his eyes but I did not realized the problem until he ordered the dogs to attack me. Fine. I managed to escape but I got some serious bites and lots of blood. Back on the road, I did an emergency cleaning and a car took me to a close hospital where they stitched and desinfected my injures properly. Very kindly.

So, I learnt very fast two important things in Russia: some people are absolutely crazy because poorness and alcoholism and they are dangerous. The second, some people have such a big heart that it cannot fit even in the Kremlim. Fortunately, the mayority of russians are the latest and you can indentify the dangerous people by the strange look on their eyes.

I spent 4 days in hospital where nurses and patients took care of me, for no money. As soon I started to walk, I started to cycle too, and with the help of some painkillers I arrived in Ulan Ude, the city with the biggest Lenin head in Russia.
I spent 2 days invited by a hotel and also I realized that russians were very interested in my story. They are very romantic, old fashioned, and they like very much the idea of crossing the world on a bicycle, exposed to nature and living in fragility.

In Africa and Asia, only few people share the western love for adventures and challenges; once and again, they always asked me 'why?', so I was very happy to be accepted, and supported. They respected my style of living.
Well, I boutgh some winter clothes and started the next stretch, to Chita city. October is still fine and it was only arriving in Chita when I had first very cold nights and happy breakfast at -16 celsius degrees in my tent... this is pure taiga land, with few villages and kafes, so to get water became a problem since small rivers were under ice, and some food freeze very soon in my bags. Still, I was fine.

I woke up before the down (days are short), cooked breakfast and put in a flask extra podrrige for the road, also water in flask, and in the afternoon I cleaned my tent of ice to be ready for the evening. Some camp spots were very beautiful, always hidden in the taiga forest. Sunsets are very long and beautiful in October.


In Chita I made some friends and I was invited to stay with Nastya and Misha, very good an sport-people. I was worried about the next stretch, to Skovordino city, because of unsafety reputation and distances much more longer. There are many reports of assalts but I wanted to try. I was stupid.

220 km after Chita I was assalted. A guy with a motorbike broke my wheel and I was in the middle of a lonely road with a bad circumstances scene.
But, in somehow, I enjoy a protection from the sky or wherever, and one car passed by and stopped. 3 men helped me, the bandit ran away and they drove me back to Chita.
I had again a taste of russian kindness. Nastya and Misha took care of me as a brother. I was very sad because in 5 years this was the first time I felt unsafe (even though I crossed some war regions in Africa, Kurdistan or Afghanistan, I was never scared before).

Nastya spreaded the story and very soon many good russians supported me and asked how to help. After the dogs and the bandit, I was not in the mood of suffering a third problem, I thought that Life was giving me some clues to avoid a fatal third one...and some days later I put my bike in a truck and I crossed this dangerous region for Far East Russia.

My friends wanted to drive me until Blagovenchensk region, which is civilizated and safer, but I still wanted to taste again coldness. So, I started to cycle again in Skovordino, some 600 km from the attack place.
There was too much snow and cold. For 3 days I was unable to camp, because it was the first winter snow fall, and pushing the bike to find a hidden place for camping through one meter high snow...too much for me! I could not leave the road, which already was very iced, so I had to adapt the ride to the towns distances. sometimes 70, sometimes 115 km.
By the way, November starts to be very cold. You need winter tyres there. A spanish bikeshop from Barcelona gave two spiky tyres as a present.

In towns I was always welcomed by the townhall and got a place to sleep, warm. Sometimes a school, stadium, theather, soviet flat, and very often they invited me to stay in a hotel. Very friendly and helpful people. Russians always wanted to give me food, clothes, money... they are very generous and they were very worried for me about the cold on the road.

During the dayIi cycled and made short breaks to eat very fast some biscuits. Then kept going. -15 or -10 celsius degrees is not a nice temperature to have lazy breaks! Even in the afternoon, when it was -3 or sometimes 0 degrees, I did not stop too long.
Actually, the coldness gave me a lot of energy. It made me feel stronger and always in the mood of moving, happy. I never cycled before in such a cold weather and I think I was also happy to be facing the challenge of coldness without many troubles. It is easier than you are thinking!

Later, there was less snow and I camped again on the way to Khabarovsk. So I had again lovely nights inside my freezer. Funny to wake up and have the inner tent absolutely iced because of transpiration!

I arrived in Khabarovsk just starting to snow again. It lasted 4 days and blocked roads and airport, made streets look like a skiing resort. For russians it is normal but for me it was very beautiful. Now, I love snow and coldness!
I stay there with my friend Boris and family, very good russian people.


Then, I started the last stretch to Vladivostok. This was the hardest for me. The road was very iced, cars were dangerous because of slippering wheels, and cold, very cold. Never a maximum temperature over -7 or -5.

I started to feel tired, maybe because last 10 months with Tibet and Mongolia have been very demanding and I did not rest properly. So, I began to have cramps and pain in some tendons. I had to slow down to 50-60 k a day. Mostly I camped in snowed forests but also I stayed in towns where russians always hosted me.


In East Russia, like some other parts in the world, there is no tourism. So, travelers can enjoy a taste of how the world was before the tourism boom. I love these regions. maybe there are not big monuments to see, lovely ruins or sugar-sand beaches, but you get a deep contact with the people and for me that is the real reason behind traveling.
Since you are not a tourist but a foreigner travelling, very fast you are treated as a friend, somebody who is passing by and need help to keep going. Russians always opened their houses and hearts for me.

Eventually, very tired, I arrived in Vladivostok in a beautiful morning, plenty of snow, and I saw the ocean. The end of Euroasian continent, the end of a long journey. And I got such a big energy and happiness that my body stopped painning.

I had to wait somedays for the ferry to japan, and I was welcomed by my friends Vladimir and Nina, russian 4x4 travelers. I met lots of people in city, made lots of friends, and all of them treated me very kindly, as a close friend. they made me love Russia and russians. I will come back again!

Now I have to rest. Finally, I gave Kim back the lucky coin he gave me almost 4 years ago in Cape Town.

I want to experience japanese culture, make some money, and decide what is next. I would like to cycle the whole america, but let's see. First, I have to rest a bit.

