The end

Drained, completely drained. But boy was it ever worth it. From where I left off last we were in Panama City. We were so wrong to think that selling a car would be easy, let alone in another country. Numerous times we would pull into a dealership and get waved off the property before we could even kill the engine. Jimmy and I both thought that this just couldn`t be true. With two days left in the city and our departures hounding us we said, ``Man! We need to do something in Panama City to get our minds off this rediculous trend of being poor salesman.`` So we headed over to the beautiful Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal. We got to stand there for a bit and watch the gigantic ships slip through these narrow alleys right up to the colossal steel doors. I was pretty impressed with the quickness of the entire process. We went on Sunday so it was kind of crowded, your mom was probably there. It just seemed that we really couldn`t just break free and have a reckless time until we sold the car. That weight hovered over us for seven days and then when we were pondering driving it into the canal, we met Sirrik and Ahmed. These two fellas saw the potential of the Manburban, potential that we knew already existed and had proven itself time and time again. But then again, these guys are pros and it was game time. After many people along the way consistantly enforced the error of selling the car anywhere else but Panama City, we went from the not too incredibly loco starting price of 8G`s to about 1G. Ouch! We so should of drove it into the Canal, or blown it up somewhere. I don`t want to discuss that actual selling price of the Manburban because I do not want to disrespect all that it Man about the Manburban. But I will share the post sale activities that took place as a celebration to the completion of a job well done. We decided that after selling the car we would walk back to the hostel in tribute to the heavy Chevy. It was a long walk so we stopped at the Rockin Gorilla for some brew, Balboa is my knid of beer. That of course was followed by a toast. A toast to the trip and how we can`t go back and change what we have already done, and that`s exactly what we wanted. The bartender liked us so the next toast was a grande size toast and I think we just hoisted our wine glasses full of whiskey and laughed. Jimmy and I had a plan. Once we had sold the car, we would walk over to the cigar shop and buy a few Cubans and do our best to look cool. Well it worked, because a $10 cigar brings a little attention around the city, almost too much attention. Next thing you know we had a few ladies sitting down next to us wanting to chat and possibly throw a business proposal our way. We got up kind of quick and ran off to the nearest sports book like any two uncomfortable gringos would. We enjoyed the evening on the town until midnight came around and just like the glass slipper, bearded brothers we are, we had to run. It was show time. The drive to the airport was fun and then we had even more fun at the airport. We were full of spirits which definitely had an impact on our own personal spirits. Jimmy got on his flight and I found a nice patch of tile floor to call my bed for about four hours until my flight. Waking up hurt, real bad. Jimmy probably did not remember too much of his flight home, wait.....yeah, he didn`t remember anything. I was nervous about dealing with the migration officers because on my passport i had a special stamp stating that I had brought a car into the country and I needed another stamp to cancel it out because we sold it. Well, I didn`t get that because it would of came down to me missing my flight and having to fork over some crazy amount of money. So I smell terrible, my eyes are bloodshot, I think my left arm was numb from the way I slept and here I am walking up to the officer with my passport. I smile and then remember that I have not brushed my teeth and she could probably smell a little rum. She takes my passport in her hand and starts looking through all of the pages, I`m freaking out. Preying that she feels like giving off a little christmas joy, I stand there like I`m patiently waiting for my present and all I wanted was my passport and the go ahead. Sweet Jesus! That`s what I got! I gave her the biggest Gracias ever, followed with a sincere Feliz Navidad. Now I am in Cancun, thirty minutes away from boarding the final leg of this journey. That`s right, the return can be just as crucial as getting there. It will be a proud moment flying over the land that only a few months ago we got to experience in a different way. Six hours to get home from where we spent two and a half months to reach, air travel is amazing! Thanks for following our blog. We did our best to show you what the real Mexico and Central America was all about. If you ever need a tour guide you know who to call. I am looking forward to seeing my awesome family and having what will hopefully be the best christmas ever. Happy holidays to everyone who reads this.

