"Drugs and Money don't Travel South and KLaiRe turns 15"

by Katie

Well, KLaiRe (that would be my motorcycle) turned 15 this week. 15,000 miles that is. I felt like I should post this useless fact because as we were traveling through the states this summer I had many a laugh, smile, smirk, and question as to whether my decision to ride a 250 on a "trip like this" was truly a smart decision. My answer then, and my answer now: So far so good. A 250 is pretty much the perfect bike for down here, light, lower to the ground, and easy to find parts and tires for. She has been a rockstar, and so has my mechanic (aka my husband) who takes amazing care of her.


Mark giving his bike some love; changing the front brakes.

Since our last post, we have now covered all of Central America and are back in Mexico. It has been kind of fun to come back through a couple places where we stayed on the way down. It's comforting to already know good places to eat, somewhere to get real coffee, a cheap place to stay, etc.


With my favorite little 8-year old friend. Anabela led us on a hike in Honduras.

One thing that has been significantly different than our travels south, is the number of times that we have been stopped at police checkpoints and military checkpoints now that we are headed north. Our personal theory is that drugs and money don't travel south, they travel north, hence all the stops in the northerly direction. Despite all the stops though, every police officer, military officer, and border official has been nothing but polite and pleasant in every interaction. Most often the conversation devolves from "Where are you going? Where are you coming from? Can we look in your bags?" to "How much do these bikes cost? How long have you guys been riding? This is your honey moon? Felicitaciones! Buen viaje!" So, stereotypes be damned, I guess.

We are currently in Puerto Escondido, where we spent Thanksgiving. Heading north again tomorrow. See you soon!