Blog from Potosi, Bolvia

July 24, 2009

Greetings from 13,420 Feet!

A quick post here from Potosi where the wind has been howling and temperatures pretty darn chilly. I gave it my all to connect w/ the indigenous folks in the countryside including bringing a kilo of coca, learning Quechua & the traditions, and sharing tons of great Bolivian music upon arrival in the villages w/ my Ipod sound system. But I'm sad to say I simply could not crack the fear and prejudice that is rampant of white faces on a long tandem bike.

My Quechua language class in Sucre with Bruno

Learning to chew Coca and how to invite the locals in the villages

To make a long story short I was gutted when I was told, after being as consdierate and kind as I could at my first night's village stay, that I was there to "steal their blood" of the people, and they feared I would "open their chests and steal their hearts". No joke, this was my wakup call yesterday morning.

Yesterday was a tearful, frustrating day that started with some tough interactions with the elderly folks, then led to insane headwinds and brutal solo climbs (5 people the night before wanted to ride the next day and zero showed up...sorta bumed me out more...). While eating on the the side of the road a truck came by and offered to take me to Potosi with a smile. It was perfect timing...I was done.

I was hoping to have a start fresh in a new region and do some riding in the stunning area of Uyuni but there have been unseasonal wind storms raking havoc for days and the report is for at least 4 more. So, all day I've been pondering...do I spend 4 days in freezing cold Potosi or dusty n cold Uyuni or do I hop a few buses to rock some warm waves in Iquique, Chile where the weather is perfect, waves divine and several lovely souls eager to host me and show me some good, nurturing hospitality...hummmmm. A few years back when my ego was a bit stronger I might have waited it out so as not to seem like a whimp in the eys of whatever folks that might be following my adventures. But right now the waves, warm weather and friendly people are callin' like never before. I'll be in the water as soon as Sunday night and am stoked about it.

That's the skinny...totally stoked on the majority of my expereinces in Bolivia--just the one crusher of not really being able to ride, connect, understand and be understood by the Quechua people of this region. But I'll be back...they ain't goin' anywhere! On the positive side, my new partner Bruno has located our first pilot community to launch "Operation Agua" to bring fresh water to the first of many villages who lack clean water. More to come on this, but I can say happily "mission accomplished" here in Bolivia--great new friends, amazing adventures, lovely music and so much more. OFF TO CHILE!!!

Big love!

Binks

Blog from Sucre, Bolivia

July 20, 2009

More photos at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/peacepedalers/BlessingsInBolivia?feat=directlink

Big Love from lovely Sucre, Bolivia!

Bolivia is rocking my world in every way. My three days in Camiri were magical with live music, traditional dance and a huge festival going on to sample food, people and tons of smiles. Mauro was my first rider in Bolivia and he and I adventured both in Camiri and out of the city to my first stop in Ipati. We rolled the cameras into Ipati and the magic unfolded by meeting a cool cat Oscar who invited us to stay the night, eat and share a slice of life in the Bolivian Chaco with he and his family. My adventures in Bolivia were off to a great start.

Festivals = Treats = Happy Binks!

My Bolivian Brother Mauro with his 2 pets--Cat and Rat

Mauro and I out on a sunset ride in Camiri

Our host Oliver and his family in Ipati--unforgettable home stay!

Mauro headed back the next day and I began riding the rugged dirt roads heading for the highlands. The climbs and roads were brutal but I was having a blast. But at my lunch stop I realized that the small crack in my bike frame I discovered back in Camiri was getting worse from the off-road riding. I checked my map and decided to do a wild hitching mission to some roads in better condition. My map turned out to be wrong and the roads were not much better up in Padilla but I rode onwards with low tire pressure looking for adventure.

My first broken frame--still rollin...

I could not find any guest riders going my way on the challenging head-wind infested rocky road to Tomina but I ended up meeting a handful of friendly locals when I arrived who invited me to stay with their family. The experiences were unforgettably rich, living and bonding with some truly special souls beating to a drum so pleasantly different than mine. My two planned riders the next day had to cancel in the morning so I hit the road solo for another day of tough riding, getting painful rejections from a few very worthy riders who, for some reason, chose walking or taking a bus than riding—perhaps it has something to do with the insane climbs and butt-crushing bumpy roads?

By the time I was just outside the town of Zudenez my body was totally exhausted after climbing over 3,000 vertical feet on sandy roads into a headwind—oh, without any suspension since it’s been out since Argentina and parts on the way to Chile. Again I struck out with riders all day and my physical and mental state was not so hot. I met a truck driver Jose who offered to take me up to Tarabuco where proper asphalt would start and to give my body and bike a much needed break. I was battling a cold to boot, so the rest would do me good.