 
China, August 2010.
Journey from Zhongdian to Beijing, China.
i am in beijing, a very special moment in my journey. i rode into the chinese capital feeling that half of this world was coming behind me. too many people i have met last 4.5 years, good friends, good stories, and many experiencies that have change my life. all of them are with me now, and i think this is a treasure hard to messure. even more, my good friend adam, polish, has begun to work here, so one year after we cycled in indonesia we are having again good time together. i am very happy!

and well, i left zhongdian with bad weather, and for the next 2500 km i had only 5 sunny days in the tibetan mountains. you know, i am from southspain, i need the sun, so it was pretty sad to open every morning my snowed or iced tent and see, shit, one more cloudy day. it wasn't really low temperature, lowest it was -7 inside the tent, but the thing that brang me down was that springtime never came. day after day, week after week.

lots of high passes, 18 between 4000-5000 meters, a constant strong wind coming straight from where gods cool the beers, storms everysecond day, and food not very nutricious, all together made the tibetan months a good challenge for me after relaxed southeast asia. a man has to prove himself from time to time...

i saw some good mountains, specially from litang to manigango, and i experience the tibetan hospitality. every time i stopped to warm myself a bit, i had a great welcome to the stove, with free tsampa and lots of yak teas. and if these people can live and work there without gloves, and still smile... i had to do it too! i have gloves!

zhongdian to litang is a good ride, specially daxueshan pass area. it can be tricky because bad road and bad weather. i got stuck there for 2 days in a shelter, talking with a hungry dog. finally, i ran out of food so i crossed the 2 sets of the pass with snow, pushing some slippering kms.

this area is still very pretty with forests and great rivers. arriving in litang i saw the first classic open tibetan valley, huge flat area edged by rising white mountains.

again until ganze, beautiful scenery with ceders forest that reaches higher than 4000 meters. also, the big castle-houses of the tibetans are wonderful. very interesting culture.

it was early april so still some problems with the chinese police. once they had a big chain at the junction of a canyon and did not let me go through. big discussion, i could not go back, neither forward (....) eventually, i promised them to go to a hotel in xilong town and they trusted me. of course, i did not!

second time they wanted to bus me out, and well this is a longer story but i managed to vanish. the side effect is that another spanish cyclist follow my route 6 weeks later, and he told me that the police stopped him and his swiss girlfriend in this town, and when they realized his passport was spanish... they got very angry and put their bicycles in a police car and drove them 80 km out! i felt guilty...

but other times, police chinese was very friendly, specially when i stopped at a checkpoint during a storm. they feed me and let me rest for a while.

from ganze to manigango scenery is great too, slowly slowly, trees are less and less, and the wide, open, gentle tibetan valleys were the scenery for next weeks. the wind is stronger there. somedays, as early as 12 am, i was exhausted and dreaming of my tent, to pitch my tent and rest inside safely from the killing wind. but i forced myself to do 60 km a day at least, and well, now i know i did more than i can, and i arrived in xi'an too tired. no power at all even for a smile.

if you ever go to manigango, please, do not miss the lake 13 km from the village. real beautiful one, no photoshop postcard.

after manigango, my plan was to try to sneak into tibet-lhasa from jushu, but as you know, they had a terrible earthquake, so i changed my plan. i went north and eastwards for 3 more weeks. very high plateau, always between 4300-4900 meters. the wind was crazy there! it kicked my bike down, breaking some staff, and even it broke my tent. later, i told the story to vaude company, and they sent me to xi'an a new tent. thanks very much!

well, eventually i reached xi'an and i stopped. i was exhausted. many times i had to rest and i did not, my body was acking fighting with the bad weather and i did not pay attention. every time i could rest i told myself 'you'll rest a lot in the grave, salva, now go ahead', so it took me a lot to recover and look my bicycle with good eyes again.

but now i am very happy, i feel lots of energy inside of me.

after the 3 weeks rest i went north and then eastwards, to beijing. remote areas of china with little development and i had great welcomes by chinese people. it's said that hospitality is not a custom for asian people, but believe me, i had very good experiences here. and when they can comunicate a little, they treated me as a prince, always smiling and happy to host a laowe (white man). they can be very very sweet. also this area is very interesting, with a particular style of digged houses. i enjoyed it.

about prices, well. tibetan areas are sightly more priced in food, but accomodation gets crazy there. they ask for a room without running water, neither toilet, some 10 usd easily. but there is no problem for camping. everykm is a spot. and in some big towns there is public showers with hot water.

in east china, food is excelente and cheap. between 1-2 usd you get a meal enough for a hungry cyclist. very nutricious. but accomodation is not cheap as in yunnan and sichuan provinces. dorms for chinese people do not allow foreigners very often, they are cheap, 1-2 euros. but if you persist, some chinese people have good compasion feeling and most of the times they allow me and they did not say to the police that a laowe was there! good!
i am ok, in zhongdian, china, at 3200 altitude. it is snowing in the mornings, rainning in the afternoons, and the road norhwards into the tibetan areas of yunnan and sichuan seems to be closed to 'aliens' (word for westerner here). it does not look easy, but maybe tomorrow things can change. let's see. i let you know about my journey from last time, cambodia.


China, April, 2010.
Journey from Cambodia to Zhongdian, China.

obviously i went to visit ankor wat. very touristic but it is impressive, and i had a very special jump into the new year there: full moon in such a wonderful place. my favourite temple was bayon, i saw sunrise there 3 times. a bit magical with all this buddhist faces getting lighted slowly.

i liked cambodia very much. warm people and idilic secondary roads with plenty trees and orange clay surface. also cheap.

then i crossed to thailand again. since thai visa is free, i crossed into laos using the eastern side of thailand.

well, i love thai culture. in can understand why westerners come here and stay forever. they are lovely, food is great, wheather is good, and life is easy. many tourists say that hot spots in thailand became mad and spoiled the people. well, i do not know, i did not go to any of them, but the normal country is just great. i spent the last days of my visa stuck in a lovely town on the mekong river and it seemed to me i could stay there forever.

then, laos... well... the best thing i can say is that chinese embassy in vientianne is very laid-back and i got a 3+3 months double entry visa without any problem (these days, china visas are not easy). of course, i did not say a single truth to them, actually, they believed i am a painter very interested in chinese caligraphy courses!

but i did not like laos very much. it is ok, but many people told me it was spectacular. not in my opinion. maybe if i were 20 and interested in being drunk 12 hours a day... it is a good country for party!

but food is the worst i tasted since turkmenistan, ridiculously expensive (they have to import everything), people is shy, distant... scenery is beautiful in some rides norhwards, but nothing unique.

