"We have only one life, if we miss the chance now, we may not have another one later"
- Anna Grechishkina
Touring the world has
been a dream for mankind long time ago, because of the desire to explore and
discover new places; it drives to the technological advance in our
civilization, from a simple ship for sailing to metal jet soaring the sky.
There is one particular group of people who try to change the way of traveling
in one of a non-conventional way – traveling on a motorcycle. Since motorcycle
been invented, bike touring has been a new life style which never fades, bikers
do it year to year and never stop craving for the enrichment.
Anna, a lovely Ukraine
girl who holds a dream long time ago decided to go for a one big step in her
life, to ride the world. Her story can be an inspiring one for other bikers.
She enters Malaysia on December 2013 after Thailand and we are very happy to
have her to take part in our interview, sharing bit of her story with us. The
interview is not able to be conducted face to face due to our packed schedule,
but luckily Anna is kind enough to accept an online interview. We are here to
share what we have with Anna.
1. As per your "I have a dream" website, we know that it is a
project to ride around the world with motorcycle. Can you briefly let us know
how many countries have you cross so far and before arriving in Thailand, you
were in South Korea and skipped China, Vietnam and Cambodia, is that because of
the visa problem?
Yes, this is the world
trip on my KTM Adventure 1190 bike meaning that I will cross all the continents
except Antarctica but of course it does not mean that I will cover all the
countries. For that I would need more than two years. I’ve been on the road for
almost six months already, I started my journey from Kiev, Ukraine, on 27 July
2013 and I intend to complete it by summer 2015. So far I crossed all Russia
till Vladivostok, shipped my bike to Thailand; all the way covered Thailand,
Malaysia and Singapore, soon ready to continue for Australia, then USA, Mexico,
Central & South America, Africa and Europe. I skipped some of the countries
in South Asia because of visa issues and complicated procedures as to bringing
my bike to the countries - like China, Vietnam. Of course, I am interested in
these countries as well but I am sure that my traveling spirit will not expire
after my world trip is completed and I will continue to explore the world
further.
2. There are quite some numbers of bikers doing this world riding thing,
but mostly are male. It is really rare to see a female riding around the world
like you do thus in your opinion, what sort of situation or maybe condition is
the most challenging part for a female rider throughout the journey?
Well, I agree that
it’s more challenging for a female to take a risk of such journey. Main issues
are connected first of all with safety, because single woman on the road in a
foreign country can easily become a target for some people. Also women normally
need more comfortable conditions in terms of hygiene and it’s not always that
you get on the way, so you have to adapt to different situations and different
conditions, to learn to be happy and contented with small things. Part of the
challenge is connected also with some things which are normally considered as
“man’s piece of cake” like lifting up the bike when you drop it, or carrying
heavy luggage on and off your bike, taking care of the bike when something is
broken or out of service.
In the other hand being
a female rider is somehow easier in some sense. Because when people meet you,
they immediately want to help you and facilitate your journey. It’s not very
common situation to see a woman on the bike, especially in a long-ride journey,
so people want to support you in everything. For example, whenever I dropped my
bike (because it’s heavy) I could hardly get on my feet before there was
already somebody around to help me to lift it up. I experienced a lot of
situations when I got very fast help just because people wanted to help to a
single lady on the road.
Of course, it’s very
important to have connections in the countries that you’re heading to, at least
you should have at least few people to whom you may call or ask for help.
But it’s much more
dangerous to travel alone in your imagination, reality is often very different,
and the most challenging and difficult part is to take the first step and to
start. Once you started, other things are being sorted out easier. Therefore,
one of my goals is to show to female riders that they can do it, it’s not just
men’s privilege to travel. We also can explore the world, and sometimes it’s
even easier for us to do it.
3. There are many types of riders, there are riders who love speed,
roaming around the track most of the time: there are riders who loves
customizing bikes; some loves to travel around and integrate the machine as
part of their voyage, Which category you think that you will put your own self
in. Also, when you started to ride a motorcycle, bikes that you have ridden so
far? What is the motive to make you have such strong desire to archive this
goal where a lot of people who will only think of without action?
I am definitely not a
type of riders who love speed, I am a slow rider who prefers to travel for long
distances and explore the world. To do this you need time, not speed. I like to
look around, to stop for taking photos, for meeting people. Sometimes people
are wondering why I take so much time to get from one place to another, but for
me it’s not the distance that matters but experience. And maybe I will cover
only a few kilometers in one day but I will get such an unforgettable
experience which will enrich my life or touch other people’s lives.
