Tim de Jong, Donkey Sunrise

Lots of folks fantasize about following their dreams. Most ideas, however, never get past the initial imagination phase. Some years ago, Tim de Jong was backpacking in Southeast Asia. He rented one of the small-displacement motorcycles common to that part of the world. “I really felt the freedom,” he says. “I was like, ‘Wow, this is the best way to travel, actually.’”

After returning to his native Netherlands, however, de Jong fell back into his daily routine, which didn’t include motorcycles. A friend proposed a two-wheel vacation in Colombia. De Jong didn’t have a motorcycle license, but that inconvenience was soon resolved, and his life changed forever. “It was so addictive,” he tells “Driven to Ride” host Mark Long. “I was totally hooked.”

De Jong and his small team now own and operate “Donkey Sunrise,” Colombia’s gateway to all sorts of adventures, including motorcycle tours. Here’s the fun part: Tour difficulty is based on the “banana system.” One banana equates to “pavement only,” while five bananas means you’d better bring your off-road “A” game. How many bananas are you feeling?

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