WHO WE ARE

Click on images to enlarge them.

In museum in Jaipur India
Riding out of New Delhi. Photo by Ken.

Peter Sever (aka 'Wheezy Rider')
.....• Born Prague Czechoslovakia, Canadian immigrant long ago.
.....• MBA, Schulich School of Business, Toronto
.....• On management of National Ballet of Canada for 3.5 yrs.
.....• Started General Arts Management Inc.
........became 6th largest Performing Arts management in N. America
........based in New York city (it still exists.)
.....• Created The Mac Store Inc., became largest Macintosh
........store & mail order in Canada, it's now owned by CDW.
.....• Started Cape Horn Trawler Corp., built a fleet of
........15 trans-ocean tough steel power yachts.
.....• Other successful business ventures in construction and mining fields.

Travel, Exploration, Biking experience:
.....• French teacher in Ghana (W. Africa) town for 2 yrs,
...... much motorcycling in the region incl. S. Sahara.
.....• On a separate trip, 2 yrs solo in a VW Combi, drove trans-Sahara
...... via Algeria all the way around to Zaire, across to East Africa, up to Europe.
.....• Co-designed, built, cruised, lived aboard a 50' power yacht for 2 yrs.
.....• Owned/rebuilt numerous motorcycles, owned some 15, going back to
...... 1960 BMW R50 in Africa; a few hundred thousand miles on them,
...... in all terrains.
.....• Rode most of North America.
.....• Travel in China, much of South America on business/pleasure.
.....• Been through some 80 countries, mostly by road.

Bike crashes: One beauty 30 years ago, Honda 750 was totaled, helmet saved my life, 3 months in traction, have an artificial shoulder, a bad leg. A full-size semi hit me head on; 100% his fault, but who cares, he walked away, I didn't. Since then much riding with no accidents with cars or bikes, am ultra-careful and keep big air spaces.

A self-taught grease monkey with unschooled engineering instincts.

Writing this blog with much detailed input from Thao. We agree on everything or it does not get written.

Pakistani Police officer at a road checkpoint.

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Thao Nguyen (Pron: "Tao")
.....• Born Saigon Vietnam, Canadian immigrant as baby.
.....Worked and studied in Paris for 2 years, speaks French fluently.
.....Worked & studied in Québec City 2 years.
.....B. A., B. Ed., York University
.....Licensed blackjack dealer in casinos, but no driver's license (!)
.....Taught in rural Kenya as volunteer teacher.
.....Taught French for the International Business and Technology (IBT)
regional program, Peel District School Board.
.....Keeps excellent daily handwritten log on this trip,
...... feeds Peter facts for the online blog; there is.agreement on what
...... is in the blog or it does not get published.
Intrepid road queen riding Iran desert.

We live in a charming community by the lake, in Port Credit Ontario Canada (just outside Toronto.) Not sure what we'll do when this trip is done, but will cross that bridge.

This blog has the advantage of 'age-race bracketing'. That is, two people quite far apart in age/experience (and some politics), meld their views herein: Two points of view on one trip.

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Contemplating a trip? We did it, so you likely can too.

1. We are not enduro riders seeking to push the endurance envelope. Any healthy couple with the time, some savings and 2-4 wheels, can do this or another type of trip. Two wheels or four. Any good touring bike and riders can do this trip, or variations thereof. It's called Wheezy Rider partly to make that point.


2. Hotels, 1-star or 5-star is fine, mainly we just want a clean bed, some sort of shower even a cold one if necessary, plus safe bike parking. We avoid the big name-brand chains – that's hardly like leaving home is it? We generally try for 'mid-scale local' to experience the 'local' part. Sometimes we go way downscale, usually it's a fun experience.


3. 'Wheezy Rider' name chosen because of the obvious Easy Rider movie pun, with irony. We're not riding a chopper, am not my 20's, although not quite 'wheezy' ... the point being:
Any guys/gals in half-decent shape can do this trip;
Just need to re-arrange your life for a while, then do it.
Even for a few weeks or months.


4. Two-up: For both of us, it's the first long distance trip with another. No problems encountered, we get along great, share similar humor, travel with similar minds on destinations and travel style. It has been great companionship and brought us closer together.


5. Money: You do not need to be rich. On this specific blogged trip, we stay in hotels, probably averaging $150/day all-in per couple – gas, maintenance, visas, souvenirs etc included.

A similar bike trip could be done for $50/day if the travelers live modestly and get through Europe quickly, or skip it altogether. The sky's the limit if you prefer to go high-end. It depends on your tastes, budget and most important – where/how you travel.

In much of Asia, $50 per day for a couple is living really well for example. That's about $20,000 a year folks; it costs more than that to live at home! That's what we mean when we say 'you do not need to be rich.' See blogs for various country prices.

C$ versus US$ in this blog makes little difference. Most prices are ballpark, are seasonally variable, and currency rates change constantly.

In Prague

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Good quote from another world-travel biker [link].
'If you go in a car, you are shooting a movie.
If you go on a bike, you are in the movie.'
- Greg Dziewierz

There is an immediacy in biking that is unparalleled in car, camper or other methods of motorized travel. That's the good news. And the bad.

But we are still doing it and have had no second thoughts.

Plan B – swapping the bike for a camper or AWD – has not even been given consideration.







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