Live your life

Last Thursday evening I was invited to “interview” a 71- year-old German dubbed as a modern-day Marco Polo. Gunther Holtorf spent most of his professional life as an airplane technician for Lufthansa and often times he would find himself flying over various countries and continents. Once in a while he would quietly mutter to himself a promise that some day he would visit those countries.

That someday began in 1988 when he purchased a Mercedes Benz G-class wagon, which is probably one of the toughest 4x4 vehicles, built in its time. Gunther was so convinced of this that he and his wife Christine who was 15 years his junior planned and eventually embarked on their first adventure with their Mercedes Benz named “Otto”.

The plan was to spend a year driving around the African continent and then return to Germany. This was made possible through personal funds plus the fact that their son Martin went to Boarding school and did not require full time supervision. During school holidays, the couple would break off from the trip or take home leave only for school holidays.

What began as a one-year plan eventually extended to a five-year jaunt in Africa. During that time the couple saw the extreme environments of Africa. The expanse and the variety of flora and fauna and had very intimate and even life threatening encounters with the wildlife and disease.

Gunther contracted Malaria and had 5 notable episodes. He once fell and dislocated his right shoulder making driving or just being in a moving vehicle the equivalent of torture on wheels. One unforgettable moment for Gunther was sleeping in a hammock somewhere in the African plains and coming out of his sleep feeling he was being watched or being stared at.

When he opened his eyes he found himself face to face or should I say nose to nose with a deadly spotted Hyena that may have mistaken him for dead. In his shock all he could do was scream at the hyena, which sufficiently startled the would-be predator.

Among regular people 5 years driving around Africa and visiting so many countries in this continent would be more than enough for any “Bucket list”. But feet are made for walking, cars are made for driving and before they knew it, Gunther, Christine and their trusty “Otto” drove on to other continents. In 23 years they travelled a distance equivalent to 20 trips around the equator, they visited 199 countries and by the time they return to Germany from the Philippines the grand total would be 200 countries and 800,000 kilometers travelled.

The only sad note is that Christine did not make the whole trip as she fell ill and died of cancer several years back. In her place, her son Martin came aboard and joined his dad parts of the way.

Gunther recently completed his trip to the Philippines where he visited North and Central Luzon especially praising Banawe, Sagada and the eastern side of Luzon such as Santiago, Isabela etc. He also drove from Manila down to Bicol and further south as well as going around the ARMM region despite dire warning that he would face grave danger. According to Gunther, the ARMM and the eastern side of northern Luzon is so captivating and still raw and undiscovered.

Adventurous as Gunther maybe, he also has a sense of humor citing the fact that he has never seen more people on a motorcycle than in the Philippines. His record was 6 persons and as much as 10 on a tricycle.

When I asked him about traveling tips, his advise would have qualified as advise about life. He said never bring anything you don’t absolutely need and can’t go with out. For him it was not just about travelling “lite”, but the fact that anything you bring will take up space, will add to your over-all weight, affect your (fuel) efficiency and most importantly, it will be one more thing to think about or care for during the trip.

As we walked around his 4x4, it became clear to me that one can spend 23 years totally enjoying GOD’s creations, have a continuing education that no school or university can give you, with nothing more than what you can fit inside this vehicle.

As I peered into the passenger area, I glanced inside what was obviously the couples’ bedroom until Christine’s sad demise. For now I saw Gunther happily sharing his adventures and basking in a moment of glory as he received congratulations. But soon he will once again leave for the final leg of this journey. He will be going back to Germany where the Mercedes Benz G-class he fondly calls “Otto” will be received by a museum. That will be the end of the road.

Gunther Holtorf has spent 71 years doing what he does best and loving it. I hope you will do the same. Live life!