i was happy to cross to vietnam. viets are rougher, an interesting mix of comunism-capitalism-legacy from war, all put toguether in an asian pot without gods.

they are closer, they want always to speak with me, to smile, they are very alive!

i cycled only the north. some cyclists told me the ride from south is pretty horrible with heavy traffic. the north is a mountain area, inhabited by minorities (same in northen laos and thailand), colourful dressed, and friendly. it was vet, the chinese new year holidays, so i was invited everywhere to eat, drink and dance. good time.

but february-march are not good months for cycling there. rain, cold and a lot of mist. bad for pictures, but very romantic sceneries of big karst rising straight from the green paddy fields in the mist. i would say northen vietnam has been the most beautiful scenery since indonesia.

there is no traffic in the mountains but getting closer to hanoi... yes. and they horn. same in china. it's a torture, sometimes even it is real pain in the hear.

viet people like money and they do not see anything wrong in lying or cheating to get it. to get rich is an honorable thing in this part of the world. so, be careful here. you must bargain strongly always (not in countryside, where people is really happy to see a white and they rarely cheat me), and specially in hanoi.

this is a great city, full of life, noise, and cheap beer on the street (well, many europeans used to describe spain in similar terms!...), but watch out! many hilton hotels, many agencies that copy the name of a succesful one. remember this culture do not see anything wrong copying all what they like. so, much of all is fake, from a mp3 player to your booking hotel!

basically, hotels have a higher standar than in other asian countries and you will pay from 5-6$ for a double room with bath and tv. food is 1$ and delicious. in markets is much cheaper but rice quality is lower.

to me, after the relaxed buddhist countries, it was a wake up. i liked vietnam. and people seem to be rude at first glance, agressive, but give them a while and you'll see they are nice.

of course, i have seen 'indochina' movie, so since my twenties i wanted to visit ha long bay. my friends, this is (in my opinion) a real unique place. it is wonderful. spechless.

then, i went norhwards following the red river, aiming to cross the tropic line and china.

china border is first. big changes. 10 years ago, at the karakoram border with pakistan, they checked all my bicycle bags, they turned back socks, looked in the dirty clothes bag... and now, i got the stamp in 5 minutes, a warm smile, they did not even scan my bags, and welcome to china!

in these 3 weeks here i also realized people's actitude towards the west is different. expats here say 'big big changes in china'.

they have curiosity instead of arrogance, they are closer, funny, helpful, they always try their best to comunicate with me despite the language barrier. i cannot say china is boring. it is fascinating. i am very seduced by them.

food is delicious and very wide range of dishes. between 1-1.5$ you get a big meal, and 2nd bowl of rice is free. also tea is free.

markets are full of fruits and vegetables, not in many countries you can find fresh mangoes, apples, grapes, pinnaples, oranges... all together.

accomodation starts at 2 euros (but police do not like aliens in these cheap hostels, so you must insist a lot) and for 4 euros you have an excellent double room with bath, tv, tea, towel... in touristic places there is always hostels with dormitory and free internet from 2 euros.

i followed red river canyon for a while. then, forced to climb northwards and after some nice mountain scenery at 2000 m, down again. last part of the red river is a great canyon, beautiful, but even there, close to its sources, the river is contaminated. china, my friends, is not very worried about nature. they are developing all the country at such fast speed, and they do not mind side effects of technology.

well, i went to dali and lijiang, both old cities at 2000 m, with an impressive domestic tourism. hundreds and hundreds. they are beautiful towns, nice buildings, gardens, squares, pools, but also they are huge open shopping malls. and well, you cannot avoid certain feeling that the old town has been building,... not long time ago! but on the road you can see old villages without make-up.

from lijiang, big mountain scenery starts. really great. i took an alternative route to zhongdian, instead of the road 214, and i had my first passes over 3000 m since afghanistan. snowed peaks at 5500 m, huge valleys, green terraces falling for more than 1000 meters, and even a small version of pamukkale pools, at bai shui tai. but here, instead of a view crowded by dozens of turkish hotels, you have an impressive mountain scenery and all the pools for yourself.

and well, i reached zhongdian 3 days ago. i wanted to stay here one day, to check how tough are the checkpoints into tibetan areas, and the bad weather has trapped me here longer. i hope tomorrow will be better. it is said the road to litang is challenging and spectacular, with some passes over 4000 m. i do not want to cycle it inside a cloud!

china is more a challenging country than the southeast asia, where i met more tourists than travelers by far. southeast asia is a holidays region, very nice for a deserved rest! so here i started to meet long distance cyclists, long term travelers, and i want to introduce you one of them, mr. hutch or haqi. he is from the us, 70 years old, cycling and living in china for the last 5 years, and even he carried the olympic torch in xining! next 15th april he is leading a cyclist group into tibet legally, with the aim to reach mount kailash.

i had the honour to be his gest in lijiang and get inspired by his soul. very strong and extremely generous man! world need more people like him.

and if you want to cycle here, i would recommend all northen areas of thai-lao-vietnam. no traffic, some nice scenery and friendly people. in china, secondary roads in a map can be a new highway now in the reality. but i suggest to avoid all those old national roads that run along a parallel new toll highway, since they do not have maintenance at all. at all. in china as soon you get in a mountain area the traffic is almost inexistent.



Cambodia, December 2009.

Journey from Lombok, Indonesia, to Sihanoukville, Cambodia.

i am in Sihanoukville, enjoying a short rest after some hard km full of beauty and wilderness. also a bit uneasy because i do not fit too much with the southeast asia tourism, so i try to avoid big touristic spots.


here, they sell confort holidays and more (...) at cheap price, and ok, for me it is good since i have to rest from time to time. but in these spopts there is no authentic contac or true experiencies, everything is a matter of money, and i mean everything. well, world is big enough and there is room for everytaste.

i let you know my itinerary from last email, in lombok.

after a long rest on the beach, i crossed to bali, where i was invited by an extraordinary man to stay and enjoy bali culture. i saw dances and temples very beautiful, great, and i have one more good friend now.

the last night i stay, i asked my friend tri, please, tomorrow you have to ask me something to do for you. he said ok, but in the morning he just smiled and let me go.

indeed, he has a good heart, he is happy, he makes feel his family happy, and even they have money, so, what could i give him but my friendship and my steps in his life?