-Team Man Out!
Love and Peace

In front of Zoly´s Hostel where we cleaned him up

How much would spend for it? Not much here, that´s for sure.

The carnival in Temenique was all time!! Swing ride´n away.
Some of the carnies that we met
Nicaragua, north side where it may not be big but it is super fun!

PANAMA CITY....at last

After what will most likely be the longest, most enjoyable, frustrating, exhausting, yet exilerating road trips of my life, we are here. The last two days of driving we experienced a few minor set backs as I assume this was the Manburbans idea of protesting our inevitable separation. We had our first road kill as we drove through the mountain pass in Panama which divides the north from the south. Steaming up hill we approached a number of heavy vultures dining away but they did not seem to be entirely phased by the magnitude of the Manburban. That was a sad mistake for one of them. The phrase, ¨You are what you eat.¨, almost had a very grim reality on this occasion. The vulture escaped after meeting our front bumper and rolling out onto the side of the road. The rest of the the mountain road was spent driving through the clouds and banking off tight turns which were drenched from more waterfalls bursting right out of the mountainside. As we made our descent in towards the city of David, where we would jump on the Interamericana Highway, the sound of metal meeting metal started to interrupt our scenic drive. Like I said, the protest got worse. The Manburban had already, since last being repaired in Leon, burned through its front right brake pads. We were forced to stop in Santiago and spend the night in order to fix the problem before arriving in Panama City. It seems as if we were making this mad dash for Panama City, which unfortunately we were. Time just wasn´t on our side and we had to pass many good surf breaks. The next day we had a brand new brake pad and jumped back on the road to continue our race for the city. We arrived in Panama City just before sunset. As we crossed the bridge over where the Panama Canal meets the ocean and the city is standing tall on the horizon we knew we had made it. Though the trip is not quite over yet, we still have to sell the car.

-AeroMexico 12/22 out of Panama City

just have to say....

Today we crossed the border into Panama. It is Jimmy, Peattie, and Manburban who are completely at awe. That´s right, the Manburban is a living thing. Tim knows what we are talking about. We are hanging out in the lobby of a cheap hotel in Changuinola right now talking about how from the get go of this adventure there has only been a few constant variables that we could always rely on. Ourselves and our machine. Take risks and be spontaneous people, that´s it for now.

We just went Rasta!

The hour long ferry ride that took us and the Man from the Nicoya Peninsula to Punta Arenas was spectacular. Despite a few garbage flotillas we were happy to be afloat with a fully stocked snack shack and some jammin tunes. We found ourselves climbing the mountains of Costa Rica, gaining altitude towards or next destination, San Jose. After a brief pit stop at McDonalds (only the forth time) we made it to the capital city. There was a chill in the air and it all made sense once we realized that we had elevated to 6,000 ft.. The search for a place to spend the night was super fun. We turned into the Marriott and was greeted by a nice, good looking receptionist. I put on my best charm, which is hard to do when you have a puffy beard accompanied with massive neck hair. Anyways, she didn't bite and the room was quoted at $170 for a night, so I didn't bite back. We were thrown around a bit and redirected to many other hotels until we found our savior, Randolph. He said, "I take you to good, cheap place." We were happy to hear that. He hoped in the Man and off we went to our glorious hostel. After thirty minutes of being parked directly in front of the hostel some drunk guy eyed the Manburban and thought he would try his hand in theft. With a screwdriver in hand he actually tried to pry the door open, just like the bears in Yosemite do. I wish I could of seen this. The front desk guys ran out there and scared him off. They even called the police for us but they never showed. The next day (12/10) we left the city and headed towards the Caribbean. There have been about three or four memorable drives on the trip so far. This was one of them. Starting high in the mountains and descending through clouds, rain, sunshine, and lush forest. A waterfall would come out of nowhere and splash onto the the side of the road and rivers would flow with mild energy as we crossed over them on high bridges. We hit Puerto Limon first. There were large cruise ships and many container ships shuffling about. They had a Pizza Hut, which seems to be the deciding factor on whether or not you have made it in this country. This was the first time I have seen the Caribbean since I was a little kid. I think it was a family vacation to Florida and my dad took me out in the water where the warm little waves scared me. Soon we had met our destination. The town of Puerto Viejo. It is great here. Our friend Jason said, "Be ready for the rasta." and he was right. The Caribbean is different then the Pacific side. He has brought us into his home with his family. Today we went to a secret spot down the road from his house. We had to leave the Manburban parked in the sand and trot by foot about 20min. through rain forest until we popped out on a sandy patch of beach. The coastline was so beautiful. The best way to describe it is simply by saying, there is a little strip of beach and on one side there is water and on the other there is a wall. A giant green wall. The wave was pretty wild, it would jack up really quick and bend around the reef. I got the best wipeout of my trip today at this spot. Took off late and had a little free fall, landed and made it to the bottom of the wave where my body was standing completely upright and my legs close together (not good). Then, since i couldn't bend my knees in time and find my balance the wave overpowered me and suck me right in. The spot is not very deep and yet i wasn't hitting the bottom and had no idea where up was. Finally I rose to the surface, just in time to hear Jimmy say, "Look out!" The next wave cracked on my head and the restart button on the washing machine was flicked back on. But there were plenty of other great rides today and we were all high fiving our way out of the water. After that the secret spot was empty, just the way it had been when we arrived.