I asked at least a dozen people to come riding in Tarabuco but again had to hit the road solo for a 65km ride to Sucre. Luckily the 14 hours of sleep did me good and I was feeling strong for another tough day of climbing the endless hills of Bolivia—and now I was pedaling up at about 10,000+ feet so the air was thin. Luckily the headwind mellowed out and the pavement and stunning views were just what the doctor ordered to get my spirits back again—not to mention the thought of getting a proper meal, shower and checking some music and nightlight that weekend (always a good motivator for me)

After six of the most challenging days of touring to date Sucre was a site for sore eyes. After climbing again well over 3,000 feet over the day I descended from the dry, brown and mostly featureless countryside into an oasis that blew me away. Sucre is called the “white city” for its lovely white colonial architecture and it’s a true gem. I felt at home from the first moment I arrived—just the right size, not too big and not too small. I was eager to rest up my sore legs and explore what Bolivia’s capital had to offer.

I could write forever on the magical experiences I’ve had since landing in Sucre but I’ll keep this blog short and encourage you to read the newsletter when it comes out. The summary goes like this…

Met the owner of Bibliocafe Renato and his sister Marcia who LOVED the Peace Pedalers project and invited me to film a local rock concert the next day and styled me with yummy food and cold beers. Next day I rode with some cool indigenous folks on the way to search for traditional music and ran into Renato and his family who took me to a private concert that was just starting the moment I arrived by Los Masis, one of Bolivia’s top traditional music groups.

From there I met one of the band members Roberto, who became like a brother at first site. From there I met Sonja, a cool Czech volunteer English teacher who offered to be my assistant at the rock concert later that night. Then a cool cat Bruno I met way back in Muyupampa joins Sonja and I at the concert location where Renato styles our team out with lovely food and some of South America’s finest beers. Nice!

The concert rocked until 2AM and Bruno and I began to talk about starting a charity project to bring water to small villages in the campo. Roberto and Rene then show up, members of the Los Masis band, and after the concert we kept the party rockin heading out to enjoy Sucre’s nightlife until 5AM with great new friends from around the world. Life is good!

Yesterday was another magical day where I ended up riding with Roberto up to a small barrio to meet an musician Miguel at his family’s salt stall. This turned out to be a private concert by Miguel, Roberto and an old drunk yet talented guy who grabbed the guitar and ripped out numerous stellar songs that Roberto just happened to know as well. Roberto sings like no other and has performed worldwide so I’m sure the hi-def video will be stellar. Trying to get a utube video on this for ya…classic! From there we went back to Los Masis cultural center where we discovered food, culture, history and a personal interview with one of the founders Roberto, followed by another private concert by Miguel and his sister playing traditional pan flutes of Bolivia—unforgettable.

A private concert by Miguel and his sister

As if it could not get any better, today we were invited to film and experience some of Sucre’s best food and top chefs at Restaurant El Huerto. They had a full spread set up and showed us and the world via video how to make two yummy traditional meals with many lovely touches and we ate, drank and celebrated just before Rene put on a private show of his skills playing the “kena” flute that blew us all away.

I’m now just ready to go meet with Bruno and Roberto to talk about our charity project, now called “Aqua por Vida” or Water for Life. We hope to get the ball rolling on our first pilot project at a small village near where Bruno and I met that is in dire need of water. Stay tuned—very excited.

My first kilo of coca--I have a new strategy to bond with the locals on the way to Potosi

The two founders of "Operation Agua" in our office makin' plans--stay tuned!!

I’ll be heading out on a very tough 3-day ride Wednesday to Potosi, the world’s highest city at 13,420 feet, with a new strategy to find riders and connect with the local people. I’ll be bringing coca leaves as a gift to the elders and have a new sound system for the bike to crank Bolivian music—that should warm up the locals for my next journey! I’ve got 2 riders lined up between now and then and many more cool experiences to be had. Super excited about how Bolivia is shaping out! From Potosi I’ll make my way to Uyuni to experience the stellar Salar before making my way to Atacama to relax at Atacama Adventure Wellness & Ecolodge where much needed rest and massages await!

Come to Bolivia! You’ll love it!