I started to ride
bikes 9 years ago, in 2005. My first bike was Kawasaki Eliminator 125, but
already next year I’ve bought Kawasaki Vulcan 900. I immediately got interested
in long rides and traveling to other countries. I realized that traveling is
the best way of exploring the world and broadening your mind. For these years
I’ve been to Russia, Belarus, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece,
Georgia, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, India, and after one of such journeys I felt
that I am ready for a very long ride around the world. This idea first seemed
crazy to me but it was coming back to my mind again and again, I consulted with
my good friends who really supported me, and one day I decided to start
preparations for my world trip.
My goal is not just to
travel around the world for my own pleasure, but also to support people who
have their dreams. Actually my journey is called “I have a dream..” , and I
want to encourage other people to follow their dreams and not to be scared to
take the first step. We have only one life, and if we miss
the chance now, we may not have another one later.
Also part of my
mission is to do some charity and social work within my journey - like visiting
orphanages, homes for the aged, meeting any kind of people who may need support
and encouragement. My main message is that everything is possible in this world
even if you are simple and ordinary people like I am.
4. Can you briefly let us know how long you prepared for this journey? Do
you have anyone behind you who work for the funding or backup and what you do
(occupation) before departed for this mission?
It took me more than a
year to get prepared. First I had to choose the bike which will accompany me in
this journey, and I chose KTM Adventure 1190. Also I had to find partners for
my trip as it’s quite costly. I had to make the route, collect all the
information about visa issues and customs regulations in every country along my
route. I had to train myself in a physical sense, so I visited the gym almost
every day. Also I spent almost every day in motorcycle service workshop to
learn how to deal with the bike in case something happens. In order to have
time for all this, I quit my full-time job and shifted for free-lance, and
still my everyday schedule was really packed, I didn’t have much time even for
rest. And still some issues remained open at the day of my start. But I
realized that I have to start otherwise it can be delayed forever.
One of the issues
which is still not settled was financial issue. I didn’t manage to raise all
the amount for my trip, therefore search of partners is still in the process
though one quarter of my journey is already completed. In Ukraine I have a
group of people who help me with organization issues because sometimes I even
do not have time for posting photos in Internet.
5. How do you find the people, food, landscape of Malaysia?
I really enjoy
Malaysia, and I can say that of all the countries that I visited so far (not
just within this world trip) Malaysia is one of my favorite countries. And I
really looking forward to come back here again. I made a lot of friends here,
Malaysians are so nice and friendly and supportive people. I felt like at home
here because I knew that they take care of me and will never let anything bad
happen to me.
Of course I enjoy landscape
and the roads. They are very smooth and comfortable for riding.
I am not very picky
about the food but I like all the varieties of Malaysian food. First I missed
potato a lot as it is very traditional food for our countries but now I got
used to rice, and like it a lot!
6. Do you have any advice for bikers who really want to ride the world?
Such as motorcycle choice, things to be aware of when at a strange environment
that you are not familiar with.
Of course a lot of
things are very important for the world rides, it’s not a ride for a cup of
coffee behind the corner, and it takes a lot of time and energy to get
prepared. But I would say that the most important thing you have to start
with is psychological readiness. It’s not that easy to leave your comfort zone
and head for uncertainty so you have to be fully aware of your reasons to do
it. It should not be just a one night decision, you have to think over it,
understand all the difficulties and challenges, and only after you understand
all this and ready to take a risk and challenge you should start and go.
Also I would advise to
learn or practice much flexibility. As a world rider you will get to many
unusual places and meet a lot of people whose mentality would be very different
from yours and sometimes very weird. You should learn to adapt, to change according
to the surroundings, to be more tolerant and understanding. In this way you
will learn a lot about the world; this is the most precious knowledge. There is
no place for rigidity and stubbornness when you’re traveling.
So I would say that
this is the first you should start with and then to continue of course with the
choice of bike, collection of information about countries, etc. This part is
easier.
7. Lastly, I would like to ask a question that most of our male riders
who really keen to know - are you still single and available? Into what extend
you open your door to man, what is your preference on man.
Well, I have a boyfriend in Ukraine, and
hopefully time and distance will test our feelings and show us if we fit each
other that much.
Thank you Anna for replying back to this interview and for
those who is interested please do visit Anna “I have a dream…” blog @ http://www.ihaveadream.com.ua/