It all goes back to this: I have always loved driving. If it had been possible to drive out of my mother’s womb, I would have, so long-standing is my passion. As a young man, this desire to be behind the wheel found expression in a brief but sparkling, motor-racing career – speed was all that counted then. It was pedal-to-the-metal in my first car, a Renault 5 of forty-three horsepower. In the dead of winter in the first days after I passed my driving test the bright-green car (named Kermit) and I managed a top speed of 139km/h. With the heater off, we got to 140km/h – such bliss!
Over the years, speed has come to mean less and less to me, but I’ve not lost one ounce of my passion for driving. Put me behind the wheel of a car, any car, and my breath deepens, my pulse quickens and I feel alive. Today, I love the thrill of sunshine in my face and wind in my hair, the freedom to turn left or right, or to go straight when I want, the excitement of discovery, and the ability to cover lots of ground very swiftly. Most importantly, however, I now appreciate the freedom to slow down and immerse myself in a beautiful moment, whether that means stopping at a charming restaurant, watching every last second of a gorgeous sunset, or turning in for the night at a characterful inn. Being on the road is the best place to be in my life, now as much as then.
A chance event brought me to Asia two decades ago, when a friend asked me “I’m going to enroll in Japanese classes. Care to join me?” I did join and I’ve since fallen in love with this immensely diverse and colourful region of the world that is now my home. For my first ten years in Asia I toiled in a large corporation, and dreamt about starting my own company. For a long time I didn’t dare to, being stuck in a state of mind that Paolo Coehlo described so well in The Alchemist: “The only thing that prevents one from making a dream come true is one’s own fear of failure.” However, I eventually managed to overcome my fears, and set out on the path that has led to On the Road Experiences.
The starting point for On the Road Experiences was my continued passion for driving combined with my interest in Asia, and particularly in China. I discovered that driving by myself in this part of the world is not only possible, but also the finest way to see and experience this fascinating region. Today, On the Road Experiences is my humble attempt at sharing with others not only how enjoyable road journeys can be, but also the intriguing and beautiful discoveries my team and I have made travelling on the highways and byways of Europe, China, South-East Asia and many other places around the world.
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