well, then i crossed to java and singapore. very fast. and my mum came to visit me. wonderful. what can i say?... to see my mother after almost 4 years... we had very good 3 weeks toguether.

slowly slowly i went northwards, to bangkok. malaysia is a nice country, you see a lot of birds, and it is easy to travel, you do not need to worry too much for food or a place to sleep. same in thailand.

i crossed the west side since monsoon was heavy on the ast. i was afraid of thailand because this is the most touristic country here, but until i reached krabi i did not see anyone. only friendly thai people.

so, as i said before, i did not like too much tourism areas in thailand, and i avoided phuket and the like, and kept going by the west through a lot of forest and limestone mountains. great scenery.

the non-touristic thailand is filled with friendly people and a lot of local contact. although english is not spoken at all.

such a wonderful people made the country good reputation, i guess. but touristic places are full of banana pankakes instead of delicious fried mango, or tom yam, or coco nut soups.

eventually, the wonderful west along the burma border joined the east road in the narrow area south of bangkok. then, a lot of traffic and no more forest. (sue, i will not recomend your town. we must keep this place free of banana pankakes!)

i stopped in bangkok to fix my bike and to buy spare parts for next months. i did not like the city, but some temples are nice. strange feeling i had there. and i had yet one more month of thai visa, but... cambodia was so near, and i am not going to waste my life in the tarmac!, so i went to cambodia.

i wanted to cross cardamom mountains, and had no clue if it was possible. only a blog of two cyclists that in the middle of the jungle decided to stop and comeback.

if you have no tarmac, no towns, no bridges, but jungle and hills, your maps are useless and you have no idea where you are going to get water again... you are a happy cyclist. i mean, it is what i feel when there is no info and wilderness.

almost 300 km of rural life with very simle but friendly cambodian people, where the route is a question, the trail is made of clay and mud, and sometimes the jungle is so thick that barely you can go through. it is an amazing route, specially the last 95 km where there is nobody but jungle.

i pushed a lot the bike in steep hills, river crossings, went deep into the mud, hurted myself everywhere with branches, stones or bike fallings. and i was happy everyhour, breathing the wilderness. it is supossed you finish very tired of this stretches but it is not like this, what you get is a lot of energy from life. one more brick of life that i collected in this journey.

in kok kong i wanted to rest and have a beer to celebrate my birthday (it was on the road) but i did not like it, so i went to sihanouk, which is a holiday beach, comfortable and chea. also because i need to get a vietnan visa and this is the best place to (40$, in the spot, 30 days)

visa for cambodia is 20$ at most thai borders. officers ask for 1000 baths (30$) or more, and many whites pay that saying they get rid of hassle.

i do not agree. why we do things outside europe that we would not ever do in europe? in africa this fact was specially sad for me, i say there many things i did not like.

please, you are not an experienced or tough guy if you pay bribes, just you are paying with money your lack of skills or principles. we do need to export the few human rights and justice obtained in the west to the developing countries, not only macdonals and phones.

well, sorry for that. it is just my opinion.

visa for thailand -right now and until march- is free at embassies and you get two months. at land borders, 15 days free as well.

please, note that thai embassy in cambodia and viceversa are closed due to political problems.

lao visa is available at most thai borders but not in the cambodian side (well, i did not check it yet, but i am pretty sure)

if you need a bike shop, i think the best place in southeast asia is bangkok (singapore too, but very expensive). everything is there, even ortlieb products.

i recommend velothailand and bikezone. probike is the best stocked one, but i would not take my bike to their mechanic.

in kuala lumpur, ksh is excellent too, but the real good mechanic is the boss. do not leave your beloved machine inhands of the youth there!

you can eat in malaysia and thailand between 1$ and 1 euro. in cambodia for 1$ is not enough for a cyclist meal, but strangely, 20 cents more make the meal endless.

accomodation in malaysia is cheap in dorms, 3$. in non touristic places is expensive but you can sleep in gardens, hindu temples (yes, true, not like in india) or in any public place. hospitality is not a custom.

in thailand, it is same, but you get a simple room instead of the dorm. anyway, there is a srong culture of free accomodation in buddhist temples. very peaceful places full of trees and ... silence, of course. (solo woman are not allowed, but couples i think it is fine. not sure)

same in cambodia, accomodation is mostly between 3-5$ (usually double room but not discount if you are alone. they expect you bring some company for the night...)

in sihanoukville you can sleep for free in dorm in some happy guesthouses. i tried in one and before i reached reception i was offered hachis and young lady, so since i prefer drugs and sex in a different ambience, i left.

water, despite people say, is ok. i drank always tap water without a single problem. but mostly you will be offer boiled water.

in brief, very easy and pleasant countries to travel in, but if you want fun, better to look for cambodian secondary roads. or come back to indonesian forest!

from here i will go to angkor bat, and most likely some other ancient temples, provided thais and cambodians do not start a war! 


Indonesia, August 2009.
Journey from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Lombok, Indonesia.


i am enjoying a rest after 4 months of cycling in the islands. i am tired, very tired.

i left kuala lumpur, middle may, with adam, a long-distance cyclist from poland that i met first time in samarkand, uzbekistan. so, we spent a confortable week in malaysia peninsula, camping in hot springs and enjoying beautiful cameroon highlands. also by chance we had a good night with the aborigen people in the jungle.

we crossed to sumatra from georgetown, close to thailand border. there is a cheaper ferry from malaca but it crosses to middle sumatra.

we had a very good 5 weeks in sumatra. everything is here, volcanos, lakes, mountains, jungle, beaches... but the best jem is the people. such a wonderful smiling people. they make us feel welcome always. they smile all time like clones of dalai lama. i believe they are very happy, not rich, not poor, living in a blessed land and always in family. they gave us a lot of positive energy, you cannot be sad in sumatra!

there are not many cyclists in sumatra and rest of indonesia surprisingly, maybe because is remote and the western media only speak about natural disasters and sporadic terrorism, but it has been a highlight of my travel so far.

may is the end of rainning season, so weather is nice with some showers. everycorner is green, exotic flowers (you can pee on orchids!) and birds. also very cheap, but mostly we stayed with locals which are really friendly.

we did not meet here radical muslim people, in fact islam is extremely relaxed here, and all religions are very kind between themselves. but it is true they have a problem with a small terrorism group, and they attack from time to time.

