Nicaragua: Riding into the unknown

[SalCar]

An adventure that goes beyond traveling. The first time in the history of Nicaragua that a motorcyclist tries to circumnavigate the country. The first time someone takes medicines and healthcare professionals to Kansas City in one of the most rural areas on Nicaragua.

In the local newspaper prior to departure - article. (http://www.elnuevodiario.com.ni/nacionales/10920)
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/266902673_ZkhvJ-L.jpg

Sneak preview of what is coming up

http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292527006_HGUwD-L.jpg

the road from Waslala to Puerto Cabeza

http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292527021_TUzgZ-L.jpg
One of many river crossings

http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292527027_ogJL2-L.jpg
my blood after the accident

http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292538189_6PEfW-L.jpg
bad dirt road

http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292527035_HKqi9-L.jpg
16 hour boat ride down the river San Juan

http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292530710_Fnuyc-L.jpg
Lake Nicaragua

http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/310930050_YPNu3-L.jpg
Kansas City, Nicaragua

http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/310928966_4ZfRA-L.jpg
Medical Donations

http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/310929380_2BW4n-L.jpg

[stevenmd]

That's pretty cool. Is there an English translation of the article somewhere?

[SalCar]

That's pretty cool. Is there an English translation of the article somewhere?

Here is a google translation (http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.elnuevodiario.com.ni% 2Fnacionales%2F10920&hl=es&ie=UTF8&sl=es&tl=en)

No real translation of the article

Best,
S.

[SalCar]

http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/115362273_H4se8-L.jpg

The planning of this Nicaragua of this trip started last year after finishing my Journey for Healthcare across all of Latin America. I traveled from California to Tierra del Fuego to research the best healthcare models to increase healthcare access in Latin America. The Latin America trip took me across 21 countries, I rode 55,000 km and spent 12 months on the road.

This Nicaragua trip is the foundation of many ideas that I've been developing throughout the past couple of years. There still many challenges ahead but I'm confident that I'll be able to overcome them and that I'll find help on the side of the road.

I've been an international athlete, honors student and founder and director of a US heatlhcare consulting company. Now, I want to invite you to join me and subscribe to this thread as I head out to explore Nicaragua, lay the foundations to increase healthcare acess to rural communities and lay the foundations for future moto adventures.

I invite you to visit Nicaragua and in the meantime I hope you enjoy this adventure.


All the best,
SalCar

[stevenmd]

I've been an international athlete,
gotta ask... which club?

[SalCar]

gotta ask... which club?

Italian National Rowing team: victory:

http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v292/49/37/564436003/n564436003_929192_8711.jpg

I was in the Florence Rowing Club

[Hltoppr]

Can't wait to follow this!

-H-

[BERGHUND]

:sombrero: Interesting report.

[Ursidae69]

**Subscribed** :coffee:

[SOAZ]

I love this trip. The blood on the tank of the bike got me hooked to read on to the report on ADV rider!!!!:sombrero:

[SalCar]

http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/315977883_PXqQy-L.jpg

Here is the route of the expedition. The orange one is the rides that i did for preparation. the black line is the trip around Nicaragua. the blue lines is what I had to do by boat. the green line is the new road that i did for the healthcare expedition.

[SalCar]

I was supposed to leave on the on the 25th but ended up staying an extra day in the house. I wasn't feeling very good after spending the night drinking beer with a scottish and english man Also, I had to pack which took a few hours and Yosuke was going to arrive from Leon with his bicycle. Yosuke is a japanese cyclist travelling from Canada to Argentina. Here is his site (http://cycling.air-nifty.com/blog/). So the 25th was a packing and recovering day.

DAY 1 Saturday April 26th 2008
Kilometers ridden: 471

I woke up around 4:30 am to cook breakfast for Yosuke that was heading to Costa Rica, for David that was heading to Granada and for myself. We had breakfast and we started heading out around 6:30. The first one to head out was Yosuke:

http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292626598_5Ngo4-M.jpg

http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292627004_nL4BT-L.jpg

Then it was my turn with a recently service bike that was very clean:
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292627427_TiEqW-L.jpg

For me the first day of any adventure is the hardest one. I just want to get as far away from my house and hope that everything goes well. The thought of something going wrong on Day 1 is frightening. I knew that Day 1 would probably be one of the longest day with mostly pave roads and bigger towns. I was not to excited about it - I knew the big adventure would be on the atlantic coast. So it was a day of just riding and getting kilometers behind me. My first stop was in Leon to get cash and gas. Then I headed to Chinandega where i was surprise to find a new paved road that turned into dirt while getting closer to the peninsula. Here is pic

http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292629507_UQvTm-L.jpg

The goal that day was to arrive to El Rosario - Nicaragua's tip on North-West. The ride was a bit boring for myself but i'm sure some people find it interesting. The houses in this part of the country are big "palapas" as shown in this pic:
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292629934_fNvAf-L.jpg

But as you move closer to the beach the walls are higher.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292630248_C5r2A-L.jpg

The beach that you see above is seen while facing north... which was an interesting feeling - to see the ocean while facing north.

