37 countries, just rs 80 in his pocket

Japanese cyclist hasn't returned home since setting out 8 years ago

Japanese cyclist hasn't returned home since setting out 8 years ago

A man has cycled over 45,000 kmu00a0 through 37 countries after setting out from his home in Japan eight years ago with the equivalent of just Rs 80.

Keiichi Iwasaki (36) left on his Raleigh Shopper bicycle in 2001 to go on a tour of Japan.

But he enjoyed himself so much he caught a ferry to South Korea and since then has cycled through 37 countries without returning home.

He has been robbed by pirates and arrested in India, almost died when he was attacked by a rabid dog in Tibet and nearly married in Nepal.

Free wheel-y: Keiichi Iwasaki in Pakistan

In total Iwasaki has cycled over 45,000 km on his favourite Raleigh shopper bikes but two have been stolen and two have broken so he now rides his fifth.

Climbed Everest

His biggest achievement is climbing Mount Everest in 2005 from sea level without using any transportation.

Iwasaki says that only his "strong will" has kept him going. He said, "Dreams can come true if you have a strong will.
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I have been travelling for eight years and I continue to do so from money I receive from performing tricks.

I do not carry a credit card or traveller's cheque. I didn't want to use aeroplanes because I wanted to see and feel everything with my own skin.
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With bicycle, I can always feel the atmosphere of the place."

Iwasaki left home on April 15 2001, with just 160 yen, around Rs 80, in his pocket.
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He rode around Japan for one year before buying a one-way ticket to South Korea in March 2002.u00a0 In India, he rowed from the source of the Ganga to the sea, a journey of 1,300 km which took him 35 days.

Iwasaki is currently in Switzerland waiting to climb Europe's highest peak, Mont Blanc.

Countries Visited

South Korea, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech, Austria, Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, England, Spain, Portugal, Andorra, Switzerland.