FAQs
QUESTION) What is my general route?
ANSWER) I headed south from Colorado, through Mexico and Central America. I shipped the bike from Panama to Colombia over the roadless Darien Gap, and will then ship it again from South America to Africa. I will travel overland from Africa to Europe and then Asia. I may then ship the bike from Malaysia to Australia.
Q) What is my specific route within each country?
A) I have lists of places and people who I would like to visit in each country. These people and places are the waypoints on my route. In developed countries I hope to frequently travel along interesting side roads in the country rather than highways connecting cities. In developing countries I usually take the shortest path.
Q) How will I ship the bike between continents?
A) I am hoping to ride one bike for my entire trip. Both the bike and I will probably fly between continents. I will drain gasoline from the bike, compact it (remove the front wheel, windscreen, and handlebars), and mount it onto a pallet for shipping. Shipping by boat is cheaper, but there are several opportunities for unexpected delays and charges.
Q) What type of bike do I have?
A) It is a 2020 parallel-twin 1084 cc Honda Adventure Sports DCT. The aluminum luggage is made by Bumot. With fuel it weighs 550 pounds (250 kilograms). Add my accessories and luggage and it weighs nearly 650 pounds (300 kilograms). It works great for touring, including rough roads. But I have no offroad-adventure ambitions after breaking my left leg on it in November 2022.
Q) Why don't I post videos of my trip?
A) Because more adventurous, entertaining, and harder-working people have already done this on YouTube for their own round-the-world motorcycle trips. My favorites are:
Q) How much time do I spend on my bike?
A) Typically, as little as possible. The bike is a fun way to travel between towns. But I generally do not ride my bike at all after reaching a new town. Instead, I explore the new town by walking for two to six hours most days. Then I ride my bike to the next town.
Q) Do I have a timeline?
A) I hope to avoid winters in temperate areas as well as most rainy seasons. Beyond that I do not have a timeline.
Q) Have I made new friends during my trip?
A) Yes! I have met several members of my tribe, some of whom I hope to be friends with for the rest of my life. Other friendships are more ephemeral, being specific to a time and place. I welcome both types of friendships.
Q) Have I met fellow round-the-world motorcycle riders?
A) Yes, but only a few of them. The most common endpoints for these fellow riders are Ushuaia, Argentina and Deadhorse, Alaska (i.e., from the bottom of South America to the top of North America). I will not reach either of these places because I am not that hard-core of a motorcyclist, nor am I interested in that much suffering to reach geographical endpoints. Non-motorcyclists may think our trips are similar but on a day-to-day basis they can be very different. For example, some ride for eight hours daily while seeking out challenging dirt roads that lead to summits, where they then watch the sunset and camp. My riding goals are modest (typically two to four hours on mostly tarmac roads) and I spend at least two nights in airbnb homes at towns that I stop at.
Q) How is my trip going?
A) Great: I am happy and have a fiscally and physically sustainable routine wherein I stay at airbnbs for at least two nights each and only rarely camp. I feel healthy and have lost weight while eating two meals a day. I continue to have good internet access for communicating with family and friends. My bike and gear are working well. When desired I am able to complete long bike rides each day with only modest soreness in my butt and shoulders. I have had zero problems with crime or safety (beyond my own slow motorcycle tip-overs in the U.S.). I am making good progress in learning, editing, and posting both life lessons and travel lessons as well as finishing my remaining research projects.
I had a great job as a professor but do not miss it at all. I think I left my job at the right time, having exceeded most of my goals and leaving few loose ends (i.e., unfinished research projects), which I continue to work on. I feel that I have successfully shifted the focus of my natural curiosity and creativity from my job to this trip.
I need to improve my Spanish and be more proactive in engaging with new people.
Q) Do I feel homesick? When will I return home?
A) I have no physical home--either a personal home or a family home. Hence I never feel homesick. Locals ask where I am from and I say "Colorado," but I internally cringe when I say that because that is no longer true. I feel more connected to my current locale than anywhere I have lived previously. This is a good thing. As Paul Theroux stated in Ghost Train to the Eastern Star, "Travel is at its most rewarding when it ceases to be about your reaching a destination and becomes indistinguishable from living your life." To me home now simply means a place where I can fully relax, both today and tomorrow.
Q) What questions do local people ask me most frequently?
A) People often approach me when I am on my motorcycle, and their questions are generally about the motorcycle itself. The two most frequent questions are where am I from and how many cylinders does the motorcycle have (two). Follow-up questions are about the engine size (1084 cc) and occasionally the top speed (unknown to me). Careful observers may recognize that there is no left-foot gear shift, in which case I tell them about the transmission (automatic that can be overridden with paddle shifters) and show them how Android Auto works with my phone and digital dashboard for route finding.
Q) Why do I visit and photograph so many churches given that I am an atheist?
A) Latin American churches are unique cultural museums, wherein each town presents its best display, with structures and artworks that span hundreds of years in a range of styles that are organically integrated into a single building. There are many interesting craftsmanship details to enjoy while relaxing in a quiet, contemplative environment.
Q) How do I choose which subjects to photograph?
A) I focus on subjects that I think are beautiful and interesting. If I am unable to make an interesting subject beautiful, then I delete those photos. My favorite types of beauty are those that are faded or unexpected. Faded, after the primary event, in which the subject has become worn with age and use. Unexpected, in the streets and amongst the weeds, away from churches, monuments, and museums. Of course I enjoy churches, monuments, and museums as well.
My goal is not to simply document interesting sights during my travels. Rather, I try to poignantly present beautiful and interesting subjects that we respond to emotionally. So, I do not always present the entire subject. I only present those parts that I hope we respond to emotionally. Emotional means personal. Hence I zoom in to bring the subject into our personal space.
Q) What is it like to return to the United States after spending 15 months in Latin America?
A) I did not have reverse culture shock when arriving in Nashville from Montevideo. But the first thing that I noticed is the money--money for big, smooth, 4- and 6-lane roads with all lanes open, even in the countryside, many such roads going in all directions, and money for shiny, oversize trucks and SUVs representing disposable income.
I do not feel changed in how I now act while in the United States. Instead I now feel comfortable in a wider range of countries, obviously including Latin America.
Self-dramatization is inevitable in any travel book – most travelers, however dreary and plonkingly pedestrian, see themselves as solitary and heroic adventurers.
-- Paul Theroux, Fresh Air Fiend