In the north of the peninsula there is the Volcano Cosiguina that you can see in the back ground in this picture. there is some tourist activities in this area that i still have to research. the problem with this area is that is VERY hot. They say is the hottest in Nicaragua and I belive it!
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292630398_grNCG-L.jpg


Finally around noonish or early afternoon I made it to the northest point on the west coast of Nicaragua. I took a picture and started riding back.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292630810_AL3JJ-L.jpg

It was a riding day with very little interaction with locals. I did spent some time talking to the family guy that sells gas from a drum tank in the area. very friendly people.

On the way to Ocotal I took the road from Leon to San Isidro/Sebaco. It is about 100km of just potholes. Night caught me on this road and with the ****ty light of the DT I had to ride slowly. Because it was a weekend and night I decided to spent the night in the first Hospedaje that i would come across. All the rooms were full so I ended up camping.

Spent the night in San Isidro at:
Hospedaje Don Diego
The got parking for motorcycles
Camping space cost $2.5
Or room with private bathroom for $7.5
They have an amazing Nica breakfast for $2.

there was one picture that i didn't take that day... it was a family with a horse cart and the horse dead on the side of the road. the family was untying the horse from the cart that was carrying wood for cooking. i can only imagine their suffering from loosing their horse

Camping that night and knowing the next day I'll hit dirt made me feel more relax and excited. finally the adventure would start. new cultures, new places, new roads and new experiences were ahead of me.
__________________

[SalCar]

2596 – 1622 miles
400 – 250 miles

San Isidro – El Cua
Total Km ridden: 298 (186 miles)


There is no better feeling than waking up in a “foreign” city after a good night of sleep and knowing that the bike is running great and the weather is just perfect to be on the saddle. Today I will leave the hot weather behind and I will start climbing the mountains of Nueva Segovia and Jinotega.


The first thing was to repack the tent and gear. Packing and unpacking have become a painless routine. You have to do it almost everyday but every time is a little bit different. You need to change maps, stash dirty cloth in a different location and re-adjust the items that you'll need through out the day.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292631032_fXZ2E-M.jpg


In my travels I have found that having a great breakfast is key to ride many miles in one day. After a big breakfast you can skip lunch and just eat a granola bar or some cookies – you can focus on riding until dinner. Todays breakfast was a great breakfast: eggs, gallopinto (fried beans and rice), sausage, tortillas, cuajada (type of cheese), maduro (fried plantain), tortillas and coffee.


After breakfast I spent some time talking to the bus drivers that were staying in the same hotel. I have found that bus drivers and truck drivers have the best information on roads (distances, road conditions, times). However, these drivers had no information on my route after Ocotal.


I hit the road and stopped in Esteli which was the last town where I could take cash from an ATM. From now on I will not be able to get cash. Figuring out how much money to take was difficult. I had taken out $300 USD in Leon but after the first day ridding where I spent $33 I realized that $300 would not be enough. Of the $33, $22 had been spent on gasoline and two stroke oil. I decided to take out an extra $100 in Esteli. My budget for this trip would be $400. I figured if I could keep on average my cost at around $25 I would be able to travel for 16 days. It would be a tight budget and in case I would need more money I planned for my family to send me more money by Western Union to Bonanza or Puerto Cabeza. Later in the trip there were different methods to receive money in different parts of the country.


The road from San Isidro to Ocotal was all paved and overall a good road. “A good road to kill yourself” like the lady at the hotel told me. It is a two lane road, all twisty, perfect pavement, great scenery and makes you want to drive fast. This can be a problem if you are drunk or have ****ty breaks like many people that have died on this road.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292631365_bCwUk-L.jpg


In Ocotal got fuel again and hanged out a little bit to get information from the gas stations workers and other drivers on the road ahead. Then I got some extra fuel in one of the extra cans I was carrying.


Leaving in Ocotal and riding in the mountains was a bit of a surprise and appointment. I was expecting green mountains with big trees. But it was not the case
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292632347_E5nzp-L.jpg


After Ocotal I hit some cobble stone roads and then finally dirt. I was making good time and I know I could further than original plan. I stopped in Quilali to get gas at a small two-pump gas station. Quilali has a nice hotel and probably a place I would like to go back and visit. Leaving town you hit the river El Jicaro which I found very pretty
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292632926_7M9H8-L.jpg


From the gas station worker I learn that they plant beans in this mountains
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292633193_ZM22L-L.jpg


The ride was fun and dusty. I reached the town of Wiwili that is divided by the Rio Coco
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292634166_GVo4W-L.jpg





and that was the first river crossing on a panga
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292635088_8Ed8z-L.jpg


to cross the river you need to sit on the bike and put your feet on the sides to keep the balance. It was fun!


Crossing the river marked the entrance into Jinotega and soon the enviroment started to turn green
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292632687_P3E8D-L.jpg

http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292635706_BSyhx-L.jpg


http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292636103_Jj3Nw-L.jpg


Finally around 4pm I reached El Cua where I would spend the night and meet El Chele. El Chele is a local motorcyclist, hotel owner and part of the city counsil. We had great conversations and insights in the area.

