HobbesOnTour
Guru
- Location
- España
Thanks for posting!
If I may....
I get a real kick when someone replies on here! It was the motivation for requesting this Chat Thread way back at the start - to have a relatively easy system for maintaining a dialogue. Mixed in on the Travelogue it would be far more difficult for me. (And again my thanks to the Mod team).
The thing is, all my posts are behind me (blog rule #1: don't be too accurate with current location!) so a comment on the latest post is already behind me.
Of course, it's also possible that a comment might inspire something I'd forgotten or just a long winded reply like this one!
What is very handy is when people quote the post from the Travelogue.
Yes! Netman's map is cool! And Willie's before him.
I've been thinking similarly recently. In NL I saw lots and lots of laden cycle tourists and in most cases was too shy to approach. Witnessing the waves, salutes and sheer goodwill that is so visible in these parts has I hope, changed my attitude.
This could be a long one!
Since I got close to the Pacific back in México my main routing focus was to stay in the mountains! Too darn hot!
Lake Atitlán, in Guatemala I avoided, for example, because what I read reminded me too much of San Cristobal de las Casas - backpackers high, drunk and pretty obnoxious. I got to see it through magic clouds!
Ironically, one place I wanted to visit outside of San Cristobal was very disturbing and so I have barely written of it. I should have had a better idea what to expect but the reality was too strange.
What can look interesting far away at home can be very different in the flesh.
My first town after Guatemala city was pure fate - a road accident encouraged me to detour, I liked what I saw so I stayed.
The lovely Parque Aurora from a few nights ago was from iOverlander.
My border crossing into Honduras was chosen for the least climbing (bad belly).
There's not much info on the mountains of Honduras on CGOAB. Tim Tower and the Shaws went this way. There's nothing for other parts of Honduras.
Once I get to Costa Rica it's pretty much one road.
Another factor is weather. Simply, anything offroad is out in the wet season.
Three days out I have a rough idea where I'm heading but that can change if other opportunities exist. I have my notes (made several years ago now), iOverlander and whatever Google or Osmand throws at me. And people. Although with people estimating distances (especially uphill!) can be unreliable.
I don't like to overload myself with information nor checklists. Top ten places to visit? Not for me (besides a lot are closed!). Travelling solo I can please myself. I've met and known too many people who seemed stressed wondering if they were in the "best" place, rushing here to there and missing the middle bits. For me, the middle bits are often the best bits. But that's me.
On the subject of routes, I do wonder if there is a particular mindset, especially in North America
Two recent threads on the ACA forums were interesting to me;
In one, a retired lady asked for route advice for a tour of unspecified length. Cue all the various long distance route suggestions. I suggested thinking of the places she'd like to visit and linking them together. No response.
In another, someone on tour with older paper maps and newer gps files was conflicted because gps didn't match paper.
It seems that the thought process is "there is a route. I need to follow it and only it". Off the route there be dragons!
(My limited experience in the US is that my own (cycle.travel) routes were far superior and safer than the ACA.)
The thing is, my focus has completely shifted now. When I was "planning" this seasons were important and getting from A to B within X time was important. Now? Not so much. Covid has banjaxed so much that any kind of a long term plan is foolish, and knowing me, possibly detrimental.
Until the other day and seeing photos from Ushuia, Argentina had become a concept. I say to people that's where I'm heading but I don't know if I believe that.
My goal right now is to milk what I can out of each day. I'm so bloody lucky that there's so much to milk I could make a mountain of cheese!
If I make it to Colombia, then a big evaluation will need to be made. Weather in Peru will not be good on current timelines. But I'll cross that bridge when I need to.
Sorry for rambling - I was having my morning coffee😊
Thanks for posting!
