Mark Twain is quoted as saying, “travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” A life without travel is a life without “broad, wholesome, charitable views of men.” It’s a popular quote, and in a paradoxical way, we travelers like to throw it around as proof of our worldly superiority over you closed-minded stayers. But […]
The day I recovered the bike from the police, I asked the tow truck driver for the cost to take the bike to Santiago. I knew this was an inevitability, and I wanted to shop around. He insisted 140,000 Chilean pesos was a “super” cheap deal. I tucked that number away and decided to try […]
I’ve spent the last few days in Viña del Mar, Chile attempting to repair the cut ignition wires on my stolen motorbike. What I thought would be a simple reconnect has turned into a potentially serious repair that I’m not able to do myself. The thieves cut into the ignition to hot wire the engine, […]
I’m traveling with a friend who also lost a good deal of money and his credit cards when the thieves stole my bike. He also lost three passports — one each for his three nationalities. He’s traveling on a Colombia passport in Chile but needs the U.S. passport to go home. I’m traveling strictly on […]
First, a thank you to all who helped spread the word, offer advice, and wish me well. Thank you also to the dedicated police of Chile. They recovered the bike after it was abandoned in a street in less than 24 hours. It was of course without all of my equipment, electronics, tools, and gear. […]