[SalCar]

It was until my return to Managua that I found out about the women of El Cua. My mom was suprise that I stayed there. Maybe it was meant to be. El Cua was a place where I found confortable a place where I got a good vibe. From el Cua you can take a road further north into some indigenous communities and into the Bosawas Reserve. The largest tropical forest in the world north of the Amanzon. El Cua has a mountain close by that is full of water and it is 1,500 meters high. Something like 17 rivers form from it. The temperature is cooler in El Cua located at 500 meters above see level. Also, you are one day ride from Managua. You can buy a coffee plantation starting at around $1,000 an acre. I liked this place so much that I called JD to tell him about it. The women of El Cua are famous in Nicaragua because they were against the dictator and supported the revolutionary movement. In 1968, 19 women from El Cua were capture and refused to give information about the revolutionaries. They were raped, tortured and thrown off the airplanes still.


Day 3 – El Cua to Bonanza




El Cua in the morning
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292636301_jBiZy-L.jpg


Going from El Cua to El comejen
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292637472_9jD3P-L.jpg

FINALLY ON THE ROAD TO PUERTO CABEZA!!! It felt good to be on it!
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292638227_wn4ih-L.jpg



Rural transportation. During the rainy season the men get off the truck and have to push everytime the truck get's stuck. And yes they ride on top of the bus under torrential rains and have to hold tight no to fall off. This are the real adventure travellers!!!
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292639400_4QBKq-L.jpg



Small community along the road after Waslala.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292640426_mj9Gr-L.jpg



Right on the side of the road they were fixing a cow.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292640621_wDpH4-L.jpg





Got cowboys?
Siuna – Mining triangle
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292640935_WLZw5-L.jpg


Siuna. In Siuna I had a tasty lunch on the road going outside the city towards Rosita.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292641204_4rR9o-L.jpg



The Road to Rosita
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292641402_KoZ62-L.jpg



The road Rosita - Bonanza
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292642496_gS4Aq-L.jpg

I spent the night in Bonanza....
__________________

[SalCar]

Bonanza-Waspam: 328 km
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292642716_5miEs-L.jpg



Bonanza's gold mine. the only mine left. all the other ones where destroyed during the last days of the dictatorship. you can do a tour into a 250 (984ft) m deep tunnel and supposely also buy gold at a cheap price. The mining triangle did have a unique feel to it but didn't spent enough time to really understand it. One thing i did notice was that each town would talk **** about the other two. In each town I asked which one was the better one to visit and the safest. Everyone said that the other two where the worst ones.

DAY 4

In the morning when i was getting ready to leave i met the president of an NGO and another executive from the organization. They had come in from the US to check the work that was being done in the area. I put my sales hat and told them about my projects and ideas. They loved them and share some stories about their healthworkers that have to walk up to 9 hours to get from point A to B and a motorcycle would defenitely help. We ended the conversation to follow up with each other and explore an oportunity to work together.

The trip was starting to take a deeper meaning. Destiny helping me out. The right places and the right people. I finished packing, said good bye and hit the road back to Rosita, Puerto Cabeza and then to Waspam. With a new peace of mind i kicked started the two stroke and smelled the burning oil. Another good day!

there are a lot of bridges missing due to Hurricane Felix last year. I wonder what is going to happen to transportation this year that is suppose to be one of the rainiest season in the past few years.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292643387_q2CfL-L.jpg



Rosita
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292643653_J7Uaq-L.jpg


On the road from Rosita to Puerto Cabeza
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292644087_S8tDB-L.jpg

and another bridge missing
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292644348_v2Lm9-L.jpg

then a big river which had to be crossed with a ferry
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292644587_xa4aw-L.jpg

After crossing the damage of the Hurricane Felix was more evident. Thank you US for sending help this way and all the other coountries that came donw the months afterwards!
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292644770_LBgxS-L.jpg


I got gas in Puerto Cabeza and then headed to Waspam. On the way it started raining. It rained hard and for some reason I decided not to put my rain gear. I rode under the rain, I got cold, muddy, the road was slippery at times... and i just kept giving gas. I opened the helmet to let the rain hit me in the face. It hurt but it felt good. I felt alive!

[SalCar]

http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292645428_R3CgJ-L.jpg

Waspam is the largest east coast town on the Rio Coco. I got there early in the afternoon to drive around, get gas and find a place to sleep. While driving around I stop at the Hotel El Viajero located on the main street. The room where cheap ($3.5), small and the shared bathroom smell bad. So the guys hanging out in the front door recommended a different one down the road. For $6 dollars i got a nice brand new room made of wood, private bathroom and a fan. In addition, the hotel had a view - shown above.

Like El Cua this place made me feel at home and a great place to take a day break, do some laundry, revise the route and explore the city. So after unpacking and taking a shower I head back to El Viajero to talk to the guys that were hanging out there and get info on the city such as cheap places to eat and directions in town. It turned out that these guys where staying in El Viajero and were there for business. They were from Managua and brought merchandise to sell on the streets.

One guy Juan was selling medicines.

