Tip leads adventurer to home from home
It was a happy coincidence when Argentinian Pablo Garcia spotted a restaurant called La Pampa in SoHo the other day. The 36-year-old, who has spent the past nine years riding around the world on his bicycle, recognised it as the name of 'the smallest place in Argentina'.
It turned out to be an Argentinian restaurant and after he told the operators about his journey, they offered him food and a place to stay and the owner became his 'best friend'.
'Everything went right,' he said. 'Sometimes things go like that in a way that helps me to keep travelling.'
Garcia, who began his journey in Cape Town, South Africa, on September 26, 2001, has cycled 79,895 kilometres since then and China is the 67th country he has visited.
He said Hong Kong, where he arrived last week, 'is a unique place, but it's also an expensive place to live'.
Like many visitors, two of the strongest impressions he will carry away with him are the high-rise buildings and hot, humid weather.
He said he had heard a lot about the city and had always wanted to visit it, but it was a Dutchman he met on the internet who advised him on what places to go to - and led to his happy discovery in SoHo.
After staying in Hong Kong for less than a week, Garcia will cycle to Shanghai and visit other Asian countries before completing his travels in South America. 'That will take another two years, at least,' he laughed.
During his nine years of cycling, Garcia has lived mostly on donations, with support from small companies and people from different places. In Hong Kong he has been selling small doll pins for HK$40 each.
Even before reaching Hong Kong he said he had been struck by the generosity of Chinese people he met near the Laotian border, with whom he was able to communicate despite the language barrier.
'I asked a guy where I could sleep and he took me to a small place and paid for it from his own pocket,' Garcia recalled. Others bought food for him. 'I didn't expect this from Chinese people, especially when you can't communicate, but they bought me lunch and dinner. I'm surprised about this.'
Before being an adventurer, he was a tour guide. But while studying in Brazil, aged 25, he decided he 'wanted to see the world from my side, not through TV or newspapers, so I chose a bicycle to connect with people through observing them closely'. He tested himself with a short journey from Maceio in Brazil to Buenos Aires, decided he could do it and flew to Cape Town.
He has kept a diary all the way and updates his website at every stop with words and pictures.
Of all the countries he has visited, his favourite is Mozambique. 'People there speak Portuguese, a language that I am familiar with, and it made me happy,' he said.
Garcia aims to document the different cultures and lifestyles of people around the world. He hopes to strengthen mutual understanding and friendship, regardless of the differences between people.
He has worn out two bicycles on his travels and is now on his third one, decorated with the national flags of the countries he has visited.
When he finishes his cycling tour, he wants to edit all the videos he has taken on his trip and show them to people. 'I also want to do motivational speaking at schools, to share with people about the different culture in societies.'
Fans can follow his journey or offer him help by leaving a message on his website: theworldbybike.com.
