Peter Sever

“I started from London on the 14th of July 2008 and have been riding since”. When I heard those words I nearly fell off my chair. It has been nearly a year that this gentleman and his charming wife have been sitting on a motorcycle and riding across states, nations and continents. I was sitting engrossed talking with Peter Sever, this extraordinary gentleman from Canada and every moment spent with him made me see a new picture of some unheard of corner on this planet as he recounted his innumerable adventures that he has encountered as he crisscrossed continents over the past 10 months!

Peter Sever is travelling with his companion Thao Nguyen. They are from as diverse cultures as they come. Peter was born just after the war in 1946 in Prague in the erstwhile Czechoslovakia and his parents moved to Canada soon after. Thao Nguyen was born in South Vietnam and moved to Canada when she was still very young. The versatility of both personalities makes you sit up take notice. Peter is an MBA, with incredible entrepreneurial skills, who has built Companies and sold them, has built Yachts and sold them, has taught French professionally in Ghana (W. Africa), travelled, ridden, driven extensively on 4 continents and is still looking for more. He has survived a severe crash with his older Honda 750 with an animal, several months in hospital, he has a bad leg and an artificial shoulder! That was 30 years ago. Peter is still riding and having fun. “You know what... I am a lucky man”, he says with a vibrant twinkle in his eye!


The Lucky Man

Thao did her studies from La Sorbonne, Paris. Has lived, studied and worked in France for two years. She has a B. Ed from York Universtity, Ontario, licensed blackjack dealer in Casinos, but no driver’s license as yet! She teaches French and has also taught in Kenya as a volunteer. She does not seek luxuries and comes out as an easy going with minimal fuss and a very down to earth person. Meticulously she has been maintaining a detailed log of all that they have done in the past 10 months during their ride and their various adventures and will continue to do so in the future even as I write this. But the time I finish writing this, she is probably updating their adventures in some parts of India!


Peter with his companion Thao

What does Peter ride; he rides a 2006 GL1800i Honda Goldwing! "We flew in to London with the bike from Toronto over the Atlantic and started riding and have been riding since the 14th of July 2008", Peter told me! I sat transfixed as Peter kept talking to me. They went through North England, Loch Ness in Scotland, then under the Chunnel to France, across to the Black Forest in Germany, Switzerland, through the amazing Stelvio Pass in Italy, Austria, Slovakia, to his country of roots, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, apparently troubled Syria, visited Petra in Jordan, Israel, back to Italy, crossed the Mediterranean to north Africa through Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, back to Turkey, through Iran and Pakistan and then into India entering through the Wagah border, Amritsar and then to New Delhi. 40,000 kilometres on the clock and still counting!


The Big Canadian

His stopover in Delhi included a full service of his motorcycle, change of tyres, Metzeler, he is very happy with this brand, and his trials and tribulations with the Myanmar embassy and various other embassies for getting permits to cross the countries. His initial plans were to cross North Eastern India and ride into Myanmar in the direction of Vietnam. Thao in search of roots… perhaps! But after their persistent efforts went in vain when the Myanmar embassy refused to grant them a visa to enter the country with a personal vehicle, he gave up the idea. But he remained flexible and changed his plans. If Myanmar closes its doors, he now wants to land straight in Bangkok and continue from thereon. “We have a very loose plan of where we want to go. But we really do not know where we are going.” Keep it open is his philosophy. They wanted to ride through Myanmar. Now they can’t. “We will have to fly out with the motorcycle.”


He is endowed with strong optimism and determination!

The biggest problem that they face most of the time riding in third world countries is the way the bike attracts attention. Every time they stop for gas or to check the air pressure, they get surrounded by people. Peter and Thao are not troubled by that. But they do have a problem parking their huge Goldwing when they want to visit some place or have a meal at a restaurant. “I do not like people coming and touching my motorcycle. That puts me off! That is one moment I feel that had it been a car; I could have just locked the car and left. But a motorcycle is open.” But despite these issues, Peter remains a true biker. “Doing what I am doing with a motorcycle gives a pleasure that you cannot compare.” And he adds on to say, “And I also feel that riding a Goldwing is a compromise on motorcycling! It makes riding much easier with all the related comforts. But then I am an old man. I am 63 years old. I am a ‘Wheezy Rider’.”


Peter with his RideA Rider's best friend in the heat!

He got his bike in order and serviced by the famed KRP. "Vijay is an amazing man. He can do anything to a motorcycle. He has got a workshop that can make transformations to a motorcycle" says Peter with genuine admiration for the way KRP handled his work.

The administrative affairs done, Peter and Thao are preparing their sojourn in India riding through Rajasthan. They have heard about the forts and palaces of Maharajas when they came to India. They have booked a few places in Rajasthan and now are on their way to discover the land of Kings and feudal lords. “I do not know where we really headed. I do not know where we will get eventually. And we do not know what we are going to do once we have finished the ride. But for the moment we are on our motorcycle. And we are riding on!” exudes Peter with the energy of an adventurer on the road as Thao smiles warmly.


Getting ready to hit the road

As I saw and waved them off on the Highway to Rajasthan, I realized that these people are nearly 20,000 kilometres away from home, in a climate that is utterly unsuited to their bodies, mingling and blending with cultures that are far removed from their own upbringing, getting into multilingual cultures, eating varied cuisines, but they have an openness of mind, a largeness of the heart and they are sitting on a motorcycle wearing a bright smile of contentment on their faces riding further on to places that most of us would never set foot on! Motorcycling has many aspects. This is another one of them. Hats off to these two extraordinary travellers! I wish them the best.


Ready to Roll!


From Ontario, Canada...


... to the streets in New Delhi, India!


Long way...!


Attraction at a filling station






Au revoir! Until next time...

Text: Krishnendu Kes aka Ken.
Photos: Krishnendu Kes, Ms Moon Das