Waspam during this time of the year is a great place to visit. The communities around town are brining out beans to sell. you can get a pound of kidney beans for 30 cents of a US dollar. There is money moving hands and a lot of action on the main street.

there where a couple of public transportation that where a LOT worse than this one... this one in particular likes to be pushed. This truck goes to the small communities around waspam. a strecht that i did in an hour this truck does it in 4 hours if it doesn't break down along the way.

http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292645989_T7eA8-L.jpg

http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292645692_FryHV-L.jpg

[SalCar]

DAY 5

A day to catch up pn laundry and get information on the road to Bismuna. The last community on the North East point of Nicaragua. A community of Miskitos that live from fishing. The area is safe but the road to get there had a few turns and no one could give me exact directions. After spending a bit of times with the guys at El Viajere Juan asked me if he could come with me to Bismuna. On his trip to the North East he hadn't made it to Bismuna yet and wanted to go sell his medicinal products there.

I was all about it even if it ment that the 175cc bike will suffer. It was a unique oportunity to see how medicines where sold to the local indigenous communities, what kind of medicines sold the most and the knowledge that locals have on pharmaceuticals.

DAY 6
There where different versions on the distance from Waspam to Bismuna. The concensus was that it would take at least 3 hours and that it would take approximately 3 hours. I was in the routine of waking up around 5:30 am and I didn't have to pack bc i would spent the night again in Waspam. So we were off at 6am after picking up Juan.

On the road to Bismuna. The brief case is full of drugs - the medicinal type
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292646445_oJibR-L.jpg

On the way to Bismuna we pass by Wasla another Miskito community with a nice Moravian Church typical of the region
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292646672_2bJdg-L.jpg


It had rain again and you can see the potholes starting to collect water
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292647118_6vAa7-L.jpg


Riding to up on a small bike was a bit challenging at times... i almost lost control on this pothole
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292647552_DVGGz-L.jpg


I couldn't take a good shot to show bad the road was but i think this picture gives you an idea. During the rainy season a lot of time Bismuna get's isolated because the road are just plain terrible - all deep MUD. So people of the quest to get out or in try different routes and unless you are a local you don't know which route is the one in better condition.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292647669_3c9Ye-L.jpg



I just picked one and rode. sometime i was lucky to get the right one but many other times was just an adrenaline rush to keep the bike up.


Getting to Bismuna was very interesting. There is not a Main Square/Plaza where to go. There is not a church to go take pictures at. There is actually very little to do there. And of course you stand out when you get there on a motorcycle and a bunch of expenive riding gear.

So we rode into town until the road ended on the river bank. From there the fisherman take their boats to the Bismuna Lagoon and from there to the Ocean. When we arrived there was a boat getting fixed on the shore. So we shut-off the engine and got off the bike. Juan that speaks some Miskito said hi. They exchanged a few phrases and then the attention was on me. Who was the guy with money? they spoke broken Spanish and Juan briefly explained to them that was interested in rural tourism.

One of the older man on the boat came up to the front. By that time there were several younger guys checking us out and the fishermen working on the boats slowed what they were doing to pay attention to the conversation. After Juan was done talking the older man yelled at me "Why do you foreigners come here to mess with us???" There was complete silence. The old man put me on the spot. His words had a lot of meaning and you could sense frustration that had been built over the years. He wanted to know my intentions there. He was clearly testing me infront of everyone and I had just a couple seconds to come up with an answer. So yelled back at him "I'm not here to mess with you, i'm here to bring money to the community" As soon I was done yelling everyone laughed, the tension went away, the old man with a smile in his eyes return to back of the boat, another man went to get a couple of coconuts so we could drink the water, another guy cut a couple of mangos and brought them to us with some salt. I had passed the old man test.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292648002_WPiDu-L.jpg


I spent the rest of the afternoon answering question to the younger guys about the bike, where i was from and all the typical questions a rider get's ask when he leaves home. Juan had gone to do some rounds to try to sell his medicine. After a couple of hours he came back and we started heading to the entrance of the community. We stopped at a couple of little store and i got to see him work his magic - Explain about the medicinal products to the locals.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292648850_EFFdr-L.jpg

When I was with him in Bismuna he sold a box of generic Viagra and some vitamins. Juan said that vitamins and supplementary diet pills were hot items to sell. Then we looked for a house where they could cook us lunch. We relaxed for a bit and started heading back to Waspam.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292648354_kPe5R-L.jpg


Little did i know that the next day would be the accident.....

[SalCar]

DAY 7 Waspam - Kansas City: 370 KM

http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292650281_wmguS-L.jpg


Today I would venture out to the "big unknown". I had fail to get accurate information about this area. I had gotten a mix stories and a LOT of warnings. I cannot recall to how many people I asked about the area around Makantaka. The words of the Salesman that had travel greatly along Nicaragua where "There is nothing out there, no water, no cell phone coverage, no police... that is the cocaine route and people have weapons... that is a place where they will kill you and nobody will ever find you"


In a way, it was the same warning I've been hearing since I left the US to travel around Latin America. In my travels i have learned to take advice with a bucket of salt unless it comes from first hand. The night before departure i met an older man, bus driver from the Atlantic coast. He claim to have been in that area and that it was safe but to be careful.

