(from my journal)
Esta es Mi Cancíon de Carretera
No hay signos que me diran donde ir
Los encontrare cuando el guia corazon me quiera decir
Las millas del desierto me enfrentan desconocido
Las millas del desierto me enseñan lo que conosco
Escucho cuando mis llantas hablan
Me dicen que el camino es lejos
Les dije vamos derecho y seguro
No podemos equivocarnos, fuimos demasiado lejos
Encontré una chica con ojos verdes
La deje en el puerto con mi llaves
Las millas del desierto son mi amor ahora
Esta es mi cancion de carretera
(alright, alright in the queens tounge…)
This is My Highway Song
There are no signs that tell me where to go
I’ll find it when heart-guide wants to tell me
Desert miles in front of me unknown
Desert miles teach me what I know
I listen when my tires speak
They tell me the road is long
I tell them we’re going straight and safely
We’ve come too far for mistakes
I met a girl with green eyes
I left it at the door with my keys
Desert miles are my lover now
This is my highway song
After a super-relaxing visit in Baños, I stashed the bike and took a bus trip to Colombia. I checked out Cali (Salsa danced with the legends) and pushed on to Bogotá; where I got down with Fabian (my roommate from Buenos Aires) and his awesome family.
I have ALOT to say about Columbia, but I don’t have time to type it out today. So for now, I’ll answer everyone questions and look for a rant about Columbia soon… :)
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What´s the first thing you´re doing when you get home?
Setting fire to the clothes i brought on this trip. Fifteen weeks of travel and TWO t-shirts. Just let that thought sink in a minute…
What have you learned about yourself from this trip?
Regarding Luke functioning in a second language… I thought being reduced to the linguistic dexterity of a 9 year old would be more of a social handicap than it was. Turns out I don’t need the English language to make friends and have really meaningful interactions. I think when it comes to dealing with people I’m working from a different place than I thought all along…
How do you think this trip will affect your life upon return?
Too early to say.
Any love life or romantic interests during the trip?
My romantic involvement with my girlfriend (aka my bicycle) continues to grow. She’s smart, she’s sexy, and she complains less than the other loves I´ve brought on the road. :P
If you’re such a hard core biker, why are you *flying* back from South America?
Why visit Central America when I live in the Mission? ;)
Seriously, I never said I’m a hard core biker. In fact, I’m a huge wuss. But every now and again I go out and take calculated risks and pleasantly surprise myself. The only way one’s ever able to do anything is to go out and do it. So I dunno, if I get the druthers maybe I will through-bike it next time. (if you listen carefully after you read that you can hear the sound of my mother collapsing from a heart attack)
But again on a serious note, the ecological problem on mother earth is extremely dire. This is costing more lives than all the wars combined. In addition to toxic stew, the ice caps are melting and the oceans rising. We should all reduce our chemical and carbon footprints while pushing for meaningful policy change. Flying and driving are of course not things I do frivolously. The greener option (besides biking) are the barges that run from LA and NYC; but since they’re not yet geared towards passengers prices are currently outrageous.
Do we have to call you Lucas now?
Sure, why not; it´s the name on my birth certificate after all. But I’ll cut you a deal (this question came from Nora): you can call me “Luke” if I can call you “Nor”. We got a deal, Nor´?
When’s the Welcome Home Luke/Lucas? party?
Oh goodness, can you feel the anticipation? I think the stripper marching band is a go but you wouldn’t believe what the city wants in permits just to flood the Mission with bubble bath. It’s gonna be epic.
Did you always bike alone? Did you get lonely sometimes?
I rode with locals for short stints, but never encountered any other bike tourers on the road. Geminis have a dicey relationship with solitude: we either entertain ourselves or the twins start wrestling… Thankfully, everywhere I went I met really great people so I never really got lonely. :)
How many kilometers did you ride?
Not even 2800km. Like I said, i’m a weenie. I wore out a rear tire, set of brake pads, snapped the supports off my rear rack on both sides and my (new) back rim is headed for the landfill… But luck was with me the whole time: no major mechanicals or crashes.