Blog from Bolivia
July 10, 2009

My last day of riding in the Chaco, Paraguay--Magical

I just took the most dusty and bumpy bus ride I’ve had since back in Africa! I’m covered in dust as I write from the bus, looking out on the grey skies. I’m in Bolivia and feeling a bit low in the energy department but still pretty excited. Not as excited as I would be if my partner in crime Cristina was still with me, to be honest. We spent 18 days together adventuring Argentina and Paraguay together we grew quite close and used to being together. She was a great teammate, travel companion and now one of my best friends on the planet. Needless to say, yesterday was a teary one as she hopped a bus back to her backpack in Argentina and will be returning to Brazil soon after. I’m still recovering as I’m sure she is as well.

Divertido=Fun!

Golfing with Friendly German-Speaking Mennonites in Chaco Desert of Paraguay--Priceless

4 Flats in one sittin'. Classic. A grand adventure in the Chaco

And the people we met were just stunning...see the photo album for more!

Paraguay was magical. I’ll be writing a newsletter shortly so stay on the newsletter list for a full journal as you’ll love the stories. From golfing and staying with Mennonites in the dry Chaco Desert, to adventures with two indigenous families way off the beaten path, it was unforgettable. A few pics are below and a rough cut of the photos can be found at http://picasaweb.google.com/peacepedalers/ParadiseInParaguay?feat=directlink#.

Here in Camiri, Bolivia I really lucked out. Although I lost my partner in crime Cristina I am blessed with a big festival that is here in town with live music, happy people and good times. Going to find some cool music and art for the show over the next few days and begin my ride into the mountains soon after.

If you are not on the newsletter list sign up. The next one will be a winner.

Peace,

Jamie

Blog from Asunción, Paraguay

July 2, 2009

The rodeo clown at the San Juan festival in San Juan...stellar!

So we are about 24 hours from departing on an expedition into the Chaco region of Paraguay! We are being hosted at an amazing crib in Asunción by a cool cat Ruben and life is grand. I just posted a newsletter for Argentina if you wanna check that out hit this link here. He're the update....

Giving a lift to the local tailor in Encarnacion

Cristina ended up buying a cheap bike in Encarnacion for about 50 bucks which was totally rebuilt by the super cool bike shop owner Batlome. We hit the road during the tail end of a cold southern storm that soon cleared in San Ignacio to tail winds and blue skies.

Cristina's bike all ready for the road :)

We had a magical adventure to San Juan where a huge festival was going on and we picked up a rider Christian who guided us into the wild festivities. From there we met Ronald who decided to join us the next day to Florida and offered to host us both at his house! Bonus!

Cristian led us to the San Juan festival--cool cat!


Live music in every direction...there is serious talent in Paraguay!




On the road with Ronald and Cristina

Ronald was an epic guest with lots of positive messages on the rolling interview to Florida. We found a sweet campsite there and pedaled our way towards Asuncion. We got word from a Couchsurfer Ruben he'd be at Lake San Bernardino so we made our way to the lake. The magic continues as we get invited to stay for free 2-nights with the gracious hosts Osvaldo and Tony at the historic Hotel del Lago founded back in 1888. Epic! Osvaldo is the king of culture and took us to check out artists of ceramics and a wild indiginous festival.

Lakeside in San Bernardino

The costumes n characters at the festival in Los Altos

From there we rode to Asuncion to stay here with Ruben where we've been treated like kings cooking, eating, jamming to music from all sorts of artists coming and going and doing final prep for the Chaco to Bolivia mission. Cristina is joining me in the Chaco and will finally head back to Argentina and on her own adventures next week. It's been nice having a partner in crime with her own bike for company, massages (she's really good...), help with filming/admin, and she's having just as much fun.

Off tomorow pedalin' northwest! Over n out!

Blog from Paraguay!

22 June, 2009

It´s pouring rain but meant to clear by tomorrow and could not be more stoked on it all. In Encarnacion, Paraguay on the border of Argentina staying with a lovely family Jazmin and her lovely daughter Costanza and more.


I crossed over after a wild adventure in Argentina starting on a low note with a last second cancelation by my planned rider Luis, back up with a picnic accompanied by dozens of butterflies then jungle riding for desert, down with 2 crashes in the dark, back up to sunshine and tail winds, then back down to a blown out front fork. Spirits were again high when Garryck got on the hunt for the part to fix the fork but back down when some guys I bought dinner for stole my camera.

My neighbors staying with the Guarani tribe near San Ignacio...special

Pedalin´with pure blood Guarani power! Niceness! Renato had POWER!

A taste of the Jesuit ruins...breathtaking!

