German-Argentine Couple, a Bike and Three Continents...

Florine Roche
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore

Mangalore, Oct 24: “La Bomba Loca” in Spanish means the crazy bomb and Leo Schultze of Germany and his partner Natalia Alvarez of Argentina have been touring on this 750 cc Africa Twin 1996 Honda July 9, 2012 onwards. So far the couple has covered a distance of about 14,000 kms touring many European and Asian countries and this week they were in Mangalore, enjoying the famed cuisine of this coastal district, visiting Gokarnanatha and Mangaladevi temple and the myriad cultural hues of this city.

“It has been our long cherished dream to come to India and now we are happy having fulfilled this dream”, they echo in unison as they talk about their dream run in India. Natalia adds “since childhood I wanted to come to India and see the grandeur of Taj Mahal and on seeing that marvelous architectural wonder I could not help crying”.

When I met Pran Hegde of Cherry Square he showed me the disc brake gifted to him by Leo and Natalia with their signatures as a souvenir as they were very happy with the treatment they got in the city and were enamored by the its cultural vivacity. That got me interested and I met them to get a first-hand experience of their tour.

The couple and their mean machine is the cynosureof all eyes wherever they go and even in Mangalore one could see the bike and the riders getting a second look. Fitted with two boxes on either side that carries their 40 kg of total luggage including lap top, spare parts, camera, kitchen tent, sleeping bags and first-aid kit, they have traversed through Europe and Asian continent in sun or rain, dust or storm. On an average they travel about 200 to 250 kms daily but in Iran on a single day they had covered almost 800 kms, almost a marathon run. Unlike Indians who always travel heavy the couple sustain on just two pair of clothes apart from clothes required for the changing weather in different parts.

If you thought they are exhausted after 4 months of their strenuous tour you are mistaken. The couple bubble with enthusiasm and they have to sustain this till March or April 2013 when they are planning to reach Australia. “From Australia our next destination will depend on our bank balance. If it is fat enough to sustain us for another one or two months we may plan to go to South Africa”, Leo declares with a childish grin.

Leo is an AC mechanic and Natalia is a student who just finished her studies majoring in psychology. She plans to become a psychiatrist and would work towards that goal once she is done with the current tour. Leo worked in South America for a couple of years and they met in 2009 and the friendship blossomed into a beautiful relationship. “We planned for this trip for almost one year trying to get every possible detail and researched on it so that we could have a meticulous tour programme with us”, Leo declares. Leo worked for nearly two years in Germany and saved his earnings and Natalia sold her car to make this long and hectic tour spreading over nearly 9 months.

The enthusiastic twosome shares a common enthrallment for travelling and this equal partnership of love for travelling is like a fulcrum that keeps their adrenaline levels on a high pedestal. Leo has visited 48 countries so far and Natalia is close behind with a visit to 32 countries and by the time they travel to Australia their list would elongate further.

The couple says they have many memorable moments of the entire journey. In Greece the AC DC converter of their bike gave up. In Turkey and Iran the bike had frequent flat tyres. In Iran a bike guy rammed into their mean machine and toppled over the other side. Fortunately the couple did not suffer any injury but they have to adjust with only one disc brake of the front tyre of the bike. Leo has to drive carefully until he reaches Nepal. He has requested his friend in Germany who is on a visit to Nepal to carry with him a disc so that he can fit it into the bike when he visits Nepal after his tour in India. Being an AC mechanic Leo is able attend to most of the problems in his bike. Except for Turkey and Iran where they faced communication problem they did not encounter any major problem.

Leo and Natalia say that India has been the main focus of their tour as they had heard so much about the country. “The country is exotic and the culture is quite diverse and intriguing. We are amazed at the assortment culture and languages that are spoken here. The food is simply superb and we never had difficulty in adjusting to the food”.

Natalie and Leo visited northern states like Delhi, Agra, Indore, Mumbai, Goa and arrived in Mangalore. They are simply in awe of the Golden Temple of Amritsar and the symbol of love “The Tajmahal” at Agra. Natalia says she could not help crying on seeing the Tajmahal as it was her childhood dream to see it and she could not believe she has accomplished her dream.

The couple spent about 4 days in Mangalore enjoying visiting various temples and chapels and tasting some of the culinary variety of Mangalore. The couple has taken a special liking for Mangalorean fish curry and speak in glowing words about a hotel they visited in Pumpwell, where they say they could choose the fish and enjoyed the curry being poured on the rice with a ladle from a huge vessel. “It was hot but I relished it”, Leo points out.

From Mangalore “La Bomba Loca” is heading towards Kerala and have plans to cover Chennai and Pondicherry and from then onwards they will move towards the North and cross over to Nepal. They will then move to Bangkok and plan to reach Australia from where they will decide about their future destination depending on their bank balance.

It is not easy driving the 750 cc bike continuously for months together and Leo agrees when he says “driving the long stretches in Baluchistaan was quite hard on us but it is all part of the game and we enjoyed every aspect of this tour”. The couple maintains a diary of their slugfest tour and they also collect souvenirs in the form of labels or posters which becomes easier to carry.

Both Natalia and Leo have heard about Bollywood movies and before they leave for Nepal they want to see the latest Hindi flick “Oh My God”.

One has to admire the intrepid twosome for their valor, willpower and dogged enthusiasm to sustain such a long trip on a two-wheeler and still keep smiling. It is the challenge involved in the tour that keeps them going. Bravo!!