OK, yeah, wow.

[johnridley]

I've been reading the travel blog of this guy who's been riding from northern Canada down to the tip of South America, slowly catching up to him (I've been reading it for about 3 months, I'm almost caught up. It's been quite interesting, especially as he's travelled through Latin America.

Today I came to this page. Wow. Yeah, that's really getting out there.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=3Tzut&page_id=71161&v=33

If you just look at those pictures, you'll think "this guy is a complete brain case to be riding a bike there." But honestly, having read his whole journal up to this point, it simply looks challenging, and pretty in its own way.

Comments

[rmeidaking.livejournal.com]

He does have to be a complete brain case to be riding a bike there. He strikes me as the sort of person who hikes the Appalachian Train, sails solo around the world, or climbs mountains obsessively. Who's paying his bills?

[johnridley.livejournal.com]

He's either camping or staying in $3 to $6/night places; he considers $10/night to be outrageous; in Latin America apparently you only see prices like that in the places that are there to gouge the gringo tourists.

It looks like he's averaging about $15/day, and that's when he's eating in restaurants in the evening and not cooking. He saved up money before he started this, and has nothing else to support (no house, etc). $15000 would easily last him 2 years on the road.

I honestly don't see anything totally crazy about what he's doing. It's well beyond most people's comfort zone, but I think that's indicative of their problem, not his.

[c0nsumer.livejournal.com]

Have you seen Leatherwood Trail?

Toronto to Alaska on a moped, in 1978.

[bloggingchick.livejournal.com]

I might consider doing that if I had the money...and a good bike. Although, while I wouldn't have a problem going through Canada & the U.S. I probably wouldn't consider going south of the U.S. Mostly b/c I've never been there and, being a female, would be apprehensive about riding on a bike alone in South America.

Of course that doesn't mean I wouldn't encounter what I imagine anywhere else...

[johnridley.livejournal.com]

Honestly, I've now read a few journals of people who have gone into Mexico, and at least for Mexico, it seems safer than the US. It's universally mentioned by all of them that the instant you cross the border, especially if you cross from California into Baja, the driver's asshole level drops from a very high level to very low. Drivers go from practically homicidal to very polite when you go from the LA area in particular into Mexico.

I haven't read any journals by single women who went into Mexico. There is only really one place I've read of in South America that was scary, though they're not where you'd think. This guy said he was going into Bogata, and of course I immediately picture kidnappings, drug lords, gun battles, etc. It actually looked very pleasant and he found people to be friendly.

Most of the poor places (Equador, other places in the Andes) there are poor, indigenous people. They don't have western comforts but a lot of them are living the way they have for 1000 years so they're not prone to bothering people.

The only scary places he's been to so far has been in Peru; there, people have turned to violence, particularly against outsiders, in poor areas, and in fact the police stop people traveling down one stretch of road and instructs people to NOT stop for ANYTHING AT ALL - even if your tires are shot out - and they held the cyclists there until they found someone in a pickup heading their way, and they all piled in and they took them through the area.

I have read a couple of journals of women that have ridden across the US by themselves. They never seem to have any problems, but every time they talk to people, everyone assures them that they'll certainly be raped and killed any minute now.

This guy has travelled WITH a couple of man/woman pairs that are travelling together in South America. They don't seem to have any problems. I think he's encountered some multiple-women groups riding around but I don't recall.