Behind Kickstand
I'm Edgar Kretschmann. My first big trip was to Australia. I saved enough there to travel through Southeast Asia, and going back afterwards was no option. I couldn't stay at home, not even in Europe. I had to see the rest of the party.
I paid for my travels almost entirely by teaching: English and German, almost a year in Qingdao, then in South Korea and the Philippines. I used to write about it on my blog vlogato; now I carry on here.
22 days on a borrowed Honda Win
In Saigon I borrowed a Chinese Honda Win and brought it back after 22 days. It broke down about once a day. That wasn't so bad: there was a mechanic on every corner, and a repair rarely cost more than ten dollars.
For me, Vietnam is the place where nature, a refined culture and a turbulent recent history come together.
Hot. Wild. Myanmar. You could say that about many countries in Asia, but the remoteness and the closeness to the simple things make Myanmar special. I rode there twice: over empty roads under thunderclouds, to the coast and to the temples of Bagan.
On the 1995 Honda VFR 750
After a long search I bought my VFR for 1,300 euros: reliable, powerful, economical and beautiful, and I didn't care about its age. After about a year I really had the first big bike under control, and I've loved the sound of the V4 ever since.
In July 2018 I rode alone through Bavaria, Austria, Switzerland and France, over lonely passes at 2,500 metres. For me, Switzerland had the best roads.
21 places in 35 days
The Philippines were my winter base for a long time: the visa was easy, almost everyone speaks English, and the people are very, very friendly. Travelling through the Philippines is like falling in love with a beautiful, chaotic friend.
On my Yamaha SZ 150 I rode for 18 months around Panay, Mindoro and Manila, and it never broke down once. For the big trip in October 2019 I bought a used 200 cc Rusi in a hurry. The wrong carburettor stayed with us for a thousand kilometres, until a workshop on Siquijor swapped it for the right one.
The route: from Iloilo to Dumangas, by ferry to Bacolod, on to Sipalay with Sugar Beach and the HuyopHuyop waterfall, then Dumaguete, Siquijor and Bohol with the Chocolate Hills. Sipalay really is a hidden gem at the other end of the world.
On the road we ran out of petrol and a stranger drove me to the petrol station. I cleaned spark plugs at the roadside, a farmer in a remote village helped me out, and at the Chocolate Hills the throttle cable snapped. It was repaired in a workshop with a real monkey sitting in it.
2026
My current motorbike is a red BMW GS 1200 with aluminium panniers.
A journey begins with a bit of preparation and a lot of courage.
On my travels I learned how much a borrowed motorcycle, a spot in a garage or a helping hand are worth: a stranger with petrol, a farmer who helps out, a workshop in the middle of nowhere. That's how Kickstand came about.