He calls her the Hamburglar and she's his only companion. And yet 15 countries, 144 days and 10,000 kms later, Sean Jordan is not bored of his cream coloured Vespa. Especially since he's got to spend another 10 months with her before his globetrotting comes full circle.
Jordan, 34, has been a man on a mission ever since he decided to quit his humdrum job as a software techie and travel the world on his Vespa. Four months into this journey which began in Belgrade, Serbia, he's feeling better about his life. "I had been dabbling with this idea for more than five years, and then I suddenly felt the wanderlust kick in," he says. After working out a budget on the back of an envelope, Jordan felt he was ready. "It took me nearly three months to get things in order — the paper work, the money — and then quitting my job was all a part of it."
Why did he choose the Vespa? For starters, Jordan's love for Vespas began at home, in Montreal. But it was only in Europe that he bought himself one — "I'd say the greatest advantage of a Vespa is that everywhere I go, people are amused with what I'm doing."
So far, the Hamburglar has given him trouble only once. And now that he's in India, he's making sure she's fixed up for the rest of his journey. Which is why he's spent more than two weeks in Delhi making sure she's back in great shape. As you read this, he's in Agra, at the Taj Mahal, the one place in India that he just "had to go to".
{{/usCountry}}So far, the Hamburglar has given him trouble only once. And now that he's in India, he's making sure she's fixed up for the rest of his journey. Which is why he's spent more than two weeks in Delhi making sure she's back in great shape. As you read this, he's in Agra, at the Taj Mahal, the one place in India that he just "had to go to".
{{/usCountry}}Such a long journey
Up until now Jordan's had to face rough terrain in Russia, carry all his money in Iran and has had to bribe officials to get his bike from customs in India. But all in all, he's very happy with his progress. "I've made some great friends, eaten some awesome food and learnt a lot about all the countries I've visited so far," he says.
He's had to travel light. "I had to do a lot of preparation to get my load down to the bare minimum, especially the technological kind," says this former techie, whose carrying with him a GPS, a phone, a netbook and a pocket camera. "Plus am carrying a tent with me, that I can pitch whenever I feel too lazy to check into a guesthouse."
Jordan doesn't really know what he's going to do after his journey gets over. "Perhaps I'll write a book? I don't really know." What he does know however is that he wants to drive into his parents farm in Canada on his Vespa before he calls his quits with globetrotting. And after that? "I'll head back to Belgrade and make a new life-turning decision."
To read more about Jordan's travels, log on to his blog vespa360.com