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About Petrol Stations, Opening Hours and Motorbike Exhibitions – The real reasons

Whenever we look back at the past 4 or 6 years (Claus 6 -, Gunter 4 years) we have a feeling that they were not that bad at all. Until recently, we worked both in the IT-Business (...aaarrghh...) – you can all imagine what that means (probably some of you don´t). Basically you solve other people’s problems all day long and sometimes you make up your mind on all this stuff (" Blue Eye" and "Toothless" – or is this the other way round) which no one really needs, but everyone needs to have, ...whats's all that shit?! No one has time, everyone has top priority and in general ... always top speed (a.s.a.p.!) ... and it always takes longer than you estimate. And then, it happens that you are addressed personally at the petrol stations: " ... and, the usual stuff?!" (shops in Germany at 8 pm usually closed, patrol-stations-shops are longer open, mostly 24 h) Sometimes, "my" OMV-petrol station next on the corner had closed long ago. All the time you are doing your shopping on the run. I think one of the sentences I heard most of the time was "Dear customers, please remember that we will close soon ..." or something like that. And then it can happen that you boil with rage when you hear two shop assistants whisper to each other 5 minutes before the shops close: "... oh no, can´t this guy get lost...!" ... or do you know that feeling of having a real "hallucination" , e.g. when you sit in your car and listen to the radio - then, sometimes you imagine that your "handy" (a mobile in German called "Handy" – a stupid translation) is ringing, so that you're wince (in our case), but there was just a similar tone on the radio. And is makes no difference whether it is a bank holiday, during your spare time or on a Sunday, it can ring anytime … and there are always problems - nobody calls you and say: " Hey guy, everything is working fine and anything is ok!" May be somebody doesn't shok that (so far) in the long run this is a massive pain in the neck. And so the thought haunts your mind: "J u s t a w a y!"
Anyway, one fine day in October 2002 it happened that we were on the I-Mot (or Intermot) and we got an "exhibition phobia". There were much too many people who looked like they had never ever seen a bike before. There were some guys "posing" on the screwed-down motorbikes and there girlfriends took a picture while her boys posed quite stupid on the bikes. Probably someone should have told them that you can test-drive these vehicles at the next-best dealer. From that day on it was evident.

It can´t go on like this (otherwise you turn to crazy).
After the exhibition we sat in the car. "Let’s get away from here" slipped from Claus's lips. "Away – Sounds good. Where do you want to go to?" "Well, basically away." "O.K., I can recommend that to you.?" "No, I mean both of us." "Whaaat - both ? (sceptical look) ... ooooh no, - no, that´s absolutly out of the question, I can´t!" Gunter firmly refused for a total of 5 minutes (o.k, it might have been 10 minutes). He had already made the decision in his mind, but he still made a fuss about it. His arguments were particularly funny: "I have a good job. I' m satisfied (?). And after all. I can´t stop working now." Claus said: "With an all-terrain vehicle." (...pause...) "Hmm, o.k. Where to?" "A world trip." "What – World trip?" "Well, Travel around the world, like I said. A trip around all the world." "Hmmm. Give me until tomorrow (short break) ... on the other hand, what the hell, of course I'm with you."
So the decision to take some time off took a total of 10 minutes (with the exhibition visit not counted, of course).
Now, it is not the case that we went out into the big wide world totally in good faith. We're sure we will have masses of minor and major problems on our trip. But at least these are our own!

Anyway: If Claus had not ever had the possibility to start this job 6 years ago, he would not need to spend a thought on a temporary disappearance, because he would simply not have the money to travel across the world, to buy a four-by-four and to customize them. The same is apply to Gunter.

The basic task, in our point of view, to have the ability to fix limits and to do what you think is the right thing to do. And at the moment we are on our way out into the world.

Preparations or answers to the usual questions:
If you really think about starting a longer trip, you will find out pretty soon what you should plan and what is nonsense. Especially those 4 questions, which are always addressed to us, are the least important ones.
Here are the Top 4:
Question 1: Isn´t this dangerous?
Hmm. If you act the fool, - then yes. But who can ever say. There are clearly dangerous and not so dangerous areas. On the other hand: Those concerns are often expressed by people who only get their knowledge from third-parties (from a friend which has a cousin who heart that...) .

Question 2: How about the money?
Money is – frankly speaking – not unimportant. On the other hand you can get money nearly everywhere in the world. There is probably not a cash dispenser on every corner, but then we will jump at the chance once there is one (of course, then we will get plenty – as much as we can carry ;-) ) The locals need money as well and on the whole world there are exists banks.

Question 3: Do you already have an exact route planned?
The route is mainly determined by the continents and political or geographical characteristics. Besides that, the climate, the weather, the people the area and the current personal mood. There is no use in setting up a detailed plan of "when” to be "where”. We will leave our organizers at home. Actually, there was a pretty fitting adverti: "From a land, where a palm is still a tree, not an organizer".

Question 4: How long do you plan to go for ?
Well, the first target is to get around the world once (top priority – a.s.a.p.! ;-) ). We have intentionally not planned any time frame. There is an important difference between holiday and our task. Holiday includes, according to its definition, a time limitation. So, it is pretty much a luxury to travel without time limits. This means: I need not be at a certain place on a certain date. I don’t have to catch any flights or know in advance that I will return in 2, 3, 6, or however many weeks. For the classic type of holiday you think of its end even at the beginning. Nevertheless, there are time restrictions which are more related to the climate and money. It makes no sense to be in Alaska in the Northern winter or to be in Tiera del Fugo in August. Is the dough gone, the trip is finished.

We guess it’s almost impossible to plan this quite perfectly. The situations will show us the right track. We didn’t flog a dead horse ( it mean no spending time for nonsence??) to plan the exact route and to create a timetable. The fact was just, we like to go once arround and we’d like to start in Afrika. The things will going on (??).
Also we didn’t think about the question to have some plan sponorse. Sponsors not just give some stuff for free, you have to acquit. That could makes the trip more complex and even busy.

Some do often mention the expression of a "dropout”.
To be honest, we do not regard ourselves to be that. The expression "dropout” has a very negative, radical touch and we are pretty aware of the amenities of our current life style. But also of its catches and downsides.
We are after looking at the world, do different things for a certain period of time, to watch and to let live. We are fed up with this "business stuff”. At the moment, other things are more important.
Basically we have made the decision to brush aside everything hectic and to go. The time is perfect. We want to enjoy the time, focus ourselves on the important things, to get some experience, to see other things and not run into hectic - that's all. There are many who attribute this with the lifestyle of a sloth. That’s why it’s called the "sloth tour”…

...let’s go.


Claus & Gunter

April 2004




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