-Ya Man!

Mal Pais, not that bad.....

Accepting that it would be in our favor to continue our journey south from the little surf town of Playa Gigantes in Nicaragua opened the door once again to the unknown. It was only about an hour drive south until we approached the border. Costa Rica was right there in our sights and it is times like this when you realize once again how far you have really gone. There is usually two stops at every border. The first is where you check out of the country you have just visited. I was excited to see a duty free shop at the first stop. They sell candy, booze, music and usually some random popular kids toy. My eyes lit up when I saw a sign that read, "5 x $32" in front of a huge rack of Nicaraguan rum. The stuff is called Flor De Cana, and it is delicious. Here in Costa Rica it is something like $15 for one bottle, so I stsand by my purchase of 5 for $32. At the border we ran into a friend from Nicaragua and his family. His name is Jayson and he has lived in Costa Rica for the past seven years or so on the carribean side. He said, "Stick with me guys and we will get out of here asap." He was right. We booked it through the border and before we knew it we were driving through the tropical countryside of Costa Rica. We had a little caravan, two suburbans making their way towards Liberia, Costa Rica. It is hard for me to put into the words the excitement I felt when I gazed out onto the horizon of the road and could clearly make out the magnificent image of what appeared to be two, golden arches. I think a single tear ran from my sunburnt eye, McDonalds was here. Though I was forced to swallow my infatuation when Jayson said that there was a Pizza Hut around the corner and he thought it would be nice if we all sat down and had dinner together. The man I am, I agreed and put my foolish California cravings behind me. That night we shacked up at the Best Western and cracked a bottle of rum with our new friends. We got up the next morning and had a great hotel breakfast and then jumped on the road. As we made our way in the general direction of south on highway 21 through the Nicoya Peninsula the Manburban was flying high, happy and free. Until I got pulled over for apparently speeding. Turns out the speed limit is pretty lame driving through the peninsula. At times it is 60km then it will jump to either 80km or 40km. The cop showed me his radar gun where my speed was marked at 86km/hr. Now that's not very fast where I'm from, but I'm not exactly home right now. We talked and I attempted to bribe him with cigarettes or special magazines (they were given to us by our friends who said that if you get pulled over just lay them out on the dashboard and the cops will take heavy interest). So he didn't smoke and his cheeks got a little rosy when he saw the mags. It turns out he was just a nice, honest cop and he told me to just watch the signs and keep the speed down. The rest of the road to Mal Pais was a lot of fun. Partially paved and most of it not with steep inclines and tight corners the road was definitely fit for the Man. We arrived to a scene of what can be described as a tight knit surfers get-away. There are low rate places for the backpacker and nicer, isolated hotels for the big spenders. There is a village with shops and restaurants which is connected entirely by one main road running north and south along the ocean. The surf scene is slightly more crowded due to it's popularity and just the fact that it is Costa Rica. It is mainly beachbreaks that line the shores and right now there is good swell so the waves are pretty fun. What I like the most is looking back onto shore from the water. The thick forest runs right up to the sand. Somewhere in the trees and palm there are hotels and restaurants but you cannot see them when you are surfing. I'm looking forward to meeting up with my friend Lacy here. She works at a nicer hotel further up the road in Santa Theresa. We used to work at the Islands restaurant in Mission Valley together back in the day. While we continue to explore and wander down new paths there is business to be attended to at the same time. It is time to start putting the Manburban up for sale. The town here is littered with surfers and land owners so our hopes are to attrack someone with the need of a strong rig like the Man. So as I return to the vehicle that has done so well and gotten us here all the way from Pacific Beach, San Diego, I'm going to wipe off the dust from the windows and in big, bold lettering write, "SE VENDE." I think I will be able to hold it together but there are some memorable moments that connect you to something and that cannot be entirely described because it is you that experienced them. Tim carved his name into the steering wheel, that better not bring down the value. Just kidding, we are going to do the same. Well all right, time to get going.

