I made a work trip to Asia recently to work out some production issues and source materials. This was my 4th trip like this in the last few years and each time I, or we, go, we try to squeeze in a little of non-work fun since we already traveled that far. On this trip I decided to visit friends in Tokyo, one of my favorite cities. If the visit needed any further justification, I also had some sales research and a meeting in Tokyo. And, since I was there, why not work in my favorite way to explore… a motorcycle trip.

The whole Japan segment of the trip was great. It was a nice contrast to the exhausting factory visits in Hong Kong and China.

It's nice to have friends in Tokyo to find the good little restaurants.

It was pretty easy to find a motorcycle rental in Japan, although it seems that I found the ONLY rental place that caters to geijin(foreigners) like myself. Fortunately, they had a bike available and they were great to deal with.

I saw some amazing areas and met great people. If you ever want to meet great people that can give you a locals tips, or possible a place to stay, or even better- make new friends in great places try www.couchsurfing.org

If you’re apart of our Facebook fan page (and you should be, if not!), you may know about our Going and Need Gear initiative. It’s for those who are planning to travel and need some great travel gear to take with them. You simply tell us about your plans- where, when and why you’re excited to go- and this makes you eligible to win a free bag and wallet!  We give them away to someone who’s shared about their travel plans every time we pass another 100-fan mark on Facebook. So far, we’ve had 3 winners. Wanna meet them?

Luciano:
Our first winner was about to embark on one of the most important trips of his life! In Luciano’s own words:

I will travel to Kampala, Uganda, Africa in two weeks to finalize and hopefully bring back our new adopted daughter Nampiima, a kind, super-bright, beautiful five-year-old girl from the village of Bulanga. The process has taken almost 2 years, but it’s well worth the effort.  Once there, I plan on taking a safari with my daughter, going chimp-trekking at an island on Lake Victoria, and visiting the largest thatched hut/tomb in the world to learn about the history of Nampiima’s ancestors, who worked as the king’s blacksmiths, forging the royal weaponry.

Wow, right?!

Anna:
She was preparing to leave for 6-7 months, flying to Bali then traveling from there through Java, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia and Thailand. “What I am planning,” Anna wrote “is not a vacation, but a complete restructuring of my lifestyle as I know it…. It’s the biggest goal I’ve ever set for myself and I have been completely determined to make it happen.”

And we were determined to help! We sent her a brown Director, a toiletry case, and a snazzy Mojito wallet. Anna is still traveling, but she updates us regularly with new photos and stories. We’re living vicariously through Anna and loving it! For example, here she is motorbiking in Koh Lanta:

Colleen:
A former Peace Corp volunteer in Zambia who now volunteers somewhere at least once a year, Colleen spent this last Christmas holiday in Buenos Aires, Argentina working at 2 orphanages. Along with a photo, Colleen sent us an update when she finally made it home. Apparently, the gear was great, and so were the Argentinians. One of them even adopted her for Christmas and New Years since she was far from family. After tackling Argentina like a pro, Colleen took her Malcolm Fontier gear to Panama to volunteer on two organic farms.

Do we have topnotch fans or what? And we can’t wait to meet some others! The more fans we get on Facebook, the more more stories we can share, and the more gear we can give away. So spread the word and please say hello the next time you’re browsing around on the interwebs.

Anonymous persons,that we may or may not know, recently went to an undisclosed location in the Caribbean known for mojitos, cigars and old cars – they say it was an amazing place. From what they told us, the landscape and architecture is stunning, the people are beautiful and welcoming, and the culture has to be experienced. At a time when cultures blend and blur across borders, it’s great to visit a place that is so unique- despite some unfortunate effects. If things change, we hope this amazing place is able to keep the great things it has going while enjoying the benefits of more open borders. I hope to visit someday!

Definition of "Making Do": sharing a pair of roller skates.

One of our Mojitos, meets its namesake.

