A Taiwanese couple is embarking on a cycling trip that will take them to four continents in 30 months to promote the centenary of the Republic of China (ROC), Taiwanese products and environmental awareness.
Lin Hsiau-kai (林孝鍇), 37, and his girlfriend Yen Yi-hui (顏怡慧), 27, began their 55,000km trip on Wednesday by flying from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Bangkok, Thailand, where the cycling began. They plan to complete their trip in October 2012.
“Ever since I was a high school freshman in 1986, I’ve dreamed about taking this trip and it has finally come true, but the road is long and there are big challenges ahead, “ Lin said in an interview at the airport.
During their journey, they will cycle across Southeast Asia, Oceania, Central Asia and Europe, before flying across the Atlantic Ocean to the US and then Japan, the final stop.
Lin, who worked at the technical department of the Cloud Gate dance troupe with Yen before the two quit their jobs, said this has been a dream of his since he read about the story of Hu Jung-hua (胡榮華), the first Taiwanese to cycle around the world in the 1980s, and was greatly inspired.
He said, a coincidence made the trip possible.
“My landlord told us a couple of months ago that we had to move out because he had decided to sell the apartment. I thought about taking a break from work before coming up with the idea to turn the break into an around-the-world cycling tour,” Lin said.
He thought this year would be a good time to make the trip because preparations are getting underway to celebrate the ROC’s centenary next year and cycling is a good way to promote awareness of climate change and alternative energy.
Yen joined without hesitation even though she has no previous cycling experience. Lin has been a cyclist for a long time, cycling across Australia in 1996. Yen said she wanted to go out and see the world, and cycling is just one transportation option.
Yen and Lin said they would like to dedicate the trip to the ROC, which was established in 1911, as a birthday present to the country.
“I guess we’ll be somewhere in Australia on Jan. 1, 2011, to celebrate the first day of the centenary. And maybe we can get married on Oct. 10, or National Day, somewhere in Europe,” she said.
Lin drew up the travel itinerary after consulting an experienced cyclist, who advised them which countries to avoid.
The pair will cycle between 60km to 120km on average each day, Lin said.
With a budget of about NT$2 million (US$63,000), Lin said, the trip would not be possible without the sponsorship of several local bicycle companies, which provided them with bikes priced at NT$200,000 each, and the assistance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which asked for support from Taiwan’s overseas offices.
Cloud Gate founder Lin Hwai-min (林懷民) also encouraged the couple to make the trip and made a donation of NT$100,000.
“Mr Lin jokingly told me that I would have to pay him the money back if I give up,” Lin Hsiau-kai said.
A certified historical sites guide in Taiwan, Lin Hsiau-kai said he believes that he will be able to share Taiwan’s stories with foreigners and “show Taiwan to the world” during his trip.
“About 90 percent of our equipment was made in Taiwan. We would like to tell people these products are very well made in Taiwan,” he said.
Cycling is an ideal way of travel, Lin said, because it makes connecting and communicating with local people possible.
Looking ahead to the trip, Yen said the place she would like to visit the most is Lijiang (麗江) in China’s Yunnan Province, because of the difficulty of the route, which is 2,800m to 3,000m above sea level.
However, Lin Hsiau-kai said it was very possible that the trip would turn out differently than originally planned because of weather conditions, accidents and various situations in different countries.
“We might have to change our plan along the way, “ he said.
No matter how the trip turns out, the couple said they plan to document their dream trip every step of the way via photographs and videos. They also plan to regularly update their blogs and Facebook pages to keep in touch with friends and family.
The first leg of the trip, which began on Wednesday and ends on April 28, will take them from Thailand to Malaysia and Singapore.
After that, they will travel to Australia and New Zealand, as well as making stops in China, Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus before entering eastern and central Europe in the second half of next year.
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