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July 26, 2011

Africa | Brazil | South America | Tanzania   06:25 PM
Fear.

Last week I was discussing an upcoming speaking engagement with a client when the topic transitioned to my presentation and how I could help my client with my speech to my real-life experiences on the road. The topic quickly folded into a subject that most people I speak with tend to share the same curiosity. They usually want to know if at any point during my travels if I felt that I was in danger or if I was afraid.

People ask this question for many good reasons. But I think most feel that perhaps they would like to embark on some sort of adventure or travel, but they are afraid to take a chance; to risk their current state of being—their comfort zone. Understandably, their curiosity perhaps stems from wondering whether such fears are founded.

My usual response to these curious queries is, no I never felt in danger or fear for my life in my three years of solo travel on a motorcycle. But as my client probed further for insight into my travel adventures, he asked "What about dangerous roads or terrain, were you ever afraid in that way?"

I scratched my head, took a quick gander out the window and confided to him, that yes, I was afraid on a number of occasions.

To be sure, he knew that I crushed my leg on a muddy road in Bolivia during the trip. He knows that a bus roaring into my lane on a downhill turn on a dirt road in Ethiopia caused me to crash. And he certainly knows that a small taxi van pushed me off the road in Tanzania. But in each of these cases I wasn't afraid. The crashes, for the most part, happened so fast that I had no time to think or react.

Then I started thinking. That's when I recalled some scary episodes while riding at night, tense, white-knuckled and fearful that this night might be the last of my journey, that I might not make it to my destination before crashing—or worse. It's never a good idea to ride at night anyway.

It's funny, many of these episodes involved wet and rain conditions at night.

Like the time I was heading north toward Maceió in northern Brazil. I planned to arrive at this beautiful seaside city before sunset when the rain pelted me and slowed me down. Soaked and cold and with no visibility—no lines on the dark, wet and jet black tarmac. No street lights. And the headlight of my bike barely any use. The rain beaded on my visor and every 30 seconds I had to swipe the water off of it with my soppy wet glove.

As the minutes and hours clicked on, the rain made me wetter and wetter. My visibility so impaired that I had to strain, squint and slow to a crawl just to make sure I didn't ride off the tarmac, because it was so dark and just blended into the landscape. Then I found myself winding through gentle rolling hills lined with sugar cane plantations.

On the road I had to be careful when rounding curves because trucks that carried harvested cane to ethanol processing plants would drop pieces of cane on the road. Like banana peels I'd often catch one— and my rear tire would slip and slide. My heart beat faster. I gripped the handlebars tighter.

These trucks would also appear out of nowhere. Sometimes a truck would seemingly magically appear out of the darkness of the tall sugar cane plants. Most of these trucks were carrying three trailers, each packed with cane. Most of the time only dim headlights shined on the road ahead. Barely visible I had to be careful because the could either hit me or because I couldn't see them in the darkness, I might run into the back of them because the trucks were not fitted with reflectors or tail lights. That night was unforgettable and one of the most tiring rides of my entire three years. I was afraid and scared I might not make it.

Trying to make it to Iringa Tanzania from the border of Tanzania turned out to be another harrowing night. When tarmac becomes wet and the sun fades into night, the pavement fades again into the horizon and trying to see the difference between pavement and vast emptiness of desolate landscapes becomes the most important task of riding. The rain poured and even protected in the confines of my rain suit, I felt trapped and blind. The bright streams of lights from oncoming traffic would detract like a star filter through the drops of rain on my visor creating a massive blind-spot that would haunt me as I rode the twisty track. Drainage on African roads is nonexistent, so I would wade through two and three foot high flooded roads, once amazed at the thousands of frogs who sprayed off the wake of my front tire as I rode through. The sounds of the gurgling frogs actually drowned the noise of falling rain.

I was afraid then, too.

Because my memory was vivid from the time I crushed my leg in a slippery fall on muddy and slippery clay, the muddy dirt roads of South Africa, particularly near the Drakensburg scared me too. Like a slivering snake, to me there is nothing more frightening than lack of traction on wet clay. I can see no difference between it and ice—I think I would rather ride on ice. Mud? Please stay away.

At the beginning of my trip I was still haunted and spooked by the notion of bandits in Mexico. Caught in the dark and still 30 miles from the closest village. tense and stressed, and still unable to see through the dark forests of Michoacán, my heart beat fast every time a car came up from behind.

Even as fear tried to suffocate my spirit and crush my confidence in these incidences, I made it through. And with each incident I became a stronger foe to fear. And while fearlessness is unhealthy, balance and prudence is key; as is your attitude. The compromise you make with fear so that you don't let it get the best of you and in turn, you don't due anything stupid or intentional that could certainly upset your balance between strength and fear.

When it comes time for you to consider traveling, such as I did or to any of the places I traveled? There's no reason to be afraid. There's nothing to fear.

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	Thanks for sharing your thoughts on fear, Allan. It is also the question I am asked most: "Aren't You Scared?" Yes, sometimes, but we work through it because we know that it's mostly unfounded, and the rewards are worth the risk!
	Commented by  Carla King  On  July 27, 2011
	Hi Allan, I really liked reading thru your lines, Im from Mexico and just went to a trip to Michoacan recently, it was just my girlfriend and I riding my F650GS; and I get the same type of questions. I've come to a conclusion which I share with such people: I'm also affraid as you are, the difference is it wont stop me, because you overcome fears after you faced them, not before hand". I hope your journey keeps throwing you many more gifts! Felipe from Guadalajara, Mexico.
	Commented by  Juan Felipe Castro  On  July 28, 2011
	@Carla Yes, 'aren't you scared." Alone? A woman? I'm sure you get even MORE of these questions than me. But you're right. We work through these things and face our foe, fear. Thanks for your comment! @ Felipe Bienvenidos a WorldRider. Thanks for stopping in Juan and good point, we can't let a little fear stop us from enjoying our world and the ride. Thanks for your comment!
	Commented by  WorldRider  On  July 28, 2011
	Nice article, thanks for sharing. rental mobil jakarta
	Commented by  Griya Mobil Kita  On  September 02, 2011
	In the famous words of the late Pres. FD Roosevelt, "The only thing we have to fear is... fear itself!" Most people who express and project this paralyzing fear of the unknown and the uncertain are people who are not travelers themselves, so if you have to explain it to them, they will never understand,...nor will they ever live life to the fullest. Saludos desde Ecuador, A.T.
	Commented by  A.T.  On  September 21, 2011

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