Jan Gerben – Harley-Davidson flathead 1943 World Travel

Granada, Nicaragua, august 1st 2009

At every border the officials ask the same question, ´how long are you going to stay in our country?´. Most of the time you then get a standard visa for a month. Honduras was exceptional, I only got three days to cross the country, even the maximum stay for the bike is stamped with a special stamp in my passport due to the so called environmental problems (oil on and under my bike, all for a reason to get a bribe). So it was when I entered Nicaragua, when the customs official asked how long, I vividly remember me answering 4 days. Right now I am here for 4 months. Altough I´ve written a lot about my adventures here, I didn´t write a lot about the personal, private things mostly because they are so close and too fresh.

So what makes it so difficult to leave? Going alone on the road again, leaving the known behind, a probably difficult border crossing ahead (Nicaragua-Costa Rica, estimated time to pass through 2,5 to 4 hours)? In the 4 months I´ve been here, I have been very fortunate to experience an almost normal life in a third world country. Had a girlfriend, paid for financial problems, birthday celebrations, hospital visits, mournings, almost daily hassle of power and water interruptions (up to 8 hours in daytime), paid for school obligations, sponsored a girl in school competition, co paid for the hospital entry of the newly born of the police captain, corruption, bureaucracy, and the joys of life such as the many parties ´fiestas´ (the poorer a country the more fiestas?). I could do that by living very cheap. I stayed for a long time on Wayne´s couch but now I stay in a mini house near the old fortress annex church annex cloister San Francisco built by the great ruler Franciso de Cordoba 1524 (he made Granada the capital of whole Central America), cook myself or the family takes care of that. It doesn´t take much to do good in a country where the average monthly wage is about USD 150 and a day´s pay is about USD 2,5 (that´s for 10 hours). But my budget is not endless and my visa expires and can´t be prolonged. It´s time for a new chapter, so I have to turn the page. That´s difficult because so far several people could count on me and that ends for the time being. They are sad by my leaving for several reasons but I have to go. I reckon my budget will carry me two, max three months of travelling further. That all depends on what´s ahead. The answer lies in God, health, budget and my bike Betsy.  So here I am, turn the page for another chapter. Thanks to Bob Seger:

´On a long and lonesome highway, you can listen to the engine moaning out its one lone song, you can think about woman, or the girl you knew the night before. But your thoughts will soon be wandering, the way they always do. Say, here I am, on the road again. There I go, turn the page´.

These days I make my arrangements to go ahead!

Granada, Nicaragua, july 17th 2009

There´s not much going on on the road from Casares on the coast land inwarts. So to my surptise there´s a police check after a hill. First I show them my international driving licence. That turns out to be expired, shit it´s only valid for a year, I forgot all about that. In the psychological warfare I´m losing points and the two cops gain. Next I show them the regular Dutch driving licence and the bike ownership papers. They wonder if I am allowed to drive my bike because the weight of the bike isn´t specified on the ownership title (from 1954 when Betsy started her civilian life after her military career for the Candian army and from 1946 on in the Dutch army). They kind of believe since I own the bike now for 10 years I am allowed. Next they see that my temporarily import licence for Betsy has expired, I know, this means a 1 USD per day fine when I leave the country. A police captain I asked earlier on couldn´t tell me what would happen if I wasn´t driving to the border, fine or confiscation. When they look at my passport they find out my visa has expired. And so they come to their conclusion, me and my bike are illegal in the country. They repeat that to make it absolutely clear. Strange feeling in my stomach when a cop says that to you. Then they start a sort of cross examination. Where I am going, from where, how long etcetera. The tension eases when I tell them I come from Brians house in Casares. They know Brian for his Harley and cop girlfriend. I pull out a wrech to tighten my mirror. The cop laughs when he tightens my mirror. It´s blazingly hot afternoon. We all are thirsty. After paying for a Coke for them I can leave, ´no problemo´.

The bike import papers are ´fixed´for now. My visa turns out to be a problem. I thought I was OK but the Immigracion officer made a mistake when I got my renewal. The next thing I know is that nobody wants to burn his fingers on my visa. So from Immigracion Granada, Policia Nacional, Immigracion Metrocentro Managua I end up in the headquaters of Immigracion Nacional in Managua. It takes two days but then I´ve get a new visa and a new stamp in my passport.

