RIDING RTW

A LIFESTYLE OF FIRSTS

- Alexandra Fefopoulou

It was a hot summer evening, sitting with Stergios on our balcony in Athens sipping cold beer and chatting about our travels when a memory came back from years ago: our first beer together. We were in South Africa and had just left Joburg riding towards Lesotho. It was the first day of our trip together on a “test ride” because we hardly knew each other and didn’t know how things would go with two almost-strangers riding two-up on a Vespa. After a smooth first day on the road, we pitched our tent by a lake. The place was idyllic; after dinner, Stergios went to the store for a couple of beers and we drank them sitting next to each other enjoying the moment.

How many times do we say, “the first time I...” in our lives? Some are lucky enough to have a lifetime full of firsts, both big and small. That day, it was just a beer at a campsite somewhere in South Africa, but for us, it was the beginning of our story together, the first time I rode the Vespa and the first time Stergios traveled with a pillion.

When Stergios decided to leave everything behind to scooter through Africa, he didn’t think he was doing something special or breaking any record; he just wanted to see the world. Many first-time events, such as pitching his tent overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in Western Sahara, weren’t worth mentioning because wild camping for the first time was all about overcoming his fears and insecurities and nothing else.