-what will i learn today?

66km at 13mph, You do the math

Our second visit to Leon was slightly crazier than the first. This time we had a full car steaming back to the city. It was Jimmy, Peattie, Georgie, Longneck, and Jimmy South all amped up to celebrate at any expense. We made the first toast upon arrival, everyone saluting to Jimmy South's first drink in two years! I was shocked and so was the bartender as our party grew in popularity and volume. The next day was our core group heading out for lunch at a nearby local hostel and learning that there would be a once-in-a-lifetime rooster fight tonight. It was one of those episodes where we all just met with eyes perked with excitment, but brows slanted with doubts. So we did it. The back of a truck where eight of us anxiously sat awaiting what could be a great cultural tradition or maybe what would mark my new passion for animal rights was moving quicker and furhter away from everything we had once been familiar with. Entering through a back lot into a simple, rustic setup, you could see the ring. So that's where they fight? Almost 100 Nicaraguans had gathered to lay down their hard earned money with the hopes that a shining rooster will be their ticket to another meal. After a good hour or two I was nothing but a blank stare, brought down from excitment to not sure what to make out of the brutal scene of rooster vs. rooster. The grand finale was five roosters in the same ring at once. As soon as that was over I and others were ready to break out of that place and not take one glance back. This will mark the end of my love affair with the city of Leon, for now. Jimmy and I said goodbye to our new friends and to Georgie, who we will definitely continue to be in touch with as the weeks, months and years reveal. Coming to a fork in the road as we headed south towards Managua, we took the left. Just like Frost mentioned, "It has made all the difference," because the left took us down the old road to Managua. It was a 66km road that seemed it was only used by cattle and devastated by potholes. It came clear that it was the road less travelled. It led us to Managua and directly to a Subway where we both devoured our comfort food. A few hours later we navigated our way through the city and towards the coast where the dirt roads begin. I like to think that the Manburban is at his happiest when we are flying free down the dirty, pebble filled roads, shooting up clouds of smoke behind us. So here we are, Playa Gigantes. South of Popoyo and north of San Juan Del Sur and plenty of incredibly fun surf breaks. We are hanging with good people from San Francisco, Colorado, and other parts of the world that have found the same place we have. I have a few surfboard repairs tomorrow and then it is party night here at the hostel, weeh! Friday we are looking to enter Costa Rica and to take a moment to acknowledge the epic presence of a new country and to wave goodbye to another.

-still going