#13 Salar de Uyuni  |  Is It In Our Future? 11.08.06

Originally Produced and Posted on November 8, 2006

Time is running out. The weather is changing. Allan must remain in Santa Cruz to allow is ankle and knee to heal. Jeremiah must move on and visit the Jesuit Missions where just a few days ago Allan had his second accident while touring Bolivia. Jeremiah goes, returns and goes again while they discuss the prospects of seeing perhaps the #1 site in South America: The Salar de Uyuni.

11.08.06

#12 WorldRider Podcast: Santa Cruz Bolivia Unlikely Change of course

Originally Produced and Posted on November 5, 2006

It’s hot in Santa Cruz. Jeremiah recovers from his asado food poisoning and recalls the shady digs we stayed in Vallegrande. Allan recalls events of the first week that once again change the course of his journey. In the 12th episode of the WorldRider podcasts they sit in Santa Cruz over unlikely Italian food lamenting Allan’s latest fateful day.

#10 WorldRider Podcast: Walking the Streets of Vallegrande

Originally Produced and Posted on November 4, 2006

It’s the middle of Dias de las Muertas and Allan is in Vallegrande, Bolivia — the final resting spot for Che Guevara’s body after he was executed by Bolivian troops under orders from the C.I.A. The streets are noisy with music, people hustling about and a groups of motorcyclists eager to join a caravan of like minds to follow in the footsteps of Ché’s last days. While Jeremiah recovers from his stomach ailment Allan wanders the streets and contemplates what’s next on his adventurous journey.

Yeah. Yeah. I know. The last PodCast was a bit long winded. But it had been a long time and there was much to say. But you’ll like this movie – guaranteed. As such I suggest no fears, I’m on a mission to produce more content instead of long content. This is the start!

Sucre is a fantastic colonial South American city. I can honestly say that it is the most tranquil and easy going city I’ve been in South America. Today I spent a good part of the day roving the market, trekking through the streets and sitting in the Plaza simply watching people and taking pictures. I’ll share more of this in my next post.

For now, check out my quick ten minute movie:

Join Allan and Jeremiah
Watch the latest WorldRider Video PodCast as Allan & Jeremiah tackle a few water crossings, cruise the wild route from Sucre to Santa Cruz in this exciting and moving two minute motorcycle music video. Featuring new music from Eric Clapton & J.J. Cale, these two motorcyclists Ride The River – to the other side. The footage includes hand hold moving shots and stationary shots from water, mud and rock crossings in the Bolivian Andes. Enjoy this one!

For those of you subscribed to the iTunes WorldRider page, you should see the movie there now. Otherwise, you can simply watch it here inside this blog post. This has also been posted to my YouTube page along with a few other videos.

#8 WorldRider Podcast: First Day Woes

Originally Published November 2, 2006

This special PodCast comes live from our campsite out on the campasino in rural Central Bolivia. The day started out smooth and on pavement. But how we ended up camping off the main road can only be told through the words, pictures and sounds on this website. Tune in and join the wild ride of our woes on my first day back on this WorldRider journey.

Listen to the PodCast by clicking the PodCast icon below. If you use iTunes, subscribe to my PodCasts. Simply go to the iTunes Music Store, search for WorldRider and when my iTunes page pops up click the subscribe button.

Here are some photos that didn’t make the narrative post. I’ve kept them small so they’ll load quicker. Click to see the real action.

Just off the main Plaza and across from the Catedral in downtown Sucre a street is lined with cafés and bars. Whether mototravelers, backpackers or tourists on guided jaunts, if you stop in Sucre you will find yourself here. Perhaps the most popular among all groups – including locals – is Joy Ride Cafe. Founded in 2001 by Dutch-born Gert van der Meijden, Joy Ride is Sucre’s central meeting point for travelers. They offer mountain bike tours, paragliding, guide tours and more. Gert has been in Bolivia for more than seven years and as such is extremely familiar with Sucre and the entire country. I met with Gert several times over the two weeks I spent in Sucre and had the opportunity to interview him for a WorldRider PodCast edition. You can download the PodCast here or by click the icon. For those of you subscribing to my PodCasts in iTunes, it should be available for download.

Every night I stopped by Joy Ride Cafe the place was packed. A fine tuned bar and restaurant offering local recipes as well as those traditional “gringo” meals for the less adventurerous world diner. A very successful business with three levels, the first a traditional bar with a unique loft, the second a courtyard patio with natual lighting, and the top floor is a tony lounge where on certain days of the week travelers lounge in giant bean bag cheers sipping beer or exotic drinks to large screen feature films.

You’d think Gert had it all here. But I learnd is ready to take on a new challenge. Not that Bolivia doesn’t interest him anymore, but he’s ready to move on. That’s why he’s looking to sell Joy Ride Cafe. Though not officially on the market, he revealed his desires during our meetings. I’m sure some ambitious world traveler would find the prime real estate and very successful business an interesting proposition.

