Maintenance

The Casa Blanca hostel in Cali is a perfect location to work on a motorcycle because there are lots of shops nearby, including one fantastic person who can lead you to other stores around town for specialized help. Yet it is amazing how much time it can take to accomplish even the simplest of tasks.

The first hurdle is language. How do you track down a box when they are not sold in stores? You ask around stores until you find someone with an empty box they will give you. Charades can frequently fill in the gap when words fail, but it is amazing how many people there are in the world who have no imagination at all. I can act out a scene of what I need to one person and get a completely blank look. The next person I talk to might get it instantly. I am reasonably certain my acting skills are not spontaneously getting better and worse at random…..

The next hurdle is culture. Determining how finding boxes works took me hours because I didn’t have the words to understand what people were saying. Then I need to track down a box, which takes yet more time because I am wandering around asking in inept Spanish for something most places do not have.

Assumptions make everything harder along the way. Ever go to a store asking for a fried eggs and receive a tangerine? I have! I know there was some confusion in the conversation as my original choice of breakfast was not available, but I thought by the end we were in agreement that I would receive fried eggs.

Timing is always a challenge. In Latin America, “2 hours” sometimes means “2 hours”, but more often equates to “4 hours”. I would not mind the longer time if I were expecting it, but if I come back at the 2 hour mark and then for the next 2+ hours keep hearing “just 30 minutes more” I am going to get a bit annoyed! I know, I need to just learn to relax and let it all flow.

Helpfulness and Work Ethic are oddly related. I have found some of the most helpful people you could imagine in my travels. They will frequently bend over backwards to lend a hand. It is almost as if not being able to help would be an insult. This leads to some people who will provide “help” which in reality makes my situation worse. Some of the most helpful people can also be the least hard working. Fantastic people who will help me solve my problems at a fraction the cost and time I expected, but they spend all day just sitting around talking to people while obvious work sits around the workshop.

Navigating cities is another problem. Anything within about one mile (two kilometers) is walking distance because it would take twice as long to ride there, at least for me as a stranger to town. Anything further than that is riding distance, but can take a VERY long time because of the confusing cities, slow speeds, and heavy traffic. A GPS means you get lost less, but does not necessarily mean you get to the destination faster….

Just a few of the challenges I’ve had to deal with the past few days. But it has been worth it. The new luggage is sorted out, items I do not need are shipped home. The old luggage and its rack have been removed. The new rear tire is mounted and I even had the wheels trued (I never thought to tighten the spokes in 55k+ miles….OOPS!)