After traveling 40,000 kilometers from his hometown Taiwan, Jacky Chen made it to the Split Riva.
However, we’re not talking about that famous Hong Kong movie actor ‘Jackie Chan’, but a Taiwanese physics engineer and adventurer who has traveled the world on two wheels since 2015, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on December 9, 2018.
Starting with Alaska, Chen has traveled through 60 countries so far as he lives out his childhood wish of seeing the world. Kilometer to kilometer, after Zadar, where the Sea Organ enchanted him, and Šibenik, where he admired the cathedral, Chen finally arrived in Split.
“I travel and live modestly. I sleep in a tent or by the good people I regularly encounter on the road, through couch-surfing. Many people wait for me because I publish my blog entries on Facebook’s ‘Go or Die’ page. My goal was to share the beauty of the world with my friends and to realize my dreams, to see the world. I read a book about a Japanese cyclist who traveled around the world on a bicycle.
He inspired me. One day when I come back to Taiwan, I will write a book about my life journey, so maybe I can inspire somebody. I’m going back home in 2021,” says Chen, who left his job and went to the unknown – Alaska. He then traveled to the United States, descended to South America, then moved to Europe by plane.
“I’m not a professional cyclist, but I wanted to see the world by bike, to get to know it better and experience it. The trip brings me many different things, a lot of beauty, but mostly the amazing people who are willing to provide help, food, a bed, and even money, even though I do not look for it. Here in Split, I have been wonderfully welcomed. They’ve shown me Marjan, Sustipan, Vidilica, the Riva, and I learned that Hajduk is the most important thing here. The city is beautiful, the people are warm,” said the 40-year-old from Taiwan, revealing that his only enemy is the cold, snow and rain, but it is also part of the adventure.
After Split, Chen will travel to Dubrovnik, Montenegro, Albania, and Turkey, before heading to Africa. Afterward, he will go to Asia and eventually make it back to his homeland.
“While I’m traveling I write in my diary, take pictures, and when I get home, I want to hold lectures about my trip. I want to encourage young people to dream and try to realize their dreams because, here, it is possible to achieve them. I’m not a rich man, I lived modestly before, I just decided to see the world,” concluded Jacky.
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