Touring - Tour: South America, Peru to Brazil

Hi everyone,

I'm going to add to the list of tours that i'm sure you're already reading. I'm currently bicycling from the Pacific to the Atlantic on the bicycle, unsupported and solo as always. You can read about my adventures here at http://davesnewadventure.com

I've been updating the blog section. Anyway, if you feel that you've got a couple of hours to waste, feel free to check it out!

Dave

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l222/adventure_maniac/Huancayo_Ayacucho/look_over_edge.jpg

Hi everyone! Finishing up my tour through south America, but I´ve got a real treat for you. I was on Brazilian TV regarding my trip. You can read more about it in my blog here:
http://davesnewadventure.com
The TV program about my bike tour is here.

http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=7QY_XrSEyMM

That's it! I'm done! I just got back on January 1st, and am doing the publicity regarding the expedition. On a side note, here's some more TV interviews regarding the trip.

Another one from Brazil
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NyJQwIlTl4

and a TV interview on a bolivian TV talk show regarding it.
part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpelixBrDNg
part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRAQYYGSeGU
part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sl7MlKg60o

That's it! I'm done! I just got back on January 1st, and am doing the publicity regarding the expedition. On a side note, here's some more TV interviews regarding the trip.

Another one from Brazil
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NyJQwIlTl4

and a TV interview on a bolivian TV talk show regarding it.
part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpelixBrDNg
part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRAQYYGSeGU
part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sl7MlKg60o

Oh yeah, and I now have a blog, which I update in article format, http://davesnewadventure.com

first i've seen your posts, will check out your stuff! good job!!

I'm working on the documentary. I'll be posting video shorts as time goes on. Here's a first of many. Beware the strong language, but it's justified, because I had NO IDEA of what I was getting myself into.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNMiUl92iHY

Pt 5 - Road Rage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoYxDpX7xhQ

Wow biking through/Up that tunnel looks like hard work:lol:

Like the videos and good luck

Sundrenched Pt. 9 Robbed, Rough, and Ready

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oYCV1kKC30

Sundrenched Pt. 10 The Return of the PachaMama Pt. 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZln9bvD3x8

Sundrenched Pt. 11 The Return of the PachaMama Pt. 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBpXdYRZ4zY

Nothing like slogging through the mud. Bleah.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7dzswn5CLs

Here's the first of the three part suspense series, all true, no fiction, of the Expedition to the Cradle of Gold.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig2aNDxNWZY

Here's the second part of the three part suspense series, all true, no fiction, of the Expedition to the Cradle of Gold.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXv2oxZbZ_k

Here's the final part of the three part suspense series, of the Expedition to the Cradle of Gold

I became the first foreigner to ever see the "Lost" Quartz Llamas of Choq'e Kiraw. EAT THAT Indiana Jones! :D

Oh yeah, and we almost get killed in this last episode of The Expedition to the Cradle of Gold, Choq'e Kiraw. Sundrenched Pt. 15.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSAvnC9och4

I finally caved into it. I finally did it. In a mad, mad world, I put my work of nonfiction up, the thrilling recount of my 2001-2002 expedition through South and Central America up, for free for you readers to download and enjoy. So, why am I doing this? Why, after 7 years of hard work, sweat, tears, surviving the expedition in the first place, then attempting to put it into written word that would entertain, enthrall, and enlighten, would I EVER decide to give this away for FREE?!! Have I lost it?

Well, I didn’t exactly get to this decision lightly. You see, for the past six months, I’ve been busy trying to get this published. I sent out proposals, with a lot of marketing statistics and data, you know, the kind of stuff that would make an agent start to salivate. I mean, come on, I’ve had almost 39,000 blog page views… not withstanding that one of my most popular articles, about the Bora Bora tribe accounts for the large percentage of views. Interestingly, the search words for that article that I’ve seen consistently involves the words naked and amazon tribe, or naked amazon tribal women breasts. Yes, interestingly, there are many individuals with odd fetishes for brown primal women in a rain forest. Hey, what ever floats their boat, right? Well, jungle minded perverts aside, my proposal included analyses into the asian american, hispanic american, and spiritual minded american english speaking audience, which is a rather large audience. It included facts and figures on my latin american television appearances, appearing across latin america as well. You’d think that the idea of selling a spanish language version of my book to a half billion latinos would make the agents think some more about my book.

