As a child, Helge Pedersen dreamed of seeing Africa. In 1982, he sold everything he owned except his motorcycle and some gear and began a journey that would be longer, more dangerous, and lead to more adventures than he ever imagined.
For more than 10 years, Helge and Olga, his sturdy BMW motorcycle, traveled in vagabond style. Their journey took them across five continents and over 250,000 miles, more than ten times the actual distance around the world!
His usually pleasant encounters with foreign cultures and people taught Pedersen to see the world in a different way, but he also had to endure some hardships along the way: malaria and corruption in postcolonial Africa; severe hunger in southern Argentina; imprisonment in Somalia (and again in North Yemen); broken bones and infection in Colombia; and expulsion from Japan.
Helge became adept at crossing deserts and jungles, changing money on the black market, and curing dysentery, but how was he to deal with a serious love affair after years alone on the road? That was the unaccustomed challenge the globetrotting Norwegian had to face when he met and fell in love with an American, Karen Ofsthus. Together they shared some of the miles and experiences and dealt with Helge's transition from a life of constant movement to one with a reference point called "home."
10 Years on 2 Wheels is an unusual and exciting travel story. It is the history of a wanderer with an address that read simply: THE WORLD.
For more than 10 years, Helge and Olga, his sturdy BMW motorcycle, traveled in vagabond style. Their journey took them across five continents and over 250,000 miles, more than ten times the actual distance around the world!
His usually pleasant encounters with foreign cultures and people taught Pedersen to see the world in a different way, but he also had to endure some hardships along the way: malaria and corruption in postcolonial Africa; severe hunger in southern Argentina; imprisonment in Somalia (and again in North Yemen); broken bones and infection in Colombia; and expulsion from Japan.
Helge became adept at crossing deserts and jungles, changing money on the black market, and curing dysentery, but how was he to deal with a serious love affair after years alone on the road? That was the unaccustomed challenge the globetrotting Norwegian had to face when he met and fell in love with an American, Karen Ofsthus. Together they shared some of the miles and experiences and dealt with Helge's transition from a life of constant movement to one with a reference point called "home."
10 Years on 2 Wheels is an unusual and exciting travel story. It is the history of a wanderer with an address that read simply: THE WORLD.