I woke up around 5 am to finish packing and putting the bags on the bike. At 6 am I was at the gas station getting fuel. this time i would fill the 2 containers (1 gallon/each) with gas. The extra gallons would give me a little less than 300 km of fuel range. I had enough gasoline to go directly from Waspam to Rosita without having to go into Puerto Cabeza which would add another 44 km of riding and I would lose approximately 1 hour.

The day was another beautiful day for riding and as soon as i left Waspam i got into a good rything with the bike. I was extremely focused on the road and getting as many miles behind me. It was the same road that I rode into waspam so i knew it and i could keep a fast space. Once in a while i would stop to drink water, take a small break from the saddle and snap a picture to document my journey. Here is a pic of one of the many fires currently in the country.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292650079_PRo87-L.jpg


Once in Rosita I got gas, bought some bread and water. My money was starting to run low and I knew I would have to pay a boat to get to Laguna de Perlas or I had to ride back the same way I came. The easiest thing where I could save cash was food and lodging. The next few days I ate a lot of bread and water - bread is cheap and filling.

From Rosita I headed to El Empalme which I had driven through before and from there I took the road to Alamikamba. Once I entered the road to Alamikamba a mix of emotions started flowing in my veins. I replay all the warnings and I was ready to turn back as soon as I feel unconfortable. The road was in "good" condition which was a good sign but I lowered my speed since this were new roads.

Getting closer to Alamikamba after approximately an hour since i had seen a soul I came across a man on a bicycle. I slowed down to a stop and i stopped the man to ask information on the route ahead. It was around 2pm in the afternoon and I still had 4 hours of day light. Alamikamba was very close and I had a chance to make it to Makantaca. The man on the bicycle said that Alamikamba was a safe place and there was a hospedaja. He said the road to Makantaka had been abandoned for quite some time and it was a little unsafe to drive throught it because the road was used by cattle smugglers/bandits. he said that as long as i rode during the day i would be fine but recommend to wait until the next day. he said that it would take approximately one hour from Alamikamba to Makantaka.

I figure that even with a flat I could make it to Makantaka with day light. So i drove to Alamikamba until I reached the river.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292651031_M3gYM-L.jpg

and it was time to look for someone to help me cross the river. that was easy...
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292651343_xcHwE-L.jpg

http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292651674_4xCG7-L.jpg

After crossing the river the bike wouldn't start. The river bank was made of deep sand and the boat had left me with one wheel on the water. It was hot outside and I had 3 hours left of light. I kept trying to kick start the bike when two teenagers came by and asked me if i needed help. They helped me push the bike out of the water and after several kicks the bike started again.

The two teenagers confirmed that the road was a bit dangerous and there were a couple of trails that went to other communities. I asked them if they knew someone with a bike that could show me the road to Makantaka. They did but they had to go look for him on the other side of the river - i figure that would take the reminder of the day light. Instead I offered to pay on the guys to ride two up with me and show me the road to Makantaka.

I moved the bags to make room for other guy. I was surprise how well the little bike did with two passangers plus all my gear. By this time i had been on the road for 8+ hours, i was tired of riding on bumpy dirt roads, the sun was starting to come down, i was all dusty and i just had bread and water for lunch and no breakfast.

Not once in my life I have ever imagined that I would find a barbed wire across the road neck high while riding. I was going approximately 40 km per hour when I saw it. My first reaction was to let the gas go and to break but i knew i wouldn't have time to stop the bike. I saw the barbed wire coming straight at me. My first thought was of death, I would break my neck or the barbed wire would cut my carotid artery and I would bleed to death. I closed my eyes and told to myself "Let the will of God to be done".

The wire hit the helmet, then it slid under my chin making a deep cut and then wraped around my neck making several cuts. It was a miracle that the barbed wire made out of metal broke instead of my neck! Everything happen in a matter of seconds but it seem for ever. I felt every single one of the cuts and then we crashed. I was in panic but the crash was like a slap in the face that brought me back to reality. I was trapped under the bike and I couldn't move. I was scared as I felt the blood dripping down my neck. The guy with me was screaming that his leg was hurting and to let him out. I managed to free myself and I saw an old man with a kid standing right there watching us in awe. I yelled at the old man to come help us but he was in shock and wouldn't move. he later thought that i was dead when i crashed.

After i freed myself, I helped the guy get off underneath the bike and i started to take all my cloth off. I was dripping blood and i was sure i would bleed to death.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292527027_ogJL2-L.jpg

I realized this would be the last minutes of my life. My safety kit was in the big duffle bag so i figure i could use my t-shirt to put pressure on the cuts. But the t-shirt was soaking in sweat, it was dirty and i it wouldn't do any good. Time was passing and everywhere i move i would leave a trail of blood. The size of the blood drops were huge and i was sure the barbed wire had cut my artery.