being spanish, a country that suffers also attacks from ETA terrorists, i can say that if you can plan to visit my country for holidays, why not indonesia as well?

well, we crossed to jawa island and traffic plus pollution was there. also the jakarta cycling community. people which spent with us their time, helped us with our bike problems and everything smiling. we felt in family. they have two organizations jumping over religions and ethnics, with the aim of reducing pollution and increasing the number of cyclists. very strong community. i love them. you can chek them at www.bike2work or www.bikepackerindonesia (maybe i am not very exact with address but you will find them in google).

adam and me split there, and i went to kalimantan (borneo indonesia), and i cycled the west. it is a little developed area and weather conditions are tough. strong sun and humidity, very steep hills and clay road. also no traffic neither tourism at all. it was good, some nice jungle, rivers and birds. the best again, the people, the dayak tribe. extremely friendly. i had no time someevenings to ask where i could hang my mosquito net, they already organised everything.

it is not a very isolated land as some in africa (i miss' sometimes), but it is hard enough to keen the trip. you have to be autonomous since there are not facilities as public transport, electricity, bike shops and sometimes longdistance between villages.

once you cross kapuas river, asphalt and ciilization are there, and very soon, malaysia side, which is developed. so i reached kuching and took a short rest. i went to see orangutans (0.7 euro) and stay in baku national park with proboscis monkeys as neibourghs (2 euro entrance, 1 for camp at any where). 

malaysia borneo is oriented to holidays and middle class tourism, but even like this, if you look for it you can make it cheap. for example, many groups visit orangutans in expensive reserve areas, i do not understand since there is one close to kuching for 1$!

on the way to brunei i sow many traditional longhouses, very interesting. sometimes i was invited to stay, but i must say that i felt no sincerity, so i refused and they never insisted...

malay people are not so warm as indonesian. they keep a distance, but still very helpful. you can sleep in very good rekreasi parks, camp in rivers, or in 'public places' as churches or youthcenters.

chinese comunity is very interesting here. they keep their traditions since the mop of the revolution was not here, and i enjoyed with them very much. even in a taoist temple, the caretaker did a ceremony for me and told me my future. asked when i was going to finish my trip and comeback home, he said 'when you get married'. so, dear friends, i am very worried now!

another beautiful national park is niah caves. stunning scenery and huge caves.

in bandar seri, brunei capital, there is a 300000 inhabitants watervillage. no tourism, so it is very pleasant to walk aroun there. you hear only your steps on the wood path and the glu-glup of the tide. this is also the first capital i have ever been with no taxis! everybody has 1 or 2 cars, so they are useless.

again in malaysian side (sabah), i stopped for a rest in kuta kinabalu, but it was boring town and i did not meet there the funny chinese comunity i did before. also many beautiful girls and i was afraid of ending in a marriage...

so i left for mountains. kinabalu mountain is scenic, but not unique. still a pleasure to cycle over 1000 m because of the cool weather. many people 'climb' kinabalu, but you must hire a guide and join a group, and the trek is crowded. 

the rest of saba was not nice since 50% of the land is ocuppied by oil palm farms. the enviroment is changed and climate as well, very hot and humid.

from here (sandakan) you can cross to philippines (50 euros). i got a new indonesia visa in tawau (very easy, 20 minutes) and crossed to sulawesi island.

i met adam again and we enjoyed the stunning mountains of central sulawesi. road is good an scenic, no traffic at all, until lake poso. from there we took very bad roads to linde national park. ti goes through rainforest mountains and, my friends, it was fantastic. i had some of the best days of the travel here. it is a thick jungle and unhabited, which means it is touhg and unique. the very best, the 60 kms in the linde national park. the 'road' is just a 30 cms path in the jungle, and we jump over broken huge trees, crossed rivers, push a lot in steep muddy areas, and yet exhausted, we felt ourselves the luckiest men in the world.

after this we split again in palu. adam is heading to philippines and shanghai, looking for a job as he is running out of money. i had a very good time with him in sumatra and sulawesi, he is a very positive man and always faces problems in a good mood. i am happy to say i have such a good friend now.

well, after almost 4 months cycling without a break, my body was begging for a rest, so i went to the coast in search of a small paradise for my old bones.

i had no success, even i crossed very beautiful beaches and villages with turquoise waters (road sometimes is so close that you can snorkel from the bike!), but i did not like anyone in all the way to very far makassar.

then, i decided my rest cannot wait, sometimes i felt no power at all, so i decided to go to a touristic place, and i took a ferry to lombok island, close to bali.

it is high season and it was extremely difficult to find accomodation. even for a shitty bambu room with nothing but an old dirty mat they asked me 10$!

but at the end i asked in a bungalow esort if they could allow me to camp. they were very surprised and no idea about what i was talking about (this is a place for sufers, divers and relax holidays, not for a gypsy on a bike), but when they saw my tent set up, they laught a lot and they allowed me to stay 2 weeks with them. even i pay local price in their restaurant but most times they just feed me. very good people, and also they are not used to see 'bule' (westerner) that want to spend time with them. tomorrow we have a birthday party, i feel in family.

so, my friends, i am enjoying a nice rest in this kuta beach paradise. in middle september i will cross back to peninsula, to singapore, and i will continue on my route to japan. i still have to delivery the yen coin to my friend kim. he gave it to me in capetown, more than 2 years and 40000 kms ago, so maybe i am the slowest delivery system in the world!



India, April 2009.
Journey from Dharamsala to Madras, India.

many westerners are sincerely concerned about the ego, this little thing that makes us to think we are right and the world is wrong. ok, good news. you do not need to read complicated ramana maharsi books anymore, just jump in india with a bicycle.

maybe first days, first week, you still are in the mood of telling people they are wrong and what is supossed they have to do for sharing life... after this hard beginning you will end up accepting that each indian has a potential impredictable behavior, that this behavior may affect you, and that you have nothing to do at all.

well, my friends, i am in madras (chennai). i have crossed india from north to south but i have change my plan, and i will stop here. i can not go on towards nepal. it has been enough. i have no more mind power to cope with this people, but i am proud of me. this has been more difficult than climbing high passes!

i will fly to malaysia tomorrow. my good friend daisuke is there, so i will have the pleasure to meet him for the 4th time! also, i hope to meet my polish friend adam, also a long distance cyclist that i met in samarkand..