Alas, all my effort, to this date, is of no avail. I’ve received countless rejection slips, and several nibbles that ended in, “we’ve seriously thought about your book. No, really, we did! Or at least, I did. Unfortunately, the market is sooo competitive that we can only accept a limited number of projects. Have a nice day.” signs the agent.

I remember a quote by a famous publisher, O’Reilly, that the greatest threat to an author, isn’t piracy. It’s obscurity. With that said, I’m pirating myself. I’m pirating my work. I’m giving it away for free, mainly so that it at least finds its proper audience, but also to prove to those foolish agents, that people want to read this book, especially in light of these times, filled with financial crises, global climate change, and general end of the world talk. The work is protected under a Creative Commons License.

I mean, with dark times like these, who wouldn’t want to read a book that has a light at the end of the tunnel? So here it is. Come and get it. Read it, and enjoy. And let me know what you think about it. Prepare to be enlightened.

Here’s the book. All 324 pages of it.

***** ADDENDUM August 28th, 2009 *****

With the publication of my book, Jackfruit http://www.booklocker.com/books/4215.html
and after having released the book for about 8 months, it came to my attention that reading a 440 page book online is a formidable task. I also discovered, interestingly, that as I tried to pirate myself by putting my book up in torrent sites, that even the pirates were intimidated with having to print out a 440 page book. The cost to print alone was more than the price of the book purchase! Even if they didn't have to pay to print, it would've taken up a ream and a half of paper! So, in the interests of the readers who want to kick the tires a bit, I've released the book in abbreviated form, 200 pages, on my website for download. You can get it here,
http://klaks.freeshell.org/contents_home.html

That's it! The final edits are done on the print edition of the book. The manuscript's been sent to the publisher, and now it's just a matter a months before the paper edition of the book comes out. Formatted for a standard 6x9 inches, it comes to 440 pages, including never before seen photos of the strange sites I explored. Course, that's the added value of the paper edition.
And to whet your appetite, here's the preface to my book.
----------------------

Preface to Jackfruit: A Bicycle Adventure Through Latin America

I lay sweating on my back in the tent, naked, my diving knife clutched in my right hand, and a can of pepper spray in the other. The strong wind rattled my tent, shaking the flaps, poles and ropes so violently the nylon fabric popped, sounding like sporadic gunfire. I stared at the dark, domed ceiling and shook with terror as a high beam from a vehicle slowly lit, and then left my tent. Could it be a bandito, a murderous ex-contra prowling the hills and valleys that lay in the shadow of a live volcano in the distance? Or was it a land squatter searching for a quiet place for a home and hearth? I didn't know. I didn't care. In the depth of my fear, I was ready to stab anyone who entered my tent.
I closed my eyes in the dark, only to confront an even deeper darkness. Why was I doing this? What sort of thing drove me to commit this mad, lonely act, to ride a bicycle across Latin America? It seemed so simple at first. It was supposed to be a leisurely three-month joyride across South America from Lima, Peru to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Instead, I was on the side of a road in an desolate stretch of north western Costa Rica, hiding from vagrants and highwaymen, perched on a cliff in front of a volcano, worn from my inability to sleep, and scared out of my mind.
I put the cold, steel blade on my bare chest, and wiped away a tear. I was thousands of miles from home, in an alien, hostile place, alone, exhausted, and overwhelmed from seven months of intense trials through three third-world countries.
A confluence of unforeseen events had forced me to extend the length of my trip several times. And then there were the three mysteries that entrapped me: my strange intuitive desire to come to Latin America, a visit to a forbidden, sacred, symbol-laden site that almost killed me, and a new personal interest – borne from September 11th - in the geopolitical interaction between the USA and Latin America. These three subjects became my inexorable obsessions, and as with any irrational desire, my path was dangerously full of pitfalls and obstacles.
I held the cool, slim tube of the pepper spray, and checked the nozzle. I looked at the door of my tent as it shook. I glanced back at my watch, as the hour hands glowed a dim green. It was three in the morning, and I hadn't slept at all. I had just two more hours to endure before I could greet the sun, and the security and relief that it represented. I covered my eyes with my knife arm, and touched the cold metal tubes of my bicycle frame. I reminded myself that survival wasn't just enduring the elements, it was also about enduring my own emotional obstacles.
And it would be two more months before I would find the link in El Salvador that would help me resolve the mystery of the symbols.

