“Before setting off, many fears creep into one’s mind, especially after listening to all the bad stories from the news or scared people around you. In the beginning, we were terrified of going to Mexico or Honduras, but these countries turned out to be so beautiful, with good people and we didn’t have any bad experience there. Obviously, we were cautious, never rode at night, avoided dark alleys and tried not to stand out from the crowd. It all worked well for us. We always say listen to your intuition, be flexible and stay open to opportunities that come your way. When you don’t know the language, remember that your smile may say more than a thousand words. What you bring to the world comes back to you, so keep your inner light on!” – Liwia Klich
The LifeWeLove duo of Liwia Klich and Sebastian Mazur come from the beautiful Sudeten Mountain region located in the southwest of Poland. “We’ve covered thirty eight countries so far, having done over 68 350 mi / 110 000 km in Europe, North and South America.” Before that, they were doing office-based jobs mainly spending their time in front of computers. “Sebastian (Joki) is a web developer, and I worked as a graphic designer. Sometimes we’d combine our skills and build websites together as a way to earn some freelance money. That’s something we still do while out on the road so we can make a few extra bucks to carry on the journey.”
The artistic couples love affair with two wheels started in 2011. “An Italian Piaggio Sfera 180cc scooter fell into our hands, and we, in turn, fell in love with the idea of taking small trips to explore old castles and roads. There are over six hundred historical residences in our province of Lower Silesia, natural wonders and interesting, mysterious places known only to locals. Back then we would go on these mini adventures every day after work. Armed with a picnic basket, we’d set up in some marvelous spot. In one year we did over 6200 mi / 10 000 km on that scooter. Our enthusiasm was so big that we believed we could travel the whole world on this little red pony. However, the more we were riding and visiting places, the more our hunger grew to see and go further. So we realized we’d need something bigger, faster, that would be good on gravel roads and more comfortable. It wasn’t long before we ended up buying our first adventure motorcycle and started exploring Europe on it, always riding two up.”
Like many things in life, they worked their way into the right mind and skill set for a longer trip. “We would use our three-week vacation to go to different parts of Poland or Europe. Every journey ended up being the most exciting period of the year for us. However, there was always some deadline chasing us, and we couldn’t feel the total freedom we desired. We were always short on time to ‘absorb’ these places the way we would have liked. Quitting our jobs, breaking out off the system and all material or formal bonds was the only way to change it. We started to dream of our big life adventure where we would be completely independent and self-sufficient. Ready to undertake new tasks needed to carry on our journey, even without an adequate budget for it. We wanted to test ourselves in an entirely different lifestyle; on the trail of adventure with our little home compressed into two cases and a few bags attached to the most reliable motorbike we could find for ourselves.”
The couple chose one motorcycle for both economic and practical reasons. “It’s obliviously cheaper and less time-consuming on borders when you have only one bike. Or even when it comes to doing maintenance. We also feel confident in our roles as a driver and passenger because Joki has been riding long enough to be able to handle the difficult off-road parts with a loaded bike and passenger. The motorbike is also set up for his size and riding preferences. He knows it well and can fix little things when needed. I, on the other hand, can focus on my interests when riding pillion. Taking photographs, making videos or admiring clouds in the sky. It’s also easier for me to quickly get off the bike and talk to people when needed.”
The biggest challenge during their trip has been “hardcore” off-road trails. ”We’d optimistically take these trails to explore and then realize they were not suitable for our loaded motorbike with two people by the time it was already too late to turn around. This way, for example, we ended up pushing our motorbike in the darkness through forests and rocky paths, past narrow ledges or waterlogged riverbeds in the middle of nowhere, sinking deeply in the mud. As if that was not enough at the same time we’d either run out of water, overheat the brakes or get a flat tire. Sometimes we sweated like pigs and cursed our crazy ideas, but in the end, we always managed to survive and reach our destination. That’s why now we recall it as some of our best adventures on this journey which strengthened our spirits.”
