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o those of us who ride, the thrill of travellingby motorcycle is something that need not beexplained. It’s the sense of freedom, the directcontact with the environment, the total immer-

sion in the experience as all our senses are puton high alert – and the sheer fun of it. To para-phrase Robert Pirsig in his classic book, Zen andThe Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, where hecaptures this essence with such beautifulsimplicity: “When you drive a car, you are watch-ing the movie; when you ride a motorbike, youare in the movie.” ‰

FeelingthecallKeen to do that trip you’ve always wanted?Have a listen to what Paul has to say and itmight just swing you…

Story and photography Paul Pitchfork

Incredible vistas await ifyou’re game enough.

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Even to someone who doesn’t ride, the idea ofa long journey on a motorbike is something thatevokes a sense of excitement. There is somethingromantic about riding across wide-open plains,living out of your panniers and camping by theroad. Anyone who has watched the iconic roadtrip movie, Easy Rider, will know what I am talkingabout. For the motorcyclist, the call of the openroad through foreign lands can sometimes proveirresistible. Yet many who feel that call hold backand don’t take the jump.

I have met many riders during my 18 monthson the roads of South America, some young andfresh out of Uni, others enjoying their retirement.For them, either at the start or the end of theirworking lives, I suspect the decision to ride was afairly straightforward one. But for those who fallinto the same category as me – at a crossroads,undergoing the classic mid-life crisis – the deci-sion can be a difficult one. For us, more is at

stake, notably careers and financial security. Andperhaps there is something deeper that also holdsus back. Giving it all up and hitting the road canmean stepping out of a comfortable and struc-tured lifestyle which provides us with a sense ofpersonal identity and purpose. For those whohave spent many years immersed in a career,letting go can be very tough.

I chose to travel after deciding at short noticeto give up a successful, 18 year career in the Armywhen all those around me thought I would go onto greater things. I didn’t know what I wanted todo next, but I did know that I needed some time torecalibrate and reset the dials after so long in themilitary. I could see the constraints that such astructured lifestyle had placed upon me, in which Ialways had a goal and a sense of needing to provemyself. If you are not careful, you can easily loseyourself in such a lifestyle, caught up in thecurrent and not seeing the riverbanks pass rapidly

by. I knew I needed to take time out, let go of thereins a little and take stock of where life haddelivered me thus far.

Of course, everyone’s personal circumstancesare different. However, based on both my ownexperience and those of others I’ve met in similarsituations, I recognise that stepping into theunknown and leaving the familiar behind can be adaunting prospect, even if the call to travel isstrong. But why is it daunting? I’ve reflected a lot onthis, and I keep coming back to the same, ratherabsurd conclusion – it is basically a fear of freedom.

Removing the shackles of a routine life, theexpectations of others around you, and the needsand wants of daily life, opens the doors to freedom.

There’s something

very liberating

about having all

your possessions

packed into your

panniers and

camping wherever

you like.

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Life on the road – with your entire home in yourpanniers, where you are anonymous, and wherethe course of daily events simply cannot be fullypredicted and controlled – magnifies that freedom.

For me, travelling for an extended period of timehas been a profound experience. It has given methe time and more importantly the space to stepback and look around, to see things differently, andto reflect on what is important to me. I’ve changedmy views on certain aspects of life, things I used tothink were important have been put more intoperspective, and some of my aspirations in life haveshifted. Travel – exposure to foreign cultures anddifferent ways of living – makes this process botheasy and inevitable; you simply cannot hold on to

Above You’ll find people will help you in the strangest places.Bottom Finding decent fuel can always test your patience.

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all your old ideas when everything around you isunfamiliar and very different.

Life on the road is the perfect tonic for a controlfreak. Events are unpredictable, and to a degreeout of your hands. You have to learn to go with theflow. A broken transmission, two months aftersetting off from Buenos Aires that took six weeksto repair, taught me this. Everything is fluid – roadsbecome blocked by landslides or protestors; thingsget lost, stolen or broken; borders close unexpect-edly; your trusted GPS takes you down the wrongroad, or the apparently correct road abruptly endsin the middle of nowhere after 100km. All of thesehave happened to me. Back at home, in our struc-tured routines, such events would be seen asunwelcome obstacles, sources of frustration. Onthe road, they are blessings: they shape the adven-ture; they teach you to be flexible, tolerant andembrace the unexpected; and they put other so-called ‘problems’ into perspective.

Travelling on a motorbike, rather than car, bus or 4x4, amplifies this experience significantly.On a moto, the traveller is in direct contact withthe world around them. Riding through a villagethe locals can see you, and even hear you as youshout a “hello” as you pass. In a car you are invisi-ble inside an impersonal metal box. You can pull

up beside the road almost anywhere at a moment’snotice to seize a fleeting opportunity. On a decentadventure bike, you can access remote places,savouring the freedom of a high, lonely mountainpass, or an isolated campsite in the desert. There is an inherent simplicity to life on a moto; you canonly carry the essentials in your panniers and everyitem has a purpose. Surrounding yourself with allthat clutter which we accumulate in life and deemto be so important simply isn’t an option – and thatis very liberating.

I’ve been on the road for 18 months, but a ‘bigtrip’ doesn’t need to be that long. I’m taking itslow; other riders have completed the samedistance in a quarter of the time. And I am doingthis trip having reached a major personal cross-roads, stepping out of an old and long-establishedlifestyle with no plans for the future. I have metothers on the road who have something to go backto. Some have arranged time out from their job andwill return to it when the trip is over. Others have anew job awaiting them, or at least a new vision ofwhat to do. It doesn’t have to be a case of steppinginto the abyss, although I have found the experi-ence very liberating and transforming.

What is very clear to me is that, whatever yourpersonal circumstances, setting off on the openroad to explore foreign lands with the wind inyour face and your life packed into your panniers,will change you. I haven’t spoken to a single rider,either still on the road or having completed theirtrip, who hasn’t felt that the experience changedthem for the better. Some I’ve met, who initiallythought they were simply taking time out and

would afterwards return to their ‘old’ lives, vowedthat they were going home to make wholesalechange. Travelling had given them a new perspec-tive on things, a clearer vision of what theywanted out of life.

For me, I can’t yet see the end of this trip. It isno longer a case of ‘time out’ for me. It’s becomea lifestyle in its own right. I cannot imagine givingup the sense of freedom that being on the roadcreates. The constant change, not knowing whatis round each corner, sharpens the senses andturns up the volume on life. And perhaps mostsignificantly, I just love riding my moto alongempty, twisting mountain tracks and throughbreathtaking landscapes. South America is abiker’s paradise.

I offer these thoughts and observations foranyone who is feeling the call to travel, but as yethas not summoned the courage to make the jump.Tough decisions in life are usually the ones thatoffer the greatest reward. Life can sometimes feellike a supertanker – changing direction can feelimpossible. But traveling can provide the openocean needed to make that turn, free from obsta-cles and with time to find a new course.

So embrace freedom, embrace the unknown,let go of the reins of life for once. Load up yourmoto and hit the open road.

In the next issue, Paul will offer some advice from a noviceoverlander’s perspective on planning for the ‘bigtrip’, showing that it needn’t be as complicatedas it may initially look. You can follow hisadventures at www.horcamoto.com

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Main Above the clouds without a care in the world

– this is how Paul currently views life on the road.

Left This could be you, but it takes guts to make the jump!

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