"Remember Bilbo used to say: "it's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." An interesting line from Lord of the Rings by Tolkien. Its quiet true, and now as i sit here in Buenos Aires winding down my last few days here before returning to Europe I have been thinking back on the trip, remembering the first nervous days, all the places I have been, the people I have met and all the unexpected turns, obstacles and triumphs along the way. There is no way I could have planned this journey. Too many things just happen. It is like a wild river, you just follow with the flow.
Andre Gide (French writer and humanist) once said "Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore". Maybe that is one of the biggest messages I have learned on the journey. If you really want to go and do something you cannot think of the what you have to lose, rather you need to think how can i make this happen, and have the courage to go and make it be. Resourcefulness is a great trait to be learned along the way.
When I set out you might say I was searching for a life changing experience, to "find my path in life". Like Che Guevara who was moved by the social injustices he encountered along his motorcycle adventure. I was looking for what Alcoholics refer to as "a moment of clarity" that would let me know my purpose in life. Give me an idea of where I should be going with my life. To be honest now that I find myself at the end of the road I am not sure I am any closer to that goal, I am still looking. But I have had such a great time. And learned some really valuable lessons. The journey has me refreshed, and now I am ready to start back to work. Believe it or not I am beginning to miss a normal life somewhat.
I have been considering some of the questions I have been asked over the last while and though I would put a few down. Its strange how you see some journeys that just end. There is no follow up. So here is an attempt. Questions like:
Was it what you expected?
No because I did not know what to expect. You need to be out of your comfort zone and enter into the world of the unknown. The very definition of an adventure. If you want a weekend of expectations stay at home, its easier and cheaper.And how do you know what to expect when you dont even know where you are going to get your dinner tonight, never mind tomorrow?
What was the high point and low point?
I think its funny the way people want to talk to me about travel, and many people want me to summarize the best part of the trip in 5 minutes or less. Well it can't be done! The highlight was the journey itself, not any one place in particular. But the sense of adventure and discovery that goes along with it. Each little town and country and person I encountered was unique, yet strangely familiar. You can be 10,000 miles from home, yet everyone likes a smile, a good chat and a beer at the end of the day.
How do you keep your sanity on the road?
Sing.. yes you probably all know what a terrible singer I am, but inside that helmet I tell you I am world class, could probably win the Eurovision.. but then again these days anyone could do that.
Would you do anything different next time?
Well certainly, number one lesson learned is make the plan then aim to break it. When I started the trip I was living it to the clock. I had my schedule and was sticking to it rigidly. But now i realize what an error that is. I was riding to a destination.. not enjoying what was around me. There is so much you miss out on because your schedule doesn't let you stay around. So point is a rough plan is good to have but dint follow it like doctrine. It occurred to me as quiet ironic how we live life to the clock. Our whole live is dictated by it. We get up to the clock, have breakfast, lunch and dinner to the clock, we work to the clock, and even come home and go to bed to the clock. Then when we retire what do we get as a gift? Yes a bloody Clock!! - so relax a little and forget about time, just enjoy the ride.
Most Useful piece of equipment carried?
Has to be my Leatherman, (knife, Scissors, Pliers, Screwdriver and bottle opener all in one) with the Cable-ties and duct tape. With all three anything on the bike can be fixed.. (well almost anything)
How did you plan accommodation and your next step?
I didn't! There is a myth that you will have a very difficult time getting around, and you have to book all accommodation from home before you leave. This is nonsense. Just go, meet other travelers, eat and sleep wherever you end up. You always find somewhere, be it a nice hostel, or the back of a old truck in desolate windy Patagonia.
So be faithful to that which exists nowhere but in yourself - and thus make yourself indispensable, and remember Be flexible, Don't plan too much, you'll be disappointed, Don't rush through a country, Don't spend all of your time in Western cafes, Don't get so caught up in "recording" the trip that you forget to look, listen, and learn, A smile goes a looooong way.
Kev
all very very true. it makes our modern lives seem rather ridiculous, that we expend so much effort worrying about time rather than using it. so much to see, so much to experience, but we leave it til retirement to try and do it. my advice kev, plan not to stop too long, but get back on the road before it all fades away.
Posted by: Marc | March 11, 2008 at 08:18 PM