The whole experience was intense. I was in the middle of nowhere and i had no cell phone reception. No oportunity to make one last call. I though of my family and my friends. I was in survival mode and fighting to keep all my thoughts on staying a life. I knew i had to put pressure on the cuts! Like a mad man i started taking off the bags of the bike until I reached the safety kit where I had a absorbent sponge.

I opened it and put it agains my neck. There was absolute silence. The guy, the old man and the kid were just staring at me. The world as I knew had stopped.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292652020_vhocp-L.jpg

While I didn't see my whole life replay in front of me. A wave of strong emotions ran through my body. From sadness of leaving love ones behind, anger that the old man didn't stop me before hitting the wire, of scareness not knowing what how long it would take before bleeding to death. And a lot more... Overall I've had a good run with my life. A family that has always supported me, a lot of friends around the world, a lot of achivements academically, in sports and with my career, a lot of travelling and many many adventures and experiences. I've truly lived a full life and thank God for it.

While holding the sponge against my neck I talked with God. I'm not a religious person and don't like talking about it but i do have Faith in a greater being. I was raise catholic but consider myself more cristian. I don't go to church. I belive in Karma and in Buddha and believe there are other ways of getting to God in addition to Jesus. I belive that there are other ways of calling God such as Love or Universe. I believe that everything happens for a reason no matter if it is good or bad. I belive that hard experiences are the ones that transform us the most the most. I made a promise to God that if i would survive this accident I would keep working on increasing healthcare access to rural communties and while doing so I removed the sponge. Like in a miracle, when i removed the sponge the bleeding had stopped completely.

I gave thanks to God and realized that time was running out. Soon it would be dark and I should be driving on this road at night. I put some sterile gloves and started cleaning the cuts with iodide wipes. Then i put antibiotic cream and covered the cuts so they wouldn't get any more dirt.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292652483_RcEkC-L.jpg


The old man assured me i would find a doctor in Makantaka and a store where i could by purify water. After cleaning the knee of the guy that was riding two-up with me I asked him if he still wanted to show me the way. He said "let's go". I had a couple words with the old man and asked him why he didn't stopped me, i re-packed and off we where. But before i had to take a picture of the old man with the barbed wire.

http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292652365_M7BA8-L.jpg

I was riding into the unknown wounded. Destiny had given a second chance. I was riding into one of the worst road of the whole trip. Every bump my neck would hurt and i could feel the cuts. i couldn't tie my helmet because the strap when over the cut under my chin. It was a painful ride, it was on a bandit trail and i had no clue where i would spend the night.

http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292653121_EE4qX-L.jpg

[SalCar]

grass and trees had grown where once use to be a road.... the bridges where falling apart
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292653530_CqdyW-L.jpg

It was a loooong day.... until i finally reached Makantaka. A very small, very poor community where there was no doctor, no nurse and no purify water. I was filthy and thought of an infection on the cuts crossed my mind.

I needed to find clean water to clean the wounds and get to civilization in case I was more hurt than i thought. We dropped the bike at one of the houses in town where my "guide" knew the family and we went to look for information on boats to Pearl Lagoon.

kids in Makantaka
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292654058_9xivB-L.jpg

No boats come to Makantaka - maybe one boat every week. The best chance to get a boat was to take a single track trail to where the Makantaka river branch meets with the Rio Grande de Matagalpa. The guy that had guided me so far didn't know the trail so we looked for another guide. I picked up the bike and gave $25 to the guy had been in the accident with me so he could buy a pair of pants and we departed. We needed to move fast bc it was getting dark.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292654453_NG23w-L.jpg


I rode two-up on the single tracks with many stops where i had to push te bike through the hard parts.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292654861_t9Lph-L.jpg



going up was hard because there was just enough room for the bike to go through. I was very tired by now, thirsty with no water, my cuts where very sweat and itching. I've been on the road more than 10 hours and emotionally exhausted.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292655310_iikvE-L.jpg


the trail was very nice and technical... but no time to take pictures and to tired to enjoy it.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292655508_B4Bwh-L.jpg

With the sunset we finally reached the last house on the trail where the Makantaka river branch meets the Rio Grande the Matagalpa. Limi my new guide introduce me to the family there and we talked about boats. There might be one going through tomorrow but it wouldn't stop there. So Leonardo offer me to take me to the Quintanilla family that had a house on the Rio Grande but i wouldn't be able to take my bike bc Leonardo didn't Have a big enough boat. So i just took my bags, gave $5 to Limi and off we went to the Quintanilla family house... Leonardo fixing my seat.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292655813_SS3Hc-L.jpg

Finally when it was dark outside and after a good 20 minutes we made it to the Quintanilla family who welcomed me like a family member. Gave some soda and some bread. They filled up my water bottle with rain water and i added chlorine tablets. We talked but i was mostly facing in and out the conversation. I was exhausted. After the 30 minutes the water was ready and i drank almost all of it at once. after relaxing a little bit i took the bandages off and with the flash light and kem wipes i tried to clean the blood off my body. clean the cuts again with the kem wipes, the iodide wipes and added more antibiotic cream. The Quintanilla family set-up a hammock for me to sleep but I couldn't sleep. To many things in my head. I laid in the hammock to tired to sleep. I just heard the radio playing and the Quintanilla family talk with Leonardo. I had found a home where I felt relaxed.... until i passed out.

