“HOW DID YOU GET HERE?”
I get this question a lot. Sometimes they’re referring to the extremely remote location, such as the outskirts of the Peruvian Amazon or the otherworldly tropical dry forests of Ecuador. I can’t blame them; a woman dressed in black leather on a classic-looking Indian Scout Sixty, alone, is a strange sight to behold. I’ve grown accustomed to the double-takes and bewildered stares.
Often, however, they’re asking how my life ended up as it is, living on a motorcycle and pursuing wildlife protection.
Well, when I was a little girl, I dreamt of exploring the planet while helping animals.
Even though my family didn’t travel, I envisioned myself visiting different places around the world as an exotic wildlife veterinarian, maybe with a traveling dog companion.
At the age of 8 or 9, I learned that biologists were people who investigated all the things I was most curious about, and I knew immediately that was what I wanted to be.
While studying biology at university, I learned about wildlife trafficking— I felt so enraged by this horrific trade, so ignited by passion to end it. It was that very moment that I knew my future was laid before me. I moved to Southeast Asia after my degree, hoping to begin my work against the illegal wildlife trade.
There have been some twists and turns, including falling in love with motorcycles when I was 16, but truly, every step of my life has led me to exactly where I am.
I have traveled more than 23,000 km in South America now, alone on the RSD modified Scout sixty, through sandstorms of the Atacama, freezing temperatures at high altitudes in the Peruvian Andes, and torrential rains of the Amazon Jungle.
I’m a biologist and motorcycle traveler following a map of hope; seeking those who dedicate their lives to protecting wildlife and their habitats.