travel lessons

On the bike

1)     Local grocery shopping on a motorcycle is easy: attach sturdy re-usable shopping bags to the inner side of handlebars using carabiners.  Handguards keep the straps from interfering with my grips.  Try to balance the weight between bags and do not overload them.  In case a bag breaks do not pack any cans or glass bottles.  Get 4 high-quality bags with heavy-duty straps; the ones available in Mexico and Central America have low-quality straps.  Lawyer's note: just kidding about this lesson!


2)     Check your instant-fuel-consumption readout to calibrate your highway riding.  I get far better mileage by traveling under 4,000 rpm and 70 mph.  I am in no rush and am okay being one of the slower highway vehicles.


3)     It is not worth the fuel gain to try and draft semi-trucks.  The helmet buffeting is often bad and one needs to unsafely tailgate to obtain the gain.


4)     Cruise control + dual-clutch transmission + heated grips eliminate hand-fatigue.


5)     Keep your bike clean of squashed insects to look more approachable to non-motorcyclists.  My bike’s red-white-and-blue paint helps too—friends compared it to Optimus Prime.


6)     Tough guys in muscle cars or big trucks think I am one of them and want to be my friend rather than be obnoxious to me.


7)     Putting my feet out to stabilize a 700-pound loaded adventure-touring bike does not work—expect broken leg bones and sprained ankles instead after getting my foot trapped under a hard case.


8)     Cheer our fellow travelers by attaching (kinetic) art to the back of your bike.  My folk-art mask’s horse-hair beard dances in the wind.  The disadvantage is that drivers are more likely to loiter behind my bike when passing me.  I also have a Huichol glass-bead puma on the front of my bike and lion jangles on either side of my license plate.


9)     Never park a heavy bike so that you need to back up against gravity; even a 1% grade is difficult.  Park on a flat surface or facing uphill when you will need to back up.


10)     Wondering how tight the next blind corner in the road is?  Just check your GPS before the corner if you have it zoomed in on your location.


11)     An unattended helmet placed on a motorcycle seat will eventually fall to the ground.  So just place your helmet directly on the ground to avoid the damage.


12)     The estimated range on a Honda motorcycle is not accurate.  So consider a 15-mile estimated range to be an empty tank.


13)     Shonky Productions is correct that adventure-travel bikes are too heavy, have too much horsepower, and the wrong tires for true adventure.  Instead they are touring bikes that do well on rough roads, equivalent to SUVs.


14)     In old colonial mountain towns, like Cuetzalan, Jalpan de Serra, and Xilitla in Mexico, the historic streets are paved with cobbles and can be very steep.  The combination makes it difficult to control an overloaded touring bike.  Add rain and forget about it entirely.  So, before arriving in that town, check your map to try and find a path to your accommodation that avoids the historic town center. 


15)     For deteriorating paved roads it is difficult to tell if corners have gravel on them or if it is simply road deterioration.  You have to assume that it's gravel though because a single mistake is enough to crash.


16)     For deteriorating paved roads you have to anticipate it getting worse rather than expecting warning signs.  Just because there have been no potholes so far does not mean that there is not a big one immediately ahead of you.


17)     Your lightweight-travel motorcycle cover will take UV damage and then rip in multiple places.  My Dowco Guardian UltraLite Plus did after 8 months.  They are bulkier, but it is worth it to purchase a regular, heavier-duty motorcycle cover.


18)     In the developing world ride your bike past all the parked cars and trucks to where the accident or road work is ahead.  You may be able to get through even when cars cannot.  Even if you cannot get through you will be at the front of the line, with all the other motorcyclists, when the road does open. 


19)     Android Auto works well for the average car driver, but not necessarily for you on your bike.  It has re-routed me on some unexpected back roads, presumably to avoid a traffic jam caused by an accident or some such.  In such cases I may have been able to bypass most of the traffic on the original route by riding up the road shoulder past the cars and trucks (see lesson 18 above).  Similarly, Android Auto recommended a 1-hour detour when an old bridge was still open to motorcycles.


20)     Android Auto, or at least the maps function in it, works in more than the countries listed by Google.  For instance, it worked well for me in El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.


21)     Android Auto arrival times are presumably based on averages.  So, if you are in city wherein all the local motorcyclists are splitting lanes and you are not, expect to arrive later than Android Auto's estimate.


22)     In the developing world do not follow cars too closely, lest they hide an open manhole, wherein the cover has been stolen, from your view.


