Welcome!
Welcome to the blog of The Acrux Expedition. What is this? In about two years, we – Anders and Andreas – are done with our PhDs and it’ll be time for an adventure. Thus, we plan do ride around the world on motorcycles. This is the blog where you can follow our journey.
The project began in 2012, when I was an exchange student in San Diego. One Sunday, I stumble upon a thread on Reddit, where people asked questions to a Dutchman who had ridden a motorcycle from the Netherlands to Nepal. A few years earlier, I had watched Long Way Round and Long Way Down, where Charlie Boorman and Ewan McGregor rides around the world. At that time, I dreamt about driving down thorugh Africa, but to bring a group of friends and a couple of Land Rovers. Considering the costs of such an adventure, and being a poor student, I quickly filed it with the other ideas I will carry out “when I become rich some day.”
Cue San Diego. The Reddit discussion awoke the old idea, but why not do it on a motorcycle? That is cheaper and simpler and more adventurous. With an upcoming PhD-position secured (which in Denmarks actually earns you money), I started calculating whether it would be feasible at all. That’s when Anders logged on to Google Chat.
I proposed the idea to him, and 8 minuter later, we’d decided to do it. We started researching motorcycles, visa-regulations and possible routed (and discoved ADVrider in the process). Quickly, the ambitions rose to making a trip south through Africa and home through Asia. At this point we have both bought a motorcycle (more on them later), the route is roughly set, and we have a budget. Even though there is still about two years until we start out, now is the time to invite you along with us via this blog.
Apart from the trip itself, this blog will contain all of our preparations, culminating in a test-trip around the Baltic Sea in August 2014. The main trip will begin in the autumn of 2015 and last for around 15 months.
Once again a warm welcome to you. Wish us luck.