Robert's Views
How did the idea come about?
I would like to say that it was a kind of deliberate process, but frankly, it was a pretty spontaneous decision made many years ago. I had heard about the Silk Road and people travelling overland from Europe to India. I had come to New Zealand as a postgraduate student and as I was keen to use my free time to travel the country, had brought my old Beamer with me. When my studies finished, I thought it would be quite an adventure to ship the bike to India and drive home overland instead of flying. Well, it was a nice idea but for many reasons, it wasn't meant to be back then. Many years later I found myself still (or rather back) in New Zealand and we discovered that the idea of "the trip" was still alive. Better still, we realised that the second time round we were not only better prepared, but that the journey fitted our plans much better. So here we are again, trying to make a dream come true.
What are you looking forward to during the trip?
Well, first of all, to see all these countries I have never been to. I have read countless travel reports, seen pictures and videos, even had a glimpse of Asia with a couple of stopovers in Bangkok and Singapore. But I pretty much know nothing about the countries and their people. Then there is the Middle East, and I am excited to finally see all these mystical places I have only read about my whole life - Tehran, Damascus, Cairo - and I look forward to crossing into Libya, a country only a few western visitors have ever been to. But of course, when all is said and done, I am as well looking forward to being on the bike the whole day, day after day. To be out there, riding, going places, not knowing where we are going to be the following night. To be free, once again.
What are your plans after you finish?
In order to do the trip, we are both giving up our jobs. All our belongings will be in storage, mail redirected to friends and the rest of our worldly possessions will be evenly distributed in two panniers and a tank bag. In other words, we will be gypsies for a time, which makes it hard to say what will come after. You can’t apply for a job such a long time in advance and neither can our current employers keep our positions open while we are away. So, the answer is: we don’t know, we might stay in Europe a little bit, we might come back. I have adopted John Lennon in that regard anyway: If you want to make God laugh, make plans for the future.
Have you seen Long Way Round? Is the trip a copycat version? What did you think of their trip?
Yes and no. I have watched it and thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the way how they did not take themselves too seriously, the camaraderie between them and how they were able to bring the spirit of such an adventure across. However, it was also way over the top in terms of equipment and planning. They had three motorbikes, two support vehicles with half a football team in the background, including a doctor. No financial worries either as the trip was sponsored back to front and also already sold as a TV series before they had even drive one kilometre. It was a professional expedition, perfectly executed and as a movie, very entertaining. And therefore of course, no, it’s not a copycat at all. Our trip is low key, just the two of us, no extra cameras, and no expedition support vehicles. But it would be unfair not to say that we were inspired by the way they did it. We will do many things differently, we will travel slower and we will focus on pictures, not on film. But their movie has kept our spirits up in the long months of planning and dreaming and thinking about the trip. So, thank you Ewan&Charlie for that!
What do you think will be the hardest part about the trip overall?
People who have never done a motorbike trip often believe that it is like driving a car, only with two wheels and more romantic, like Easy Rider with panniers. Nothing could be further from the truth. It has been said that sailing is like standing under the cold shower and ripping money notes apart. That’s pretty accurate for motor biking too, except that the other half of the time you are sweating like a pig. And that’s what I am very anxious and concerned about, the heat. Almost all of the countries we are travelling through will have a hot, humid climate, unbearable even when you are just walking around in shorts and shirt. We will be wearing heavy motorcycle jackets, long trousers and helmets, in other words we will be sweating all the time. It will be a hard time at the beginning, getting used to the temperatures and not being too stressed out all the time because of it. Then there is the chaotic traffic in the cities where we will be sticking out like a pink elephant on roller blades. And then there will be the rough roads in the countryside, bumpy and full with potholes. When you are alone on the bike, you ride through standing on the pegs. I have no idea how that is gonna work with a passenger.
What do your friends think of the trip?
I guess my friends are evenly divided in two groups: one, who are excited and think it’s a great idea, and the ones who are concerned that I am just careless and shouldn’t do it. Not because it’s too dangerous, but because I am too old and should rather continue working on my career. I am pretty sure that my parents belong to the second group too.
Where is home for you?
My idea of home has changed over the years. When I was young, home was where my parents were. When I studied, I had two homes – my study town and my hometown. But at that time that concept also became blurred and the emphasis shifted more and more till the place where I studied later worked was my home. And then I went to Africa and when I came back, everything had changed. Germany was suddenly a small place. My parents were still my parents, but my hometown felt strangely foreign. For some reason, that feeling has never left me and as much as I consider New Zealand or Wellington as my home now, a part of me is still in Europe, in Germany. Maybe that’s how most immigrants to a country feel, maybe that’s just me. But home, for me, is not one place anymore.
When do you expect to finish?
The trip is planned to last between 6 – 8 months. That should be plenty of time to get us through, even allowing for the odd breakdown in between and rest days for us. There is another reason for the time frame, and that’s winter. After having travelled through hot and hotter countries, we will hopefully arrive in central Europe in early to late autumn, i.e. September or October. An arrival after October will get us in serious trouble, as it will be freezing cold in the Alps and if we are really unlucky and winter comes early, some passes might already been closed due to snow. Trust me, you don’t want to cross the Alps on a motorbike in winter.
What do people ask when you tell them?
Mhmm. So far I had no funny questions at all. Most people are quite surprised and ask the usual questions (where to, how long, where do you start etc). But I hadn’t had any peculiar questions yet, though am sure that will change.
Are you worried, concerned or afraid of anything to do with the regions you're going through?
As funny as it sounds, but I am not really concerned about that it will be dangerous or anything. This has nothing to do with being naïve. It’s just that we are not going through any war-torn countries and will pass Afghanistan and Iraq at a safe distance. For all the other countries, common sense will be our most useful safeguard when it comes to avoiding trouble and getting of it too. What I am more concerned about are border hassles and the question whether we will be able to cross into some of the countries at all. Borders are unpredictable and an ’impossible’ today can be an ‘of course’ tomorrow. That’s nothing you can prepare yourself for, just play the game according to the rules of the day.
Who or what motivates you to do such a trip?
The English say about people who want to travel that they have ‘itchy feet’. I prefer the German expression which is ‘Reisefieber’ (travel fever). I am not sure when I first got it, it might have been on my first travels through Europe, or later in Africa, but I am convinced that once contacted, you have it forever. And no, it’s not to prove anything. And I also don’t want to break out and live on the road forever after. I actually like to work and to live in a city. But after having have worked for most of the last seven years in three different countries, moved countless times and having accomplished all goals I wanted to in that time, its time for a break. To recharge my batteries. To realign my compass. And to look at life with fresh ideas after.
Why by motorbike?
Travelling by motorbike for me is the best way to explore a new place, a new region or country. You are out there in the environment, when it rains, you get wet, when the sun shines, you dry again. Everything is immediate, unfiltered – the speed, the wind, the air, the smells, even the colours are more real as there is nothing between you and your surroundings. I also found that people approach you more readily, without fear. As much as this can be annoying, it is part of the experience and most of the time very rewarding. Being on the bike also makes you appreciate distances. In a car, driving 1000kms is tiring at best and the landscape outside changes as if watched on TV. On the bike, every kilometre is different and you develop a different relationship to the road. Travelling is not so much about arriving; it’s more about being on the road. Der Weg ist das Ziel, that how we say it in German. And it is best done on a bike.