| Azaraimy HH |
THEY say being disabled is no reason to not travel the world, but Nepalese polio victim is taking this to a whole new level.
Chitra Poudel notched Brunei as his 58th destination on his world tour on bike. He arrived in the Sultanate yesterday, accompanied by his supporter and close friend, fellow cyclist Amrit Kumar Gharti.
Peddling past disability in his cycling tour, Poudel hopes to encourage others with disabilities to ‘able’ themselves. He also hopes to promote world peace through his expedition.
At the tender age of five, Poudel was afflicted by polio. The infectious disease left his right leg weakened and withered. Growing up, however, Poudel was determined to not let this hold him back in life.
He will explore places of interest in Brunei before moving on to other countries including Korea, Japan and Australia.
Their stay in Brunei is sponsored by Telamba Homestay, which covers accommodation, food and necessary logistic.
Telamba Homestay is a small, highly-affordable, family-run riverside out-of-town accommodation in Kampong Telamba, Tutong, that is becoming an increasingly popular place among foreign students and researchers in view of its in-house activities and cultural learning excursions.
This is the pair’s second tour to Brunei. During their last trip in 2010, they also stayed at the Telamba Homestay.
“We want to prove that nothing is impossible, and we want to inspire fellow disabled people,” he said.
“We started our world cycle tour in 2005 and we have visited dozens of countries. The core purpose of this is to push for ‘world peace and developing the confidence of people with disabilities. A person’s biggest asset is his confidence. We want to set an example that the disabled can also do physically and mentally enduring things,” he said.
The excursion also paves the way for them to achieve their dream of entering the Guinness Books of World Records – for travelling the world with a disability.
Back home, Poudel’s efforts have not gone unnoticed; among others, he has been presented the National Youth Award which came with a $2,000 cash prize.
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