23)     When riding through mountains on bad roads, one gets into an aggressive mindset wherein one uses the full road when necessary to avoid deep potholes and overtakes slow trucks whenever possible.  It is natural to retain this momentum when reaching civilization again in the lowlands.  But force yourself to slow down to the speed of local traffic and be more observant of traffic laws, lest you get ticketed by the police.


24)     When there are natural seeps across the road, cross the seeps fully upright without braking.  Persistent seeps can overlay slick mud and algae.  

Off the bike

1)     Airbnb >> motels, with consistently welcoming hosts, colorful homes, lower prices, and occasionally interesting fellow travelers.


2)     Camp only at special locations or when it is occasionally far cheaper to do so.  Otherwise it is so much easier, for pack-up and pack-down, to stay in low-cost airbnbs.  You can travel the Americas while on a budget without a tent or sleeping bag.


3)     Unless camping, stay in every town for at least two nights.  There is always something interesting to see, it is more fun to explore the area with the bike unloaded, and the break from riding will help prevent burnout.


4)     Visit graveyards, particularly run-down graveyards, to learn the past culture and peoples in a town.  After visiting a graveyard in Tubac, Arizona I realized that the town demographic had only recently shifted from Latino to white country club and golf carts.


5)     Our bodies adjust quickly.  After starting this trip I quickly switched to eating two meals a day and feel fine when skipping meals.


6)     Take risks by sharing deeply with others.  I'm 51, single, unemployed, and traveling.  What do I care if someone thinks badly of me because I asked an inappropriate question or revealed something that they consider to be shameful?


7)     If you overstuffed your money belt simply turn it 180 degrees so that it rests invisibly underneath your shirt in the curve of your back.


8)     Set up Google Maps on your Android phone to allow selected friends and family at home to track your latest position in case they stop hearing from you.


9)    What does home mean when you have no physical house?  For me it simply means a place I can feel fully relaxed both today and tomorrow.  I often feel at home during my travels.


10)    Older people you pass on the street just want to be respectfully acknowledged.  Do so and be rewarded by a smile and a sincere greeting.


11)    You are traveling to see the world, not see a tropical version of home like Hawaii, right?  You will get a tropical version of home when visiting well-known tourist destinations during the high season.  For example, I enjoyed being off-the-beaten-path in Nicaragua more than jostling with fellow gringos both in towns and on crowded roads in the more expensive tourist parts of Costa Rica. 


12)    Learn to identify uninteresting areas because of their similarity to home.  Wealthy neighborhoods, with high-rise condos, fashionable restaurants, and German luxury cars, such as San Isidro in Lima, Peru, are uninteresting to me.  


13)    Locals may not know or acknowledge you, but they still care about your safety.  If a group of locals all tell you not to go somewhere, don't go there.


14)    Everyone has a smart phone and they know you have one too.  So do not bother trying to conceal yours--just keep it in a zippered pocket.


15)    If you are in a group of people and someone starts pressing against you or blocking your way to the point of being annoying, they may be distracting you from a pickpocket on your other side.  I know this from experience in both Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Quito, Ecuador.


16)    Travel long enough and you will be pickpocketed or mugged eventually.  So leave your credit and debit cards hidden or locked at your Airbnb unless you are sure that you will need them when you go out.  Instead bring more cash for any unexpected purchases.  Likewise, bring photocopies and digital photos of your IDs rather than the originals when walking around.


17)    Churches and museums and closed on Mondays.  Hence Mondays are good travel and walkabout days.


18)    Read the Wikipedia page on each new country you visit, rather than learning about it haphazardly at museums.


19)    Opening hours for most churches, and also some small museums, in Latin America are not posted online.  So you will inevitably have some down time waiting for them to open after you arrive.  I read books on my phone using Kindle while waiting.


20)    Purchasing and traveling with common prescription medications is easy.  I have had no problems purchasing fluoxetine and trazodone at pharmacies during my travels or carrying them across borders.  I have yet to be thoroughly inspected at a Latin American border crossing.  I do carry a formal hard-copy, laminated letter from my previous U.S.-based psychiatrist listing my prescription medications just in case.

Photography


1)    Sit down to elevate your subject.  Almost all of my photos of places are taken while sitting down.  Sitting enables me to tilt the camera to compose a landscape-format photo that captures vertical elevation without cutting off the bottom of the subject.


2)    Zoom in to simplify your photo by restricting attention to your subject.  Your subject feels intimate when it nearly kisses the photo edges, encompassing our vision and thereby entering our personal space.


