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2024 Winter Adventure
  • Theo Manseau
  • Theo Manseau

2024 Winter Adventure

Taking my motorcycle from Canada to Argentina over the next seven months, exploring the Americas from north to south. Expect lots of camping, epic landscapes, and a few unexpected detours along the way! Read more
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  • Theo Manseau2024 Winter AdventureTraveler

    More mechanical Issues

    Dec 20–21, 2024 in Guatemala ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    I tried making my way to the El Salvador border today, but unfortunately, my rear brakes stopped working about an hour into the drive. Luckily, there was a Kawasaki dealership in Guatemala City. Iso I ended up spending the night in the city while they sanded my rear disc brake and changed out the brake fluid, which fixed the issue. Now I’m back on track and heading to El Salvador today.Read more

  • Theo Manseau2024 Winter AdventureTraveler

    Santa Ana

    Dec 21–23, 2024 in El Salvador ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    I crossed the border into El Salvador today, and it was a bit of a hassle. There was a ton of paperwork to get my temporary import permit. After that, I headed to Santa Ana, a beautiful old colonial city. I spent a couple of days there, trying to figure out where I’d spend Christmas. That’s when I bumped into Dan from Colorado. He’s also heading to South America, but he’s taking his time—spending a month or two in each country.

    It was also during this stop that I found out I’d need to speed up my travel through Central America. Apparently, crossing the Andes mountains after March is pretty much impossible. With Winter on the horizon It was a bit of a shock and really changed my plans. Dan was kind enough to invite me to a couple of online groups for help and info, which has already turned out to be super useful.    Read more

  • Theo Manseau2024 Winter AdventureTraveler

    El Tunco

    Dec 23–26, 2024 in El Salvador ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    After saying goodbye to Dan and a few other friends I met in Santa Ana I headed to El Tunco, a coastal town about a two-hour drive away. I checked into a hostel called The Canuck, a Canadian-themed spot inspired by a hockey player from Vancouver, which felt pretty fitting for Christmas. El Tunco is a small coastal town touristy, but not too busy. I spent most of my time there trying to surf with the guys from the hostel. It was challenging, but I think I’m finally starting to get the hang of it.

    Christmas Eve was a blast—lots of celebrations and fireworks. We made our way to the only bar open that night, where they had a Spanish karaoke session going on. The next couple of days were spent planning my route and just hanging out at the hostel.    Read more

  • Theo Manseau2024 Winter AdventureTraveler

    La union

    Dec 26–27, 2024 in El Salvador ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    I’ve decided to head to Nicaragua for New Year’s celebrations but I totally underestimated how busy the holiday season would be. Finding decent accommodations has been a bit of a challenge, so I’m planning to do some more research later tonight to figure things out.

    The drive from El Tunco to La Unión was pleasant, winding through several mountain ranges along the Pacific coast. La Unión is a quiet, small community with little to no tourism, located about an hour from the Honduras border. I decided to stay the night here so I can get an early start on the border crossing tomorrow.    Read more

  • Theo Manseau2024 Winter AdventureTraveler

    Leon

    Dec 27–28, 2024 in Nicaragua ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Crossing the border into Nicaragua was the toughest one yet. The whole system felt pretty chaotic, and customs seemed mostly focused on whether people were bringing drones into the country, since they’re banned. What should’ve been a two-hour process turned into four when several busloads of people showed up at the same time. To make things worse, I couldn’t detach all my belongings and carry them to the scanner, so I had to wait until the group was processed for them to thoroughly search my bike.

    The rest of the ride was uneventful, but the delay meant I had to drive at night to get to León, which was a bit sketchy. Thankfully, everything worked out in the end.

    I only stayed in León for one night. I wanted to stick around longer since it seemed like a cool spot, but all the hostels were fully booked. With no luck finding another place, I decided to head to Granada instead.    Read more

  • Theo Manseau2024 Winter AdventureTraveler

    Volcano Adventure

    December 28, 2024 in Nicaragua ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    I had a last-minute idea to check out a volcano near León on my way to Granada, thinking it’d only be about a 40 minute detour. Turns out I couldn’t have been more wrong it ended up being a two-hour, full-blown adventure.

