I’ve got a slight confession to make: I’m running just an intsi-tintsy bit late.
In fact, I haven’t even left the country yet.
But I will be on the road this Saturday.
Having an unexpected two week delay (not related to the trip) has provided the opportunity to think a bit about the lessons I learnt in South America.
Now there’s nowt like a bit of reflection. I love it - admittedly a little too much at times; as my friend Jess recently told me “you think deeply about tying your shoe-laces. ‘What are they here for?’ ‘How did they come about?’”.
Truuuueeee.
But it serves a purpose - if I’m going to do anything out of my comfort zone, I like to be clear on the reasons why. Otherwise I can’t be bothered.
And in the spirit of this blog being a honest account of this trip, I thought I'd share a bit of that.
Now it might seem obvious to many people - the romance of travelling by motorbike, the chance to see the world and leave behind 9-5. Why wouldn’t you?
But for me, there are three other important reasons.
...to Sydney...by bike?!
‘Adventure motorcycling' is an oft-used phrase. It spans everything from people riding around the world on a C90 Honda scooter and living off super-noodles to packs of middle-aged men riding huge, comfy motorbikes staying in 5-star hotels.
Last week, I actually began to think motorbiking to Sydney wasn't a big enough challenge and having done quite a bit of cycling before, I began to seriously consider doing it that way instead.
I actually went as far as lining up my very shiny road bike next to my motorbike - and looked at one, then the other and back again.
And thought "Naaahhhhh. Don't be daft".
But this little 'ere process taught me three very important things which I think a lot of people considering adventure travel can probably relate to: 1) there will always be someone doing something harder than you - so there’s no point comparing 2) the single most important thing is that you respect this trip yourself and 3) leading on from that, it’s up to you to decide how easy or hard you makes things for yourself.
The right kind of adventure
D’oh. Of course. But HOW?
I mean if I really wanted to, I could probably ride paved highways and stay in comfy hotels most of the way to Oz. That in itself would be a feat of riding endurance - 17,000 miles over 6 months, solo.
But that’s not ticking number 2) above for me - I want this trip to be more than just eating up miles.
I realised what appealed to me about travelling by push bike is that it’s possible to be more easily immersed in the world around you. And on a motorbike it’s very easy to end up doing precisely the opposite.
Keeping away from highways, resisting the lures of the backpacking trail, more camping and fewer hostels, seeking out the kind of off-road routes that will take me away from the beaten path, making the effort to meet more local people and eat more local food (both of which don’t always come easily to me) are all priorities.
Fighting da FOMO
10 years of the rowing life in West London gives you some great friends....and allows you to indulge in a love of human pyramids, bad-taste fancy dress, Stockwell night-clubs where you’re not sure you’ll get out alive, cycling pub crawls and grassy lawns at Henley Regatta - drinking pints of G&T for breakfast, obscene quantities of port for lunch and liver-busting Jagerbombs for dinner.
But after getting my first proper taste of travelling by motorbike in Europe in 2012, I knew that wasn’t enough anymore - I wanted to see the world and in my own way too.
These two worlds - long-distance, solo adventure motorbiking and having a summer of laughs in London - aren’t exactly ‘compatible’. And that’s something I often struggle to get my head around.
For me, it’s a sign of how deep the roots are that I have back home.
So for me this trip is a big personal challenge - learning how to balance those two things - understanding that with freedom comes loneliness, with opportunity comes risk and with the thrill of adventure comes the discomfort and FOMO of life back home if only for a short-while.
And that is pretty much it - that's what's driving this trip. I’m actually quite impressed I’ve managed to get all of that mind-jiggery into less than 800 words. BOOM.
P.S. Some of the themes here have been inspired by Al Humphreys's account of his epic 4-year cycle around the world. If you’re interested in adventure travel and haven’t read it - do so.