3)    Choice of zoom is as important as perspective.  You probably chose your subject based on the emotional response you have to it.  Choose your zoom to show those features, and only those features, that triggered your emotional response, without distractions.


4)    Photos of impressive subjects do not necessarily benefit from photographers' tricks, such as the rule of thirds.  It may be enough to simply center the frame on your subject, fill the frame with your subject, and shoot.


5)    Interesting, unplanned subjects are more important than an expensive camera.  I would rather be traveling the world with my Samsung S23 phone than be in the U.S. suburbs with a $10,000 Hasselblad.


6)    Everyone can take photos, and someone can take a photo of anything in the world.  So, if you are uninspired by your usual subjects at your current locale, shoot less or change your subjects, not your standards.

Latin America

1)     Garmin's GPS maps are not optimized for route finding in Latin America.  The arrows can point left when the map shows you need to turn right.  It can re-route you onto a side road with stop signs even if you are on a main road with stop lights, and it will even send you in a circle.  My Zumo XT also stopped working effectively, as many fellow users have reported online.


2)     Enjoy the benefits of riding near the speed limit.  You are less likely to get pulled over by police, less likely to crash because of road hazards (e.g., cows, dips for stream crossings, speed bumps), less likely to get frustrated while riding behind a slower vehicle, more time to enjoy the scenery, better fuel mileage, and you can still go fast enough to enjoy the corners.


3)     Take a break--in an historic church.  Because of their thermal mass, high ceilings, and multiple entrances, these churches are cool and the big ones even have a breeze.  The pews are generally comfortable and there's plenty of interesting things to see while you are sitting within a primary component of Latino culture.  There is never an entry charge. 


4)     ATMs: Some ATMs will offer you a bad exchange rate and ask if you will accept it or not.  Try not accepting the offered exchange rate.  The ATM may then give you your money at a better exchange rate.  Alternatively, if the ATM cancels your transaction and you still want money, just start another transaction with that ATM.


5)     By definition expatriates are not your typical American, Brit, Canadian, European, etc.  Expect both rough edges and for them to honestly share their forcefully-held opinions that likely differ from yours.


6)     Impressive historic building facades are often just that: facades, with a loose confederation of bricks and mortar behind them.


7)     Latinos have seen plenty of gringos.  They have no particular interest in you or your stuff.  To the extent that I was noticed at all, I was consistently treated respectfully despite my limited Spanish.


8)     Just because an official vehicle (e.g., ambulance, police) has it's lights flashing does not mean that you need to pull over and stop to let them pass.  That is only necessary if their siren is on.  For example, before an ambulance with flashing lights passed me on a highway, it pulled over behind me while I rode at 60 miles an hour to let a faster car pass both of us.


9)     Honking is common in Latin America.  Taxi drivers and motorcycle-taxi riders spend all day honking at pedestrians in the hope that they will request rides.  Drivers and riders honk immediately after a city traffic light turns green, to say hello, to express annoyance, to warn pedestrians who are simply walking on the sidewalk, and instead of stopping at two-way intersections that have stop signs.  I suggest that you simply ignore honking in all but the last case when you approach two-way intersections.


10)    Drivers, particularly bus drivers, often park their vehicles in the road for a minute, blocking a lane (perhaps the only lane) of traffic.  Rather than recognizing the traffic snarl this causes and not doing it themselves, other drivers caught in the resulting traffic snarl will frequently do the exact same thing after they reach the front of the line.


11)    Outside of obvious tourist hotspots, like Cabo San Lucas, Cartagena, Mexico City, and Oaxaca, there are probably fewer gringo tourists than you expect, even during high-season.


12)    Lots of dogs, without collars or clear owners, roam the streets in Latin America.  They generally do their own thing without disturbing people, though there are rare ankle biters who will follow you too closely.  Watch for dog poop on the sidewalks.


13)    If you enjoy soft, white cheeses (e.g., Mozzarella) or American cheese then you can find them throughout Latin America.  But if you instead enjoy hard, aged cheeses, you will usually have difficulty finding them and then pay a high price.  Of the hard cheeses, Parmesan (or local versions thereof) is most frequently available.  Good ice cream is also usually unavailable and, if you find it, expensive.


