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More of Salcar's story is on the homepage if you're interested in reading!
More of Salcar's story is on the homepage if you're interested in reading!
Thank you Mandy!!!Originally Posted by mandypants
More of Salcar's story is on the homepage if you're interested in reading!
here is the link to the article for those of you that don??t want to read all the blog posts.
http://www.bmwmoa.org/features/healt...ccess.htm?pg=1
the article talks about the first part of the trip - preparations to departure. so much happened that it was hard to pick what to put in. if anyone have any questions i??ll be happy to reply to them.
Thinking, thinking, thinking, thinking in Florianapolis.... and doing busy work such as uploading pictures.
Dave Swider
Marin County, CA
Some bikes. Some with motors, some without.
IÔÇÖm still in Florianopolis, Brasil and I rented and apartment here for the next 3 weeks. When I got here I took 2 weeks of Portuguese classes and stayed in the house of a Brazilian family in Santa Barbara. Classes were to expensive to keep taking them so now IÔÇÖm trying to learn on my own. So far I think I made good progress. I can communicate and understand most of the conversations when they talk slow. Also I understand most of the television programs.
After Santa Barbara I stayed 5 days in Cannasviera which is in the north part of the island. I stayed with Marcio a motorcyclist that I met in Argentina. He is thinking about doing the rest of the trip with me and then to continue alone and do the rest of South America. He is 24 years old and has little money to do the trip. So he is thinking about buying a Yamaha YBR 125cc and is borrowing gear form his friends. We spent quite a bit of time talking about possible routes and I helped him brainstorm for his journey.
The carnival was not as big as the one in Rio Janeiro but it was still a lot of fun. There were a lot of people on the streets partying and enjoying themselves. There were parades on the streets, big private parties, big club parties and big boat parties. I got see a bit of all of them.
Now IÔÇÖm trying to figure out a way to stay in Brazil and develop my healthcare project that is slowly taking shape and direction. However, not speaking fluently the language, not being a Brazilian resident and the loans that I have to pay is making it very difficult to find a job here. I would love to stay in Brazil for many reasons but the most important are that the economy is growing and analyst are comparing it to the one in China and India. The people are very friendly, the food is great and the landscape is a paradise.
Now, IÔÇÖm at cross roads where I need to start making decisions on what to do with my future. The journey will soon be over and IÔÇÖll be out of money. Should I keep following my dreams and save the world but also risk going bankrupt and poor or should I be realistic and just focus on finding a job that will allow me to pay off my loan fast. Some days I feel like taking the risk and keep following my dreams but then I wake up and realize that IÔÇÖm just going crazy. Other days I feel IÔÇÖm trying to undertake too much and I should just settle with a fun job that allows me to make the minimum payments and enjoy being a motorcycle vagabond around the world.
Today Im following my dream. And Im dreaming big with open eyes!
Crossroads hmmm? Consider alternative methods to maintain the momentum and expertise you have created. Seek our the Red Cross, WHO, etc to act on their behalf as a researcher. Even the Brazilian governement Health Office. Find the largest medical hospital, University and seek the largest grant office for a role. Go to work at the Beemer shop. Work for a major resort as a tour guide. Start a small sandwich shop. Go to the emb assy and find the expatriates business group and network. Teach motorcycle riding. Operate a motorcyle tours for medical professionals.
Make a job of getting a high value job. Think big.
portugues is the big barrier now. i stoped taking clases bc they were to expensive and without portuguese is hard to find a job hear. however, it is getting better by the day and i can understand 80% and can make myself understand. i have a few business ideas cooking and also networking to find a job here.
i was planning to go to Paraguay in a couple of weeks but there is a huge dengue fever out break. not so sure if i??ll go. i??m heading north on April 7th and hope to be done with this journey at the end of May the latest. if i have time and money i will like to take the amazon boat from Belem, Brasil to Iquitos Peru which will take approx 2 weeks to and from there.
I took the motorcycle into the shop last week since it was running bad. they reprogram the chip, balanced the wheels and change the oil. now is doing much better but you can see that the bike is also getting tired.
life is good, life is hard but these will be the moments i??ll look back with greatest pleasure. i keep meeting people that think is unreal that i dropped everything in my life to be here and not know what the future has in store for me.
i'm planning to do some local riding and have pictures to see this paradise
I just uploaded a bunch of pictures from the south of the island of Florianopolis. There are some great motorcycle roads. Enjoy!
http://salcar.smugmug.com/gallery/2557999#P-1-9
Rock on Salcar!!
It seems that i might be able to work for a couple of months from Brasil for my old company. however to do that i need to get a laptop. i have a friend coming to visit on March 26 and could bring the computer from the state. I was looking for computers online and once i add the software and random stuff it comes out to be pretty expensive.
So do you know of a site where i can buy a cheap laptop and software? do you have a used one you could sell me? do you know of someone that could sponsor it? i was thinking about spending 900-1200US$. the laptop needs to be a bit strong so i can take it with me on the motorcycle. any help is appreciated.
Last edited by salcar; 03-10-2007 at 03:37 PM.
It??s been over a month since I rode my motorcycle more than 200km. it??s time to get back on the saddle. I called the Italian embassy in Paraguay and the lady that i talked to recommended not going because the rainy season is starting and is also very hot which means more mosquitoes. She thinks that Igua?ºu falls on the Argentinean and Brazil side should be fine. i'm planning to cross the border, get the stamp and see at least the border town Ciudad del Este which is suppose to be the black market of south america.
I’m planning to leave for Igua?ºu this Friday. Then going up to Bonito in Mato Grosso do Sul which is suppose to be one of the best places in Brazil. Then I’ll come back to Florianopolis where I??ll spend 10 days. Maybe go to the national meeting of the BMW Moto Clube do Brasil in Curitiba.
On April 8th most likely do the Brazil coast since it looks like ill be able to work a couple of days which will help me cover the coast of a longer route.
after doing a 4100km drive to foz igua?ºu-argentina, bonito-brazil, pantanal do sul-bolivia and coming back to florianopolis. After beeing in one place for almost two months now i??m ready to get back on the road to ride the last 4 countries. this morning i worked on the bike i changed the fuel filter (i hope that stops the motorcycle from shutting off by it self) changed the subframe bolts, checked the fluids and started unpacking and repacking all my things to refamiliarize myself with what i have and where it is. i still need to get my yellow fever shot and buy malaria treatment since i??m not doing the preventive treatment. my driver license and registration have expiered and my old house mate that recieves the mail hasn??t seen the DMV renewal letter. i hope is not a problems with the cops here.
tonight might go out to dinner with an Advrider and hopefully leave by Sunday towards curitiba, sao paulo, rio janeiro and then inland to Belem...
the rainy season has started and when it rain it rains hard...
Have a safe journey!! looking forward to your next report
thank you statdawg for updating the thread. i??m in Rio after riding all day and getting lost in the city. i??m at the house of a brazilian rider that is hosting me for the next couple of days before i move into a hotel from where i??ll be attending the World Congress of Nephrology all costs covered by my previous company. trying to figure out how and where to send the replacement part.
Some pictures from the breakdown.
I could not put the bike on the center stand or side stand. Yes a lot of stuff on the bike. But when you are on the road for 8 months in places that have extreme weather, a motorcycle that is hard to find part and a tight budget that doesn??t allow you to be sending and recevieing stuff you end up travelling like this.
the broken part is on the other side
my ride to the mecanic. As you can see by the time we got there it was dark. Barely in time to get it in.
brazilriders.com.br the rider that was with me from Sao Paulo to Ouro Preto
The Motomania Team in Congonhas that got me back on the road
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