I am about to head out on a new adventure- this one on my motorcyle. The rough plan(I find a moto adventure, or any adventure for that matter is better without too much planning.) is to ride about 6000 miles total through the NE of the US and then Nova Scotia, Prince Edwards Island, and New Foundland, Canada-and back to Atlanta.  The 1st leg of the trip I’l be riding with my dad with him on his 39 year old motorcycle. For the mid part of the trip, my wife will join me and ride on the back of my bike from Portland, Maine to Halifax, Nova Scotia as we follow the coast. On the northen most part of my trip I’ll be riding with my good friend and frequent riding partner, Brian.

The name “Slight Right on 85N” comes from the early planning of the trip as I roughed out a 6000 mile round trip route from Atlanta in Google Maps- the 1st line of the direction were “A slight right…”. Never mind the following 1500 turns on 100’s of roads over 6000 miles. To me, the name is a reminder that every big (ad)venture starts with a small step.

Here’s a shot from the 1st leg of the trip when I rode my bike to NY a few weeks ago on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Stay tuned for many more adventure stories from the road.

Our friend Paul is in the middle of an epic journey. I call Paul a friend but we have actually only hung out once. We got along great, but I have learned a lot more about him and his outlook through his accounts of his current adventure and our long distance communications.

Paul is originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil. He lived here in Atlanta for a while but decided it was time to move back to Brazil. As a cyclist without time constraints, Paul applied some basic logic that probably went something like this: “What’s the best way to get from Atlanta to Sao Paulo? I think I’ll ride my bike.” Makes sense to me, although my ass hurts just thinking about a ride like that!

As I write Paul has been on the road for just over a year. He is somewhere in the desert of Peru- A loooong way from and Atlanta, and still a long way from Sao Paulo. In the year since he headed out he has lived a ridiculous number of experiences. He has seen some amazing landscapes, tasted different cultures, made tons of new friends, and partied with old friends. He’s also been stranded in Panama for a while pulling together the ferry fare to make it to Columbia, and been robbed in Quito- But, it seems like the few little glitches in the trip will become minor nuisances when compared to the tons of great times he has had!

“…so I got robbed in Quito, and, believe it or not, they managed to slash my pocket WHILE I was standing there and without me knowing it – boy did I feel like an idiot.  I would say that probably the best highlights of my trip were surviving my first week of camping in the frosts on the way out of the US (after not having camped in over a decade – yeah, I was well prepared, lol), the magical transformation from the sterility of the US to the vibrant colors and sounds and street-life of Latin America (ie: arriving in Mexico), the melting pot of culture, historical sites, bohemian neighborhoods, and compolitan nature of Mexico City, the stunning blue highland Lake Atitlan, ringed by volcanic peaks and quirky villages, the unforgettable journey from Panama to Colombia across the Caribbean by a huge tallship sailboat, passing through the dreamlike desert islands of San Blas, and the raw and unspoiled beauties of Colombia – from top to bottom.”

Paul sent me a few thoughts and reflections from the road when I mentioned I was going to write a piece on him:

• “…since beginning my trip the importance of destinations has almost faded into an afterthought, whereas the peoples, cultures, and warmth of welcome of a place are by far the most rewarding part of any visit.”

• “I would also have to say that all of the best and most memorable experiences of my entire trip were when I was given the opportunity to meet new friends in one of the cities or towns that I was visiting and then      discover that world through their eyes and feel like a local – so much more invigorating than guide-book exploring.”

• “…after having traveled through such austere and poverty-stricken lands for so long, I´ve learned to cherish and be grateful for the simple things, to make sacrifices, and to do for myself more than I ever had to before in my life (washing all your clothes by hand? Are you serious?).  I can´t say that there aren´t still some first-world luxuries that I always long for, …  but then again, I suppose they´ll be the much more rewarding once I do find them again (oh Ben & Jerry, where art thou?).”

Paul’s goal was to change his course in life and find a more fulfilling path with the epic bike trip as a rewarding, head-clearing transition. And so far, it sounds like the adventure has been a huge success.