14)    Many historic monasteries have museums.  I suggest that you prioritize visiting them for the following five reasons: see, close up, unrestored religious art from the last several centuries such that you can feel its antiquity; see, in situ, how local religious art crafted from locally available materials evolved over centuries; see numerous artists' interpretations of common themes (e.g., Jesus on the cross, Mary and baby Jesus); the numerous pieces of in situ art displayed in historic buildings are more moving and informative than individual masterpieces displayed in sterile art museums; relax while sitting in their shaded cloisters.

Borders in Latin America

1)     Just because you do not need a visa does not mean that you can just show up at the border and enter the country.  For example, as an American I did not need visas for Honduras or Nicaragua, but I still had to fill in their online forms in advance.  The one for Nicaragua is recommended to be done 7 days in advance.  So check for these requirements at least a week in advance of arriving at a new border.


2)     Watch one or more recent YouTube videos that are specific to the border you are crossing (not just the countries, but the actual location connecting those countries--find it in Google Maps) so that you know what to expect.  WikiOverland is another good resource.  These are great for learning if you need a fixer (i.e., a private person who helps people at borders for a fee) or if the process is simple, how chaotic the border is, what fees you need to pay, which offices to visit in which order, and what the entry requirements are for your vehicle (e.g., fumigation).


3)     It is helpful to have copies of your vehicle title, driver's license, and passport pages in advance.  But this is not required given that you may also need to make copies of papers that you receive at the border.  Hence you may have to visit the local copy shop anyway.


4)     Standard procedure is to travel with new US $100 bills as backup currency.  But for borders it is often helpful to have $20 and even smaller bills too so that you do not need to break $100 (e.g., when spending only two nights in Honduras).  


5)     Unless you see a lot of tourists at the border, border agents typically want exact change and do not have change to give you.  For example, at the Honduras border I had to pay US $3 entry fee, and could not change for a $5 bill; I had to use a money changer.


6)     Moneychangers can be helpful.  Keep in mind that you have two opportunities to change money--on either side of the border.  So if you are not getting the exchange rate you want, you can stop negotiating and try again on the other side of the border.  US dollars are the best because you can change only what you need rather than feeling that you have to convert a bunch of cash from the country you are leaving.


7)     People will volunteer to watch your bike while you enter the customs building.  Of course they want to be paid for their service when you return.  Tell them that their help is not necessary, but thanks.  There are enough officials, police, other people working (e.g., at copy and food stores), and fellow travelers that I have never felt that items already secured as luggage on my bike might be stolen.  Likewise, I do not use my motorcycle disc locks.


8)     When choosing a fixer (only relevant for the more chaotic Central America border crossings) I look for ones who seem a bit anxious, in a hurry, and agree to a price ahead of time.  These are people who want to finish helping you as quickly as possible so they can then move onto another customer.  I avoid fixers who act confident, are talkative, take their time, and want to discuss the price later.  Some fixers in the latter group use their extra time to lie about new things I need to pay for that are not mentioned online (see lesson 2 above).  As you will see below, fixers can save you substantial time, particularly at confusing border crossings, but frequently bring their own set of problems.  You probably do not need one if you feel confident after reading and watching videos about the border crossing as cited above in lesson 2.


9)     Fixers who speak your language and have been to your home country are not more trustworthy than other fixers.


10)     Work with only one fixer.  Do not allow other fixers to join your team (e.g., because they speak English and your original fixer does not) because they will all want to be paid and they will be more aggressive when acting together.  If a fixer states that the other person must also join you, then choose a different fixer.  There are always more travelers than fixers so you have the luxury of a buyer's market.


11)     Just because a person is wearing a shirt that looks like it is part of a uniform does not mean that they are a customs official.  Fixers wear such shirts to look like officials that you might trust.


12)     Given that fixers look similar to regular customs officials in wearing official-looking shirts, you need a way to distinguish between them.  Customs officials typically let you approach them rather than them approaching you.  Fixers do the opposite.


13)     If you hand your fixer money to pay an official, that fixer probably made a profit on that transaction unless you watched the full amount of money change hands.  For example, I gave my fixer at the Honduras border the expected US $40 to pay for my motorcycle temporary import permit.  He then paid in the local currency instead, making $14 profit in addition to his expected $5 fee.


14)     When you have completed your border crossing it is common for fixers to demand more money than they agreed to be paid and then act angry when you refuse.  You made an informal agreement with them and are not required to pay them anything.  If they refuse your money then pack up and get ready to leave.  They will then begrudgingly take their agreed-upon fee while telling you how mean you are.   

Road blocks in Latin America

1)     Google Maps / Android Auto does not know to route you around road blocks.  It shows road blocks as red congested areas rather than considering them to be impassable and then providing alternative routes.