What`s the most random thing you saw? A seriously-indigenous man in Jujuy, Argentina, selling coca leaves and wearing an Iowa State Hawkeyes Starter jacket.
If a couple wanted to have a nice vacation a little less (or a lot less) adventuresome than yours would you have a suggestion from where you have been. Hotels no camping please.
First-time Latin-America travelers will benefit from doing more research upfront and buying a guidebook (Footprint or Lonely Planet) for the country(s) they are visiting.
Ecuador is a solid all-around deal. The mountains and jungle are great and there are a few recommendable beaches. One can totally relax in the mountain towns (Cuenca, Baños, Otavalo…) as they are quite safe and comfortable. Its easy to get around this small country; yet it has an enticing, unexplored feel. The currency is the US dollar, so you never have to change money or do math.
Peru on the tourist trail (Cusco-Arequipa-Lima) has the archaeological treasures which bring throngs of visitors here each year. Because they see more tourists, they are better equipped to accommodate you. You can find people who speak English and understand where you’re coming from. The tradeoff is there are too many people trying to sell you stuff. Argentina is simply amazing. The culture and nature are profoundly beautiful and unique. Culture-shock is low by South American standards and luxuries are easy to find. It’s affordable now but that could change so get it while it’s hot.
Bolivian cities (La Paz, Chochabamba, Santa Cruz..) are where you get to experience the purchasing power of Donald Trump. It’s cheap. You can buy all your creature comforts (if you can find them!). One can live well here.
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Well, my bike is boxed, my bags packed and I’m waiting for my plane to leave Quito. This is the part where I roll the credits and fade to black. Below is a very incomplete list of the supporting cast of characters behind the scenes of this adventure. Thank you all for your help!!! And thank you for reading.
–Lucas
The Credits (in order of appearance)
-Everyone who came to my going away party.
-Matt and TFK for repuestos.
-Steve Aus-the-Haus for repuestos.
-Uncle Showy´s bike shop: a division of McShow-McTakeoverTheWorld Industries.
-Jill the CL-rando with the lowdown on BsAs.
-George Christionson for much wisdom and inspiration.
-Petunia-McSexy-Bike for the COMPAS and natural antibiotic stuff I didnt need because of my uber guts. muahahahaha.
-Neighbor-Greg for intel on Argentina.
-Nora for the journal and “under the sign of the bike” book and pet rock.
-Claudia for intel on Peru.
-Oshana for intel on Peru.
-Vanessa, Jaime & amazing bicycle-people in general.
-La amorosa Sofia Ayelen Gavajda: abrazos, muuuah!
-La Hinchada de San Telmo: Norbert, Fabian, Israel, Ricardo y Heleota.
-Gisela y Lucia (mi amiga de Gemini) por sus paciencia.
-Osito, Osi-dog, here boy! off my leg.
-Miguel “El guia de fiesta” Davalos y El Kolla de Tilcara (ok, so Kolla was this old-timer who had ridden from Argentina to Canada and was sitting in with the band and wrote a song on the spot dedicated to me. Good times. Miguel made it happen ).
-Dumbasses who steal things and then don’t watch where they run.
-Everyone at AdventureBrew in La Paz.
-Beer in general.
-Jorge Anderson: you rock man.
-Friendly gringas Allegra and Gabby.
-Next Generation Director Roni Krouzman (just for an aimless shoutout, didn’t actually do anything. ;) ).
-Yoseph, John, Neto and everyone at The Flying Dog in Lima.
-Miguel, Herman and everyone at Andean Amazon Adventures.
-Jim, Marsha and everyone at Posada del Arte: my home away from home in Baños.
-La Familia Morales por muchos hospitalidad en Bogata. -Stefan Lynch and Brooke for gardening help.
-Ericka for not setting fire to anything in my crib. (I hope)
-People who are still reading and haven’t tuned me out at this point (you have too much free time!)
