June 1st, 2023

Why Morocco?

I had spent a holiday in Marrakech a few years ago. Despite the very touristy side of it, I really enjoyed it, especially the trips outside the city. I have fond memories of that time.

But my original travel plan was quite different: I wanted to ride my motorbike from Bern to Perth, Australia! Where did that idea come from? For my birthday, my motorcycling friend René, from Cologne, and a regular travel companion (our last trip together was Patagonia in autumn 2022), gave me a book: Goodbye Lehmann. (https://stefanfay.de/gbl/)

In it, the author, Stefan Fay, recounts how he attended a colleague’s retirement party, Mr Lehmann, who spoke about his “monotonous” life and how quickly the years had flown by. Fay then began to wonder how to avoid living such an unremarkable life. He decided, with a friend, to go on a motorbike journey from Stuttgart to Australia. Neither of them were experienced bikers, but they believed travelling by motorbike was the best way to discover the world, to meet people and experience their cultures.

The book isn’t technical, it doesn’t focus on the bike at all. It’s about life and the daily thoughts that arise during the journey. It touches on themes like self-awareness, meditation, passion, curiosity, work, and ultimately, how to live a good life. It’s accessible to everyone, and although I’m not a big reader, I devoured it in a week.

After that, I read more books about round-the-world motorcycle adventures, watched dozens of stories and films online. And that’s how the idea began to grow: I didn’t want to reach retirement with no real purpose, like Mr Lehmann. So I started planning a journey similar to the one those two adventurers had taken.

Here was my original route: Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan (including the Pamir Mountains), Tajikistan (with several passes over 4,000 metres, including the Ak-Baital Pass at 4,655 m), Uzbekistan (the Silk Road), Turkmenistan, Iran, Pakistan, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, East Timor, Australia.

A journey of roughly 51,000 km, over 12 to 16 months, across 19 countries and 3 continents.

But planning is half the battle:

• When to leave?

• How to cross the high mountain passes?

• The climate, rainy seasons, heat, monsoons

• Visas

• The ATA Carnet for motorcycle customs clearance

• Fuel (in Central Asia, it’s mostly LPG!)

• Planning stops and highlights to visit

• Ferries to take

• Understanding local cultures and behaviour

Travelling by motorbike also means dealing with:

• Very limited luggage space

• The gear to bring (tent, clothes, spare parts

• Equipment quality and reliability

And of course, planning everything you need before, during and after the trip: health insurance, housing, banking, gear purchases, etc. A detailed inventory is essential to make customs clearance easier.