ROB LUXTON ISN'T worried about getting lost. He's peddling deep in the interior of the mainland, with limited Putonghua and highly inaccurate maps.
But, as he sees it, 'to get lost you have to know where you are going, and as I don't know where I'm going, it's impossible to get lost.'
Ensconced in a recumbent tricycle that allows him to peddle in a seated position, the Hong Kong resident plans to circle the entire country in a roughly counter-clockwise direction. Two months into his journey, despite wrong turns, mechanical breakdowns and close scrutiny from curious locals, 31-year-old Luxton has no regrets about his undertaking.
'Sometimes, when I'm cycling in the rain or going up a steep hill, I think, 'what the hell are you doing?'' he writes from a cybercafe in Zhangjiajie, Hunan province. 'But I normally laugh at myself and push on. I don't want to be anywhere else right now. This is it. I'm having a crack at something and I'm going to do it.'
Luxton left Hong Kong on April 19, his low-slung tricycle rigged with red flags to alert drivers to his presence, moleskin notebooks for his jottings and an ultrasonic device to scare off angry mutts. Adventure aside, his goal is to raise funds for two children's charities.
By last Thursday, Luxton had made it to northern Hunan. Using Google Earth and his own maps - which often don't match the reality on the ground - he's been able to track his journey. If completed, it will have taken him along at least 25,000km of road.
