I didn't want to add this to the ornamental, decorative steel, security bar thread, but it has to due with the video you recommended within that thread of your trip to Haiti. I was gonna PM you, but you never return those. So, this is easier.
Where's the rest of that video? Part 2? That was a great journey you embarked on, but the video was sliced and diced. I didn't see that much footage from San Juan de la Maguana. You went from Elias Pina, to Azua in the blink of an eye, and then to San Jose de Ocoa (another town that I love with an absolutely beautiful Parque Duarte). As far as Elias Pina, you had a clip from Banica, but left out Pedro Santana, two towns that I have had a lot of fun in. That footage brought back memories. The mountain ranges are incredible. At the 20:14 marker, you're riding along some freight railroad tracks. Where are these? I know the Dominican Republic has them in the East, San Pedro and La Romana, due to the sugar cane industry, but I've never seen them out West, such as San Juan de la Maguana or Elias Pina. I'd like to know more about these, if you have any information I'd appreciate it, as I'm a train buff. The intersection you pass at the 20:33 marker is another famous site, where many people will pull over to either relieve themselves or have a drink because it is the fork in the road (the Great Divide), if heading west, which can take you to Barahona or San Juan de la Maguana. For a critical transportation site, it's amazing that there is no business there, like the Cruze de Ocoa, but I have also been there tons of times. Great video, with the only negatives being it was too short, and there was a lot of footage left out, not sure if there were any other parts to the voyage, and your wheelies through a residential neighborhood at the 23:05 marker. How long was the trip, and were you on your own or with a group? All in all, great video. Thanks for sharing.
Wow, a lot of questions here, and i'll do my best to answer most of them.
I did the "Haitian border trip" in August of 2014, and now i'm getting ready to do it again--probably in about 3 to 4-weeks time. Like nearly all of my trips, i did it alone, because i'm usually moving way too fast a speed, and randomly stopping to take random photos of stupid stuff to make it fun for anyone else. I think it would be uncomfortable for most people to ride with me.
Still, the plan back then was not to do that entire trip (900km's) all in one day, but that's how it worked out. According to Google Maps (I still have the screenshot, but again, it's too time consuming to load up here), the trip was something like 900km's.
I left at 5am in the morning, in the dark, and drove all day, and made it home at 8:30pm, in the dark. Other than stopping to take photos, i only stopped three times for gas in what...something like 15-hours of riding. I had a 3-liter Camelpak with me--its the same one i take on my long bicycle rides to Santo Domingo. That is an absolute must. There would be no way for me to drive for all those hours without a lot of water. Crazy amounts of water! The sun is simply beating down on you and dehydrating you all day long. I have no idea how people live in the desert. Insane.
My bike holds 2.8 gallons of gas, so the 15-hours of riding took roughly 9-gallons of gas. After 4 or 5 hours of sitting on a narrow 5-inch wide Enduro/motocross seat, my balls disappeared into the recesses of my stomach and my voice changed dramatically. I no longer sounded like a male, and my hair started falling out, and then suddenly, i both looked and sounded like a Lady Boy.
I cannot remember any particular places you mentioned in the video because it was 3-years ago, and i'm coming down with my mother's Dementia these days. What i do remember, however, is that i had 15-hours of video to edit, and even after editing it for 2 or 3 days, the smallest i could get the video down to was a very long 24-minutes, which, if you ask me, is way, way too long to sit through...unless it was porn. No one wants to sit through a 24-minute video. But that was the shortest i could make a 15-hour video where you would get a good feel for all parts of the ride.
This next time i do it, i will be much better at editing, so i will make it shorter...i hope. I don't know if i will try and make the entire trip in 15-hours like last time. I hope to stay over-night somewhere so that my balls can return, and allow them to drop back down from hiding. I remember riding side-saddle for at least the last 4-hours of the trip. i simply could not straddle the tiny seat anymore. It was impossible. Thinking back on it, I think i would do good in the prison system. I think I could make a good Toy Boy. Unfortunately, given my advanced years and growing stomach, and receding hair line, i'm afraid most prison roommates would find me simply unattractive. Shame.
I'll do the ride again soon, and then i will focus more video on San Juan de la Maguana. Maybe I'll even shoot over to Barahona and stay the night there. Who knows, maybe even go as far as Bahia de las Aguillas?
A lot to think about...but first, wine!
Frank
