When I first learned about Daryll Naidu and Angela Laarakkers’ around-the-world motorcycle trip, it had already been underway for more than 160 days. To simply refer to it as a trip, though, seems to lessen its grandiosity. For there are road trips—and then there are road trips. Many people talk the talk about seeing the world, but how many truly walk the walk—or in this case, ride the ride?
Starting on August 30, 2010, from Vancouver, B.C., Naidu and Laarakkers hit the road on their 2008 Suzuki DR650SEs. They travelled down the west coast of California to Mexico, and then into Guatemala. From there it was on to El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. Their route took them to the cloud forests of Costa Rica, the Panama Canal and the mountains of Colombia. Ecuador, Peru, Chile and finally Argentina were the last countries the couple visited in South America.
Leaving the Americas
At the time of our last communication, Naidu and Laarakkers were heading to Buenos Aires. Next up: Johannesburg, South Africa, followed by a trip up the eastern side of Africa and into Europe. The pair have no plans of stopping anytime soon, estimating that they could be on the road for up to two years. All this would make anyone wonder: what makes someone plan such an ambitious trip?
"We’ve always wanted to see as much of the world as possible and explore as many countries as we can," said Laarakkers. "Once we decided to sell our home (and) our possessions, and put our careers on hold while we do this trip, we wanted to make sure the experience we gained was worth the sacrifices."
Naidu reiterated this statement. The original idea for the trip came in July of 2007, when he suggested that he and Laarakkers quit their jobs to see the world—an idea that Laarakkers supported. The next three-plus years were spent undergoing the many preparations required for such a trip—for example, Laarakkers learned how to ride a motorcycle. Their dog had to be taken across Canada to her temporary caretaker. As well, the couple acquired legal documents and took courses, such as first aid. They packed—quite an ordeal when you're planning for months on the road.
But, for these two passionate riders, there was no other way. Friends and family jumped on board when they saw how diligent Naidu and Laarakkers were in their preparation.
"We kept it a secret for a long time, as we wanted to be certain that this is what we wanted to do and wanted to be certain of our departure date before letting people know," said Naidu. "When we did decide to tell friends and family, it came as a shock to our friends that didn’t ride motorcycles; however, the friends that do ride could see it coming, as we lived and breathed everything bike related. All our friends were extremely excited and some wished that they could join us. My family in particular were apprehensive at first, but once they realized how passionate I was, were fully supportive of our ideas and plans."
Taking it all in
Living life on the road isn't always glamorous or cheery, of course, but for Naidu and Laarakkers, the high points—making it to Ushuaia, Argentina, crossing the Bridge of the Americas, and meeting many wonderful people along the road—more than make up for the low points.
"Most of the people that we meet are in awe when we tell them about places we’ve been," said Naidu. "Some are dumbfounded when they hear that we came all the way from Canada by bike—or don’t think it’s possible and have a hard time believing us. But once we tell them about the beautiful places we’ve been in their respective countries, they are taken aback by our experiences and always wish us safe travels."
Learn more about Naidu and Laarakkers and keep up with their adventures on their travel blog, One World 2 Explore.
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