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

[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.