[sinuhexavier]

Awesome, good to see some real adventure..

[SalCar]

Day 8 Kansas City - Pearl Lagoon
the same knee that i hurt before the departure
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292656276_8YBtY-M.jpg

The night was rough. I woke up numerous times. My knee had swollen up and the scratch was starting to dry up. everytime i move my neck i felt the cuts. other parts of my body were also hurting such as leg and shoulder where i had bruises. I spent the night phasing in and out of sleep combining wierd dreams and seeing cockroaches crawling on the floor.
Finally the sun started to come out. A new day and a new begining. The Quintanilla family woke up with the first rays of sun. when there is no electricity sun light becomes even more precious.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292655996_GUmcb-L.jpg

http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292656108_ZWfnK-L.jpg



The sunrise was spectacular! I sat on the porch drinking coffee and eating a piece of sweet bread. I was happy that the accident hadn't been worse and I would be able to continue the trip. The goal for the day was to try to catch a boat to Pearl Lagoon and Don Justo had confirm that a boat would stop by to pick him up and all the crops that he was taking to Bluefield. The only thing left to do was to relax and enjoy the conversations with the locals that came to the little store that the Quintanilla family runs and the nice conversation with the wife of Don Justo.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292619927_pqKu5-L.jpg


The Quintanilla family has been living in this lands for over 100 years. Don Justo Uncle the old man in the picture defended his land during the revolution. He stayed there during the war and when the contras came to kick him out he refused and got shot. With no medicines, no doctor or no other habitants he dragged himself home and laid in bed. "When you live out here you live under the mercy of God" told me the wife of Don Justo. "After the war my husband returned to help his uncle cultivate the land and I came with him. we have very little and we slept under a small palapa. we didn't have this house back then"

"We are very fornutate to have 3 big containers to collect rain water. the majority of the people here have to drink water from the river. do you know that when you cook the rice with it it turns yellow?". I was thinking forget the yellow how about all the diseases the children drink!!!! "the family here are big and the houses don't have floors. so during the rainy season they have to were boots in the house because the floors get all muddy". "The nurse that use to come hasn't come in a while and the school teacher left Kansas City because got a position elsewhere. there is no teacher and thus no school... during the rainy season many children can't go to school bc the river current is to strong to row to school... the children have to skip school during the harvest of the crops."..... "My daughter that is 15 years old got married and left the house. Many girls here have kids very young. when they are 15 yo".... "there is a lady that has malaria right now and she is pregnant. she can't take the malaria medication bc of the pregnancy and doesn't want to go to Rio Grande la Cruz bc she doesn't have money. She doesn't understand that the longer she gets the more expensive it will be bc they will have to take her to Bluefields"...."the kids here have never seen toys. During La Purisima (religous holiday for the Virgin Mary) i spend a lot of money and try to buy small toys for the children. the whole yard get's full"... "we used to have a small generator and tv. it was our joy to be able to watch movies at night but we had to sell it to fix the 9hp motor of the boat"... "i had 9 childre and 5 of them die. Only God knows why."... nobody comes here to visit us. we don't get donations. no NGOs come here. they all stay in Rio Grande la Cruz and there are a lot of communities there. Most of the times we try to go there we don't get anything because there are so many people and it is expensivo to go there. so is not worth the risk of going.... i can't see, my daughter can't see and Don Justo uncle can't see but we cannot afford the trip and the cost of buying glasses".... every winter/rainy season there are plagues of Malaria and Dengue.... there are a lot of cases... we close all the doors and window of the house early in the afternoon so less mosquitos can get in"... "the only medicines the goverment give us are anti-malarial and acetominophen... there are no medicines here. my legs hurt and sometimes i can't get out of bed. no one has anything for it"... "there is an old man that can't walk straight bc he has arthritis. he is always leaning down and can't work. it is sad to see him. his only wish is to be able to stand straight so he can work"

while we talked Don Justo was cutting water melons and plantains that he was taking to Bluefield. Neightbors where also bringing their crops so that Don Justo could take them and sell them. The river was a life with boats and cayukos coming and going.
this boat had just returned from Bluefield/Pearl Lagoon.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292656537_nphFW-L.jpg


while we were talking a fast boat approached the dock of Don Justo to buy plantains. Don Justo asked them where they were going and it turned out that they were going to pick up a City Consul and then heading back to Bluefield. After a bit of negotiation they agree to take me with the bike for half the price of the normal boat. Also, instead of 15 hours on the slow boat it would take less than three hours. Luck was on my side. I'll soon would be able to take a shower, buy cold purified water and sleep on a bed.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292656704_mjTf8-L.jpg


the boat was fast and it had no roof so I got a good sun tan. I ended up sitting next to one of the City Counsil and was able to questioned him on why Kansas City didn't have a teacher or a doctor.. why people where living under those condition. of couse he blamed it on other people you could see that i made it think - for me that was good enough. I couldn't have asked for more.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292657041_uPzwo-L.jpg


the river was gorgeus and reaching Pearl Lagoon was spectacular. white sand beaches with light blue water!
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292657206_ReHXk-L.jpg


The culture also changed... i was in the reggae land! after a shower and a nap i headed out for a couple cold beers to the rything of reggae It is good to be alive!