2)     The road block can be as simple as a few smaller branches placed across the road.  Expect the road block to be manned during regular business hours before the protestors go home each evening.  So if you choose to wait there, you may wait all afternoon.


3)     The few police officers at the road block are there to monitor the situation.  They will not clear the roadblock or help you to get through it.


4)     I have only ever seen motorcycle police cross a road block, and only then after talking to the protestors.  I have never seen private individuals try to take a vehicle across a road block. 


5)     The road block applies to motorcycles as well as cars and trucks.  It does not apply to pedestrians.


6)     There is probably a detour that the locals use to bypass the road block, perhaps on gravel roads.  The teenage kids of the protestors may set up their own rope- or branches-across-the-road tolls along this detour.  If so, plan on multiple such tolls, each run by an unsupervised pair or group of kids.  Tailgate the person in front of you so the kids do not have time to re-set their obstacles for you.

Colombia

1)     If staying in Colombia for more than two weeks, you need to register your cell phone using its IMEI number after you get a Colombian SIM card.  If you fail to do so, your cell phone (not the SIM card) will be deactivated in Colombia.  The only way for foreigners to then get cell-phone service in Colombia is by switching to an eSIM card.


2)     Aside from the Caribbean coast, Colombia’s population is concentrated on two north-south mountain ranges.  Bogota is a great place to arrive in Colombia and then visit towns along the Cordillera Orientale while heading north before returning south along the Cordillera Centra.


3)     The Caribbean coast is hot, even during winter.


4)     Colombia has lots of toll roads and far more toll booths.  Thankfully, there is a pass-through on the far-right of the toll booths for motorcycles, no payment required.


5)     The eight-kilometer-long Túnel de Oriente between Medellin and its airport to the east is closed to motorcyclists.


6)     Stop signs are often placed at roundabouts as well as the motorcycle pass-through at toll booths.  Go with the flow of traffic rather than stopping at all of these signs, lest you get rear-ended after stopping.


7)     In contrast to Mexico and Central America, I only ever saw one Colombian gas station with air pumps for inflating tires.  You have to go to a tire-repair shop instead.


8)     Mexican churches are typically open all day.  By contrast, most Colombian churches are only open in the early morning and for 5 or 6 PM services, opening 30 minutes before the service begins.


9)     Avoid the Colombian theme parks.  These include recreations of old villages as well as one landmark (e.g., salt-mine cathedral) around which other themes were developed.


10)    Medellin has numerous prostitutes.  Skip both the prostitutes and dating apps there lest you be given an overdose of scopolamine in your drink, which numerous American men have died from, leading to a 2024 travel alert from the U.S. State Department.


11)    I was quoted a high price (~ $200 USD for the minimum of 3 months) for motorcycle insurance.  Vehicle insurance is required in Colombia, but I was told that many Colombians do not have it.  You may choose not to get it (see lesson 12 below).  


12)    I was stopped twice at police checkpoints, but only when they were stopping everyone.  In only one case was I asked to show an identification card, and in neither case was I searched or asked to show proof of insurance.  The police did more thorough checks on Colombians than they did on me.  I never felt uneasy with Colombian police.


13)    Colombian drivers slow down at DETECCION ELECTRONICA signs, which indicate laser or radar camera speed traps.  Apparently the fine for speeding through these is high, but I was never given a ticket.  Nor did I have any problems at the border when cancelling my Temporary Import Permit and leaving Colombia.


14)    I frequently smelled marijuana being smoked in cities, and was rarely offered cocaine.  These drugs need not affect your travels in Colombia.  Like Mexico, I never knowingly saw any gang or drug-cartel activities.


15)    My favorite cities in Colombia are: Santa Fe de Antioquia (historic center), Bogota (museums), Mompox (historic center), Barichara (historic center, small mountain town), Pasto (churches), and Aguadas (small mountain town), in that order.


16)    Visit Ecuador!  Colombia has a lot to enjoy, but Ecuador has numerous advantages: better roads, cheaper food, currency is the U.S. dollar, indigenous peoples are more common, landscapes are more picturesque (lots of small-holder indigenous farmers), subsidized gasoline, and Quito has numerous outstanding Spanish colonial churches and monasteries--even better than Pasto.  Plus, immigration and a temporary import permit for your vehicle are free in Ecuador, with no insurance requirement. 