To learn more, visit http://davesnewadventure.com

That's it! As of today, I'm officialy a published author! Woohoo! Holy crap. Eight years of work went into this, not to mention I had to survive the 2001-2002 bicycle expedition in the first place! If any of you had read this thread or kept up with it to some degree, than you know that I've done some extensive bicycle expeditions through Latin America. Well, I finally have a book about my first expedition, which was a crazy one at booklocker.com. It's 440 pages. You can get it here, http://www.booklocker.com/books/4215.html

You can also learn more about the book and my crazy adventures at http://davesnewadventure.com

Man, I can't believe it. Next I have to hit the radio airwaves to promote this thing. Hopefully that'll be a bit easier than what it took to write the book.

Alright, I just had my first radio show interview regarding my book, adventures, observations, and analysis of globalization, Argentina's downfall, etc. You can hear it here,
http://tinyurl.com/meh3mt

I know it's been a while since I've posted video, but here are two for the update. The first is my current introduction video to the trip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyUz7fIRIgY

and the second one is the video I made once I got back. It's a little crude, but the music gives it a much more majestic atmosphere.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X02XsTQxIpE

Well, I just got an official review of my book from Midwest Book Reviews:

http://www.midwestbookreview.com/mbw/apr_10.htm

"On the ground, at a gradual pace, one can view the change of the world in a detail not available elsewhere. "Jackfruit: A Bicycle Quest Through Latin America" chronicles David Nghiem's travels as he takes his mountain bike and supplies and rides through the vast part of the world known as Latin America. As he goes through the jungles and cities, he sees the gradual change in culture and people, while facing the harshness of nature all along the way. "Jackfruit" is an exciting read, well worth picking up."

Latest radio show interview on Chit Chat Radio. I come in on the second half of the show, talking mainly about my book, and about surviving a 28-20 foot caiman/crocodile, surviving being surrounded by at least 50 Javelinas (dangerous Amazon wild boars), getting shot at in Guatemala, wonderful hospitality in El Salvador, and, well, what else would you expect to encounter during a bicycle expedition?

http://66.49.193.35/ArtistFirst_Chit_Chat_2010-12-22.mp3

Hey CR

I got a copy of your e-book via a *coughtorrentcough* site. I read in in its .pdf form on a computer screen in two sittings, reading late into the night till 3:00AM on weeknights. It is a very engaging read and deserves a much wider audience that what it has got now.

I've read other cycle touring books that were not as gripping as yours, but seem to enjoy more publicity than your book. I hope this situation changes soon. Congratulations on the book and good luck with everything!

Hey CR

I got a copy of your e-book via a *coughtorrentcough* site. I read in in its .pdf form on a computer screen in two sittings, reading late into the night till 3:00AM on weeknights. It is a very engaging read and deserves a much wider audience that what it has got now.

I've read other cycle touring books that were not as gripping as yours, but seem to enjoy more publicity than your book. I hope this situation changes soon. Congratulations on the book and good luck with everything!

Thanks Napoleon! Yeah, book promotion is a tough biz. And I'm getting my ass kicked in it.

Hi folks! I'm currently testing out the NLE capabilities of just using Avisynth, Avidemux, and VirtualDub on Linux, and I love it! I had so much trouble with Adobe Premier Pro a couple years ago, which is why I haven't put up many video updates in a while. Here's the latest, with more clips from further down the road, now that I'm resuming the documentary short production. Enjoy! And do leave a comment if you want to!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq0__ZFRzao

Hi folks!
I just had another radio talk show interview about my wild encounters during both expeditions, as well as about my book. Enjoy a full 45 minutes of yours truly making an @$$ of himself on air....

http://66.49.193.35/ArtistFirst_Chit_Chat_AfterDark_2011-09-08.mp3

So, I'll bet most of y'all thought I was done! Nope! I'm still on air talking about my book and adventures. This one has much more of an economics slant, especially since what I experienced in Latin America directly relates to what's happened with Cyprus, Europe, and here. Enjoy the show!

