We first got in contact with Aditya (aka Mak) back in July, when he introduced himself to us on instagram. At that time, he was only one month away from leaving on his 6 month journey around South America. Last week, 3 months into his travels, we met up with each other at Salinas de Maras in Peru. Meeting Mak was like seeing an old friend after a long time. Mak is sincere and genuine, and is the kind of person that brings people together.
We were very interested to learn about his life in India, and what it took for him to make this trip happen. Mak is involved with many projects that are making this planet a better place to live, he is an inspiring person to be around and we feel so privileged to have met him. It was sad to part after such a great time together, but we believe Mak will be a life long friend, and each of us now has a home on a different continent.
*Update: After we parted ways with Mak, we thought we would be in India before meeting again. But in a weird twist of fate, we have now said our final goodbyes to Mak three times – each one harder than the last – and now we have hope that we will meet again unexpectedly somewhere along the road.
Where are you from?
Hi, I’m Mak/Aditya from Bangalore, India.
How long have you been travelling?
I’ve been travelling for almost 3 months now on a motorcycle.
What inspired you to start travelling?
The Seed
I’ve always been fascinated with South America. The more I retrace my steps the further back it goes.. But the clearest definitive time would be when I studied spanish for a month in 2008. I had the realisation that with just one language, I could travel most of Latin America. That sowed the seed of this trip. Irony is, that I never studied spanish after that month and landed up in Colombia, unable to speak a single word of spanish.
The Courage to Pursue
That’s the tagline of MTM.
Back home two friends and I run Motorcycle Travellers Meet. It’s a passion project that we’ve been working on since 2013. It’s a small intimate 3-4 day camp out meet where motorcycle travellers from across the world share their stories. I had the dream to ride before, but MTM helped me realise that it’s achievable.
What does a typical day of travel look like for you?
Eat breakfast before heading out. Stopping frequently to hunt for alternative offroad routes. And a lot of time on the app – iOverlander.
What is your favourite and least favourite part of travelling?
Most Favourite – stopping, staring and not being in a rush.. Struggling with my spanish while I interact with the locals in small towns.
Least Favourite – Packing up my camp kitchen
What is the biggest challenge you have faced while travelling?
A crisis of confidence in Ecuador. I had a bit of a health scare during the trip.. Made me question if it was worth continuing or turning back.. I was able to figure it out and soldier on.
How do you make it work financially? (ie. did you save for the trip, are you working? living on a budget,etc?)
I worked and saved for 7 years and lived on a fairly tight budget to save up for this trip.
Longer answer
I used to be a mechanic and that paid next to nothing. On conversion it was less than $80 a month and that’s when I started saving for the trip. It was tough and meager. Around 7 years ago I gave up being a mechanic and found a desk job that paid around 10,000 Indian rupees ($150ish) a month.
From there I slowly crawled up the corporate ladder, slogged, learnt new skills, got lucky with my skill set and found better paying jobs along the way, saving up as much as possible and not giving into lifestyle creep! I’m quite frugal, my wife will attest to that!
What is your favourite place you have travelled to and why?
Possibly the refugio at the North face of Chimborazo.. Absolutely stunning.. with incredible terrain, llamas everywhere, endless variations in terrain and sub zero temperatures.. And thanks to Brendon and Kira – I know those were Vicuñas and not Llamas!
But..
A village called Pacoyan in the middle of nowhere. I was riding in a hailstorm for two hours before I finally stopped. The town was so small the houses didn’t have bathrooms.. Once the hail stopped, these kids came out of nowhere and within 20 minutes they knew everything about me and my trip. Then they began a quest to find a place for me to stay. Followed by the most wonderful guided tour of their little town for the next 2.5 hours before they walked me to a house where I could eat food.
Aside from the basics (money, passport, backpack), what are 3 items you can’t live without?
My motorcycle :P, My Sawyer Mini Water Filter
What is your least favourite place you have travelled to and why?
Possibly Pasto in Colombia. I felt out of place, there was a fair bit of tension in the air. I’m unsure why. I typically avoid cities and Pasto was the second (and last) city I stayed in Colombia. I don’t have anything bad to say about the city, I wasn’t treated badly and nothing untoward happened.. It just felt, weird..
What makes a trip successful to you?
Personal satisfaction.. it has to be personal. A lot of people gauge travel by distances covered, days spent, and places seen. I’ve stumbled upon places that I could not have imagined and they just happened to be by the roadside. Try not to fulfill other peoples definition of travel. Find your own and fulfil that. It’s very different for everyone.
Have you been anywhere which turned out to be totally different to how you imagined? If so, how?
Ecuador.. Most people said there isn’t much to see, rush through it. But I was pleasantly surprised.. I spent a month in Ecuador. I could have spent another month just on the route I took. Everything is just a couple of hours away. The beaches, the Amazon, the volcanos. If you have just a few weeks, Ecuador is the place to go.
I’m yet to go to Machu Picchu, and that is one place where everyone has told me a different story. If it’s worth it or not. I’ll have to see.
What do you think the biggest misconception is about travelling?
I feel the biggest misconception about travel is that it is about going to as many places as possible, or to a specific set of places. Travel can even be plonking yourself in a single spot with a book for a week. Find the interesting places yourself, that’s a lot more satisfying.
If you could recommend one book to a friend, what would it be?
In Spite of the Gods.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone who wants to travel, what would it be?
Save up and do it. Don’t overthink, don’t hunt for the conventional way. Travel for yourself. Be a little selfish, it’s ok..Or..to quote Hubert Kriegel – “Take a risk today.”
If you want to continue to follow along with Mak’s travels, you can find him here:
Instagram @mak.aditya