Thursday June 26, 2008

From Gattieres to Segamat on a bike

By LIM CHIA YING
Photo courtesy of SHEEN KUA

EVEN at 48, the fun-spirited and adventurous Sheen Kua still harbours the dream of making his way around the world on his bike.

Blame it on the travel bug or a childhood dream that simply would not be suppressed, but whatever it was, it was enough to set him off on a motor-biking expedition from France to Malaysia, all in the name of a personal challenge.

Along the way, Kua will be crossing 22 countries and clocking up a total distance of 35,000km in the process.

It all began in mid-April this year when Kua decided to travel from the village of Gattieres (near Nice) in southern France, where he has been living with his French wife and their children for many years now, back to his hometown of Segamat in Johor.

Personal challenge: Kua posing with his motorbike in the city of Istanbul, Turkey.

The trip was not hatched on a whim. Kua remembers how, even as a teenager, he would spend hours looking at maps and trying to link up the roads from one country to another, all the way to Europe.

“There was this innocent belief that all roads were joined and all borders were open, that someday I’d get to travel freely and plough some of these roads,” he said.

In fact, he had planned to embark on such a trip in 1998, but it had to be put off due to some documentation matters that would have chalked up a substantial cost.

Now, with the documentation all sorted out, Kua is pursuing his passion for long-distance motor-biking adventure. It is, he says, addictive.

In an email interview on June 17, when he was in Gilgit, North Pakistan, Kua admitted to having experienced the initial stress of dealing with a new environment and bike problems in the middle of nowhere.

“However, these fears started fading as soon as I got accustomed to the situation. In fact, it has been quite enjoyable and exciting,” he said of his adventure thus far.

Asked what interesting experiences he had had so far, Kua said memorable ones included meeting some of the most wonderful and friendly people in places like Turkey, Iran, Kazakhstan and northern Pakistan.

“They are happy to see a traveller and will offer any assistance they can to make your stay a good one. It has also been an eye-opener in some places I’ve been, where people lack the basic rights that we take for granted.”

Kua has documented his adventures and journey on his website as and when he had access to the Internet. He said people along the way and supporters had posted notes giving the thumbs-up to his challenge.

Along the journey, Kua said, he had learnt to be careful of elements like the strong crosswinds which he encountered in Turkey and Turkmenistan, the searing heat in the deserts of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and China, and the bad roads and bad fuels that did not help.

“It has been physically difficult at times. Tiredness does catch up when there is constant hard travel over a number of days. Out in Iran and Central Asia, telephone and Internet connection was not easily accessible to keep in touch with family,” he added.

The trip apparently has a charity aspect, too: Kua hopes to help raise funds for The Good Shepherd Welfare Home in Segamat, and create awareness of the place which is run solely on public donations.

“If someone is moved enough by such a trip to contribute, or motivated by such a trip that stirs them to want to assist a charity, then I’m happy even if I only raise a few dollars.

“This home is just behind our old home in Segamat and takes care of children and old folks, and so I’m just doing the little bit I can,” said Kua.

On whether the recent hike in fuel prices is affecting his trip, Kua said he had already budgeted for it as he had taken a few years to prepare for it. The most expensive costs, he lamented, were in fact for food and lodging in the European countries, and moving eastwards had helped him lower the costs.

“In general, if I stay within Euro50 per day and make up for it later, then I’m spending within budget.

“I feel that travelling with less – like some budget travellers do – would take some enjoyment out of my trip,” he said.

Kua plans to have his motorbike air-freighted either from New Delhi, India or from Kathmandu, Nepal to Bangkok in Thailand, from where he will continue his ride south to Malaysia.

This is the first leg of Kua’s journey, and his family is due to fly in from France to meet up with him on his scheduled arrival in Segamat at the end of July.

Kua would embark on the second leg in November, heading to Indonesia and Australia.

For more details of his adventures, log on to www.bybike2malaysia.com