As soon as Martin Bellmann from Germany received his riding license in September 2022, he set out for his first solo bike ride from Bremen to Naples, a distance of 6,000 kilometres. “I always wanted to ride a bike. In Germany, it is difficult to pass the riding test as there is a lot of theory and practical studies required. Since I was working as a management consultant for financial services, I didn’t have the time to study. When I finally got my license, I decided on going on a world tour with my bike,” says Martin, who covered over 30,000 kilometres travelling from Germany to India.
A resident of Delmenhorst (Lower Saxony), Germany, Martin completed his Bachelor of Science in Economics and Master of Science in IT-Management. After working for 5 years in the banking and trading industry, he is now out exploring the world with his bike, smartphone and GoPro to document this journey. So far, he has touched 180 kilometres per day and when there is a good Wi-Fi connection, he finds time to update his travels through minute long videos on his blog, https://findpenguins.com/hansebiker95.
Martin started his journey on September 22, 2022 from his hometown, Delmenhorst (Lower Saxony) in Germany travelling thorough countries like Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Greece, Bulgaria. Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Iran, Pakistan and India. The next two Asian countries on his list before leaving India is Sri Lanka and Nepal. On his way through Turkey, he also picked up his German friend from Istanbul and then rode through the west coast of Turkey till Izmir.
Travelling on his Honda Transalp, Martin only faced major issues with the bike in Turkey. “I had a major breakdown in Turkey. Fortunately, there was a Honda service station which did the repairs soon. It is difficult to get original parts for the bike. The clutch discs are from Royal Enfield while the tires, clutch cables are from general producers,” he adds.
The German authorities give proper travel guidelines for its citizens travelling to different countries. Since Martin was travelling solo on his bike, he had to be more vigilant. “I was curious to travel to Iran and Pakistan and these two countries really surprised me. We get to hear all the bad news and security issues in the news from these countries but I lived for a month in Iran and for one and a half month in Pakistan. However, I did face difficulties a few days after arriving in India. I reached Wagah Border on January 21,” explains the 27-year-old rider.
Speaking about his experience in Pakistan, Martin says, “My plan was to reach India and I had the option of either travelling through Afghanistan or Pakistan. I preferred Pakistan for security issues and it is not too risky. When you inquire with German authorities, if you can go on your own vehicle to Pakistan, they tell you that it is not possible. They have the information on their website that you can go via Balochistan. In this region in Pakistan, you cannot go on your own and you have to take the 24/7 escort service and you have to even sleep in the police stations. I travelled for 1500 kilometres and four days on this stretch and I had to sleep in the police stations right next to the prisons. The escort service treated me very well, they gave me food for free. I had a great time with the escort service.”
The trouble in India began when Martin reached a day before Republic Day to Delhi. After having a verbal altercation with the lodge owner, who refused to serve Martin breakfast and refund the room rent for the next few days, the police were called in. The lodge owner told the police that Martin was a terrorist who travelled from Pakistan. After being taken for an emergency meeting and questioning for nearly 8 hours, the police asked the lodge owner to refund Martin and pay him extra money for the inconvenience. The police even offered him dinner. But since, it was on the eve of Republic Day, the police had to be vigilant.
Martin travelled to the Taj Mahal in Agra, Ranthambore National Park, Jaipur, Pushkar, Udaipur, Statue of Unity in Gujarat, Sula Vineyards in Nashik and lake camping in Bhandardara before reaching Mumbai and then Goa. “I really enjoyed living in Goa and met a lot of great people too,” says Martin.
From India, Martin will fly from Chennai to Sri Lanka for a few days and will keep his bike for servicing in India. Once back to Chennai on March 21, he will travel through Central India reaching Nagpur and continuing his journey to Nepal. He says, “I have no dedicated plan to travel for a certain period of time but most probably, I will continue for a bit longer. I have covered the Western region of India and then travelled to the South, so my plan is complete the Northern area including the Himalayas before I leave from India. I will be in India till the end of May.”
From Nepal, Martin plans to return to India and explore Ladakh and Kashmir before travelling to Myanmar and then Thailand depending on the border restrictions. “I mostly plan my schedule on a day to day basis. There is no proper route to follow but I try to cover at least 100-150 kilometres per day. I find out what is interesting in the area and what new I can experience by travelling there. I love the surprise element when I actually visit the place,” says Martin.
What is Martin taking back from his trip in India? “I will be taking home pleasant memories of all the places I have visited. As a biker, I don’t have enough space on the bike. I did not pick even one thing on the entire trip so far except for two t-shirts from Goa. My souvenirs are my pictures and my memories,” concludes Martin.