Diego had to cancel but Cristina takes his place

Ohhh, but then it gets rockin in San Ignacio where I am invited to stay with an indiginous Guarani tribe, ride with a Guarani boy Renato and sunshine and tailwinds set for my ride with Diego (same name as the guy who stole my camera!...ironically) after checking out the ruins of the Jesuits...yummy. But Diego had to cancel and in comes a new wild character Cristina from Barcelona, Spain. Cristina is a solo traveler and got word of the journey and hoped on for a short 20km trip to some more ruins.

The Statue of Victory. Posadas, Argentina. First stop...ICE CREAM!

After 20km she was hooked and we were having so much fun she went back for her passport and clothes and joined me all the way to Posadas and over the border to stay here with me in Encarncion. As we looked over the maps together and chatted about her coming on the tandem she decided to buy her own bike and pedal along to Asuncion and sell it up there or give it away to charity. Nice! So have have a massage therapist and acupunturist adventuring Spainard on the first leg of Paraguay and life is perrrrdy groovy.

Our lovely hosts Jazmin and Costanza

We´re off tomorrow into the wet winter wonderland of SE Paraguay. Stay tuned....


Big love!


Jamie

Blog from Argentina
12 June, 2009

Mom and I at Iguazu

My private tango teacher--awesome!

Riding the streets of Buenos Aires!

Greetings from Iguazu in Argentina. I'm on the border of Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina now and preparing my route through Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and Chile. Also finishing the last edits for my agent, doing admin work on various business projects and grounding up personally for a long adventure ahead. Once again I'm going to let the photos tell the story of my few weeks here in Argentina with Mom, Sara and some great new frineds. Check out this link to see photos of Buenos Aires to Iguazu Falls. Enjoy the ride! Once I get rollin' I hope to keep the blog a bit more colorful but for now this should keep ya stoked.

Peace,

Jamie

Blog from Uruguay

I'm on a boat from Montevideo, Uruguay to Buenos Aires, Argentina and life is good. Uruguay truly unforgettable. It's a country that most folks don't know that much about and it's a gem. I'll write more down the line but for now pictures are worth a thousand words and I'm landing soon on a festive Saturday night in hopin' Buenos Aires and in no mood to write much now.

Sooooo, just dig in and enjoy some pics with captions from my trip in Brazil and fresh off the press in Uruguay here:

"Uruguay Fresh Pics: Fresh online is an epic adventure of Uruguay. I had a few ups and downs and all arounds but, as always, it all came out fine and super dandy in the end. Enjoy!

"Peace Pedaling Brazil": The latest photos of my adventures on the tandem in Southern Brazil to Uruguay.

"Living in Brazil": Pictures and captions of 2.5 months living, learning and writing in Brazil from Carnival to Easter

Enjoy!

Jamie

Last Blog from Brazil: May 6, 2009

Loving the Cambara nature with Lucas

This is the last push folks! I only have a few days left adventuring here in Brazil and I’m going to suck up every second of it! My hosts Renata and Sheila were amazing and teleported me out of the busy streets of Caxias to the lovely mountains and Gaucho country of Cambara. We lived it up with great food, wine, riding and lovely bonding moments in nature. We picked up a great new addition to our crew named Lucas, an Argentinean cat who is too cool for school—we all fell in love with him right away.

My lovely couchsurfing hosts Renata and Shelia. And the new kid on the block Lucas

When the ladies took off I fell into the arms of the arms of the Janilce, Oliver and Lucas who took me in like family. I needed to get my bearings before finally departing and the nurturing, good food and quality quiet time was all I needed. Not only did I finally get back on the road but I managed to get Oliver out of bed and out riding. This is a huge deal since he’s been hurt, sad, depressed and drinking way too much lately due to a broken foot and spirit. The ride would do him well…

Oliver was pumped up with fresh air and positive vibes after our adventures

We took off into the perfect sunshine, tailwinds and nature with a support vessel driven by Lucas as we made our way to out to the Ruta do Sul highway. This would be my last goodbye to my crew and, after some amazing interviews for the cameras, I finally said my farewells. Plenty tears were a falling but when they dried I was pedaling solo from the high mountains of Southern Brazil towards the ocean once again.

Ruta do Sul is a stunner indeed—a legendary highway taking you from the high Gaucho country down to the ocean. On the way I was flagged down by 3 Evangelical guys sitting under a tree and was inspired to ask if I could pitch my tent for the night. We ate, sipped Chimarrão (an herbal tea like Mate), philosophized about Jesus, religion, peace and love…it was epic. They fed me well, prayed loud and passionately for me and my journey and off I went the next day.

My Evangelical Christian hosts cooking up a lovely meal.