Mexico

1)     Every gringo in Mexico had lots of friends at home telling them not to go to Mexico because of the violenct crime.  I have yet to encounter, or talk to a gringo who has encountered (even after 13 years in one case!), the violent crime we were warned of.


2)     During road construction an already crowded six-lane road with stoplights may turn into a bad two-lane road with no detour indicated.  Check Google Maps to find these red-marked areas before your ride each day.


3)     Do not stress over being pulled over by corrupt police wanting a bribe or stopped at roadblocks.  I was never pulled over and was stopped at roadblocks just two times, including one case where they stopped everyone.  The police were friendly and respectful.


4)     Expect to pay non-refundable import tax on spare tires for your bike that you bring across the border.


5)     There are not an unusually high number of Americans who live South Dakota visiting Baja.  South Dakota has no income tax and no annual vehicle inspections.  So those cars are owned by Americans living in Baja, where there is no need for a Temporary Import Permit.


6)     There is obsolete information online about Baja regarding the need to use premium gas, the idea that gas is much more expensive outside the main cities, and the need to purchase gas sold on the side of the road in jerrycans rather than from gas stations.  In 2023 I used regular gas for my motorcycle just fine, the gas prices only fluctuated by a few pesos per liter across all of Baja, and the only place on Mex1 where you might need to fill up from jerrycans is Catavina, and even then only if you have a small motorcycle gas tank.


7)     Locals sitting in their cars for extended periods are not acting suspiciously.  They are probably using free local wifi. 


8)     All gas stations are full-service, and most have air pumps adjacent to the gas pumps.  So get your tire pressures checked once a week.  Bring your own air-pressure gauge to doublecheck the pressure given that some air pumps and attendants don't have their own air-pressure gauges.


9)     Gringo adults taking beach vacations do not really enjoy the beach because of the sun, humidity, sand, and saltwater.  Instead they want to let their kids play, show skin, see skin, and have a Las Vegas-like freewheeling atmosphere.  Hence they prefer to stay at their hotel's pool, and would probably be happier still at a water park back home.


10)     ATMs: I have seen ATM fees range from 17.4 (Inbursa Bank) to 180 pesos (BBVA Bank).  After selecting an ATM with a reasonable fee, it may (at Santander Bank) offer you an exchange rate that you can accept or not.  Try not accepting the offered exchange rate.  The ATM may then give you your money at a better exchange rate.


11)     Toll roads are expensive, even for the lowest available price for motorcycles.  The cost is roughly equivalent to buying a second tank of gas for each tank that I use while on toll roads.  Use Google Maps directions to check for the time to your destination both using and avoiding toll roads to determine if the toll road is worth the cost.


12)    Two-lane toll roads actually have three informal lanes.  The third lane is a suicide passing lane right down the middle.  If you do not give the right-of-way to vehicles using that passing lane then you will quickly cause a potentially fatal crash.  Many big trucks drive half off the road at all times so that they always provide right-of-way to that passing lane.


13)     Want to see the real Mexico by avoiding toll roads and riding the back roads?  It can be beautiful.  But here's two factors to consider:


14)     Most Mexican museums want you to visit their galleries in a specific order.  Usually this done proactively by museum guards with clear gestures on where to go.  But I also experienced a case where a guard would not allow me to stay in a gallery I entered until I visited the other gallery first.  The guards may follow you to to show you where to go next, or simply because you are one of few visitors.  I have even had a personal guard who walked through the entire museum with me.  They are just doing their jobs.


15)     On a side road with lots of unmarked speed bumps?  I have ridden on a road with ~ 100 speed bumps packed into 20 kilometers.  Slow down to let a local pass you and follow them.  They will then show you where all of the speed bumps are.


16)     Mexico City has many museums and interesting neighborhoods to visit.  Skip renting a car, get an Airbnb near a subway station and grocery store, and plan to stay for at least two weeks.

         What annoyed [Poseidon] most—and this was the chief cause of discontent with his job—was to learn of the rumors that were circulating about him; for instance, that he was constantly cruising through the waves with his trident.  Instead of which here he was sitting in the depths of the world’s ocean endlessly going over the accounts, an occasional journey to Jupiter being the only interruption of the monotony, a journey moreover from which he invariably returned in a furious temper.  As a result he had hardly seen the oceans, save fleetingly during his hasty ascent to Olympus, and had never really sailed upon them.  He used to say that he was postponing this until the end of the world, for then there might come a quiet moment when, just before the end and having gone through the last account, he could still make a quick little tour.

 

-- Franz Kafka, “Poseidon”