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Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments at will@cyclecor.com.au.

June 20th, 2010

Signing off for now. Stayed tuned for next adventure., Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, México, Nicaragua, Panamá

Have been a little slack to sign off cyclecor, but have been catching up with my family and perusing some Ayurvedic study in India. I also had some sad news in the last week of my journey, with my auntie Pi passing away. She was on of the reasons for cycling and raising money for mental health, I will miss her and I thank her for all her beautiful lessons. I wanted to thank also thank my family Jimbo, Marg and Jess for being so incredibly supportive (where ever my slightly unusual interests takes me). Jimbo for being my best mate, Mum for her constant advice, positive outlook and words of wisdom and Jess for inspiring and challenging me to be different and the best I can be…

As I am signing off I guess I can reflect on my highlights of my trip including having a gun put to my face in Honduras (left that out from the blog to save my mum (love you) from heart attack), meeting some incredible individuals, learning invaluable lessons about my body and mind relationship, breaking some limiting beliefs about myself, swimming with a crocodile, climbing Mt Chirripo, hitch hiking in Costa Rica and ticking, “cycling through Latin America” off my “101 things of things to do before I die” list.

In a slightly solemn reflection after my journey was complete in Panama City, I realised a few key things including the more goals I achieve the more I realise what is important in my life. The list of goals I want to achieve will continue to grow no matter how many I attain. As a result the feeling of hollowness on completion will reappear until I can understand that the only real success is; to strive for mastery of myself… Other lessons I learnt include
• The majority of people are good (we should not believe or buy into all the fear that the media spreads on a constant basis, go find out for yourself).
• I also learnt that every situation has a lesson and more often than not the more difficult the situation the more powerful the lesson.
• Furthermore it was engrained into me the importance of pushing my limits and living my life (in 2o years I will be more pissed off at the things I didn’t do, compared with what I did).
• I also learnt how lucky I am to be able to travel, expand my understanding of the world through experience, have food and water on my table, walk freely through my neighbourhood, and have a incredible family.
• And finally, ask “why?” more often especially when watching the news or any form of media.

It has been an amazing journey so far and stay tuned as the next adventure is in the planning.

Finally i will leave you with this from R.Shaman. Most people take the limits of their vision to be the limits of their world. A FEW DO NOT>. Remember we see the world not as it is but as we are. What’s your limiting belief about yourself? What bill of goods have you sold yourself as to what’s impossible? What false assumptions are you making in terms of what you can not have, do and be? Your thinking creates your reality. Your beliefs truly come self fulfilling prophecies (because your beliefs drive your actions….the size of your life reflects the SIZE of your thinking). “If you think something cannot occur in your life, then there’s no way you will take the action required to make the goal a reality. Your impossibility thinking mainifiests itself.

Again thanks for all the support

Dream Courageously. Willcadden

June 20th, 2010

The last couple of days from Dominical to Panama Ciudad, Honduras

After spending 2 days in Dominical surfing with my new Polish friend i meet couch surfing I cycled about 150km to Ciudad Neily which is about 30km from the boarder ….

The next day I crossed the boarder to David (about 70km). Panama had a completely different feel.

David to Santiago was my next day about 110km

and lastly Santiago Panama.

April 19th, 2010

Summit Day, Costa Rica

April 18th, 2010

Climbing to base camp, Costa Rica

Today we were up at 5am beginning a gruelling hike which gained 1800m in altitude over 15 slow kilometres…. However again the scenery was spectacular taking my mind off the intensity of the hike, with howler monkeys in the trees and for the first time I spotted a Quetzal bird (extremely rare) and incredibly beautiful. The hike took us about 7 hours to make it to the base camp and was very cold up there.

Was pretty exhausted from the trek so eat and then went to bed as tomorrow we are up at 2.30am to try and hit the summit for sunrise…

April 17th, 2010

Trekking in the Hills, Costa Rica

“One of the greatest regrets a person can gave is getting to the end of their life and realising they did not live their dreams”

We had a bit of a rest day as we could not get a permit for the mountain to climb until the 18th. So we went walking up into the hills, found some beautiful waterfalls and hot springs… This place is super peaceful and was nice to chill for once.

April 16th, 2010

Hitch Hiking in Costa Rican Highlands, Costa Rica

“You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through.” (R. Carter)

Dropped our bikes off at a couch surfer, Frederico, who let us leave our bikes in his house while we went to climb Mt. Chirripó…

Hitch hiking is a fantastic way to get kidnapped or meet awesome people, lucky today brought with it the later… Our first ride was about 20km with a Columbian man who gave us the run down on Costa Rican and Columbian Politics this man could talk so time went very fast. He owned a farm in the highlands and brought us to the town Isdia, where we jumped out looking for a lift to the next town Rivas…

We had to wait a long time for our next ride over 1 hour and a half, and this man took us 5km from Rivas so we walked there. It was fascinating as the man had cycle toured around Costa Rica to Nicaragua, so had some good rapport with him. The walk was pretty intense up hill and HOT. Once we got to Rivas we had to wait another hour for our next ride, but it was worth it…

We met a farmer from the states who owned lot´s of land, he ended up taking us to his farm and letting us take as many oranges and wild raspberries as we wanted… He gave us some water running from a fresh stream and dropped us at the Chirripó National Park entrance to get tickets necessary for the climb to the summit. As there are only 60 tickets issued a day…

Got to relax the rest of the day in the beautiful clouded valleys, bird watching at out hotel. Perfect.