    Google Maps took me on a wild route through small farms and rough backroads. The roads are basically deep, soft volcanic sand that made riding nearly impossible. I dropped the bike a handful of times and even managed to pull a muscle in my back trying to lift my bike on my own.

    When I finally got to the volcano’s visitor center I was overheated and desperate for water, only to find out they didn’t have any. There was still a 40-minute hike to the top, but I was already feeling dehydrated, so I had to call it and head back to town. Luckily, I found the right road this time, and it only took me 20 minutes to get back.

    Even with all the setbacks, I did manage to catch some awesome views of the volcano and watched hundreds of people sliding and sandboarding down the slopes. The rest of the ride to Granada was pretty uneventful.    Read more

  • Theo Manseau2024 Winter AdventureTraveler

    Grenada

    Dec 28–30, 2024 in Nicaragua ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Unfortunately, the two days I spent in Granada didn’t go as planned. My first night started off fine, but I woke up a few hours later feeling pretty unwell. The next day, I was stuck in bed battling what seemed like a strange flu while also dealing with a strained back muscle from my earlier ride.

    The flu came with a high fever, headache, eye pain, and alternating bouts of freezing and overheating throughout the evening. After two nights of this I felt a bit better, but it left me drained overall.

    Thankfully, I’m feeling well enough today to move on to the hostel I booked for New Year’s Eve. It’s only a 45-minute drive, and it’s located in a lagoon inside an extinct volcano. I’m hoping the change of scenery will help me get back on track.    Read more

  • Theo Manseau2024 Winter AdventureTraveler

    Paradise Hostel

    Dec 30–31, 2024 in Nicaragua ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    The hostel I booked ended up being more of a resort, with pricey food and activities not at all what I was expecting. After a very rough night, I decided to check out this morning in search for something more low key.

    I’m still not feeling great and have been battling a fever and persistent headaches that seem to hit every 20 hours, but I’m feeling just well enough to ride. I’m heading to the small coastal beach town of San Juan del Sur to celebrate New Year’s Eve tonight.    Read more

  • Theo Manseau2024 Winter AdventureTraveler

    New Years Eve

    Dec 31–Jan 3, 2025 in Nicaragua ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    I arrived in San Juan del Sur after a relaxing 5 hour drive, but unfortunately, I’ve spent most of the last three days in bed. I was really hoping to be out enjoying New Year’s Eve, but instead, I ended up in the hospital trying to figure out what was going on. They ran some blood tests and ruled out dengue fever, but they think I have some kind of viral infection. I’m planning to head to Costa Rica tomorrow.Read more

  • Theo Manseau2024 Winter AdventureTraveler

    Tamarindo

    Jan 3–4, 2025 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    I set off for Costa Rica today and crossed the border in the morning, but it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing. This was probably the most confusing border crossing I’ve dealt with so far. It was way too easy to skip some crucial steps in the process which I quickly found out the hard way adding an extra hour to the whole ordeal. To top it off, a customs agent somehow managed to lose my driver’s license during the vehicle inspection which made things even more complicated.

    After a lot of trial and error, I finally made it through. Once I crossed into Costa Rica, everything was much simpler and I was back on the road.

    I headed to Tamarindo and was blown away by how beautiful the place is and honestly, how Americanized it feels. Driving there was kind of wild though. It’s a chaotic mix of super-confident, aggressive locals and cautious, nervous tourists all trying to share the road.

    Unfortunately, I’m still feeling pretty sick so as soon as I got to my destination, I called it a night and crashed in bed.    Read more

  • Theo Manseau2024 Winter AdventureTraveler

    San Jose

    Jan 4–6, 2025 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    The next leg of my journey took me to Costa Rica's capital. The drive was pretty enjoyable, winding through lush mountains on some tight switchbacks. It rained for the first time in about eight weeks, and honestly, it felt refreshing. The temperature dropped to a comfortable level which made the ride even better.