i do believe and i must say, india is not a nice country for cyclists. overpopulated, extremely noisy and dirty, very dangerous traffic and there is no contact with nature despite the big respect indians have about animals and trees.

on the other hand, there are many wonders to see and an unique culture to experience. between the touristic places you may get crazy when you crash in the truly indian way of life, but also you can learn a lot. you learn tolerance and patience. and when you reach a touristic place, you can rest of india and enjoy their beautiful monuments or beaches.

in total i am fed up but happy. everysingle corner has an estimulate, an amazing different answer that makes you work hard, and they really crack your ideas about life is.

step by step. in dharamsala i had a very good rest of 3 weeks, and very soon another one in rishikech, for new year, again 3 weeks.

i felt i was ok, recovered from asia central stress, and i cycled southwest, to rajastan.

once you enter in this state, everything improves since is not crowded at all. it is semi-desert. very very beautiful old cities and even you can camp!

from rajastan until the coast, not anymore. my last rahastani city was udaipur, and then southwards to visit stunning ellora caves. if you admire petra o lalibela, plese come here. spechless.

still southwards till goa beaches, and another 3 weeks rest there. paradise at very low cost. great. and from there, straight to cape comorin crossing the very lush and tropical state of kerala. they have old ceremonies as theyyam or kathakali drama, and also nice beaches for sleeping. varkala i think is a special beach despite the tourism.

from the south tip, i came here, stopping in madurai for visitin very beautiful dravidian temples.

here, i finish. enough!

speaking generally, about everyweek or so (less in rahastan) you reach a touristic place and you can relax for 2-3 days. i think this, specially on the coast, is very good for the long ride crossing india. otherwise, maybe you can give up easily.

well, i must say, lot of people say they love india, but... i always met them in a touristic place! this is not india!

my plan now, since i am not going to nepal-laddak this time, is to spend next months in the islands, maybe untill papua new guinea, but i do not have clue about if cycling is posible there. then i will come back to the continent, maybe chineses open tibet again.

if you want to cycle here, some tips.

- hospitality. very very rare, even they often looked down on me and i have been refused sometimes when asking to pitch my tent. it is better with low cast, forget when high arrogant casts, and forget this shit propaganda about the biggest democracy in the world.

the exemption is the sikh people. they always let you sleep in their temples and feed you. they do very happily.

- sleep. camp, i did in desert and beaches. no problem. safe. on the roads you can sleep free in 'dabas', restaurants for drivers.

accomodation ranges between 2-4 usd usually, but some states are richer and they ask for 10$! (once, it was dark and still cycling and asking people if i can sleep with my tent... not until 2 hours after sunset a school let me camp!)

- food and water. cheap and safe. meals about 0.5 usd. spicy and they refill for free your plate if you want more. i drank all kinds of water (tap, well, pump, unknown sources...) with not a single problem. please, note this country is developed, at his very own pace but developed, so do not subestimate them as all tourists do with their prejuices. sometimes we think they are dirty, but it is 'only' outside of their houses, so if the water comes from inside, you can trust. but take care with meat, there are frecuent power cuts.

- roads. um... the most dangerous country i ever been. anything can happen. expect anytrouble from front and behind and both sides. be alert. they will overtake you or cross you just with few centimeters of lateral distance. keep your nerves. and they do always horrible honking noise, very loud.. i cycled with earplugs.

of course, i did not go to himalaya area. it was winter and they do not clean passes, but i heard it is peaceful. maybe next year...

- exit of india. please, remember only way out by land is pakistan. china, burma are close from india, nepal or bangladesh. if they open tibet again, they used to allow to enter in nepal from tibet but not opposite direction.

- weather. winter in dharamsala or rishikech is ok. it snowed in middle december, but just for beautiful photo. if you want to go to laddak, main road they said is open around april-may, but secondary roads can keep closed till june.

winter in rahastan was perfect for me. i guess spring time must be like hell.

i cycled rahastan to goa with few hours over 40 degrees. just somedays in the afternoon.

goa in march was still nice weather but it is the beginning of low season. prices drop. they said in xmas and winter you cannot find a shit room for less than 10 usd. in march no problem to find good double room for 4-6 usd.

kerala is very tropical and humid. the change is obvious, it is almost equatorial climate and some people told me there is not big difference between winter an march-may, but still they have high and low season, wich is very good. you can stay in fantastic varkala beach for 2 usd in a big nice room!

in kerala, breeze is nice, around 30-35 degrees, but humid. from here to chennai i could not sleep in tent, just in mosquito net. some nights still 25 degrees at 12!

sun is very strong, but it was rare over 40 degrees.




India, December 2008.
Journey from Taskent, Uzbekistan, to Dharamsala, India.

delicious food, beautiful scenery, clean air, comfortable accomodation, and everything so cheap than even i can treat myself here. i am in macleodganj, 10 kms uphill dharamsala, india. the very wished rest has come true. but the way was not easy...

after taskent i left my cyclist mates and went alone into kyrgyzstan, i wanted to go to a remote area called chatkal valley. i was refused at the closer border, so i took me almost 3 more days than i planned to reach ala-buka (and almost a night jail with stupid juniors of the army).

kyrgyzstan is a wonderful country for cyclists, i have met many, but nobody in this corner of chatkal valley: almost no roads, often no bridges. few villages and little food to buy but homemade bread. as it uses to be in this sort of places, scenery is super, but i would say that it was the mix of lonelyness-beauty what makes the wonder of the valley. little development and lots of nature.

after that i turned eastwards. easy tarmac road to join the main road osh-bishkek, but very soon the turn-off to song-kol is again a rough road.

well, what can i say about this country? song-kol (a lake at 3000 m.), issyk-kol, the glaciers road in the very east... it was a very very good time, but exhausting. also the bicycle was damaged. i fixed it in bishkek with the help of mr. anton, who is famous between long distance cyclists. well, to be honest, i would not recommend him but there was no option. his work was not good and he also did a bad job with daisuke's bicycle some weeks later.

to get a visa for tadjikistan is not easy here anymore: new consul. so now, you need a LOI but still pamir permit is included in the 50$ visa fee.

so with right papers i crossed the country to osh through the main road which is very quiet and beautiful. there, in osh, i met a brave cyclist who is trying to cross siberia in winter, mr. bastian ([email protected]), very nice guy, and a beautiful story.

