Jammin thru the Global South Route Plan
— Background, Planning, Route Plan, Trip Prep — 1 min read
The general route plan is to ride around South America in 2010 and then ship or fly over the Atlantic to spend 2011 around Africa and then make my way towards India.
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Being a geo-political news junkie, I've been keeping abreast of the news in the regions I'll be traveling through and will avoid areas that are deemed unstable. However, one thing going in my favor is my brown skin color. In Mexico, with the few Spanish phrases that I could speak, people assumed I was Mexican since they can range from fair to dark and brown fits in there somewhere. I'll be taking a Spanish language immersion course in Guatemala and if I can come out of there speaking fluently, I should be able to pass for a local in many countries. Of course, I'll see what I can do about learning Portuguese for Brazil. My French is going to need a brush-up before I enter West Africa and besides that English should get me by along with a dose of respect for the locals.
After Africa, I'd like to continue overland through the Middle East into India. However, I'm not sure I can get a visa for Pakistan or if I'll be allowed to cross the border from Iran into Pakistan at Taftan. But that's two years away and I'll figure it out as I get closer.
Being an Indian citizen, my situation dictates that once I leave the US, the only country that will bureaucratically welcome me with open arms will be Mother India and thus the journey will be heading towards there. However, I might slow down somewhere along the way. And that could be in southern Africa, as I consider Zambia to be a second home and would like to give back to the country that provided me an exciting childhood.
Along with noting down the routes traversed by previous motorcycle travelers, the general climate in each region will dictate how the route goes. For example, I'll be avoiding the rainy season in Brazil and the super hot summers of the Sahara.
The line shows my approximate route:
Latin America Climate Route Planner
Africa Climate Route Planner
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