The upstairs lounge at Joy Ride Cafe in Sucre, Bolivia.

Going over GPS waypoints with Gert at Joy Ride Cafe.

Downstairs bar at Joy Ride.

#6 Worldrider Podcast: Sucre: Bolivia Dinner Conversations

Originally Produced & Posted on October 28, 2006

This edition features an interview with a lovely local college student in Sucre and comments from my favorite restaurant in Sucre, El Chaqueno.

If you don’t speak or understand Spanish, just skip along to the second half. This PodCast weighs in at less then fifteen minutes.

WorldRider Podcast #4 - You Can Always Go Back

Originally Produced & Published on October 14, 2006

There’s so much to write about. So little time. But this too will change. Meanwhile, I invite you to listen and/or download my latest PodCast. In this episode I discuss the preparations, updates and the plan to return to my journey. Please tune in and post a comment here on the blog. The photos, writing and many more interesting PodCasts will follow in the coming months. Stay tuned!

Bolivia. Here I come!

WorldRider Podcast #3 - Memorable Places & Faces. Speed. And The Ugly American Myth.

Originally Produced & Published on March 31, 2006

Join Allan Karl with his guests Teri & Chuck Bruno as they point hard questions at WorldRider about speed, memorable events, technology and more. Longtime friends of Allan, Teri & Chuck grill him while sharing a bottle of wine about the first seven months and 22,000 miles in this 30 minute PodCast episode of the WorldRider Journey of Adventure & Discovery.

3/31/06

WorldRider Podcast #2 - What's Going on With Big Al?

Originally Produced and Published on March 21, 2006

Flying in from New York City for a weekend and PodCast interview is my special guest extraordinaire, Mr. Tim Amos. Tim checks in on my recovery, rehabilitation and plans to finish what I set out to do.

3/21/2006

Please join Tim and I for a 20 minute update on WorldRider and more.

WorldRider Podcast #1 – Travels From The Sickbed

Originally produced and published on February 17, 2006

It took a broken leg and a medivac return to the United States to get the first WorldRider PodCast up and published. Want to know why it took so long? You’ll have to download it and listen.

Truthfully, this is really a non-official first PodCast here on WorldRider. I did this very quickly from my recovery bed using simply my Macintosh PowerBook G4 and a microphone and whatever software I found on my computer.

But I’m inspired and will incorporate more stories, guests and phone in interviews from riders all over the world. So subscribe to WorldRider and enjoy the ride.

WRP - 2/17/2006

Doc Returns: Once Hostage in Shanghai—My BMW F650GS Comes Home

Listen to the podcast and watch the video near the bottom of this page. Allan Karl and Panayioti Yannitsos discuss their experience filming a pilot episode of a new television/streaming travel series that follows Allan "WorldRider" Karl as he rides his motorcycle "border-to-border" in China to Vietnam. The show, yet to be named, is a highly cinematic and unique take that will surely disrupt the television travel series genre. In this episode, listen to Allan and Pan discuss the show, challenges of riding and filming in China and the amazing reunion with the bike sent to China to star in the show. After nearly six months of being held hostage by Chinese customs, Allan "WorldRider" Karl's legendary motorcycle, "DOC", returns to Southern California where he and producer and director Panayioti Yannitsos and the team at Bluesea Shipping Lines in Long Beach, California retrieve the bike and spark a reunion with Allan ultimately getting Doc on the road again.

Doc Returns From China from Allan Karl on Vimeo.

About Allan Karl, WorldRider and the WorldRider Podcast.

ALLAN KARL is a best-selling author, award-winning photographer world traveler adventurer, and inspirational keynote speaker. With an insatiable passion for travel, culture, people, and food, he has explored more than 60 countries, primarily solo and many on a motorcycle, photographing, writing, and blogging about them along the way.

Allan inspires people to pursue dreams, overcome challenges, tackle obstacles, embrace change, and smile—especially in the face of adversity. And he knows how. Allan spent nearly three years riding around the world alone on a motorcycle. Along the way he was marched into the Colombian jungle at gunpoint, crushed his leg in the middle of nowhere in Bolivia, and had to beg the governments of Syria and Sudan to let him across their borders. (Eventually they gave in.) Follow Allan and other world-traveling adventurers on the WorldRider Podcast.

In his bestselling book, FORKS: A Quest for Culture, Cuisine, and Connection, Allan brings to life his three-year motorcycle adventure — in stories, photos and food from each of the 35 countries he traveled. In the summer of 2015, Allan with an award-winning Vancouver-based film crew, traveled China, from the north to south to the Vietnam border filmed a pilot for a new travel television show scheduled to air and stream in late 2016

Beyond his motorcycle adventures Allan has:

• Sailed the Flores Sea in search of the elusive Komodo Dragon
• Climbed the most active volcano in Indonesia; and
• Competed in the most grueling motorsport race in the world — The Dakar.