i met mr. jan, a french cyclist travelling from singapour to france. he asked me 'may i know you?', yes, i knew him as well... we met 14-16 months ago in southafrica. he was backpacking and we had spoken. he decided to do a trip by bicycle then! and.... more than a year later, we met again in osh! incredible, i have become a man with a mission: to spread cyclotourism!

anyway, i left kyrgyzstan towards pamir. 2 more rough passes before the order and a view of a lifetime: sarytash meadows. you just see from east to west, in front of your tent, a huge white range with some 6000 m peaks and the lenina peak (7000). really great.

the tayik border is after the pass, but still over 4000 m., and first they gave me tea, biscuits and jam. when i recovered myself from the effort, coldness and altitude, they asked me for the passport. very good people.

pamir was great, you know, this is one of the top ten places for cyclists. but not so late. early october was very very cold. the wind freezes you and somedays i could not cycle because of the storms.

still, the place is amazing. it remained me western tibet with these huge glacier valleys. 

i left the highway (which is mostly paved) to the wakhan valley. people said also the highway is beautiful, i do not know. what i can say is that whakhan has extremely bad road but is stunning. the views of hindukush (7000), and all the snowed peaks, make you smile even if you are breathless pushing through the stones or sand. there was little food but homemade meals. but, if the weather is bad and no views, i would suggest to take the highway road, you know, suffering for nothing...

i was lucky, the bad weather started when i arrived in khorog, end of the valley.

from here, the road follows the amudarya canyon, between afghanistan-tadjikistan, and it is also spectacular, sometimes very rough and risky because slides.

when i jumped into the lowlands... well, end of the views but a relief for my muscles. i was very tired.

then i crossed to afghanistan, as you know because the last email. just tell that finally my bicycle crossed with an afghan refugee, thanks to mrs. hilde, and i flew with the red cross. so, my bicycle and i met again in a photocopy shop at peshawar (hilde, my dear, i still can believe it sometimes. it was very risky, but it worked... you are great!).

i left peshawar the day some talibans killed a US worker in.. the same street than red cross left me...

happy to leave such a funny area, i went to islamabad where the party was waiting. i met daisuke there for the third time (addis abeba, isphahan), www.daisukebike.be, and alvaro, for the second time (tehran to taskent), www.biciclown.com.

we have been cycling toguether until here, dharamsala, sharing jokes, stories, plans for future, information, tips, and sometimes... even the bed! it has been a big honour for me to be able to learn humanity from the big japanese, but i was not successful in my attempt to teach spanish sense of humour to daisuke! we have to cycle one more time again, my friend, laddak next summer!

and well, pakistan is not my favourite country. it is too polluted and crowdy, but punjab in india was not better. even noisier. but at least, you can see the half of the planet again: women!

then, straight to the mountains, which has little less traffic and pollution. the rest is making me feel better slowly slowly and i have a plan for next year. 

despite the traffic and the indians, i will cycle down and up the country, cross to nepal, and back to india in summer for cycling in laddak. after monzoon, 2 months of trekking in nepal, and later i will look for the chance to get a boat to thailand or malaysia from calcutta. i know there are little posibilities but, hey, after the mess leaving afghanistan, everything can be possible!

well, some points about central asia mountains:

- kyrgyzstan was ok even september, most passes over 3000 m, it snows from time to time but little, lower temperature -1 inside the tent.

- i strongly recommend chatkal valley (west) and the 'road'  barskoon pass (4000) to narym. is very off road or not a road at all. both places you have to carry food for 4-5 days

- most cyclists go around issy-kol (east) and song-kol (center). very beautiful sceneries and no problems with food or roads.

- roads...everything from nice tarmac to very light track on the surface. up to you. russian maps are excellent.

- people... i did not like them too much. the men were always drunk. the nomads are friendly but not as the mongolian or tibetans.

- about pamir, i would say october is not a good month but people said bad weather can happen in july too. lower temperature -6 inside the tent. mostly pamir over 4000 m.

- you have to carry food as much as you can (specially if you take wakhan valley) and eat with locals when you have the chance in order to save your own food.

- khorog and murghab are the two places to buy food, enough but basic supplies.

- water can be a problem in pamir highway. where there is a point water, fill up all bottles.

- people in pamir and whakhan is excellent, very friendly and helpful.




Afghanistan, November, 2008.

Report about the afghan journey, from Khorog, Tadjikistan, to Kabul, Afghanistan.


As I promised last time from Tashkent, I will send you a report about the trip next xmas, but since my very good friend Daisuke (www.daisukebike.be) asked me for info about Afghanistan to share with his cyclists list (and I cannot refuse anything to him), here you have some lines about the experience in this broken country. By the way, my friend Adam, polish, was cycling here as well in summer, he is now in China. [email protected]

To get visa is easy at Khorog consulate (Tadjikistan), 30$, same morning, 1 month stay, 3 months validity. It is said the embassy in Dushanbe is difficult, and it was easy in Mashhad (Iran) but I heard not anymore (this info is not direct, maybe can not be reliable).

I crossed the border coming from Khorog-Kuliab-Pyang road (very bad road last 30 kms, but is normal in Tadjikistan). No questions, no hassle. At the afghan side was slower but friendly and I was invited for lunch by the officials, and ended myself up sleeping at their house, very generous and friendly people. Also unexpected first night in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan: vodka and marihuana!

To Kunduz is 60 kms through a desert with nothing but sand and ISAF convoys patrolling. It is said is very safe. I had lunch in the outskirts which later I was strongly advised not to do (4 people killed 2 days before), but it was safe and most people were very kind to me. Also few people looked at me not nicely but there is a % of Afghans that they openly do not like foreigners at all. I experienced the same 8 years ago, in Khohistan (Pakistan KKH), and they just look at you very hardly but they will do nothing against you.

All hotels asked for 20$, does not matter what they offer, so I had to look for another kind of accommodation, but people around me never invited me and I guess they are afraid of hosting a foreigner. Eventually I got permission for free camping in an expensive hotel but on the way, surprisingly, an English teacher invited me and I spent 2 nights with him. It was very interesting because I could speak a lot with him and the students, very good stories.

On the road to Salang tunnel, and later Kabul, I always slept with police stations or restaurants, friendly people. Locals never invited me to private home, again I guess they are scared by Talibans. Some check points were worried about what I carried in my bags, but I was always treated with a big respect, and in general they checked only one bag and then realized I was a tourist. Most times they asked me ‘why are you cycling here? Are not you afraid?’ and so. It is strongly advised not to camp and not cycle at night. Daytime looks normal life.

