I just finished reading Jupiter’s Travels by Ted Simon.

This is the story of his 1970s four year trip around the world on a Triumph Tiger; one of the first times anyone had done this and his trip was certainly the catalyst for many others including Long Way Round. No, I am not contemplating doing the same trip but his insights and observations are fascinating.

“I am learning, as I make my way through my first continent, that it is remarkably easy to do things, and much more frightening to contemplate them”.

“In Colombia it was the custom to do murder and violence. Yet I found the Colombians at least as hospitable, honorable, and humane as the the Argentines, whose custom is merely to cheat. Arabs have the custom of showing their emotions and hiding their women. Australians show their women and hide their emotions. In Sudan it is customary to be honest. In Thailand dishonesty is virtually a custom, but so is giving gifts to strangers.”

I was also struck by how the world has changed since he made this first journey. The places that were then dangerous military dictatorships (Brazil, Chile, Peru) and now booming democracies, but many places he passed with no regard but for the poor state of the roads are now highly dangerous and dysfunctional states (Pakistan, Afghanistan) Who is to say that these places could not turnaround like South America.

I had the pleasure of meeting Ted Simon at an off-road event this year and chatted with him about his later trip when he repeated the same journey at the age of 70.

Never say never.