5 minute read
Chaos Across Continents
Chaos Across Continents
Three friends, three bikes and 18 months of magnificent chaos
Written by Cassandra Houghton
Three second-hand bikes, a sense of adventure, and a database of GPS maps covering northern Australia, Asia, Europe, and the United Kingdom: this was the foundation of a sprawling motorcycle journey undertaken by Old Boys Ben Cichero and Jordan McNamee ’12, and their friend Tom.
More than 10 years after graduating from BGS and seeking a new, exciting and authentic life experience, the trio embarked on an 18-monthlong bike-back odyssey that incorporated dangerous border crossings, local fauna, monsoonal mudslides, and numerous unexpected challenges.
Personal YouTube and Instagram channels, ApeVenture, acted as both a journal and an invitation into their virtual sidecars, capturing the glorious chaos of their year and a half on the road, while the interactive tracking app Polarsteps would show family and followers their route was anything but direct.
It was an ambitious trek from the start; with Jordan only learning how to ride a motorcycle mere weeks before departure.
“There’s nothing you can’t achieve with a little determination and YouTube,” Ben laughed.
His lack of riding experience would be only the first of many challenges.
“Tom broke his foot in the most spectacular fashion, returning to Australia for surgery then back again,” Jordan recalled.
“Our bikes often fell apart at the most inopportune times which led us to devise a sort of universal body language in order to communicate with locals for help. Oh, and I was held at gunpoint in Afghanistan.”
Jordan said despite Ben’s extraordinary amount of planning, including routes, checkpoints, ports, transit depots, environmental factors and possible setbacks, it would prove impossible to anticipate everything.
“[Ben’s planning] helped us to determine a baseline for things like health, supplies, fuel, accommodation and repairs, but ultimately there was no amount of planning that could have prepared us for this trip,” he said.
The highlights outweighed the trials, though. Meandering through Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe, there was a plethora of new aromas, flavours and terrains to experience, with each country offering different landscapes and lessons in patience, mechanical improvisation, and cultural humility.
“Some would say that’s just the nature of such an open-ended adventure, but it’s pretty clear that we hadn’t accounted for some of the longer wait periods in some countries,” Ben recalled.
“Like border forces that are lighter on, or stricter than you can imagine.”
“Not to mention the odd bouts of altitude sickness or the need to just have a good wash and base yourself after eating so much dirt,” Jordan added.
In Timor-Leste, their clunky bikes and Aussie charm made them minor celebrities. In Turkey, they discovered the joy of tea, and the agony of navigating Istanbul traffic.
When they had moments— often forced—to refuel their adrenaline, the mountain tops, riverways and yurts increasingly became synonymous with introspection, reading, and video editing.
Balance, you know? Dedicate yourself wholeheartedly to your pursuits and you’ll reap what you sow,
“Slowing down later in the trip was a good thing, in retrospect. Even though some of our waits were much longer than our imaginations, it usually happened while we were waiting for parts, waiting for Tom to return, or while we were seeking an alternative way to cross the ocean,” Jordan said.
“It allowed us to take a little extra time to not only connect with local communities on a deeper level, but also with ourselves.”
What started as an ambitious road trip quickly became something more profound: a test of resilience, resourcefulness, and the desire to experience the world with eyes (and helmets) wide open.
Ben says it became a personal journey for each of them.
There’s a lot to learn on a trip like that and you really get presented with opportunities to reevaluate who you are, what you value, and what you’re capable of,” he said.
Jordan, meanwhile, experienced a major emotional shift.
“There were times I realised I’d got more out of buying stationery for locals or being a part of their cook-ups in their homes while they were dancing and singing than the things I thought I’d enjoy,” Jordan said.
“Frankly, I had to realise that the people who have the least often give the most, and that was such an eye-opening thing.”
As for future travels, the travellers have Africa firmly in their sights — after a period of getting back to work.
“Balance, you know? Dedicate yourself wholeheartedly to your pursuits and you’ll reap what you sow,” Ben said.
“Just get out there before it’s too late, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes.”
There’s a lot to learn on a trip like that and you really get presented with opportunities to reevaluate who you are, what you value, and what you’re capable of.
