and all that pressure had gone, re-
placed by an overwhelming feeling
of freedom and pride. I realised that
the first step was the hardest as you
initially only see the bigger picture,
as soon as you start, you focus only
on the next few days which releases
all doubts and pressure.
My primary challenge was to cross
the Amazonian forest from the Brazil-
ian border to the banks of the mighty
river itself. I remember stopping a
few minutes at the beginning of the
dirt road, the entrance to the jungle
and saying to myself, “Alright Clem,
you wanted it. Now shit is getting
real and you are going to rock it!”
I looked at Baloo, my bike. He was
as ready as I was. To be honest nei-
ther of us had any experience riding
off road. I turned the ignition on and
started to ride towards the unknown.
It was extremely hot and humid; it
wasn’t uncommon to drink as much
as 6 litres of water without going to
the toilet.
After only 2 kilometres, I came to
the first of many wooden plank bridg-
es. A huge hole was waiting for me
just before the bridge. I didn’t see it.
The front forks compressed all
the way, my tool tube, attached to
the bash plate hit the ground be-
fore finishing under my back tyre
which literally took off into the air. I
crossed most of the bridge balanced
on my front wheel with my body
going all over the place. Surprisingly,
I didn’t fall but I had already broken
something on the bike. And you
know what? I laughed a lot! I then
understood that I was ready to smile
at whatever life would throw at me!
After 36 hours on a boat, sleep-
ing in a hammock, I finally reached
the Brazilian coast and its beautiful
landscapes. Brazil was a wonderful
country to start a trip. Even if my
Portuguese was as good as a dog
playing golf, I didn’t find any trouble
in communicating with the local
people.
TRAVERSE 20
Spending time between the beach
and the boring long straight roads,
I didn’t hesitate to visit some great
places such as the National Park of
Lençois; an area the size of Hong
Kong fully covered in sand dunes
where in each valley water from the
rain gathers. Each new dune offers
a view over another oasis where you
can swim.
For the first leg of the journey I
rode with a slow rhythm, enjoying lo-
cal cultures rather than crazy off road
adventures. I guess it took me a bit of
time to find the right balance and the
way of travel I wanted to undertake.
It was only when I reached the state
of Minas Gerais and all its amazing
back roads that I understood how I
would focus more on my trip.
I followed the historic Estrada Real
which was used in the 18th century
to transport diamonds and gold from
the mountains to the coast. There
was a lot of mud going through farm
fields and crazy mountainous scenes.