A New Bike and all ready to go

Firstly if you wish to know where we are in the world just click on the SPOT tag and that will give a track of the last 7 days . If you click on the SPOTWALLER tag it will give a track of the whole trip from start to finish . Once you have opened the map , it is best to click onto the Satellite Tag to go onto the Google map .

With only seven weeks to go now we are all ready to go and start the new adventure .

I have bought a new bike (a Triumph Tiger 800XC ) in Guatemala (thanks to Julio and all his help) . I was going to buy a cheap second hand bike and sell it once I got to Rio or BA which ever I finish in . But Julio said one day , why not get a new one and take it home with you when you finish . I was going to have to buy a new Bike when I got home anyway . So it made sense to me not to waste money and the hassle of having an older bike and to try and sell it at the end of the trip . Anyway right of wrong that is what I have done , so it will be waiting for me at Julio's place when I get there .

Photos

1 Charlie , she said "why is Basil aways in da blog and not her" , so here you are Charlie

1. Basil playing at the beach

2. Queenstown South Island New Zealand

3. Ruth and I hiking down south , it was snowing and windy and bloody cold that day . You can tell we are having a great time ! , you can see Ruth's brother Doug in the back ground saying to himself "come on stop buggering a round taking photos , its bloody cold , lets get out of here" .

4. A native Parrot call a Kaka , they are very friendly and love to pull all your gear to bits if left outside at night . They are only down South and usually only seen in the Mountains . In this photo we were down on Stewart Island (below the south island ) we were feeding them chips , but got a telling off from the Conservation people .

Not Long to Go Now

Firstly these are just a few pics of South Island New Zealand , beautiful for hiking and just the best for Motorbiking (scenery to die for down there )

As to my return to the trip , all is going well for me to arrive Guatemala October, I now have my ID number (thanks to Julio) so i can buy a bike there . I am looking at getting a 650KLR Kawasaki as I feel it will be about bang on as far as size goes for the trip down south . Hopefully i will be able to get a secondhand bike and then be able to sell it on in Buenos Aires or Rio which ever I get to .

Me knee is a shit load better now that I have had all the steal work removed . But it is still not 100% and never will be , but you have to live with what you got and get on with life .

We are still going to Spain first for a month and hire a car and have a look around , with Ruth going home from there and me going on down to Guatemala .

Time to Start Planning

Well its been a few months now since I have been home recuperating from the accident . Next month (21st March ) I will be having the Plate and Pins removed from my knee . My knee is really coming along now and gaining in strength every day . I have been going to the Gym 4 days a week working it out real hard and it is paying off in leaps and bounds

I have been a little worried (and still are ) that my knee will not regain enough strength to handle a bike this year , so i can return to finish the trip . But you have to make a decision and say Bugger it I'm going and make it happen , so the planning is on the way.

Ruth and I will be going to Spain on the 1st September for 1 month and then I will go on down to Guatemala , Ruth will carry on home back to NZ . We decided that it is not really a trip to be 2 up and Ruth is not a Bike Rider , which is a real bugger because it would just so great to have Ruth along with me , we are such good team .

Julio is going to start to look for a bike for me in Guatemala City and both him and i will make to trip down to Ushuaia . Just as to for how long and which way we go is still in the planning , but there is only one way and that is down .

As for a bike I'm thinking a KLR Kawasaki 650 , something light and easy to manoeuvre with a gummy leg . Even though my leg is better it will never be as good as before , because of the balls up the surgeon made on my knee in Guatemala it is now bent quite badly to the left and walking to far with out a stick is impossible (hey but I can walk ) .

The Cat is Basil he is a Maine Coon (a real neat cat )

Life at the beach NZ style what a bugger

Next post in a month

Guatemala and the New Adventure Starts at Home 20 11 2010

In was in hospital for 20 days in Guatemala after the operation and had some really good Physio on my knee and got it moving good before I left went back to NZ .

In the mean time Julio keep me busy by taking me out just about every day for lunch or dinner (and he is a great cook ) or to see the sites of Guatemala .

Guatemala city would have to be the most dangerous city in the world that I have been to ( and I have been to a lot ) . The guns and crime is just rife , the murder rate is Hugh and the with only around 1% solved it is not a nice place to live . Julio's son has been held up 3 times at gun point for this cell phone in the middle of the day , the day we arrived there was a big shoot out about 3 blocks from the hospital , there were 7 dead and 15 wounded . You know also when you are in a dangerous place when they have 3 armed guards in Mc Donald's . But the best or worst I saw was a Bus that was shoot up , we came across it up on the medim strip with bullet holes all down one side and the front windows blown out (this was 7 o'clock in the morning ). The bus driver was not hit but the 2 guards on board were seriously ill in hospital , they never said how many Indians were killed (there must have been some) . Anyway the driver had not paid his protection money to the gangs and so they just shoot them . It is quite common as they told me back at the hospital , and it was quite sad that they were just so blazie about it and were not that taken back by it . They just seemed so accustomed to it as if that is the way life is , and there I guess it is .

Unfortunately the surgeon has made a real mess of my knee and now it looks like there is not a lot that can be done other than a new knee at some time in the next couple of years or so . But time will tell and we will see how well i can walk on it . If you look at the Xray you can see that the pin is not even up against the bone and that it has been put in crocked , but the real problem is that half of my bottom knee joint is a lot lower that the other side . All that i hope is that i can walk good enough to be able to continue with the trip next year and then maybe a new knee .

Anyway that is life's journey and you just have to live with what ever goes your way , because that is the way it is .

I will post a new posting at least once a month as to how I am getting on with my leg and with plans for the return

Photos

1. Julio and Lisa , who helped me so much when I was in hospital

2. Me and some of the staff at the hospital in Guatemala , they were just so good to me .

3. Julio took me to some Mayan Ruins just out side Guatemala City , this was the day of the bus shootings

4. Xray of the f##kup of my leg