[SalCar]

The night of Day 8 i went to bed early and forgot to lock the room door. the hotel was expensive ($12) for the quality of it but it had a private shower and toilet. Early in the morning while sleeping i heard some noices on the hall way which woke me up. I laid in bed trying to fall a sleep again when someone opened my door very quietly. My first reaction was to yell at the person and they close the door and left. I think it was someone trying to break in the room and steal something. the next morning i woke up annoyed by the incident of the previous night. I didn't said anything but made my mind to leave that day eventhough i could use a day to recover.

After many attempts that morning i finally was able to take a picture of the cuts on my neck. You can see the deeper cut under my chin, the white one on the side was also a bit deep. very similar cuts where also on the other side of my neck.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292657319_DaBQF-M.jpg


Pearl Lagoon the city in itself is ok - the sorrounding beaches are spectacular. I didn't have money to pay for a boat tour so instead I decided to do a short day and find a small town with a cheaper hotel. The road leaving town was bumpy but had an awesome scenary.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292657648_j9ngb-L.jpg

http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292657898_sZwdo-L.jpg

this road was donated by the goverment of Japan. They gave enough money to put asphalt on it..... but some how the money was not enough!?!?

After 205 km (84 dirt) i reached Santo Tomas, had lunch/dinner and looked for a hotel. I found the Hotel Aleman with private bathroom and clean rooms for $3.5!!!! I walked into town for a little bit and went to bed early. I was back in "civilization" or close enough to Managua that I felt safe again. The adventure was coming to an end and I was looking for it. The pants on the knee hurt and it hurt to turn the neck around while riding.

[SalCar]

I woke up still hurting and the bad road to San Carlos required multiple breaks from the saddle. While riding I decided that if I could find a boat the next day to San Juan de Nicaragua and I would take it. Otherwise the next day I would return to Managua.

Road to San Carlos
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292658592_2rT8X-L.jpg


Reaching San Carlos in my head was the end of the trip. The ride to Managua would be done on roads that had ridden before. So I was very happy to be at the end!

San Carlos - I made it!
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292658818_MVScu-L.jpg

It was a GREAT day and I was rewarded with an amazing sunset!
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292530710_Fnuyc-L.jpg

I went to bed around 8pm and woke-up at 5 am to pack and catch the boat at 6am.

Rio San Juan is Nicaragua!
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292659363_RSWjQ-L.jpg

getting to San Juan de Nicaragua was an adventure of it's own
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292659958_XMJfE-L.jpg

and it cannot be an adventure without some effort and some aligator risk!
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292660194_i4Mbf-L.jpg

and at the end of a great adventure.....
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292661211_p5W4c-L.jpg

you realize that you know little bit more about yourself and you feel happy to have new & old friends with whom to share some beers and experiences.
http://salcar.smugmug.com/photos/292662741_xcJz7-L.jpg


Thank you for coming along!

One day I hope to see you in Nicaragua and hear your stories about your rides in Nicaragua!

Sincerely,
Salvador

P.S. If you would like to see more pictures click here (http://salcar.smugmug.com/gallery/4900890_mhiTn)

[viter]

wow, an adventure to say the least!!!
and it really makes one reevaluate one's life and how good one has it after reading about people who live with just about nothing, not even medical care... that is sad...

[Stuartag]

Wow! Just Wow!

And we think an adventure is a trip to Alaska in a Land Rover! I followed along on your adventure with a map in hand and was able to see exactly where you were as you described it. Fantastic!

Someday, I will make it down there.

Regards,
Alan

[J-man]

wow, u are truly an adventurer with heart to have taken medical supplies with you on a bike. congratulations on your success. its stories like theese which make me want to drop it all and head out....

[SalCar]

Can't wait to follow this!

thank you for reading :)

-H-


:sombrero: Interesting report.

:roost:


I love this trip. The blood on the tank of the bike got me hooked to read on to the report on ADV rider!!!!:sombrero:

Cool! I knew that the blood shot would get some ones attention ;)


Awesome, good to see some real adventure..

thank you for the compliment!


wow, an adventure to say the least!!!
and it really makes one reevaluate one's life and how good one has it after reading about people who live with just about nothing, not even medical care... that is sad...

This this type of trips are very rewarding because I realize how lucky I am. they do make you reevaluate life and motivate you to help out those with the greatest needs.


Wow! Just Wow!

And we think an adventure is a trip to Alaska in a Land Rover! I followed along on your adventure with a map in hand and was able to see exactly where you were as you described it. Fantastic!

Someday, I will make it down there.

Regards,
Alan

I'll be waiting for you here! the sooner you come the better :camping:


wow, u are truly an adventurer with heart to have taken medical supplies with you on a bike. congratulations on your success. its stories like theese which make me want to drop it all and head out....

thank you! i don't think you need to drop everything.. just make some time and come down here :exclaim: