Riding Pandas is a couple of motorcyclists we already know. We followed them on their fantastic adventure in Nepal, where they had travelled the roads and dirt tracks of that fascinating country wearing Emblema glasses.
Riding Pandas: from Milan to Mexico
Despite the pandemic, Anna and Andrea haven’t forgotten their project.
"....’Riding’ because travelling by motorbike allows us to experience the place we’re in to the fullest and gives us freedom of choice and independence with respect to where we go. ‘Pandas’ because, like pandas, we feel we have an uncommon approach to life and we aim to experience our journey at a relaxed pace, without the stress that characterised our everyday life in the past”.
And so, after crossing off a number of destinations on the globe due to the many closed borders, the call of Mexico's vivir lento made it clear what the first stop on their latest trip would be.
Travelling by motorbike during Covid
Due to Covid restrictions the departure date was postponed several times, but at the beginning of June, on the other side of the world, hot, sweaty, full of luggage, when the motorcycles arrived by ship the dream finally became reality.
Motorcycle tourism in South America
Unlike the other adventures they had experienced before, which were always limited in time, this time Anna and Andrea bought a one-way ticket so they could travel throughout Central and South America on their way to their first destination: Ushuaia, the southernmost tip of the American continent, the “End of the World”. It was an ambitious project, which required planning and commitment. But so much time was spent imagining what this trip could have been like, deconstructing and rebuilding itineraries, that at a certain point what really mattered was just leaving.
Travelling by motorbike to explore the world, with only a few certainties, taking your time, savouring every moment, just like actual Pandas. Because travelling by motorcycle means sharing life and freedom with those you meet along the way. But also overcoming obstacles and situations that can be frightening. There’s no more satisfying pleasure than experiencing roads never travelled. It’s a sense of pioneering that is particularly appealing to bikers, because on a motorcycle the panorama is constantly exploding around you, and you find yourself chasing new views around every bend.
Anna and Andrea's experience in Mexico
A few weeks ago Anna and Andrea were taking on the dirt roads devastated by the Mexican rainy season. Fear teaches a lot, but as Anna says, “Facing them with determination, together, is a great gift”. And after the giant cacti of Baja, almost three hours' drive from Oaxaca in the direction of San José del Pacífico, some 2,300 metres above sea level, Anna and Andrea found themselves immersed in a cloud. On the other side of the world, parked on the side of the road to admire the landscape, the Pandas help us understand that of the hundreds of possible aspects of the journey, only one really matters: living in the moment, travelling, without thinking about the destination.
Anna and Andrea are digital nomads and their journey is open-ended. They won’t be stopping any time soon, because they want to explore and discover as much as possible.
We’ll try to follow and keep up with them as they venture together along new roads and through new panoramas.