    I was surprised by the capital. I expected a busy, chaotic city but it was much quieter and more laid back than I thought. I checked into my hostel and decided to stay for two nights.

    I didn’t do much while I was there mostly just left the hostel for food and water. If I still feel sick over the next few days, I plan to visit a health clinic when I get to Panama City.    Read more

  • Theo Manseau2024 Winter AdventureTraveler

    David

    Jan 6–7, 2025 in Panama ⋅ 🌧 30 °C

    The border crossing and drive to Panama went smoothly. I spent most of the day on the road and ended up in a city called David for the night. The next day, I had a six-hour drive to the capital. I took some backroads through local communities, which was a nice change of pace. Panama has an excellent road network probably the best in Central America. It’s the first time since the States that I’ve been able to cruise at 130 km/h for long stretches. I made it to Panama City later that evening. It’s definitely the biggest city I’ve seen since Mexico City.Read more

  • Theo Manseau2024 Winter AdventureTraveler

    Panama City

    Jan 7–13, 2025 in Panama ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    I ended up spending about a week in Panama City. The first thing on my list was figuring out what was going on with my health. I was getting pretty frustrated with the recurring fever, headaches, and eye pain that would pop up every 20 hours or so. After a visit to the hospital and some tests they figured out I’d been dealing with some sort of parasitic infection for the past three weeks. Thankfully, I was prescribed some meds and I’ve been feeling a lot better since.

    While I was in Panama, I checked out the famous Panama Canal and was surprised by how quickly the ships pass through the locks. It’s impressive to see in person. I also took a day trip on my motorcycle to the city of Colón to visit the Atlantic Ocean. Turns out Panama is one of the only places in the world where you can see both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans in the same afternoon.

    I settled into a nice routine in Panama City and finally got the all clear from the hospital after a final blood test. Now I’m getting ready for the next big leg of my adventure South America!    Read more

  • Theo Manseau2024 Winter AdventureTraveler

    The Darién Gap

    January 13, 2025 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    My plan to cross into Colombia and bypass the Darién Gap has changed a few times over the past month. Originally, I had planned to load my motorcycle onto a 40 foot sailboat and island-hop my way to Cartagena. Unfortunately, new rules and regulations now prohibit vehicles from being imported by boat, so I had to rethink my options.

    I looked into shipping the bike in a sea container, but that would have added at least a two-week delay to my trip. The only practical option left was air freight. To my surprise, it ended up being much cheaper than I expected.

    I went to the airport this morning to ask about shipping the bike, and to my surprise, the company I spoke with had an opening for that afternoon. Before I knew it, I was filling out paperwork, and a few hours later, I was on a plane. I landed in Bogotá, Colombia, later that evening, and after a short walk, I made it to my hostel just before sunset.

    The next morning, I headed back to the airport to pick up my bike. After about four hours of paperwork and waiting, it was finally ready. The whole process ended up being straightforward and stress free.

    While waiting, I also learned about a cool tradition among Pan American riders: designing and trading stickers to commemorate the journey. I’m definitely going to try to collect a few along the way.

    I’ll be staying in Bogotá for a few days while I sort out some much-needed maintenance on the bike. I need to change the oil and oil filter, swap out the tires, fix my speedometer sensor, and possibly replace the radiator if I can find a new one in the area.    Read more

  • Theo Manseau2024 Winter AdventureTraveler

    Bogata

    Jan 13–19, 2025 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    I ended up staying in Bogotá for five days at a really cool spot called the Cranky Croc Hostel. While I was thereI decided to get my bike serviced at a local shop run by a guy I met in the airport customs when I was picking it up. They did an awesome job they loosened my clutch since it was too tight, replaced the front brake pads, fixed my speedometer and odometer, and changed the oil and filter. I also tried to get new tires, but they didn’t have the model I needed.

    While the bike was in the shop, I spent a few days exploring Bogotá. The city is set in the mountains of Colombia, so everywhere you look, the views are incredible. It also has a really distinctive vibe, with most buildings made of brick or featuring brick facades, which gives the city a lot of charm.

