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Keiichi Iwasaki Cycles 29000
Miles
Keiichi Iwasaki travels through 37 countries on just 1.
Keiichi
Iwasaki, 36, left on his Raleigh Shopper bicycle in 2001 to go
on atour 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 h
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. In total Mr. Iwasaki has cycled over 45,000km
(27,961
miles) on his favorite Raleigh shopper bikes but two have
been
stolen and two have broken so he now rides his fifth. His
biggest
achievement is climbing the world's highest peak Mount
Everest,
which stands at 8,848 m (29,029 ft), from sea level without
using
any transportation. Mr. Iwasaki, originally from Maebashi,
Japan,
says that only his ''strong will'' has kept him going. He said:
''Most
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travelers and adventurers need money but instead of giving up
an
opportunity to travel the world I want to clarify that dream
can
come true if you have a strong will. ''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 travelers
cheque.
''My strong will is very important and I hope this trip will
prove
that. I wanted to travel the world in my early twenties, but I
have
not been able to do so until I was 28. ''I thought to myself
that 'My
life will soon be over before I do what I want to do!', so I
decided
to start this trip. ''I didn't want to use aero planes because
I
wanted to see and feel everything with my own skin. With
bicycle,
I can always feel the air and atmosphere of the place.'' Mr.
Iwasaki
left home on April 15 2001 with just 160 yen, around 1, in
his
pocket after he became bored working for his father's air-
conditioning company. He rode around Japan for one year
before
buying a one-way ticket to South Korea in March 2002. Since
then
he has travelled the world on his Raleigh Shopper bicycles
and
funded his travels by performing magic tricks. In May 2005,
he
became the first Japanese man to climb Mount Everest from
sealevel without using any transportation. He has also rowed
from
the source of the Ganges River in India to the sea, a journey
of
1,300km which took him 35 days. Mr. Iwasaki is currently in
Switzerland waiting to climb Europe's highest peak, Mont
Blanc.
Following this he plans to travel to Africa, across to South
America and then make his way back to Japan for the first time
in
over a decade via North America. He believes this will take
himfive years before he begins to write a book about his trip.
Countries Mr. Iwasaki has 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
&
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Herzegovina, Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech, Austria,
Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, England, Spain, Portugal,
Andorra, Switzerland.
The route taken by Keiichi Iwasaki, 36, who has covered
45,000km in seven years, largely by bicycle. He 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
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September 2002: He poses at Angkor Wat in Cambodia
May 2003: Keiichi Iwasaki's bike and tent on a snow-covered
road
in Tibet
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December 2004: He poses in front of the Taj Mahal, India
May 2005: Keiichi Iwasaki photographed at 8,848 metres above
sea level on Mount Everest, Nepal
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December 2005: Back to India. He rowed from the source of
the
Ganges River to the sea, a journey of 1,300km which took him
35
days
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March 2006: On his bike in Pakistan
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June 2006: Beware of camels, it's Iran
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September 2006: He relaxes in the sunshine in Azerbaijan
January 2007: Crossing from Turkey into Greece
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February 2007: He takes a break by the roadside in Bulgaria
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April 2007: On a street in Croatia
November 2007: Keiichi Iwasaki photographed at the Old Town
Square in Prague, Czech Republic
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If it's June 2008, it must be Belgium
July 2008: Mr. Iwasaki poses in front of the Eiffel Tower in
Paris
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August 2008: Posing on London Bridge
October 2008: Keiichi Iwasaki on a beach in Spain
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March 2009: He makes it to the western-most point of
mainland
Europe, at Cabo da Roca...
so what does he do? He turns back. July 2009: France
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July 2009 shows Keiichi Iwasaki in Geneva, Switzerland
