The idea : Ride motorcycles for one year through five continents

My name is Manou Emringer. I started motorcycling in 1992, when I was 22, but only bought my first motorcycle three years later while I was living in Delaware, USA.
Since I have always enjoyed travelling and been encouraged in this by a family with a severe case of collective travel bug, a combination of pleasures was inevitable.

The first motorcycle tour deserving that name was a one week round-trip from Delaware to the Niagara Falls, followed shortly afterwards by a six-week trip from Delaware to Veracruz, Mexico. That one did it. I have been thinking more or less ever after about the possibility of riding around the world on a motorcycle.

After my return from the USA, I worked in Luxembourg for a year, after which I took up an offer to work in the Czech Republic for a few years. During that time, motorcycle touring was limited to a ride to southern France, a trip down the West Coast of the US, and a one-week trip through the Alps.

A year ago, the opportunity presented itself to realize my project, as my involvement in its current form in the Czech Republic was nearing its end.

The initial idea was to ride from Alaska to Argentina. As ambitions go, mine tended to expand every time I looked at a worldmap. For various reasons however, I had to "limit" the voyage to one year. Climatic factors, civil unrest, time and expense considerations, etc, etc, had to be taken into account in varying degrees. The result was a route encompassing five continents and several continental extremes.

In the early stages of pondering about the general idea of a trip like this, I had hoped for, but never really envisioned meeting someone with whom this could become a shared adventure. Well, I have. Ellen and I will be leaving with two motorcycles in August 2000.

There will be regular updates, including pictures from the road, frequency depending on the availability of Internet cafés and our level of proficiency in handling potentially rebellious electronic devices.

This site has been created mostly in order to keep our family and friends informed on our whereabouts and more generally for the enjoyment of anyone who considers that travelling, meeting new people and seeing new places is one of the heartier spices of life. Any commentary, advice, silly joke or constructive criticism (preferably short ....) will be greatly appreciated.

Hope to see some of you on the road.