Living Through Financial Collapse: David Nghiem on The Robert Wenzel Show

http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2013/04/living-through-financial-collapse-david.html

And you can see the video version of it here:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6UG3q4e6D3g

Hey CR

I got a copy of your e-book via a *coughtorrentcough* site. I read in in its .pdf form on a computer screen in two sittings, reading late into the night till 3:00AM on weeknights. It is a very engaging read and deserves a much wider audience that what it has got now.

I've read other cycle touring books that were not as gripping as yours, but seem to enjoy more publicity than your book. I hope this situation changes soon. Congratulations on the book and good luck with everything!

Well, the book is now released in Kindle format, and it's really reasonable, at 6.99. The cost of two Grande Chai Latte's at Starbucks. That way, you won't have to >cough< download free versions >cough< anymore. :D

Here's the release for it.

MAN BIKES 5768 MILES THROUGH LATIN AMERICA, RELEASES TELL ALL KINDLE BOOK

American adventurer, David Nghiem, was in the middle of Andes of Western Bolivia when he discovered the airlines wouldn’t take his return flight tickets because his ticket agency went bankrupt. So, he made other plans. With the funds he had left over, he bought a flight to Panama City, and then biked across Central America. Tired and weary when he got to the Mexican/Texas border, he took a five day bus ride to Philadelphia.

The “road trip”, 2000 miles of bicycling through jungles, deserts, and mountains, included several side adventures: exploring “lost” Mayan cities, getting shot at in Guatemala, and swimming over crocodiles. And then there were some scary moments.

“If I was a cat — I have six lives left.” Says Nghiem.

“One evening I found myself in a desolate corner of northwest Costa Rica. The border area was infested with armed bandits, and I set up camp by hiding on a high cliff behind the brush. I couldn’t sleep and laid in my tent with my diving knife in one hand, and pepper spray in the other. I thought my heart would explode with every sound I heard.” Said Nghiem.

But David wasn’t through yet after that.

“I did a second expedition, through the middle part of South America, by bicycling through the Amazon in 2007. That one was 3768 miles. Now I’ve got four lives left.” Said Nghiem.

Read about his incredible adventures in his new Kindle book, Jackfruit: A Bicycle Quest Through Latin America, which chronicles his thrills, close calls, explorations, and the occasional romance at Amazon.com. The Kindle version retails for $6.99. A print edition is also available.

MidWest Book Reviews says about Jackfruit, “Five Stars – On the ground, at a gradual pace, one can view the change of the world in a detail not available elsewhere. Jackfruit: A Bicycle Quest Through Latin America chronicles David Nghiem’s travels as he takes his mountain bike and supplies and rides through the vast part of the world known as Latin America. As he goes through the jungles and cities, he sees the gradual change in culture and people, while facing the harshness of nature all along the way. Jackfruit is an exciting read, well worth picking up.”

You can follow Dave on his twitter @ twitter/dnghiem.

bump

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Alright folks, I've been updating my blogsite, so a lot of articles/pictures are coming online. It's here:

http://davesnewadventure.com

Be forewarned though, the way I write is my bicycle is merely my vehicle, and I tend to concentrate a lot more on my surroundings, people interactions, situations, and adventures. So, if you're looking for a "Day 1: Biked 200 miles. Ass is sore. Ate bread and cheese and barbecued a snake I found", you'll sorely disappointed... :D

Oh yeah, and the other thing is, for those of you long timers who've seen my stuff, I do a lot with geo-politics and global finance, in relation to my cycle expedition, mainly because when you're at the ground level, you get to really talk to people about how globalization effects them. So, that's the other forewarning about the site, I'll have a lot about that in there as well...