Travelling alone is sometimes hard.
I\u2019m not talking about the additional risks, especially in the event of an accident on an isolated track. We know that; it\u2019s always somewhere in the back of our minds.
I\u2019m simply talking about finding the motivation.
I\u2019ve been off the road for more than a month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This time, the rainy season has really begun. It rains for a good part of the day, proper tropical rain: heavy and intense. The tracks have become impassable. But these days, there is asphalt, so it\u2019s not really a problem anymore like it used to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But after several weeks without riding, you have to find the desire to get back on your steed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s easier when there are two of you. There\u2019s always one to motivate the other. When you\u2019re alone, no one pushes you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And as you get older, you have to admit, it\u2019s not always easy to tell yourself: come on, let\u2019s go. Especially when you know what\u2019s waiting for you: the heat, the rain, the thirst, the aches and pains, the hardships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the past few days, a dull pain has settled in my lower back. It\u2019s there as soon as I get up. It\u2019s a nuisance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And despite that, I have to leave again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So yes, it\u2019s decided: tomorrow, I\u2019m leaving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I\u2019ve been telling myself that for a week now\u2026 morning after morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bike is ready. Fully loaded, too. All that\u2019s left is to strap the duffel bag onto the back.
She stares at me with her two headlights, seeming to say: \u201cSo, is it time? Are we going? I\u2019m waiting for you!\u201d
You bloody bitch! Without your little tantrums, we\u2019d already be a long way down the road!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Travelling alone also means being far away. Friends and family sometimes end up forgetting you after months or years of absence. Time and distance take their toll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve been through periods like this before. It\u2019s not the first time.
I remember feeling this same kind of low mood in Uzbekistan, in the middle of December. In the morning, when I got out of my tent, everything was frozen. The water in my bottle, the tent fabric, my motorcycle seat.
Nobody spoke English or French.
I was alone. It was cold. Snow was falling.
I somehow found the courage to take the road south to find some warmth on the shores of the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, I\u2019m longing for blue skies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s grey.
Grey in the morning.
Grey in the afternoon.
Grey in the evening.
And black at night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, blue skies. Finally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just 2,000 kilometres south and I\u2019ll see them again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So yes, tomorrow, I\u2019m leaving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, really, I promise you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have to: my visa is almost expired.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Travelling alone is sometimes hard.I\u2019m not talking about the additional risks, especially in the event of an accident on an isolated track. We know that; it\u2019s always somewhere in the back of our minds.I\u2019m simply talking about finding the motivation.I\u2019ve been off the road for more than a month. This time, the rainy season has really begun. It rains for a good part of the day, proper tropical rain: heavy and intense. The tracks have become impassable. But these days, there is asphalt, so it\u2019s not really a problem anymore like it used to be. But after several weeks without riding, you have to find the desire to get back on your steed. It\u2019s easier when there are two of you. There\u2019s always one to motivate the other. When you\u2019re alone, no one pushes you. And as you get older, you have to admit, it\u2019s not always easy to tell yourself: come on, let\u2019s go. Especially when you know what\u2019s waiting for you: the heat, the rain, the thirst, the aches and pains, the hardships. For the past few days, a dull pain has settled in my lower back. It\u2019s there as soon as I get up. It\u2019s a nuisance. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":14112,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[258,265],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2026-africa","category-diaries"],"yoast_head":"\n