Classic Quotes
"At first I didn't know what the hell it was, now I can't imagine eating without my birdseed" - John talking about Farinha, a Brazilian condiment poured on top of the meal.

"What!?!? It's hard to sleep in a whorehouse full of bedbugs!!" yelled John to Ian's surprised inquiry that he hadn't had the best of sleeps.

"Well if you were smart like Keanu Reeves…" Ian chastising John for not downloading information fast enough into his brain.

"No you #$%&* moron! Time Tunnel came out WAY before Quantum Leap!!" Johnny "I live and Die Sci-Fi" setting Ian straight during one of their typically profound conversations.

"Don't worry. It's just a small cliff we are going over now…" John to Gita while off-roading in Bolivia.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" "Yeah, sure." "How far to the next town?" "Don't know". "Is there gas along the way?" "Not sure." "Does the road get any better?" "Dunno". "Is this even the road!?" "Yeah, I think so." "Are we gonna make it before dark???" "Ummm…." Conversation between Alli and Ian, off-roading in Bolivia

Scenes not-soon-to-be-forgotten
John spraying his beer halfway across a Mexican restaurant, doing some cool flip the bottle trick.

Ian doing the old-man slide step, just about anywhere

Ian being awoken in the middle of the night to a loud bang, to see John's legs sticking straight out of the bathroom. After rousing him, it was determined that he had passed out from dizziness while taking a piss, landing on his face and giving himself a nice bruised jaw. Needless to say, we didn't ride the next day.

Threatening machine-gun toting customs officials that if we had to come back to this exit, we'd run them over (trying to get our bikes out of customs, Guayaquil, Ecuador).

A family of 5 all balanced on a 125cc motorbike on the highway.

Kids carrying coffee bags and firewood, loads that would tax us to the limit.

Street kids sniffing glue, sleeping on the sidewalk.

Sailing alongside 200 dolphins, or being visited at night by a giant ray, glimmering in phosphorescence.

Having to yield, at one time or another, for all of the following animals: dog, cat, horse, donkey, cow, pig, turkey, chicken, vulture, peacock, snake, tarantula….

Chatting with an 8 year old shoeshine boy about war and politics, while he does a bang-up job (with three years of experience).

Having strangers walk blocks with us, to make sure we can find the way to our destination.

SNOW IN BRAZIL!!!!!!!!!

Reflections

After riding for a year straight, it's nice to unpack and plan for more than just one day in advance. Its interesting to look back and compare what we thought the trip would be like to how it actually unfolded. Our biggest troubles that we imagined: getting robbed, breaking down in the middle of nowhere, stuck for parts, bad weather and accidents, never happened in a way that we couldn't handle. We were blessed with good luck all along the way, with the people we met and the way situations turned out. Our common sense and perceptions probably influenced the results a little. Our biggest challenges turned out to be the things we didn't really think about, such as the drag of being on the road for so long (never knowing where we'd be sleeping,eating,going every day!), or being tourists for a year, or running short on cash (doesn't every traveler!?). These things get tiring after a year, and it wasn't something we were prepared for, but took in stride. It helped that we got along brilliantly, for the whole time, and seemed to make a good team with complementing skills, which is extremely important for a trip of any length of time. In future neither of us want to travel this long again, EVER! Its too tiring and you lack the energy to appreciate everything you see and do. But this was a trip of distance, to cover the Americas, and its pretty difficult to break into parts, when you have to sacrifice everything to do it. In the future, any more trips will be in only one or two countries, with time just to poke around, explore without a tight deadline, and travel only until it stops being fun. But did we have fun??? YOU BETCHA!!!

Latin America is an amazing place. Where else can you travel through 18 countries and get by with only two-and-a-half languages, with similar cultures and customs, but enough little distinctions that are fun to discover. Prices are affordable, the weather is usually nice (does vary!) and the scenery is almost never boring. It's a place where people always offer a helping hand and a warm smile, and will sit and chat about almost anything, from politics to futbol, neighborhood gossip to world events. And there is never a song far away. This region of the world has seen a lot of strife, with a history of oppression from overbearing countries and from within. They still have to shake the oligarchical system of rule, where the rich few live above the majority poor. Basic services are desperately lacking in many places, and corruption and crime are overtly prevalent. Yet the spirit of the Latino seems to be unbreakable, and even though many share the fatalistic attitude that things can't be changed, many are trying, and most seem to be happy with life and love and dreams. North American society can learn a lot from the Latino happiness that comes not from what they have in their houses, but rather what they have in their hearts. To all those who helped us along the way (friends we've known for years or only a day), we give you our heartfelt thanks. Without your help, our trip wouldn't have been possible.

As far as we're concerned, a motorcycle is the best way to travel the Americas. It's an amazing tool, taking you anywhere you want to go, faster and safer than a car (yes safer! Try driving around narrow twisty busy mountain roads with semi's hogging the lanes). It can be disassembled, shipped upriver in a canoe, loaded into a banana boat, thrown into a truck or plane. It can be parked in hotel lobbies, courtyards, even rooms. Gas is cheap. Besides all that, there's the ride…an experience that always fills us with joy, gives us lots to talk about everynight over a beer. For anyone thinking about doing a road trip, a real road trip, stop thinking and do it! There are more people out there doing it than we ever imagined. We have a different and much better perspective on Latin America than before, and this is a trip we will always remember and cherish for our lives. Go for it! RIDE ON!!!