Upon leaving Oaxaca I had two priorities, get my motorcycle serviced and get out of Mexico by March 28 when my Temporary Import Permit expired.
Servicing my motorcycle is especially important for me since I really know nothing about mechanics 🙁 I know, I should have taken a course or something before I left. You are right. But right now prevention is the key.
There are BMW Mottorad service departments in Puebla and Mexico City. But I have been to those cities already. There is also one in Veracruz which isn’t too far away. So off I go.
The Road to Veracruz
It was very weird to be on my motorcycle again after 3 and a half months! It was also nice though as I was back traveling again.
I decided to take the toll roads to Veracruz. This was to avoid topes, turns and slow riding that all put additional stress on my core and my hernia repair. I also planned on stopping every hour to rest.
It was a nice ride. Toll roads in Mexico have little traffic on them. I am guessing it is because they by-pass villages and the tolls are fairly expensive. I spent about $19 CDN for the trip.
As is my usual method of operation, I got to my hotel, Hotel Oliba, at around 2 pm.
This gave me the opportunity to do some exploring before dark. I specifically chose this location because it was close to the BMW dealership, a couple of malls and the sea.
I looked around and grabbed dinner in the mall before heading to bed.
BMW Vecsa
The next day was reserved to service my bike. I walked into BMW Vecsa and hoped someone spoke English. I waited for a bit before a young woman with a nice smile approached me. I was in luck, she spoke English. The only one there that did. I must have looked like an English speaker ha ha. She ended up being my interpreter as she directed me to the Mottorad office and the service technician. After explaining what I wanted they said it would be ready by 6 pm. Lots of time to kill.
When I was at one of the malls the day before I noticed a Starbucks. Of course! That is where I headed. I spent the whole day there relaxing and taking in the views of the Caribbean. Sooooo relaxing.
While it may seem like it, I am not a big coffee drinker. For me, Starbucks is a piece of home. It is not the coffee but rather home that I like Starbucks.
The day went fast and it was time to pick up my motorcycle.
When I arrived I was greeted by another young women with a great smile. I don’t know what the servicing is like, but the smiles certainly put me at ease and are welcoming. She told me that she was there when I came in in the morning but was in a meeting. They had called her as there was an English speaking guy there ha ha. But she couldn’t come.
My bike was ready.
As I drove away I noticed a couple of problems right away. First, my ignition switch was sticky 🙁 And second, the right front turn signal was still not working. Although regarding the turn signal, they advised me that they may not have the bulb for it. I guess they didn’t.
Oh well …. I’ll have it checked out again in Merida or perhaps Guatemala City.
My Route for March 21, 2017
My Location for March 22, 2017