About the Book
Deadhorse to Ushuaia--an epic journey on many long distance riders' bucket lists. But few would contemplate tackling that ride on a vintage 1975 Moto Guzzi. The author's choice of motorcycle is as unique as his interactions with the people and history he finds along the way. This is not the typical account of that route across the Americas, but one which is as uncommon as the rider, the Dutch print journalist Paul van Hooff--the Man in the Saddle.
About the Author :
Paul Andre Jan van Hooff was born on the 19th of March 1964 in Kaduna, Nigeria, where his father was employed as a pilot at the time. He does not have any memories of his residence in Nigeria. He grew up in De Zilk, a village located by the North Sea in the Dutch province of South Holland. He moved to Amsterdam when he turned twenty-one and remained there until his early forties. His favorite hang-out there still is Café De Koe. He studied journalism at the School of Journalism in Utrecht from 1987 to 1991. After graduating, he kick-started his career as a press officer for the Catholic Broadcasting Association (known as the KRO in Dutch, comparable to the British BBC). He changed his career to freelance journalism after realizing that the routine of a steady job was just not for him. He developed a specialty in two niches: that of broadcasting and motor journalism.
To Paul, besides journalism, motorcycles are a way of life. Cars mean nothing to him; he never even bothered to get a car driver's license. "In a car you're locked up in a far too confined space, alone with your thoughts and the smell of your own farts. On a motorbike your senses are in sync with what happens around you. You are one with the landscape, with the sun, the wind, the rain and the cold. You are part of the elements."
His first real motorbike was a Laverda 750SF, after which several Ducatis and Moto Guzzis followed, along with different off-road bikes such as the Yamaha XT500 and the Honda XR650R, as well as the odd outing to Buell. Italian motorbikes have his preference--after all, Italians understand the power of seduction like no others.
In May 2005, Paul combined his passion for motorbikes and writing with his other basic need, travelling. He closed the "Netherlands door" behind him, shipped his faithful Moto Guzzi V7 to Alaska, and rode a three-year epic trip from Deadhorse, Alaska, to Ushuaia, at the tail end of Argentina. To fund his trip, he continued writing for several newspapers and magazines. Van Hooff lived his dream. When in Sucre, Bolivia, he met Roxana. Together they had twins: Santiago and Sebastian.
In November 2016, Van Hooff slipped onto the saddle of the Moto Guzzi V7 again and rode from Amsterdam to Tokyo in what was mostly wintery weather. This still-to-be-published book will bear the title From Here to Tokyo. Paul is living in Sucre with his twins..
Review :
[Translated from the Dutch] Paul van Hooff (1964) gives his certainties when he leaves his busy life as a freelance journalist in Amsterdam. In 2005 he makes a motorcycle trip across the Panamericana, from the far north of Alaska to the far south of South America. He recorded his experiences in the travel book Man in the saddle. Guus calls his white Moto Guzzi V7 from 1975, a classic Italian motorcycle, affectionately. It is his' friend of steel'.After his experiences in Alaska - beautiful portraits, raw people - and the United States is three quarters of the book about Latin America. As soon as Van Hooff crosses the border with Mexico, he enters another world. It is hot, dusty. He drinks beer in a karaoke bar and meets locals, who invite him hospitably at home to continue to eat and sleep. Van Hooff does not go full throttle in the middle of America, but he does finish this part at a good pace. Van Hooff crosses Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica and Panama. He meets heavily armed men at the petrol station - police or criminals? Along the way he sees the effects of hurricane Stan, whose scars are still relatively fresh. When he drinks alcohol in a park, he falls prey to a 'wrong' agent. He lands briefly in the bin, to then buy himself free. Furthermore, Van Hooff enjoys the journey and the colorful population. The vehicle across the border is often a tricky business. Corrupt customs officers and policemen may have been cut off in the story and cliché, but they are reality. From Panama he makes the crossing to Colombia by boat. Now the real work has to start, Van Hooff thinks: "South America had to be the crown on my journey." Van Hooff experiences the necessary adventures in Cartagena, the colonial coastal city on the Caribbean Sea. Then we are soon back in Ecuador and Peru; He will skip Chile. Only in Bolivia does he go a little further into the depth, as he explodes the history of Che Guevara. Van Hooff's journey ends in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, in Patagonia, Argentina. Latin America is a beautiful backdrop for an adventurous journey in this travel book. In addition to the start and end point, Van Hooff has no fixed plan. The journey itself is the goal in itself, not so much the destination. The reader does not become much wiser about the continent. But in one way or another it hardly bothered. The book reads pleasantly through his enthusiasm and humor. Van Hooff speaks Spanish and makes easy contact. In addition, his engine provides the necessary attention and claim. It is of course a tough guy with some grandeur and bravado, which enchants the necessary feminine beauty on the way. Van Hooff briefly explains his eventful life story in the travelogue. In moments of self-reflection he asks himself whether he is on the run for a regular life? His motto is the slogan 'freedom is a decision'. That is of course easy to call for a man without a wife and children or other responsibilities, as he himself knows. Fortunately, Van Hooff does not run into this mantra.In addition, as a reader you do not have to think too lightly about such a long motor trip. It may sound simple, driving from A to B, but physically and mentally it is a tough challenge. Heat, cold, constant concentration and stay focused on thousands of kilometers of asphalt - or even worse: unpaved roads - require endurance, guts and expertise. Van Hooff's journey and book are not unique; many went and wrote to him. But the journey is a unique experience for everyone who actually makes it. The book is nicely designed: hardcover, with extensive cover photos and a tire profile on the side. A perfect gift for motorcyclists who also want to undertake such a trip.Paul van Hooff, Man in the saddle, 60,000 km of freedom, Uitgeverij Brandt, Amsterdam, 2014, ISBN 9789492037060, 352 pages, 20, hardcover--Mark Weenink "La Chispa"