Yesterday was a stunner of a ride. I could did not find any Pedalers but I was happily able to enjoy a cycling experience like no other. Riding from 1200 meters to sea level and feeling, seeing and tasting all the changes of temperature, vegetation, food, people—wow. A must do for all you touring folks out there! Took a lovely swim in the ocean before realizing I was dead tired and needed to take a day off the bike ASAP. Hoped a bus to Porto Alegre where I hit the town and enjoyed some nice music and company with the local city folks, charged the batteries, offloaded footage and washed the clothes. Ready for action tomorrow!

The amazing decent from the mountains to the ocean...epic!

I’ll be in Uruguay this weekend! Very excited! Check a preview of the all the latest pics here J http://picasaweb.google.com/peacepedalers/FloripaToPortoAlegreGoodness?authkey=Gv1sRgCKOhmrC5s_Klfw#

Live Big. Give Big. Love Big.

Jamie

On the Road in Brazil!!

The lovely scenery in the hills above Caxias

Yo yo!

Big ups from Caxias do Sul, Brazil! I’m blessed to be in the loving care of my new Brazilian sisters Sheila and Renata. I met them through www.couchsurfing.com which, if you have not done so already, you MUST check out and get involved. It’s just an amazing project. I arrived via bus from my former Brazilian home of Florianopolis where I was fortunate enough to have lived for 2.5 months in total paradise. The roads are horribly under construction on the 101 south and the rains heavy so the bus turned out to be the best option to get me to the dry and less populated state of Rio Grande does Sul.

My Brazilian Sisters Renata and Sheila enjoying some LOVELY Colonial food


The South of Brazil has tons of Italian roots

My last week in Florianopolis, or Floripa for short, was amazing. For some reason Mother Nature decided to rain on most of my plans to go out riding with all my crew and the island was buried in inches of water. But I went with the flow and had some lovely intimate final moments with my amazing crew Gil, Serg, Ulrike, Ben, Victor, Natalia, Irmaooooo (Victor 2), Vincent, Anna, Lulu, Leonardo and Kristina. Caught some epic last waves and finally donated my board to a charity that teaches kids to surf from the favelas. I did some nice rides, caught some live Samba and Capoeira on tape, got my new tattoo of a dolphin on my foot and had a farewell BBQ with everyone. It was a sad goodbye with tears flowing by several folks but the overall feeling at the time of writing is one of total gratitude and awe.

My two best Brazilan buddies Gil and Natalia on my last night in Floripa


Catching some Capoeira on film


My new tatoo :)


My bro Leo enjoying some of Serg's amazing cooking


I did an amazing filmed ride in S. Floripa with Natalia and Vincent

So just a few days before heading out of Floripa on my trip two big things started to happen with Peace Pedalers. One was a call from a well known agent in San Francisco who is interested and optimistic about my book being published. The second is communication with a experienced producer working with MTV in Europe who is now coaching me on my next series of TV and hoping to get me on the map. All good stuff, but the book proposals needed to be dialed in more so I did a 60+ hour computer session in 4 days back to the computer. At 3AM last night I pressed send and it’s now in the hands of my agent who is off to New York on May 2 to hopefully find me a publisher. Say some prayers for it!

Sheila cookin' up the grub for my welcome meal. Yummy!

The book is currently entitled Live Big, Give Big: A 37 Country Karmic Adventure to Balance Pleasure and Contribution. It is the first book of two I plan to write. This book covers my travels in Asia, Oceania and Africa. The sequel book Love Big will cover Europe and the Americas. If all goes as planned I’ll have my book in print by next April in time to share it with folks in North America when I arrive and finish my ride in Canada and USA.

My buddy Gatino Led Zepplin kept my company as I wrote for 4 days non-stop

So its Friday here in Brazil and it’s another holiday, so a three-day weekend is in store. My hosts and I are planning to escape the city and chare into the lovely mountain towns near Cambara. Info on this region is at http://www.cambaraonline.com.br/. From here I will officially be “on the road”—no more major stops to write, learn languages or surf (although I’ve heard Uruguay has some nuggets) until I reach Chile in July. I’m very, very excited about this. My body and mind are dying to get out riding again!

It will be interesting to ride in S. Brazil now since I was just featured in a big article by one of the state’s more respected journalists Carlos. Turns out that Carlos is a fellow Couchsurfer and he was stoked to do a piece on the Peace Pedalers. Check out this video here and see if you can follow my Portuguese.






Over and out from Brazil!

Live Big. Give Big. Love Big ;)

Jamie