Scooting around the world on a Vespa

SINGAPORE — Juvena Huang is much like your regular Singapore girl — the colleague you go to yoga lessons with, or your best friend’s earnest kid sister with a love for bikes. But unlike most, the 27-year-old is also embarking on a trip around the world today. On her Vespa scooter. Alone.

“This journey started because a good friend passed away in 2009,” revealed Huang. “He was a motorbike rider who was always taking long distance rides to countries around the region and spoke of riding around the world. Nothing happened to him until the rare occasion he decided to drive. He ended up in a car accident which took his life. The uncertainty and brevity of life struck me hard. I wanted to do something ‘crazy’ for once.”

This “crazy” decision by the former research assistant at Temasek Polytechnic led to a meeting with Luca Capocchiano earlier this month. The 36-year-old Italian was on a stopover in Singapore en route to Australia as part of his trip around the world — also on a Vespa — which he started last October. Here, the duo speak about their respective journeys.

Q: What made you decide to go on this trip around the world?

Juvena: After my friend’s death, I met Goh (Mia Chun, the Singaporean who travelled around the world on a Honda Africa Twin motorbike with his wife in 2010) at a book-signing event. We became friends and through them, I spoke to several overland travellers. It further convinced me that this is a trip that’s possible to do. While there were several friends who were also keen, it’s hard to find a time to co-ordinate everyone’s schedules. It’s not easy to put aside your commitments to a trip like this so I decided to just go ahead on my own. The hardest part is taking that first step.

Luca: This has been my dream for 10 years. In the summer before my university graduation, I bought an old Vespa because it was cheap and rode it from Barcelona to Valencia. I fell in love with the experience. I used to joke about why people would ride a Vespa — it has no power, no brakes, only 50cc and moves like a snail. But that ride to Valencia was a discovery for me. I was forced to go slow, to look around me and had time to think a lot. I didn’t want to stop so I continued going south all the way till I hit the end of Spain and the Atlantic Ocean was before me. On that beach, I made a promise to myself that I would do this again on a Vespa around the world — and no ocean or mountain will stop me.

Q: How did your family take the news?

Luca: It’s complicated to leave everything (behind) to embark on a one-year journey. My family was afraid for me. But I’m 36 years old — if I don’t do this now, I never will — if I get married and have children. I’m very lucky my girlfriend understands. We’ve been together for 10 years — she knows me very well and knows that I would leave one day to fulfill this.

Juvena: My mum wasn’t ecstatic. Which parent would want her daughter to go off to do something like this? I showed her that I could take care of myself. I travelled and made small bike trips on my own in North Thailand and always called back to tell her where I was and how I was doing. I brought her to Shanghai last year and arranged to show her how I’d be travelling. It was also a chance for us to bond. This trust was slowly built up. My mum now shows her support in subtle ways. She’d ask if I’ve enough clothing and for documents requiring cheques, she’ll help me with it.

Q: Could you tell us about your routes?

Luca: I went from Italy down towards Turkey then Iran. I had planned on going to Pakistan but I couldn’t, due to visa problems. So I went to the United Arab Emirates — to Dubai before continuing to Oman. I flew to India and shipped my bike there. From India, I travelled to Nepal, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. After this stop, I’m shipping my bike to Darwin. From there, it’s the final stretch through South America and Africa before going back up to Europe.

Juvena: I’m going through Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, India, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and Italy. I plan to reach Italy in March as I don’t want to hit Europe before spring. I haven’t planned beyond that. I just want to make it to Italy first.

Q: How did you finance such a big trip?

Juvena: I’ve been saving up since 2011. Besides my full-time job as a researcher, I worked as a wedding videographer’s assistant on weekends; did waitressing whenever I could; and gave tuition lessons. Half of my monthly earnings go automatically to a fund for this. I also sold my belongings at flea markets, stopped shopping and cooked instead of eating out. I realise it was possible to live with very little. It’s a habit I hope to continue while on the road. I don’t want to reveal the exact figures as I don’t want to put people off doing such a trip but it is possible if you save. I’d say it’s comparable to the cost of four years of university fees in Singapore because travelling is educational too.

Luca: I’m wiping out everything I’ve saved in my 10 years of work (as a motorcycle technician). I’ve set aside about ¤12,000 (S$18,100) but I think I’m going to exceed it. As overland travellers, we’re not on a holiday — we don’t stay in nice hotels or eat at cafes or restaurants. We eat at the cheapest local places and stay in hostels. Yes, sometimes I treat myself to things I really want to do — like the time I was in southern Thailand, I had to see Phuket since I was already there. But those are rare.

Q: Luca, you’re at the halfway point now. What have been the most difficult parts of the trip so far?

Luca: The Vespa has been the best and worst part of the trip. It’s because of the Vespa that I’ve met so many amazing people. Trust me, you will never have a problem breaking the ice with the Vespa. Kids love to come up; locals are always friendly and helpful. Fearsome looking border guards would suddenly start laughing and pointing at the Vespa when they see me approaching. Because of its slow speed, I get to see everything — see the colours and landscapes changing as I ride from place to place. But the Vespa also faces technical problems, especially because mine is a 40-year-old one. I expected issues before going, of course, but not so much. There was one occasion I thought I would lose my life when my Vespa’s engine broke down close to the Iranian border in Turkey after climbing a peak of 2,400m. It was snowing then. I was truly worried — I didn’t have the tools to fix that problem and couldn’t get help anywhere nearby. I was also not prepared to spend overnight in the mountains. Thank God the Vespa engine came back after more than an hour. It was like an injured horse and managed to bring me to my next stop at Dogubayazit, where I could call my girlfriend to get her to send me the required parts for the Vespa.

Q: How will you prepare for such issues on the road, Juvena?

Juvena: I was really glad for a chance to meet up with Luca when he was in Singapore as he gave me so much invaluable advice — from the amount of dust I’d encounter which could screw up the Vespa to high altitude settings. Besides technical issues, I’m not going to take a chance on safety. I’d start looking for proper accommodation by 3pm so I don’t have to spend the night outside. I have done research on things such as locations which could be dangerous for women and how to avoid drawing attention to myself.

Q: Do you feel extra vulnerable as a female undertaking this all alone?

Juvena: I do fear for my safety but the more information you have, the better prepared you are. I’ve been talking to a lot of travellers on overland travel forums to find out about routes and precautions I can take. I also believe that the reality on the ground is not always what’s reported in the news or perceived by most. I’ve a female friend who has been travelling in India on her own for two months and is having such a wonderful experience that she’s extending her trip.

Q: What do you two hope to achieve with this trip?

Juvena: I hope to share my experiences as much as possible to help those who might be thinking of doing something similar. I’m also honoured to be a Jupiter’s Traveller for the Ted Simon Foundation (an organisation promoting world understanding through personal adventures founded by the former journalist who travelled the world twice on a motorbike). You can follow me on Facebook at The Wandering Wasp or read my blog The Wandering Wasp at Blogspot.

Luca: I hear a lot of people telling me they’ve always wanted to travel around the world or that I must be rich to afford to do something like that. But the truth is, if you really want it, you’ll find a way somehow. You don’t have to be rich. When you travel around the world very cheaply and slowly, you see how many people can live very happily and simply, and it changes you. I hope more people can experience this.