    One of the highlights was visiting the Gold Museum. It’s packed with about 32,000 ounces of gold artifacts from nine different pre-Spanish cultures, and it was absolutely fascinating. I also joined a couple of walking tours and made sure to try some local dishes.

    I picked up my bike today, which happened to be a Sunday. Sundays in Bogotá are unique because they close off most of the roads and highways, and tens of thousands of cyclists take over the streets. It was cool to see such a different way to use the city.

    Now I’m back on the road, heading to Medellín. It’s another city in the mountains, and the drive should take about eight hours. Looking forward to seeing what’s next!    Read more

  • Theo Manseau2024 Winter AdventureTraveler
    1

    First Flat Tire

    Jan 19–20, 2025 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    My ride to Medellín was quite an adventure. The road wound and weaved through the mountainsides, offering some incredible views, but it was also incredibly busy with traffic. A lot of transport trucks use this route, and they crawl up the hills creating long queues that are tough to pass.

    What made the ride really memorable, though, was getting my first flat tire something I’ve been dreading this entire trip. I noticed the bike’s handling suddenly felt off, and when I pulled over, my rear tire was completely flat. Thankfully, I had my portable air compressor, which let me limp to the nearest hotel.

    The hotel itself was an experience. It was perched on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, with no cell service and a bit of a language barrier to navigate when checking in. Eventually, I got settled, but there wasn’t any WiFi so I found myself with a few hours of nothing to do but wait for morning. The only way I could get a single bar of service was by climbing to the top of the hotel’s water slide, which was pretty amusing in hindsight. I managed to download a couple of shows to keep myself entertained for the night.

    The next morning, a mechanic came out to help me replace the tire and tube, and I was back on the road. Now I’ve got about three hours left before I roll into Medellín.    Read more

  • Theo Manseau2024 Winter AdventureTraveler

    Medeline

    Jan 20–22, 2025 in Colombia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    I arrived in Medellín without any issues and took my bike to a mechanic to get the tires replaced since they were starting to show their mileage. While in the city, I stayed at a place called the Black Sheep Hostel. It was a great spot where I made a few new friends and spent most of my time just relaxing.

    I did manage to get out and explore a bit, though. I visited a Pablo Escobar museum and joined a walking tour, which were both really interesting. Overall, it was a pretty chill couple of days, but it was nice to slow down and take it easy for a bit.    Read more

  • Theo Manseau2024 Winter AdventureTraveler

    Salento

    Jan 22–24, 2025 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    I picked up a couple of recommendations from some fellow traveller's and made my way to Salento, a charming little community tucked in the mountains. It didn’t disappoint. My hostel had a surprisingly hippie vibe, but I met some cool traveller's who invited me out to play a traditional Colombian game called tejo. The goal is to throw a rock at a metallic ring and try to explode packages filled with gunpowder. There's a point system, but honestly, it was just a blast. The next day I took a short 30-minute drive to the Cocora Valley, home to the famous wax palm trees. I learned that, surprisingly, palm trees aren’t actually trees but belong to the palm family who knew? These towering trees stretch hundreds of feet tall and line the mountainside. After that, I checked out the city, which was more vibrant than I expected. Now I’m starting to plan the next leg of my tour, hoping to head to La Unión for some off roading in the mountains.Read more

  • Theo Manseau2024 Winter AdventureTraveler

    La Union

    Jan 23–25, 2025 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    La Unión was a pretty cool town off the beaten path and located at the foothills of the mountains. I stayed at a great place called Donkey Sunrise, a hostel specifically for motorcycle riders. I spent a couple of days there, going on a coffee tour and checking out the trails in the mountains, which offered some fantastic riding. I also got a lot of helpful tips on where to go in Peru and Argentina from other "overlanders” as they like to call themselvesRead more

  • Theo Manseau2024 Winter AdventureTraveler
    1

    Cali & Pasto

    Jan 25–27, 2025 in Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    I spent the next two days on the road, stopping in Cali and Pasto for the night. The riding on this stretch has to be the highlight of the trip so far. I had to stop a dozen times to take photos, and the views seemed to get better with every bend and curve. Unfortunately the photos don’t seem to catch the scale of the mountains.Read more

  • Theo Manseau2024 Winter AdventureTraveler
    1

    Las Lajas

    January 28, 2025 in Colombia ⋅ 🌩️ 16 °C

    Got up early and hit the road for the Ecuador border today. It was an eight-hour drive but it went by pretty quickly.