Coming sunday it´s the 30 year revolution celebration. Due to the Honduras army take over of their government and replacing the president the tensions here have grown. The Honduras ex-president tries to get back from out of Nicaragua, borders are on and off open but not for NIca´s. On both sides the army has overtaken customs duties. According to the free press here, also in Nicaragua army and police are investigated for takeover plans. This sunday the celebrations will for sure be visited by the presidents Chaves (Venezuela), Castro (Cuba) and Morales (Bolivia). I hope to be also on the Square of the Revolucion in Managua for the big official rally. After that I want to continue my roadtrip and go south if all stays well, more on that after sunday.

Granada, Nicaragua, july 8th 2009

Finally feeling better. Took me a very long time but I feel back to normal. Don´t have a clue about the cause, probably a stubborn virus. I see more people having the same symptons now, they also thinkafter a week it´s over and then it comes all back again. A lot of rest, medication and another diet helped me getting better. The diet is caused by me eating not much (due to the heat) and not sufficient meat, fish and eggs. Thanks to the ex Military guys over here who pointed this out to me, if you are for a longer time in the tropics, the diet you are used to maybe not sufficient. Lesson learned.

So now I am better the question arises in the reactions on my website, via mail and in my head, continue or not? It feels as if have to start my roadtrip again with all the accompanying emotions. I just don´t know right now.

Granada, Nicaragua, june 18th 2009

A few weeks ago on a sunday, a tall gringo approaches me just before I want to head off on my bike. He is visiting a friend here from out of the US and he heard about me and my bike. If he can take a picture of me and my bike. Of course. I´m always flattered to hear that. When I ask the reason for his interest, I almost fall over from astonishment. His name is Guy and he is a Frenchman living in the US. In the early ´80-s he did the trip Alaska-Argentina and via Africa back to France on a moped, a 49cc bike. It took him 3 years, but he did it. Amazing!!! Although he was sponsored by the factory, Motobecane that is, he never wrote a book about it, a pity, I would have loved to hear or read more of his stories.

Yesterday a group of 3 ultramodern KTM adventure bikes rode through town, heading south. Sometimes the look of that makes me feel a little jealous and a little alone. The equipment, the high-tech toys, it all says ´professionalism´. Yesterday I also got the picture from Guy on his moped in my mail and that instantly made me smile (see above, very fittingly, made in Nicaragua). It ain´t about the money or tools, it´s all about the will to do it, just do it!

That kind of positivism will hopefully also help out of my physical mess. End of last week I felt good. A ride to Leon on friday and back on monday shattered that illusion. Back to where I started. Time for some action. One of the nice things about Nicaragua is that you can get almost anything from the pharmacy. So, I am back to the medication the travel doctor in Oakland prescribed me and from which I run out some time ago. A daily anti-anything-infection medicine also in use for malaria and other flying stuff. Ultra cheap here because countries like the US and Spain donate a lot of medicines. For free for the very poor in the hospital pharmacy. The little group of old US military that I know (Vietnam, Marines, Navy, police) say there is a lot wrong in my diet for the tropics. So I´ll change that and next days I hope to find out if that will work. If this is not doing the trick I´ll visit a doctor. For free in the general hospital, donated by Japan, I visited it, nice building but anything else looks a bit outdated, or I will visit one of the private clinics, not for free.

Granada, Nicaragua, june 11th 2009

Still here. Takes more than a few days to recover, the pattern is the same as last time, totally exhausted, no energy for nothing, bit of a headache. I stay at Wayne´s house (picture) where on average two or three cats keep me company and Blackie, an ex-streetdog. My only activity has been walking the dog. That´s fun, he has a sharp nose for the good & the bad, he makes that perfectly clear, people in the last category go pretty fast out of his way, very handy at nighttime, he also guards the bike.

Don´t know where this feeling of ´no energy for nothing´ comes from. Since the start of the rainy season it has been relatively dry and windstill. As long as it doesn´t storm at the Caribean coast it will stay this way is the general expectation. Beacause of this all flying objects from small to big things (little flies, mosquitoes to libels) live longer as normal, and boy, the do know how to find me!

Anyway, next couple of days I stay put, expect to leave this monday or tuesday. Besides an oil change (didn´t find an oil filter so far) the bike is more than ready, she´s waiting for me!