Modern Vespa

It's not a cheap book, especially with the cost of shipping from Canada but it is a lively read and an extraordinary story. A young newspaper man from Ontario decided to head south riding two up with a buddy on his Lambretta. This just a few weeks after meeting a woman he is convinced is the love of his life...and guess what? She agrees and flies down to Mexico City where she displaces the buddy and takes off south with her new husband and his Lambretta!

The young newspaperman wrote their story down and put the manuscript away and subsequently died without publishing it. His son Gordon working with his widow Tove put the book together into a seamless first person narrative adding his mother's own memories and anecdotes to the original narrative. He also cleaned up the forgotten pictures and created a lovely souvenir of an improbable voyage by scooter.

I loved the story and found the amateurish nature of the ride totally engaging. They had no idea what they were doing, spoke no Spanish and were somewhat uncertain about the cuisine they encountered. But they were intrepid and fearless and apparently in love enough that this wild ride cemented their relationship rather than wrecking it!

In choosing to post these pictures in the Not So Modern forum I wanted to tip one thread toward the pleasure of riding rather than fixing two stroke scooters. I have noticed among the young enthusiasts who only know four stroke Vespas that they seem to believe that the two stroke scooters were somehow unsuitable for long journeys. I wonder if these two travelers would have gone riding so cheerfully (without a helmet between them) had there been the Internet and all it's cautionary advice in 1957...

I enjoy these old travelers takes as they seem to end up confirming that the more things change the more they stay the same!

I hope I will be able to have another go myself before it's too late. Perhaps that's why I enjoyed the Lambretta story so much.
Me in Mexico in 1981:

Inspiring and so true. Good luck, hope you get a chance to do another road trip soon.

I'm enjoying my copy too, I've read to Columbia or so...

Apparently the Lambretta gets a bit beaten up in Ecuador and Peru but I am astonished how well it held up. Not to mention the riders and their total lack of suitable luggage! He rode with a back pack on and she sat with the pack in her face the whole way.

What a cool story! I'm going to have to get a copy of that.

I forgot to put in the website info. Duh!

http://thescooterdiaries.com/

On a similar note, a young man from Germany, Alexander Eischeid, is at this moment on an incredible solo trip from the top of North America to the bottom of South America on his PX200E. He passed through Portland last fall and is currently somewhere in Central America. His blog is here...

http://vesparicana.jimdo.com/english/

Correction: I believe his bike is a 125, not a 200.

held back but ....... crocs for fux ache

I couldn't figure out what you were talking about.

They work well around salt water and are too ugly for men of good taste, like yourself. And especially in pink self assured strong men, just like yourself, find them a little scary so the shop in Key West sells size 13 mens' to me for $15 a pair, as many as I want as no one else buys them.
They have the added benefit of frightening off boring people which means someone who has the nerve to approach me in Key West might possibly have something interesting to say. Besides around here pink Crocs don't really stand out.

i was writing it politely ..... say it out loud when your lass is passing ... shell know what you said .....

'fux ache'
'mine do too'