Central and South America. Reba reba!

[wandering rose]

I'm going on a tiki tour of the America's... including but not limited to:

A week in San Diego
Flying to Mexico City and heading east to Cuba
A few weeks in Costa Rica
A few weeks in Ecuador
Then 3 months to travel over to Rio de Janiero in Brazil. 6 months all together. Woohoo! I leave mid July.

I've just started riding and am loving it so 6 months is a long time not to ride a bike. I wouldn't mind hiring a bike for parts of the journey. Even if it's just to get around cities. Has anyone done any short touring trips in these areas and can recommend anything or give me advice? I'll be backpacking the rest of the time so won't be taking bike gear with me...

Cheers,

Rose

[Hitcher]

Reba Reba is probably a country music singer. "Arriba arriba" is more likely to win you Spanish-speaking friends.

Have a great trip!

[wandering rose]

haha awesome, thanks. I need all the help I can get! :)

[alanzs]

You'll have a blast! There are some of the nicest people and most beautiful and different scenery of anywhere in the world in the areas you have mentioned.

The biggest advice is use common sense. People know you are a tourist, which means you have money (even if you think you don't; your ticket getting there and back is what many people earn in a year). They know this by looking at you; just the fact you are there, your dress, your lack of spanish, where you are, how you act, etc... So, act accordingly.

Getting drunk or loaded with strangers is always dangerous, but especially in the places you have mentioned. Needless to say, don't smuggle anything. There are copius amounts of the best coke, grass and smack in the world there, so beware. Don't flash money around and find some sort of pouch to wear under your arm, or on your ankle to stash your money, passport, etc.

Many places you go people will speak English, so even if you don't speak spanish well, you'll be able to get by, but learn Spanish to the best of your ability anyways. Get a phrase book and guide books to help you.

The rainforest's of Costa Rica are amazing. The diving there is incredible as well.
Mexico city is one of the largest, dirtiest city in the world, but a lively, action packed place. On the eastern part of Mexico, before you go to Cuba, if you like ancient ruins, pyramids, etc, go to the city of Palenque. The ruins there were part of an ancient Mayan city that was only "unearthed" some 60 years ago. Amazing place. Merida is a fun city in the Yucatan peninsula as well.

Expect the weather to be very hot and almost 100% humidity. Me gusta!

For the best way to get around, all the areas you mentioned have some of the better bus systems you'll ever find. There are usually a couple different classes of bus; first (primera) and second (segunda). Both are fairly cheap, and unless you are really cash strapped, go first. These buses are usually air-conditioned, which you WILL WANT and are great ways to travel cheaply. 18 hours in a hot, 2nd class, sweaty school bus sitting on a bench seat is tiring even if you do save $10.00.

Many areas also have trains (trens or ferrocarril) with the same class system.

I have ridden my own bike throughout all of Mexico, many times and never had a problem. The roads in many places rural areas are not the best, but in the more populated areas, they are similar to here. The challenge with renting a bike or any vehicle is that people drive much more, shall we say, recklessly than here. Vehicle accidents are considered criminal offenses. They take you to jail and then figure out what happened later, insurance or not.

Have fun and remember, wherever you go, there you are. Manana, or "tomorrow" is a pretty common attitude, so don't sweat the small stuff. Chilling out and laid back are great ways to describe the places you are off to.
Take a lot of pictures and post them here for us to see and wish we were in the warmth!
Buen viaje y vaya con dios mi amiga! :drool:

[clint640]

Have a look over on advrider.com & do a search on the places you would like to go - there are a huge number of trip reports from all over the Americas there ranging from trans-continental epics to day rides on 'lil hire bikes.

Cheers
Clint

[wandering rose]

Cheers for the help guys :)