Lucky meeting with Vladimir

By 15 February, 2015Motor, World

I would like to tell you about one of the best travellers I have met on my path so far. Marissa and I met this traveller on the border between Turkey and Bulgaria, coming back from our fantastic two weeks riding around Turkey ( I highly recommend you to visit this country ). Just after the border, in the parking area, in front of shops and restaurants, I saw the most incredibly packed motorbike! A BMW F650, and it wouldn’t normally be so special, but this bike was equipped with two huge suitcases attached as side panniers. Never have I seen anything like that before. An amazing sight and a more amazing surprise to come. I could not resist to stop close by and have a quick look at it. Even more surprising was to see the date of this traveller’s trip which read: start 27 May 2000. This date blew my mind! Over 11 years riding across the world and from 2008, covering more than 238.000 km. That is the Traveller!!!

I had nothing else to think about, except that I needed to meet this guy in person. We entered the restaurants, looking for a traveller/motor biker looking guy. It didn’t take us too long until we found him. Surprisingly, he looked nothing like the motor biker adventurer we expected. He was a short, older looking guy, wearing army pants. First I asked questions, but no answers. I had so many questions to ask him but somehow I could not get any answers. He only showed us something on his notebook, and then invited us to get closer to his bike but all in sign language, hmmm. We quickly realized that he was deaf and mute. So how could a person like this travel around the globe?! Till now, I’m still asking myself. Sometimes I find, just speaking a few languages difficult to express myself or explain things, so imagine him! But that is the spirit, nothing can stop you if you really want to travel.

We could ‘talk’ a little bit and understand each other in our own languages. He was very proud to show off his bike and took out some maps of his journey for us to see. After that I felt so happy to have crossed paths with this fantastic person. I asked how many bikes he had used on his long journey. He showed me on his hand by putting down fingers, first hmmm is gone, second is also gone and third one is here with me. Woow! After coming back home I read that he would like to be in Guinness World Records book, I wish him good luck! For me he is already there!

He came back to his home in Belarus in 2011, but after a few days, again he decided to roll on and be a permanent traveller for rest of his life, so long as he can I guess.

Visit his web www.yarets.com or just read on wiki.

Maybe one day I can cross paths with him again …

bonsaimotorworld

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