CAIRO: Pushkar Shah's first dream was to teach in a high school in his small Nepalese village. That was before he decided to cycle through 150 countries, or 390,000 km, spreading the message of peace. He made this decision before he owned his own bike or even knew how to cycle. Before he could fulfill his dream though, Shah had to hound his mother daily after dinner for permission to allow him to take the trip she thought was "impossible. You would have to take it on faith to believe Shah's story, but he has enough trust in people to make it all the way around the world. The 39-year-old Nepalese cyclist has been riding his bike for nearly ten continuous years. Egypt is his 110th country to ride through and he is currently awaiting his next visa. He arrived last week and rode through Luxor and Aswan up to Cairo. He has biked through all sorts of terrain, in conflict-ridden areas, in temperatures ranging from the freezing cold to the sweltering hot. The only places not on the itinerary are those countries which would not grant him a visa, faraway islands, and particularly dangerous countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan. He was, however, in Sudan before Egypt, where the temperature reached 48°C, and Rwanda and Uganda, which he says surprised him most. "It's hard to believe there was a war there two years ago. Kigale [Rwanda's capital] is a world city now, says Shah, remarking on his surprise at how clean, friendly, and orderly the country was. "There is law and order and everyone has a garden in front of their home. The death of young Shah's father, a soldier in the Indian army, laid the seeds for his future activism, for which he was jailed, beaten, and tortured. The question for him then became, "How can I contribute to peace? To prepare for the trip, Shah spent just six months physically training on his bicycle, as well as reading about other countries and religions. Despite the seemingly impossible task, Shah refuses to make the tour any easier. He does not have any sponsors and travels alone, contacting officials, schools, and media himself to spread his message, as well as organizing his own schedule and visas. In some cases he has even met with presidents, prime ministers, and notable figures. Shah says he has even rejected, for now, a million-dollar advance offered by a publisher for his story. "Millionaires don't want to ride bicycles, Shah said, explaining his decision to turn down the attractive offer. He usually depends on camping for shelter and on the kindness of strangers for food and occasional donations, since his start-up of 100 Nepalese rupees given by his mother ran out years ago. Otherwise, he says, "it would not be an adventure. "Whatever I get, I eat, says Shah, commenting that he cannot afford to stick to a particular diet. Water too is expensive, so he drinks the tap water wherever he goes, and has no problem drinking soda. Some days he survives only on water, or in one case, on orange peel. Amazingly, Shah says he has never fallen sick. No heat stroke, no malaria, nothing. He has, however, encountered a few life-threatening incidents. In Barbados, Shah was robbed at knifepoint. In Mexico, he escaped two kidnappers who had taken him into a secluded area. "I thought they were going to take me, feed me, and ask for money. Those are the rules of kidnapping, jokes Shah. Instead, he became convinced that his life was in danger and decided to struggle, finally escaping on his bike. In New York, he says he was mugged, after which he joked with the gun-wielding attacker. "I asked for $10 back in change; he had asked for $10 and I only had a $20. "I don't worry about tomorrow. If I worry about it, I will not be able to move. Perhaps the most challenging part for most people would be battling the loneliness and constant instability. Shah says he meets about 20-25 people each day though and only truly feels alone when camping in the desert or jungle. "Then I feel lonely . and want to throw my bike and run away. The faith which keeps Shah going though is not religious. "I believe in a universal God and a human religion. He does not even lock his bicycle, which carries all his current possessions. His most prized possession is his daily diary. When one is completed, he sends it home. He also sends postcards home to his mother, brother and son from each country he visits, and has taken home souvenirs and flags from each country on trips financed by donating strangers. Shah predicts he has just two more years of biking left to finish his 150-country world tour. The regions yet to be discovered are the Middle East and Eastern European countries. But does he look forward to settling down finally after a long stretch of transience? Shah says he is grappling with that question. "Will I be able to stay in my home village or not? He says he will probably think up another adventure before settling down. First on the list is to climb Mount Everest, placing flags from all the countries he has visited, and to write the story of his global bike tour for peace. For more information, visit www.pushkarshah.com.
