No longer stranded! After several days, the mechanics in San Ignacio (actually, San Lino), Manolo and Joel, managed to find a replacement for the dead fuel pump. According to Joel, it came from a small car (I wish I had remembered to ask him which car).
So, the morning I got the Himi back, I loaded it up and made tracks south, spending the night in a nice little campground in Ciudad Constitucion. Of course, getting there was half the fun (not). By the time I arrived in Cd . Constitucion, it was dark (and had been for over a half-hour). Never a good idea to ride in the dark in Mexico, even if your headlamp is an LED and properly adjusted. It still sucks.
So, there I am, happily tootling along, follow Google Maps. That was mistake number one. GM was in such a rush to get me to the campground that it decided to route me over a dirt road under these huge power transmission lines. Do you have any idea what a hurricane (like Hurricane Polo, which had just passed a couple of days ago) does to dirt roads in Mexico? I do. It turns them into mud (or lodo in Spanish). Now, I’m not talking a thin layer of mud. Oh, no. I’m talking mud over your ankles. The type that tries to suck your motorcycle boots right off your feet. Yep, down went the Himi.
I also discovered that yelling Ayudame doesn’t seem to get the attention it deserves, as several cars passed by on the road I should have been on.
Knowing it was going to be a difficult task in the dark and heat, I made the decision to call the campground host. Luckily, she had some people she could send to help out. I had almost all of the gear off the bke (and most of my riding gear off me) and was in the process of dragging the bike to dry ground when they showed up. We got the bike upright, and rather than put all the gear back on it, we threw it in their van, then they showed me an alternative route. It still had some mud, but not as bad, and the bike only fishtailed (which was amazing considering the tire treads were already full of mud, so I had literally zero traction).
The next morning, I spent about an hour clearing mud off the Himi and luggage. Worked first on the chain and sprockets (the important operating parts), then dug mud out of footpegs, gear shift levers, handlebar hand guards, etc. Here’s a tip – wait until the mud dries before trying to remove it – it’s much easier that way (which is why I waited until morning).
The next day I made it to La Paz where everyone who I had made reservations with prior (lodging and SCUBA lessons) worked with me to make it happen. I’m now ensconsed at The Peace Center, a hostel in La Paz, and will be starting the water portions of my PADI Open Water Diver SCUBA lessons with the Dive Gurus starting at 9:00 AM tomorrow morning. The hostel is run by a young couple, Ana and Pavel (who have a young daughter). Very nice couple – very helpful. If you need a place to stay in La Paz, I recommend them (plus the room has AC – muy importante para mi en este calor!)
The part I ordered from the UK while I was stuck in San Lino finally arrived in Mexico. It’s in La Paz. I went down to the DHL center to see about getting the delivery stopped so I could pick it up here. Supposedly, I’ll be able to get it Monday or Tuesday (and pay the 100% tarriff – geez). We’ll see. Keep your fingers crossed.
I’m enjoying staying at the hostel – I get to meet a lot of interesting people from all over the world, a Morrocan drug dealer (he actually used to sell alcohol in Morroco, and since it’s a drug, that’s how he refered to himself self-deprecatingly), a couple from China, and the latest to roll in is a couple from Switzerland with their young daughter. They’re on a three-year trip from Canada to Ushuia! Same destination, only they’re taking a bit more time that I have. You can find them at whynotoverland.com.
Unfortunately, I’m still having issues with the laptop. The audio went out and I tried several times to repair it. I even took it to a recommended computer store in La Paz. No bueno. When I get to Mexico City I’ll take it into a dedicated Asus repair center (of which there are many). Not sure what I’ll do if we can’t get it fixed. I may need to buy another (oh, joy – spend more monety that I don’t want to). Right now I’m uploading all the video footage into a Drobbox so my youngest (Katie Peet – the trained video editor) can download it and hopefully fit my editing into her schedule).
ADVENTURE!
