Its Margarita Time

Sitting on a beach, drinking cocktails, watching the sun set over the ocean, wondering where did it all go wrong?

Puerto Escondido

Puerto Escondido - the place to go if you're a surfer. Not a bad place to go if you aren't.

Cloud Forest

The journey from Oaxaca to the coastal resort of Puerto Escondido shouldn't take too long - its about 160 miles. But the road goes up into the hills and through the cloud forest. I was lucky if I could hit more than 30mph. Progress is further hampered by a plague of speed bumps at the merest hint of a town or village. It also didn't help when I took a wrong turn following a diversion sign. Having been given directions by a few locals my route back took me through the market, down some wet and muddy tracks and across a football field (whilst there was a match going on).

El Tule

I thought I'd seen the world's largest trees in Yosemite but the Mexicans claim this, a 2,000 year old tree with a diameter of 14 meters and weighing 636,000 tons, is bigger. Now I don't know who to believe.

Oaxaca

Hotel with no car park? No problem. Just ride through reception and park outside your room.

Traffic

Mexico has a pretty good motorway network, but they're toll roads and they're expensive so nobody uses them. The result is traffic like this.

Teotihuacan

The pyramid of the sun, the third largest pyramid in the world, contains an estimated three million tons of stone and was built in AD100 without the use of metal tools, pack animals, or the wheel.

Guanajuato

Guanajuato was founded when silver was discovered in the area. For over 250 years the region produced 20% of the world's silver.

Tunnels

The river flowing through Guanajuato was diverted through a series of tunnels running under the town. Following a series of floods the river was dammed and the tunnels are now used to as roads.

Zacatecas

The inside of Zacatecas' cathedral, in contrast to the outside, is really rather plain. Presumably the stonemasons had lost interest or died of old age by the time they'd finished the outside.

23 degrees north

Just before crossing the Tropic of Cancer I was stopped by a policeman wielding a radar gun. I hadn't been speeding, and he wasn't after a bribe, he just wanted to have a chat about my bike.

Copper Canyon

Copper Canyon, and the surrounding canyons, are deeper than the Grand Canyon and cover an area four times the size.

Creel

Home of the odd-shaped rock.

Guaymas

A delay in leaving Santa Rosalia meant it was dark by the time I arrived in Guaymas. One of the crew gave me directions to a hotel in town which involved doing a naughty left turn. Its obviously a popular naughty left turn as there was a policeman lying in wait to catch people. He pulled me over and after going through the pretence of him showing me the ticket he was about to write out and me asking what the fine was he decided instead to ask for some money for a drink. After I'd given him 100 pesos he was my new best friend - leading me to the hotel (and waving me through a red light in the process) and then giving me directions for the way out of town the following morning.

Santa Rosalia

Santa Rosalia's main attraction seems to be the prefabricated church designed by Gustave Eiffel. Of more interest to me is the ferry to the mainland that hopefully leaves in the morning.

Tacos, tortillas, burritos, enchilladas, quesadillas.....

If Billy Connolly is to be believed, all Mexican food is the same, just folded differently. On the evidence put before me I'd have to agree.

Tijuana, Mexico

The border crossing at Tijuana is the busiest in the world, which is why I thought I'd be clever and cross further inland at Tecate. The plan worked well - no queues, I didn't even have to show my passport. Unfortunately though the Mexicans couldn't do the paperwork for my bike at Tecate so they let me into the country but told me to go to the customs post at Tijuana to sort the bike out. As you approach the border at Tijuana you're funnelled straight through to the American border post. I explained my predicament to the border guard and asked if he could let me through and watch me immeadiately do a u-turn through a barrier to the Mexican side. He told me that by doing that I would be on American soil and so would have to go through the immigration process all over again. The situation was more than he could cope with so he sent me to see one of his superiors in the main building. Fortunately after about 10 minutes the second border guard had an attack of common sense and agreed to let me straight back in to Mexico. He escorted me to the barrier, called me a 'crazy Brit' and waved me off as I entered Mexico for the second time in three hours.

America

San Diego

Another obvious one.....

And the obvious place to dine

Neptune's Net, Malibu

Neptune's Net - California's equivalent of the Ace Cafe, where I spent half an hour having a drink and being quized about my trip. The first question would invariably be where had I ridden from. The second question was always "On that?!"

The Pacific Coast Highway

I dreamt of riding the Pacific Coast Highway on a motorbike long before I had a licence. It didn't disappoint.

California

No prizes for guessing where I am today. As I rode into town yesterday I had to remind myself that not only was I riding across the Golden Gate bridge but that I was riding across the Golden Gate bridge on a motorbike that I'd riden there from England.

Napa Valley

The life of an around-the-world motorcyclist is one of hardship and sacrifice. I just wanted to make that absolutely clear before telling you of my evening spent camping in Napa Valley drinking a rather cheeky bottle of Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon.
Now remember, if anyone asks, the life of an around-the-world motorcyclist is one of hardship and sacrifice.