When you are living through the worst pandemic since the Spanish Flu and are locked down in a curfew mandated by rioting and looting, following the tragic murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police, the thought of escaping becomes increasingly appealing. To quote the great Kiwi explorer Sir Edmund Hilary, “let’s get the fuck out of here hey Cuz”.
My mate Declan, a motorcycle riding Irishman and I began to plan a trip which would start in Phoenix Arizona and take us deep down into Mexico through Baja California. Along the way we hope to avoid getting the coronavirus, not be robbed, avoid all folks involved in the drug trade and basically not be killed, maimed or injured.
As we would both be riding Himalayan’s we have been using our time wisely, watching Tiktok videos of girls doing that stupid dance, devouring the full season of Tiger King and developing conspiracy theories of what happened to Carol Baskin’s husband. Shopping on eBay and Amazon also became a bit of an obsession as we farkled up the bikes in preparation for the trip. You can check out our farkling videos here.
Why Mexico? I’m glad you asked. You see it’s land as timeless as it is old. A land of piñatas, of margaritas, sombreros, murderers and rapists (well some may be good) if you believe Donald Trump. It’s a country I have explored before in my 1974 Kombi van back in the day and it has become my favorite country in the whole of Mexico.
Our trip will take us deep into the Baja Peninsula, through San Filipe, down to Loreto, to La Paz and then to Los Cabos San Lucas. One of the best things about traveling during these uncertain times of uncertainty, is that there will be fewer Americans and more Mexicans. Well not that there will be more Mexican’s, but the Mexican to American ratio will be way lower than it would be during say, Spring Break. Not this last Spring Break of 2020 which was impacted by Covid19, but say 2019 Spring Break where the American to Mexican ration was dreadfully high.
The absence of drunken American tourists can not be over estimated or understated when you are carving out an adventure riding expedition such as this. For one thing the Mexican locals should be happier to see us, embracing our presence warmly with hugs, cheers and enthusiasm normally reserved for birthdays, cincoanera or the death of a particularly nasty cartel member. It will also provide us with the opportunity to delve into the Mexican culture and customs without having some loudmouth Sepo sucking a gallon of beer through a snorkel.
So that’s the plan. On or around the 2-5 of July we will set off on our Himalayans and venture south of the border. Stay tuned and check out our preparation videos which we will be posting over the next few weeks.