April 15th, 2010

Manuel Antonio National Park and Quepos to Dominical, Costa Rica

“Most people never get there. They’re afraid or unwilling to demand enough of themselves and take the easy road, the path of least resistance. But struggling and suffering, as I now saw it, were the essence of a life worth living. If your not pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone, if your not constantly demanding more of yourself- expanding and learning as you go- your choosing a numb existence. Your denying yourself an extraordinary trip. As a running buddy once said to me: Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming: WOW!! What a ride!” (Dean my boy)

Today got up at 5:30am and went to Manuel Antonio National Park and let me tell you, it was simply stunning… As I walked to the beach, in the trees above 4 to 5 varieties of monkeys (Howlers, White face etc.) were playing. There were sloths, iguanas, snakes and many varieties of birds I had never seen… Then to top it off, at the end of the path was probably the most spectacular beach I have ever seen in my life… (photos don’t really do it justice)…

After that little adventure I got back to my hostel at 11am and Antonio and I hit the road… So Costa Rica is really beautiful if i have not said it before… Coast lines surrounded by clouded forests… Also today as I was riding past one of the many rivers, on the side of the road was a big croc…

Also Antonio convinced me to climb Mt Chirillepo, the tallest peak in Costa Rica so I am riding to the closest town to leave our bikes and then we will D.I.Y it over the weekend…

Anyway gotta fly and go for a surf…

Will

April 14th, 2010

Monteverde to Quepos 140km, Costa Rica

“If there is something great in you, it will not appear on your first call. It will not appear and come easily, without any work or effort” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

After being g-ed up by Edward (aka Mr Myagi) for not cycling up to Monteverde, i decided to knock out a big day today. I woke up feeling a lot better than yesterday, so i said by to Carla and was out on the road by 5.27am… It was a spectacular ride through the clouds with the sun rising and my elevation dropping (1800m over 20km)

The ride to Haco was humid and for the first time the sun was not out. However I was still getting my sweat on. oh OK. I think one of the reasons i was feeling so terrible yesterday is because i had not been eating enough. So today before lunch I consumed 3 donuts, 1 chocolate bar, 4 bananas, 1 20 pack of coconut biscuits, 2 carrots and an avocado… Fuelling the machine.

I got to Haco by lunch according to the sun (someone stole my watch so I was not sure), and boy it is the sleaziest place i have seen since that hideous hotel in El Salvador. As I rode through there were prostitutes on bikes leaving not a lot to the imagination and whistling at everyone that went by…

With about 50km to go and 100km in, it started to sprinkle with rain which was a blessing. Also the whole way was flat and no wind, which made riding like sex on wheels. It is such a beautiful area, however much of the forest have been cut down for palm trees I presume to make palm oil which is very sad…

Got to Quepos (about 140km) and feeling good due to little wind and no direct sun. When I got to the Hostel I met a French guy Antonio who is cycling down to Argentina. So we cooked up a feed and shared a few stories. Very solid highly motivated individual and he encouraged me to name my bike as his name for his bike is Armadillo (something in Spanish I forget) because he rides slowly… I can’t think of a name at the moment but I am looking for an animal that is sporadic and unpredictable.

Am having a day off tomorrow maybe to see Antonia Manuel which is an amazing national park with plenty of wildlife and amazing beaches. Or maybe I will get up at 5am see the national park and ride to Dominical in the afternoon… My time is running low in Central America, as I have booked a flight to Delhi, India on the 6th of May and still need to get a visa. Sorry am rambling….

Just tap it in
Willcadden

April 13th, 2010

Monteverde, Costa Rica

Today just chilled out, as my body is still getting used to the abuse that I am giving it… I am not 100% and had a nose bleed out of no where, which was interesting experience… Great.

Went to Carla and Elizabeth’s yoga centre Casa Del Amar, which was awesome, killing it girls… And spend the afternoon in bed reading a book called the Mystical Tree…

I am going to go to bed early tonight and hopefully I will be better tomorrow so I can jump back on the bike…

Will

April 12th, 2010

Thank god for the Frenchies, Las Juntas to Monteverde, Costa Rica

“The most satisfied and enlightened people realize that successful and dynamic living starts from within. Before you can care for others, you must care for yourself.” Lucky I had a cheeky mediation this morning and asked for help getting to Monteverde in one day, due to the look that Juan gave me yesterday when i said i would try bike it… 5 minutes later my bike and I were squeezed into the back of a 4×4 heading up the road to Monteverde.

3 top Frenchies Alex, Oreado and …. doing a road trip around Central America picked me up… They gave me a lift 29Km up hell on a road… Cycling up i dare say…Impossible. The road hugged the mountains around some extremely step inclines. The road is at best horrendous, but the views are simply spectacular… As we climbed higher the scenery changed into cloud forest, simply breath taking as seen by the photo’s.

I thanked the Frenchies for their kind gesture and may catch up for a frothy tonight… After that i made contact with my friend from Guatemala Carla and she invited me back to stay at there place. And let me tell you there place is stunning up in the forest overlooking the whole of Costa Rica. Anyway Carla and Elizabeth have just started up a yoga/healing/meditation/massage centre in Monteverde called Casa Del Alma (look them up if you are ever in town)…

Am staying hear for a day then heading back down to the coast for some surfing…

Cheers Will

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