Frist, the Solo Scooteriest
Michael Struass I met via the internet and his blog soloscooterist.com. He
has completed a amazing journey from South Africa through xx number of countries,
including Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Egypt. Solo on his Vespa. I will not try
to tell you his trip. He does that excellently in his blog
soloscooterist.com
Vicki and I got to spend time with Michael in Parma, Italy this week. He
rode down from Milano and we drove up from the south. He has been roaming Italy
and as far north as Lyon, France. On his return ride he thought “they will find
me and Vic frozen to the side of a mountain” when he rode back over the alps to
Milano. He is still chilled days later
He was so enjoyable that we spent 5 hours, well after midnight, (very rare
for a old guy like me), over ossobuco, parma ham, and fine wine (he is a “wine
snob”, his self-description). He is a very philosophical person and his trip
really moved him as a person. I think he went from being a native born African
“resident” to a true African because of this journey.
Without a doubt the most impressive part of his ride to him was the people.
Kindness and smiling faces met him everywhere he went and his eyes and face
really lights up when he conveys these stories.
He has been uninspired to blog in Europe, which is easy to understand after
the journey that he as done. Europe is great he says but not as awe inspiring
after a solo scooter ride across a continent. Especially Africa. I told him he
probably has a form of PTSD from going to from a challenging ride across all new
territory to being back to the familiar. He described it as seeing people
scraping the grounds to grow products just to stay alive to massive tractors in
Europe plowing fields in their air condition cabs smoking cigarettes and highway
signs “holding your hand and leading to every turn”. It was a great mental
divide. He says the trip was not a life “changing experience” as many describe
their journeys. “If I had died on this trip, that would be a life changing
experience. It is a awaking experience of what is so beautiful about Africa.”
The next day we spent all morning talking of his adventure again. Ethiopia,
he claims, has made him a caffeine addict as he polished off his fourth
cappuccino. No matter where you are in Ethiopia, he says, there is someone
serving the best coffee he has ever had and not in a Starbucks but a bucket on
the side of the road.
Him personally describing days when it would take hours and hours just to
make 100 km because of road conditions, or getting stuck at night riding and
having his own night safari ride with hyenas, giraffes and “who knows what
else”, riding on a road with dirt ruts deeper than his tires and coming upon a
luxury tent resort, where they invited him to stop and have fresh fruit juices,
scotch that he declined, and food on a romantic candle lite table in front of
the tent of luxury and then, stepping back into his world, returning to the
night inching his way along. Of temperatures of 54 c/ 130 f, temperatures so hot
he could not touch his scooter with his bare hands. Of people helping him and
him helping people, like the truck driver he came upon who’s truck had jack
knifed and been in the desert with no food or water for 3 days. He gave him all
his water and food and not being able to do more rode off, agreeing that if he
came on someone he would send help
After traveling 24,000 km on Victoria and her never letting him down or
missing a beat he is very, very proud of her and Vespa. He got a tour of the
Vespa plant. When I explained that is “unheard of” and that I knew not a single
person that has toured the plant, he was a little amazed. He was also amazed to
discover what most of us already know, Vespa is unimpressed with anything it’s
product does or with it’s customers. He had formed a true bound with his trusty
Vespa Victoria and is rightly proud of what she has down and was stunned that
Vespa was not. That is the norm for Vespa I explained to him.
We saw him off on his last ride of this part of the journey. He was on his
way back to Milano to sort out the shipping of Victoria back to South Africa.
Sounds like a simple task, but it seems to be a major, major operation. He has
received many, many “no’s” and just got two quotes of $11,000 and $3,000. He
has hurried off to close on the $3,000 as tomorrow is a holiday and he is flying
home on Tuesday the 4th.
I was really amazing to spend time with him and I am sure our paths will
cross again in the future.
