Wanderer Mati Plans to Travel the Pan-American Highway Before Retiring to a Rocking Chair
Some time ago, we received a tip that led us to search for an interesting person. One day, while wandering the streets in Estonia at Nõmme area in the capital city in May, we managed to pop into the yard of wanderer Mati Palu. At the gate stood a fully loaded BMW, with which Mati was set to leave for Warsaw the next day. His plan was to ship the motorcycle to Canada and ride the Pan-American Highway solo.
In early July, he will fly to Vancouver to find his two-wheeled friend and begin their journey on the Pan-American Highway together. Wikipedia tells us that the Pan-American Highway is a network of roads stretching across the Americas, with a total length of nearly 30,000 kilometers. Except for an approximately 106-kilometer stretch of rainforest in southeastern Panama and northwestern Colombia, the Pan-American Highway connects nearly all the Pacific coastal countries of the Americas.
Wanderer Palu is undertaking this journey alone. He laughs that before retiring to a rocking chair, he needs to go. According to his passport, he is sixty-four, but his spirit is undoubtedly full of a desire for travel and life! He has traveled to 82 different countries and plans to reach one hundred. He has visited every country in Europe. “Now, the sandbox has become too small. I’ve gone as far as I could on my motorcycle. Mongolia, a bit of Africa, the Pamirs, Karabakh,” he says quite modestly. He has also circled the Black Sea on his motorcycle.
When asked about his most vivid memory from his motorcycle travels, he says that the Pamirs were incredible! 4,655 meters above sea level. “We traveled along the Afghan border; it was awesome! You can’t do squats, and you start panting immediately. Some little guys were knocking on your head; the ascent was so sudden. We drank tea in a teahouse, some old lady put us to sleep in a yurt, said don’t worry, everything will be fine in the morning. And it was!” With a fuel-injected motorcycle, you wouldn’t even realize you were that high. No issues at all.
He says Iran was amazing! 46 degrees Celsius! “The jacket was open, and all you got was hot air – we drove for 15-20 minutes at a time, stopping in shops to cool off under the air conditioning. In Iran, you can find the world’s friendliest people! It was surreal! You ask someone for directions, and they invite you to eat. Yes, yes, that city is over there, but come inside first – do you want to eat?” Palu recalled. “We tried to buy water from a shop – no, no, we don’t want your money, you’re guests!” he described the locals’ attitude. People are wonderful everywhere, and traveling by motorcycle brings you closer to them.
It’s clear that Palu is not a man of many words but rather a man of action. He has particularly fond memories of all the countries ending in “-stan.” He prefers to travel with a companion, but he says that if he waited for a travel buddy, he’d never get to go. Most of his trips have been done with two motorcycles.
Speaking about traveling, Palu says that doing your homework is very important. The first thing you do when you’re planning to go somewhere is buy a guidebook, like Lonely Planet. You can find information online too, but Lonely Planet is also very good. “When you arrive somewhere, you open it up and see what it recommends.”
First, upon reaching Canada, Palu plans to head towards the top of Alaska, then turn around and head south. In Alaska, the distances are vast; the journey alone from Vancouver to the top of Alaska and back is at least 10,000 kilometers. “Then I’ll start coming down through Central America and Mexico, but I’ll need to take a break somewhere for about three months, leave the bike somewhere, and wait for the snow to melt in the southern tip,” he says of his plans.
The Darien Gap is, of course, a place that can cause headaches because there are no roads. It’s the area that connects the North and South American continents in Central America through the Isthmus of Panama. “It’s a swamp with no roads between Panama and Colombia. Only crazy people with machetes go through it on foot. Some real madmen have managed to drag their bikes through it in about a month, but now there are a couple of transport companies that fly you over with your bike,” Palu explains.
This is likely to be a very costly project, but somehow, he has to get it across. From there, he will continue through Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina to Ushuaia, where ships leave for Antarctica, though he does not plan to go there.
To be honest, Palu’s travel-ready bike is very modestly loaded compared to the typical touring bikes you see. His BMW 1200 GS, from 2013, has an odometer reading 117,000 kilometers, all ridden by Palu himself. There are saddlebags, a small tank bag, and some jerry cans for water and extra fuel, plus a small hidden tool tube. The man spits over his shoulder, saying he has new tires on and hopes nothing happens. Besides, tires there are the same price as here, so there’s no point in carrying them along.
In one saddlebag is his accommodation – a tent, mattress, chair, and sleeping bag. In the other saddlebag are clothes. Palu says, “What’s the point of carrying too much with you?” As for tools, he has a few wrenches, sockets, a small compressor, and a tire repair kit. Being a very experienced motorcycle traveler, Palu knows exactly how much gear he needs to take and doesn’t burden himself with excess. According to him, a tire repair kit and a compressor are essentials to have on a long trip.
Palu only shares his travel information with a circle of friends and looks at journalists with a slight smirk, wondering if this is really necessary. “Why am I even going? If I delay, my window of opportunity starts closing, and there’s still something big to do. If not now, then when, because there’s not much time left before the rocking chair,” he laughs.
He expects to find the joy of discovery, adventure, and something new that he can no longer find in Europe. In Europe, everything is already familiar and well-trodden paths. He hasn’t been to South America before, and he certainly expects new experiences from there.
He wants to see the vastness and nature of Alaska. “For example, in Mongolia, you stand in the middle of the steppe, 360 degrees around you, there’s nobody and nothing. Wow! Yes, look where I am! There’s nobody! That’s when my light bulb lights up, feeling the size and vastness of the world,” Palu describes what he is seeking. He tries to avoid cities and crowds, wanting to find himself in places where there is nobody and nothing. He doesn’t want to inhale truck exhaust fumes in city traffic jams.
He can communicate in English, but further south in America, people know nothing of English and communicate in Spanish, of which Palu knows nothing. “Well, there’s nothing else to do but use Google Translate and a little pantomime; it will work out,” he laughs.
On Facebook, he follows the Pan America Riders group, where he gathers information about accommodations, repair shops, and other useful tips.
In Alaska and North America, he plans to camp more, although there is the danger of bears – grizzlies and brown bears are said to be very active. “I’ll check places where others also stay, so I don’t do anything too crazy, like going alone to a river bend to watch bears chase salmon.”
Further south in America, it doesn’t make much sense to set up a tent when accommodations are so affordable. “Up to Argentina, where they say there’s huge inflation, and everyone is holding their heads over the prices! A rear tire is supposed to cost 300-400 dollars, unbelievable!” he says.
“It’s a huge challenge! Even I get a slight tremble in my knee, thinking about what I’ve come up with! There’s a bit of reverence for it,” he notes.
