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June 4, 2013
More feedback...
This, from George:
Read the daily blog (as I do every morning). Interesting. The response(s) from Doug and his friend I do agree with....sort of. Being a minor student in psychology there may lie some truth with his berating of your trip Rob. No matter though, it's your life....go live it. I actually enjoy reading about your adventure. I will say this though, your friend is spot on about a couple of points.
1. how is it you didn't think about the filters, gps, other essential items before embarking?? You are a smart guy....so score one for Darwin.
2. you've been to mexico before, travelled out of country before. WTF were you thinking by NOT getting your passport stamped, no insurance, etc etc. These kind of things are IMPORTANT....! Maybe next time make a check-list??
Ok so the rant is over. I only say those things because I want you to succeed in your journey and not end up a footnote to history as dying in a jail because of your stupidity.
Be careful going through Belize. Try and obey the rules Kiser. You are not is the good ol USA where the worst that could happen is a cot and 3 squares a day. Plus I don't want to have to pull 'the troops' together and come down to get you! LOL
8:14am
Rob Kiser response:
On points:
1) I had three GPS units when I came down. Two of them failed to function properly on the road. I'm a using my 3rd one (the 2nd backup), an iPhone 4s as my GPS.
I've always bought my oil filters on the road at Honda shops. It did not occur to me that KTM shops would be hard to locate in Central America. Honda shops are fairly common down here. KTM, not so much. Was not aware of this issue, as I'd never owned a KTM before. So, yeah, I guess I missed that trick. But I am having oil filters fed-exed to me in Belize, so this was always part of the plan. Worst case scenario, fed-ex whatever I need down from the USA. I'd say it's a fine plan, in my defense.
2)it's true that I didn't get my passport stamped when I came into the country of Mexico. But, it's also true that they don't expect for you to. They just wave you through at the barrel of a machine gun. Plus, I'm in Matamoros, one of the most dangerous cities on earth. And a guy is pointing a machine gun at you saying, get moving. My spanish is rusty. So I move on. I also knew that, no matter what happened, it wouldn't really matter. Like, OK. I'm missing a stamp. So sue me. It worked out about like I figured.
8:15am
Rob Kiser
Also, so far as speeding, and not getting insurance, this is all part of the adventure. If I wanted to obey the law, I wouldn't have come down here.
Finally, as a footnote in defense of my current situation, I wasn't 100% sure I was coming down here. I was engaged to be married 8 days ago, and looking at wedding rings with my fiance. She snapped, and it was time to hit the road.
They say the generals are always ready to fight the last war. I was ready to run an enduro-adventure similar to the last ones I ran. It has turned out to be somewhat different with the KTM vs. the Honda.
They also so say "You don't go to war with the army you wish you had. You go to war with the army you have." So, for all you ivy-league monday morning quarterbacks out there, what I did was to get my passport and get out of the country on my adventure. I did some planning, not a lot, but some. And to me, that's part of the adventure. Part of the fun of it has always been getting lost in a third world country. If I didn't want some excitement in my life, I wouldn't be down here.
I could have done the whole trip from my home in Colorado using Google Earth and never even gotten wet. That wasn't the point of the trip.
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 4, 2013 at 8:24 AM
Comments
Touche'
It's fun being an 'arm-chair' QB. We can critique the game (or adventure in this instance) and not get hurt or dirty. Sort of like what my wife does to me when I drive. SO SHUT UP ALREADY....JESUS!
Yes, flying by the seat of your motorcycle sounds fun, hell it is FUN! Just remember though, it's all fun and games till.....wait for it....SOMEONE LOOSES AN EYE! Or gets hurt. I recall your mentioning going on an adventure of sorts back in March, so I don't think this trip is your running away from disaster. Maybe it is the best thing that ever happened (insert glass half full cliche). On your road to 'clear the mind' you could in fact be opening the door to even greater 'total conciousness'. Next stop, Tibet and the Dali Lama! The lesson here is, it's your life, live it to the fullest!! Oh and allow us QB's to tell you how better to do it from the sidelines! Enjoy!
Posted by: George on June 4, 2013 at 1:24 PM