A Courageous Odyssey

I learned early in life that I’m not the adventurous type, preferring to stay close to the beaten path and avoiding uncharted territory almost morbidly.

Proof? I was not a boy scout, many of whom have participated in camping activities, not to mention the annual Jamboree sessions. Neither did I ever venture out at night, stake a tent, and sleep under the sky roof (literally).

But this is as far as physical activities go. Of things that can be stretched beyond the confines of physical space, I do let my imagination run wild, galloping in all directions as manifested in my avid reading.

I did indulge myself in games, and knew a thing or two about physical exertion, and the triumph of winning. But these took place in controlled environments such as stadiums, where the elements were never a factor one had to contend with.

So I was positively awe-struck when I read the exploits, on two wheels, humanly pedaled, of this young Malaysian. Not across Malaysia, not across Asia, but from the Pacific coast of US eastward to the Pacific coast of China, then making his way back to Malaysia. Of course he did not bike over the Atlantic, nor over the British Channel. But the rest of the way, he just let his faithful Surly Long Haul Trucker (hint: this is a touring bike with a steel frame) do the talking.

His name is Tzuo-Hann Law, but let’s just call him Tzuo. Tzuo has a brain to match his physical prowess, having just graduated from Duke this year. I was alerted to this crazy guy on a bike by Kian Ming, his fellow university mate who has gained some Internet fame through his blogging.

So I went through his biking journal, all 66 pages of them. On last count, he has clocked about 5,500 miles over 86 days, an average progress of about 65 miles a day. Presently, he is somewhere in Germany. And I urge you to visit his journal where he logs daily about his encounters from being almost out of breadth on a steep climb, the exhilarating downhill descent, to just plain sailing along the many country road. Then there are the widely fluctuating fortunes of the nightly accommodation: in a bush, at a gazebo in a park, or just a make-shift hammock where there are trees.

He also makes many friends along the way: fellow bikers, gracious hosts, grocery shop operators, dogs, even a flying companion that kept him company for some miles.

I commend him for his courage, for his fearlessness, also his meticulous planning. You don’t just go biking on ends for days without knowing what you’re getting into.

I can only imagine what the odyssey will do to his confidence, his survival instinct, his view of his place in this world, his outlook on life in general, at the end of it all.

If you can offer any traveling tips along the way, do drop a line at his guestbook, like so, penned by yours truly:

“Dear Tzuo,

I came to know about your seeing the world on wheels, the human-pedalled type, in Kian Ming's blog and have read your journal (mostly the photos and the captions), and will continue to read about your daily trek as you progress homeward.

I'm really awe-struck by your carefree mentality. You could just sleep about anywhere, oblivious to your surrounding. No qualms about the human miscreats that we read so much about in the papers, let alone the little critters that own the nights, in the wilderness.

Just be careful when you are moving through the volatile Middle East.”

Should you feel like doing more beyond dispensing some encouraging words such as sponsorship, drop him a line too.

Bravo, Tzuo. What a way to see the world!