Salang tunnel is a hard climb (from 1100 to 3400 in 40 kms), it was snowed and beautiful. The tunnel itself is a trap of 3-4 km with no light neither with ventilation; army people will stop a truck for the bike and the cyclist. Still is not a nice experience.

Road is always tarmac but very narrow and drivers do not mind cyclists at all, they are not used at all. Food is much better than in Tadjikistan, but sometimes only palau (rice, carrots, raisins, and meat; 1’5 $); bread is always fresh and excellent. Water is safe, mostly from pumps water, and pastries are delicious.

From 2000 meters altitude, it was quite cold at end of October, and forget it after November. People is generally surprised but friendly, not English spoken but few youngsters in towns. And often they did not accept my money for food or meals. They always approached me asking ‘kuja meri?’ (Where are you going?), but sometimes they asked me how they can help me.

Kabul is not safe as you know but as I look like a poor afghan, I have felt safe walking everywhere. In my opinion, for a humble tourist a bad experience (kidnapped or killed) only would happen in case of very bad luck, you know, wrong place-wrong time.

At the city check point they tried to scare me and checked all my luggage, but a week before a British lady was shot from a motorbike. I have been walking even after sunset, and my Belgium friends go often for running with no problems, but things happen and kidnapping is frequent, I was said, mostly in the morning.

Indian visa here is only 3 days waiting (65$, 6 months starting the date they issue). Pakistan visa is not since summer (I was told ‘perhaps you will be refused’); I got only 15 days and it is not valid to go by road because Khyber pass is forbidden and in war situation right now. Of course, the southern crossing points are out of question.

So, thanks to the tireless help of Mrs. Hilde (not my embassy, which faces were absolutely shock-panicking when I said I was cycling here), I have got a place with Red Cross aircraft to Peshawar, and my bicycle plus luggage are on they way by land today with an afghan refugee, friend of Mrs. Hilde.

Thanks to Mr. Ken (very well-known man here, also cyclist, who was involved in helping me just 1 minute later to know me), I almost send my stuff with the Pakistan diplomats, but at the end they only offered me to carry the bicycle because the customs. Anyway, we are sure it will arrive tonight in Peshawar, inch allah.

Coming from Pakistan, I have no idea about visas and permits, but it seems Pakistan is not likely going to issue permit for the tribal area between Peshawar and the border for the moment. Also most embassies do not issue letter of introduction for supporting application forms (as Spanish, for instances) so, I guess it is easier to apply for Pakistan visa in a country without your representation (here, when they asked me about that, I lied saying there was not Spanish embassy and, it was ok!)

Well, my friends, I am closer to a highly wished month of rest in India. I am not only tired physically (very hard although stunning Kirguistan-Tadjikistan), but mentally; I need to stay in a place for a while without saying bye-bye everyday.




Uzbekistan, August, 2008.
Journey from Cairo, Egypt, to Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

i am in uzbekistan, after the long days in the desert, before the beauty of the mountains. waiting for the kirguistan visa, only 5 days, i should not complain.

since i left africa, travelling has become easier, more expensive and, in somehow, less exciting.

after the rest in cairo (what a cheap-good life there), i said bye bye to the sea for a long long time in beatiful sinai coral reefs (and its ambitious people) and crossed middle east quite straight. i had been there a couple of times before and only stayed some days in wadi rum desert (yes, lawrence arabia, great) and the eternal-magic damascus, a city to live in.

but the arab hospitality, their wise way of life, and their kindness made again an unforgettable trip there. and the food... delicious (1kg of honey sweets, 2 euros).

then, turkey. best say, kurdistan. i crossed most of this country though the kurdish area. you can travel there with no money. like sudan, everytime i stopped my bike, a very ugly-shaggy-strong man broke my hand (they pretend they are shaking) and invited me to drink-eat-sleep, depending of the time.

old cities, beatiful scenery, mountains, and rivers. lake uan was absolutely a wonder, and becouse lake is where it is, surrounded by mountains and political problems, you can enjoy more than 100 kms of cristal shoreline with only 2 hotels.

of course, some places.. problems. the tigris river and the province of siirt were very dissapointed. the turkish army fight there against the pkk, and there were many war check points (at one, they almost sent me back). that night i slept in a very beatiful canyon, with a natural pool, but with the sound of the bullets and the helicopters...

anyway, after ararat mountain (great camp there!) i headed to iran and de green scenery became mountain desert; women, black walking clothes; and the beer, te. 

iran is a very complicated country to describe, at one point it is middle age, but in the other hand, they are some of the most friendly and open people i have ever met. you can discuss openly anything, and of course, you will hear their opinion, wich is very interesting.

iran was also a big change for me. i met some cyclists there and since tabriz until here i have been cycling always with somebody. so, i had to learn again to share decisions, respect the timing of my mates, their habits, have less freedom and less time for myself.

i think it has been good tiem, i have learnt a lot, and a good medicine for the lonely woolf. we had very nice discussions and funny nights. but now, i must go on alone. it has been enough.


iran was very long stay. 45 days made me to hate the black clohthes and the te, but the iranians always made their best to make us feel good. they are nice.

the desert till mashhad was very tough trip becouse the wind from hell (hot and face wind). and after not much better, the barren turkmenistan. but... beers! and vodka.

all the truckers invited us and we were not in the mood to say no, so we learnt to cycle drunk, becouse we had the classic transit visa (5 days, 500 kms). ayyyyy, it was funny, but exhausting. and what isolated country! if your wish is living aside the rest of the world, you do not need to go to congo forest, come to turkmenistan!

then, uzbekistan, the beauty of the silk road cities, bukhara and samarkand. what can i say? the 1001 nights are there. amazing.

now, we (alvaro, andy and me) are in taskent, in tanya's house (very nice women, thanks ken for the contact), enjoying the heritage of the comunist life. and it was not that bad, swimming pool is for free!

we went to the mountains last weekend with tanya and friends, and next 11th i will cross to kirguistan. after, pamir hw in tayikistan, and then to india through afganistan and pakistan. yes, i expect to find in both countries the fun i miss since i left africa.

so, still on the way to japan, but with an unexpected detour. kim, my friend, still have the 5 yens coin! good luck for me!