Yang Huaiyu, a young man from Leshan, shows his visas. Photo by Hao Fei
Huaxi Metropolis Daily: Yang Huaiyu, who once worked in TV sales, had a dream of traveling around the world. To realize this dream, he quit his job and set off on a cycling journey with 50,000 yuan raised through various means. During his one-and-a-half-year cycling adventure, he traveled from Asia to Africa, covering 18 countries. Next year, he plans to embark on another journey to cycle through 10 European countries.
He is a post-90s youth from a rural background who didn’t finish high school and worked in TV sales. His predetermined life path was to earn money and settle in the city, but he had a heart full of dreams to travel the world. With just a bicycle, 100 jin (approximately 50 kg) of luggage, and 50,000 yuan raised through various means, he spent one and a half years crossing 18 countries in Asia and Africa. Next year, he plans to set off again to cycle through 10 European countries — this is the story of 23-year-old Yang Huaiyu bravely chasing his dreams.
Documentaries on TV sparked his desire to travel the world
“When I was selling TVs, the display videos were all BBC documentaries like 'Planet Earth.' Watching them every day made me yearn to see those places for myself,” Yang Huaiyu said, recalling how his dream of traveling the world began. He grew up in a small town in Jianwei, Leshan, and came to Chengdu to work in TV sales without finishing high school, earning 6,000 yuan a month.
In 2010, he cycled along the Sichuan-Tibet Highway and spent only 3,000 yuan in a month. That trip made him feel that traveling the world might not be as difficult as he had imagined. In the 2011 Spring Festival, he began preparing for a cycling trip across Asia and Africa, using his savings plus sponsorship from friends, totaling 50,000 yuan.
Before the trip, he studied English for two months. Due to his poor foundation, he was placed in a class with a group of middle-aged women to learn spoken English. “I originally brought four English books with me, but later threw them away because they were too heavy,” Yang Huaiyu said. Along the way, he met cyclists from various countries and communicated with them in broken English, gradually feeling that his spoken English had improved a lot.
Washing diapers for kids to stay in cheap foreign hostels
In May 2012, Yang Huaiyu left China via Guangxi, with Vietnam as his first stop. He modified his bicycle so it could carry luggage both in the front and the back. His gear — including a tent, gas stove, iron pot, fishing rod, and more — weighed a total of 100 jin, including 2 jin of medicine. However, Yang Huaiyu said he didn’t use the medicine himself but gave it to people in need along the way.
For most of the trip, he camped and cooked by himself. In Africa, when he encountered lakes, he would fish with his rod and then buy hotpot base at a local Chinese supermarket to cook boiled fish. Since vegetables were more expensive than meat there, he ate 2 jin of beef every day during that time and gained 20 jin in weight.
Besides camping, he sometimes chose to stay in accommodations. At a Vietnamese family’s house, the parents even introduced their four or five daughters to him and asked if he wanted to marry one. “In Thailand and Cambodia, I could stay in temples, where there was running water and electricity, and I could even eat chicken legs.” Having worked in sales, communicating with strangers was Yang Huaiyu’s strength, and almost all his accommodation requests were granted. In Kolkata, India, he stayed at a place that cost ten yuan per night, but the condition was that he had to wash diapers for kids during the day.
Befriended a Japanese female cyclist, planned to celebrate Chinese New Year in China together
During the one-and-a-half-year journey, Yang Huaiyu made many friends. While staying in a youth hostel in Cairo, Egypt, he met HANA, a Japanese backpacker who hitchhiked along the way. Influenced by Yang Huaiyu, HANA decided to become a cyclist as well. “I helped her choose a bike and gear in Cairo. Unexpectedly, on the first day of riding, just 70 kilometers out of Cairo, she collided with a truck. She was unharmed but the bike was completely wrecked,” Yang Huaiyu said. The unexpected setback led them to change their plans temporarily. He settled HANA in a local’s home while he took the damaged bike back to Cairo for repairs. Together, he and HANA cycled for three months from Egypt to Kenya. This year, HANA will come to Yang Huaiyu’s hometown to celebrate Chinese New Year.
Additionally, Yang Huaiyu also met a British man in his 60s who was also a cycling enthusiast. After teaming up with Yang Huaiyu, the man taught him English. Whenever Yang Huaiyu didn’t know a word, the man patiently wrote it on his hand or leg. In October this year, after successfully reaching Cape of Good Hope, Yang Huaiyu flew back to Chengdu. Now he is preparing for next year’s trip, during which he will cycle across the European continent.
The countries Yang Huaiyu cycled through
Starting from Nanning, Guangxi, he passed through Vietnam – Cambodia – Thailand – India – Iran (he got injured in Iran, returned to China, then went through Sri Lanka back to Iran to continue cycling) – Lebanon – Jordan – Egypt – Sudan – Ethiopia – Kenya – Uganda – Rwanda – Tanzania – Malawi – Zambia – Namibia – South Africa.