I rode a 1995 Kawasaki KLR650 motorcycle from Claremore Oklahoma, through Oklahoma, Texas, Mexico, Guatamala, El Salvador, Guatamala, Mexico, ferry from Mazatlan to La Paz, More Mexico, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and back to Claremore Oklahoma.
My job sucked, I was writing software for Avis-rent-a-car and it really wasn't enjoyable at all. So I bought the Kawasaki, quit my job and headed out.
It took me about 2 months. I left in the beginning of March, 1997.
I rode down route 66, camped by a lake in a small town in southern Oklahoma. I was the only one there, I couldn't sleep due to excitement, got up to leave at 1 a.m. Started packing. Right on cue as I was stuffing the tent into the tent bag, it began to rain. I unpacked the tent and set it back up. It stopped raining. I said hell with it, packed the tent and rode in the cold rain until 9 or 10 am.
I was disappointed with Austin, I had heard much about it. My expectations let me down again.
I arrived in Brownsville in the early evening. I was very excited about going into Mexico the following morning. I had always wondered what it was like in Mexico (I had spent time in Tijuana, but that doesn't really count). I wanted a beer, so went looking for a bar. NOTHING. I drove for miles. I finally asked a guy at a gas station and he told me to go around the corner and over the bridge. I did. I was in Mexico. Kind of anti-climactic, but I had a beer and attempted to speak spanish unsuccessfully.
The next day, I drove to Ciudad Victoria. Had an excellent meal and a coke for under $1.00. Wow. Had a bunch of beers, cheap.
Next day I drove to Tuxpan (east coast). I saw a nice looking hotel overlooking the main boulevard and the river/ocean inlet. I thought it would be expensive, but decided to ask anyway. $9.00 a night. GREAT! The room was great too, 2 beds, large, cable TV. I paid the same last night for a dump. I decided to stay a couple of days. Great town. Weird market full of REAL butcher shops (gross). 10 miles to a good beach. 1 (5?) peso(s) to ride a ferry across the river to the other side. Nearly free to get the oil changed on my bike. Took lots of pictures, I LOVE the food here. Everything is great.
On to Veracruz. I ran from a cop on my bike. He was on foot, it wasn't hard. I had been driving the wrong way on a one way street. I stayed here for a few days and began looking for a spanish school. No luck, I managed to talk to a private tutor, but she said she would be useless unless I had specific questions. I agreed. Got laundry done, stayed right on the beach. Met some nice bar owners and their friend, and hung out in there bar for a few days. The second day, a drunk guy in the bar was mouthing off to me. I didn't care since I didn't know what he was saying. At closing time, they carted him out. I began to leave, and they implored me to stay, and gave me another drink. Apparently the drunk was waiting for me outside. I left 10 minutes later and didn't see him. The beach at Veracruz sucks.
Next day rode through lush rainforest type terrain through incredibly beautiful villages. The town I had decided to stop in to stay the night was horribly ugly and desolate. I was very depressed and decided that if I didn't feel better in the morning I was gonna say hell with it and turn around. Big lizard crawling around on my ceiling. Watched some weird movie where harry anderson played someone named freddy fallon.
The next morning I felt better and headed out. After about 30 minutes I saw a sign for the highway that would take me to Belize (I wanted to do some Scuba Diving) I turned onto the highway. It was a turnpike, I had turned too soon. There is no way to turn around on the turnpike, there are medians between the highways. I figure, hell with it. I don't have a schedule, my map seemed to indicate that I was going towards Guatamala, so I decided to go with it. About 4 or 5 hours later I see signs indicating that I am approaching Veracruz (AAAAAHHHHHHHHH). I had backtracked. I figured out where I was on the map, and finally figured out how to get off the turnpike (I had been trying for a long time, but couldn't figure out where I was) after spending about $70.00 in tolls. As soon as I exited, I was pulled over by a motorcycle cop for not wearing a helmet. While I stood there about 10 other motorcycles went by with no one wearing helmets. I acted dumb until he let me go. He kept indicating that he was going to write me a ticket, but after I kept saying "ok" he finally said forget it. Had the best meal I have ever had. Partly because I had spent all day being lost, spending all my money, running out, finding out my bankcard wouldn't work in the ATM machine, finding a guy who would change US money for me, but at a crappy rate, being harrassed by cops, etc... The Negra Modelo was the best liquid refreshment I ever had. That night, I was still travelling, on the turnpike again, this time headed for Oaxaca, and the turnpike was much cheaper here. In the middle of it, traffic was stopped. There had been a truck full of Oranges turn over ahead. I got out and talked with a truck driver for awhile. We had a very simple conversation since I knew very little spanish. It was a beautiful evening through some beautiful twisty mountain roads. An hour or 2 later I arrived in Oaxaca.