Liwa and Joki are quick to admit that they have two very different personalities but yet can “complete” each other in a way that only good partners can when traveling. “It’s essential to be able to understand each other’s needs and find compromises as the situation requires it. When traveling a long distance, you will quickly learn what your inner boundaries are, what style of touring you like and what it takes to feel happy on the road. It may come down to little things, like having enough breaks while riding, the ability to take a shower once in a while or following a diet that you need in a particular moment. The best advice we can give is to listen and respect each other. If you want to handle all the miles together, being next to each other for twenty-four hours a day you have to respect each other.”
The second key ingredient to their successful trip has been a good old fashioned “appropriate attitude” towards traveling in general. “You have to be prepared that anything may happen and you will be the one handling all these different situations any way you can. Treating worse experiences as part of the adventure and using it to build your character. We also agreed beforehand that we wouldn’t do anything ‘at any cost.’ We naturally fight and try to overcome obstacles when needed, but also know when to retreat. After all, it’s our adventure, our big dream coming true and we aren’t trying to do anything to show-off or prove we are unbeatable. We want to enjoy it the way we like while respecting our health and peace of mind.
Finance is another aspect of consideration and often a worry for travelers. “Our savings for this journey were not enough for traveling across both Americas. However, if you accept working on the way from time to time, you will quickly learn that there are always some opportunities to make money. Just be open-minded, don’t be afraid to ask people for help or advise, use your skills, because everyone has some. Stop postponing your dream until you have a fortune for that. It may take you your entire life, and traveling tastes different when you are young. Besides, low-budget traveling can be much cheaper than your standard, settled life.”
The duo’s ultra-reliable 2005 BMW F 650GS Dakar has not seen many upgrades from the day it left the factory floor. “It has one of the bests engines out there, is not too heavy, has enough power to handle two up with a lot of baggage and can ride off-road. We also like its economical fuel consumption, 4 L per 100 km. That’s just over a gallon for every 62 miles. Then there is the fact that its fuel injected, comes with heated grips, ABS and is easy to work on. All these are bonuses for us.” The changes they have made though are all practical ones. A Scorpion exhaust lightens the load a bit while freeing up space for a tool tube to be mounted in the place of the second manifold can that was located on the right of the bike. A K&N air filter now breathes for the Rotax engine and helps to keep costs down for servicing. A TFX 140 Emulsion shock absorber along with a profiled seat absorbs any bumps the road might bring. Although plans might also include upgrading the front suspension for an even better ride. They’ve also modified a set of DoubleTake mirrors by adding tiny blind spot circular stick on mirrors to aid in monitoring the constant change of traffic in and around them. A Lubrixa automatic chain oiler made in Poland also helps to keep the daily maintenance down to a minimum so more time can be spent on the road exploring. And as for luggage; “We prefer our Kappa KVE37A K-Venture panniers because they protect our legs when we fall on the bike, and they are easy to fix. All you need is just a hammer and some welding equipment. They are lockable, and when attached to the bike our baggage is safer and harder to steal than from material bags.”
Liwia and Joki are big fans of using paper maps to plan their routes. “This gives us a chance to discuss our ideas with locals and gain a better idea of the routes and geography around us. When we ride though we use a Garmin Monterra device powered by Android on which we’ve installed different navigation apps. GPS provides a good view of the roads up ahead, so we know when it’s safer to pass other vehicles or what curve is in front of us. Sometimes it also helps us avoid traffic jams and to find beautiful alternative roads we had no idea about before.” A GPS also offers them a better option for navigating big cities. “With a GPS it’s much easier to find your destination or even just to locate the nearest gas station.”
On a trip covering the length of the Americas, there’s bound to be many unforgettable moments; “The ones that we will remember were the moments that gave us this amazing feeling of freedom and connection with nature. Like when we were camping in the wild, for example on the biggest salt flat in the world, Salar de Uyuni, in Bolivia. There we camped on an abandoned island that forms the top of an ancient volcano. Located at an elevation over 9850 ft / 3000 m and hosting gigantic cacti. Some of them more than a thousand years old. We had the whole island to ourselves and climbed the rocks to watch magical sunsets above the white desert while drinking hot tea. All the while thinking; ‘What a beautiful world we live in.’ We wish more people could see these things, explore and feel this way. It truly makes you appreciate life, the planet and gives you so much more positive energy.”
For more on Liwia and Joki’s adventures follow along on their Instagram account, Facebook page, and their blog.
All images copyright LifeWeLove.
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