    Made a stop in Las Lajas to check out a famous church built over a deep ravine. Getting there was a bit of a mess I followed Google Maps which led me down a small flight of stairs. Turns out, I had trapped myself in a courtyard only accessible by stairs in every direction. Going back the way I came wasn’t an option, so I got off the bike and walked around to figure out the best way out.

    Eventually, I ended up riding down and back up a couple of staircases to reach a road. Definitely a new skill learned, but not one I’d recommend or ever do again!

    After that, I continued on to the border, crossed without any issues, and made it to Quito later that night.    Read more

  • Theo Manseau2024 Winter AdventureTraveler
    1112

    Quinto

    Jan 28–Feb 1, 2025 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    I ended up staying in Quito longer than planned. I was only supposed to be there for two days but I had to wait for my health insurance to renew before I could ride again, so I ended up staying four nights before heading north to the mountains.

    Most of my time was spent wandering the city and figuring out my route through Peru. I also experienced my first earthquake, which was pretty wild. I was lying in bed when a 5.6-magnitude quake hit the building shook for about 20 seconds. No one else seemed to care since earthquakes are pretty common here, but it was definitely a new experience for me.    Read more

  • Theo Manseau2024 Winter AdventureTraveler
    1

    Cuenca

    Feb 1–2, 2025 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    The ride to Cuenca was rough eight hours on the road, with seven of them spent in thick fog. It finally cleared up near the city but by then, I was too drained to explore. I just found a hostel and crashed for the night. I’ve got four long days of riding ahead to make up for lost time.

    I was up early the next morning for the six hour ride to the Peru border, and it ended up being one of the most incredible rides yet. The scenery changed so gradually it almost felt unreal dense jungle gave way to rocky hills, and before I knew it, I was riding through a vast, sandy desert.    Read more

  • Theo Manseau2024 Winter AdventureTraveler

    Manacora & Pacamayo

    Feb 2–3, 2025 in Peru ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    I spent the night in Mancora after crossing into Peru at a laid-back beach hostel. After two long days of driving I was ready to crash. But of course, I accidentally booked a party hostel, which was packed with Peruvians on vacation. Around 3 a.m., the music finally died down, and I managed to get some sleep. The next morning was a bit of a scramble, though, since I got on the road later than I wanted. I ended up driving for about 9 hours through small villages and endless desert landscapes. What surprised me most was how much worse off Peru’s northern areas seemed economically than I’d expected. On top of that, my fuel delivery issue popped up again probably from pushing the bike at 120 km/h for so long. I was starting to get worried, especially since I was stuck in the desert with no cell service, and the bike had stalled a couple of times. But I eventually made it to a small town called Pacamayo and decided to call it a night.Read more

  • Theo Manseau2024 Winter AdventureTraveler

    Trujillo

    Feb 4–5, 2025 in Peru ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Today, I didn’t make much progress on the road. After about three hours of riding, I stopped in Trujillo to hunt for waterproof pants. It’s the rainy season in Peru right now, and up in the mountains where I’m planning to spend some time it rains like clockwork every afternoon. I figured it’d be smart to gear up. What I didn’t expect was how hard it would be to find a pair. After five hours of wandering through countless shops, I finally managed to snag some.

    Later on, I checked into a hostel called YAQTA and ended up meeting Issac a Swedish guy who was cool enough to join me on my mountain adventure. Tomorrow we’re heading out early to take Route 100 up to the village of Pallasca. Can’t wait to see what the mountains have in store.    Read more

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