HORCAMOTO

“Paul Pitchfork Explores South America” – a Rider Profile on ADVMoto Website

14/05/2014

Adventure Motorcycle Magazine (US) has published a ‘rider profile’ about me on its website (14 April 14). It is based on my recent article for Full Throttle [read more...]

The People of Saraguro – a Pictorial

11/05/2014

The village of Saraguro, just off the Panamericana Highway between Loja and Cuenca, is known for the distinctive traditional dress of the indiginous folk, who bear the same [read more...]

Welcome to Ecuador

10/05/2014

Two days ago, I crossed into a new country for the first time since I reached Peru in April last year. Between then and now, I have re-circulated through Chile, Argentina, [read more...]

Into The Cloud Forests – To Cajamarca and Chachapoyas

04/05/2014

The coastal plain, the desert and the Panamericana Highway now feel a long way away. We are back in the mountains, and settled once again in an old colonial town where the [read more...]

“Riding to Freedom” – Full Throttle Magazine (UK)

01/05/2014

This article appears in the current issue (Summer 2014) of Full Throttle Magazine (UK). http://www.looppublishing.co.uk/index.php/our-magazines/full-throttle With a personal [read more...]

“Following The Dakar” – ADV Moto Magazine (USA)

28/04/2014

This article appears in Issue 80 (May-June 2014) of Adventure Motorcycle Magazine (USA). http://www.adventuremotorcycle.com A different article from that published in [read more...]

From the Cordillera, to the Desert and Ocean – Huaraz to Trujillo

27/04/2014

Since sharing my thoughts in Why We Ride – The Essence of a Road Trip, I have continued to reflect on the core characteristics that define my journey through South [read more...]

The Way We Roll 1

21/04/2014

Some light entertainment…. Related Posts: Watch the other episodes in the TWWR series: The Way We Roll 2 The Way We Roll 3 The Way We Roll [read more...]

Making the Jump – The Next Step

16/04/2014

Maybe you are now convinced that a long trip is what you need, but the prospect of planning and preparing for it appears daunting. In this post, I hope to show that it [read more...]

The ‘Big Trip’ – Feeling the Call, Making the Jump

11/04/2014

This post offers a philosophical look at how travelling can help some of us transition from an old lifestyle to a new. I hope it may encourage those who feel the call to make [read more...]

“Shadowing the Dakar” – Bike Rider Magazine (NZ)

11/04/2014

My Dakar article, originally published by Adventure Bike Rider, appears in Issue 119 (May 14) of BIKE RIDER MAGAZINE NZ. http://www.brm.co.nz They have done a great job with [read more...]

Through The Cordillera Blanca – a Videologue

07/04/2014

YOU’VE READ THE BLOG. NOW WATCH THE MOVIE…. Related Posts: Read the accompanying post, A Ride Through The Cordillera [read more...]

A Ride Through The Cordillera Blanca

04/04/2014

Deserts, mountains, jungles, coastlines…. over the years, I have visited and travelled through or along them all, but it is always the mountains that call me back. The [read more...]

Tuning-In in Chavin

29/03/2014

As I mused on ‘The Travellers’ Dilemma’, I spoke about the difficulty of truly detaching from the moto – physically, mentally and emotionally – [read more...]

To Huaraz – Through Mud, Rocks and Snow

24/03/2014

I am back in the ‘high mountains’ – the Cordillera Blanca, a cluster of dramatic, ice-covered peaks, surrounded by glaciers and lakes, rising at the highest [read more...]

To Stay or To Go – The Traveller’s Dilemma

19/03/2014

As I drove through the outskirts of Arequipa a few weeks ago, the bike loaded and and the open road ahead, I felt a sense of sadness and loss. I was leaving a place I had [read more...]

Rain Almost Stops Play – Ayacucho to Huancayo

16/03/2014

We awoke to the tail end of a night of persistent, heavy rain. The forecast predicted more, but soon after setting off the weather began to clear. Our new motoquero friends, [read more...]

People of Ayacucho – a Pictorial

14/03/2014

Nowhere I have been so captivated by the people of a town or city. Ayacucho feels more like an oversized village, such is the feeling of intimacy in the markets and on the [read more...]

Ever-Changing Landscapes – Pisac to Ayacucho

12/03/2014

I am finally venturing into new territory. Pisac is behind us now as we look to the north-westerly horizon, plotting a course through Peru’s central highlands. From the [read more...]

“Travelling with the Dakar” – Adventure Bike Rider Magazine

11/03/2014

This article appears in Issue 21 (March – April 2014) of Adventure Bike Rider Magazine: http://www.adventurebikrider.com This article describes my experience watching [read more...]

Why We Ride – The Essence of a Road Trip

06/03/2014

Over the many hundreds of hours spent in the saddle alone with my thoughts, I have come to the following conclusions: to travel is better than to remain in one place; to be [read more...]

Whips and Rain – Arequipa to Pisac

02/03/2014

Arriving in Pisac on Friday afternoon, it felt that I had completed a major cycle in my journey. I am back at my most northerly point, the place from where I reversed the [read more...]

Not Your Average Yamaha Service

22/02/2014

I shouldn’t have been so pessimistic about the Yamaha dealer here in Arequipa. I got the most personalised service of any garage I have visited in South America to [read more...]

Back in Peru – Calama to Arequipa

18/02/2014

The Suzuki conspired to keep us in Calama. When it finally decided to let us go, the Yamaha picked up the reigns, doing its best to prevent us from leaving Chile. After [read more...]

Going Nowhere in Calama

08/02/2014

Calama has trapped us. Just as Santiago seemed to exert some form of gravitational pull on me – I kept returning, four times and for several months in total – [read more...]

Chapter Three – a Testing Start

31/01/2014

At exactly 5.23pm yesterday, my journey around South America underwent a major shift in character. As I rolled out of a warehouse in the grubby port of Antofagasta and [read more...]

The Dakar – a Pictorial

16/01/2014

The Dakar continues south towards Valparaiso, but for me the spectacle is over. Following the race for a week has been something special: a whistle stop tour of South [read more...]

Bolivia – My Own Mini Dakar

14/01/2014

Following the Dakar in Argentina had been straight forward. On arriving in Bolivia, this was about to change. The ride north from Salta to Tupiza was easy – 400km of [read more...]

Dakar Fever in Argentina

11/01/2014

Dakar Fever has struck north west Argentina. Everyone has caught it, including me. I’ve been following the race for three days, yet it already feels like three weeks. [read more...]

Waiting for The Dakar

05/01/2014

I’ve been making my way slowly north. The infamous Dakar Rally, the world’s longest and toughest motor race and a thing of legends, starts today. It will reach [read more...]