Meet a Man Who Walked Across 22 Countries and 2 Continents
Meigo Märk, a native of Estonia in japanese Europe, determined to increase his horizons and see new international locations. To accomplish this objective, he didn’t take trains, planes or busses. He did issues the old school means, strolling throughout a whole of 22 international locations and two continents. Not solely does this technique of journey save 1000’s of {dollars}, it lets you join extra to your environment.
Instead of flying 30,000 miles above the surroundings or dashing by it in a automobile, Meigo selected a extra personal expertise. Walking allowed him to decelerate and immerse himself in his travels slightly than rush from place to position. He’d dreamed of touring the world, totally on foot, for fairly a while. One day, he lastly determined to embark on this nice journey.
“I started walking to fulfill this dream over 6 years ago in May 2014 from my home country in Estonia. Currently I have walked through 22 countries, a total distance of 22,000 kilometers or 12,427 miles,” Meigo stated.
It took him 4 years and three months, and 24 completely different pairs of sneakers to traverse this distance. Meigo’s journey started in Estonia, situated simply south of Finland throughout the Gulf of Finland. He then labored his means south by Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania. Next, he traveled into Serbia, then Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Iran, India, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia. The last leg of his journey included Laos, Vietnam (his present location), Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
While he walked many of the means, he additionally used boats, ships and planes to cross waterways when vital. In some harmful and restricted areas, he generally took busses as effectively. 20,000 kilometers marks the space Meigo traveled solely by strolling. He didn’t embody any miles traveled utilizing transportation in his calculations.
The man who walked throughout twenty-two international locations and two continents
He walked a median of 25-35 kilometers per day (about fifteen to twenty miles), with a report of 64 kilometers (just below forty miles). For him, the journey wasn’t about setting world data or shifting rapidly. He needed to decelerate and take time to attach with the cultures of the international locations he visited.
“I started this long walk because it felt like the only right thing to do next with my life. I felt that I had enough energy to walk thousands of miles across continents, that I really had to do it. At least I should start and try! In the long walking journey through 22 countries, I have shortly lived and slept in over 220 local homes together with the local families,” Meigo defined.
“Can you imagine over 220 different families in different countries with very different cultural, religious and financial backgrounds? I have lived with families in a huge slum in India, in a house with no windows, stayed in the homes of multimillionaires in Singapore, lived in a small bamboo hut in the remote mountain jungle of Nepal, and stayed with the nuns and monks in a Zen monastery in the hills of Vietnam. I crossed vast natural landscapes, and I was sleeping alone in a tent for over 650 nights.”
Meigo documented his travels on social media, and it appears that evidently each nation welcomed him with open arms. On his blog, he stated that over 1700 individuals in numerous international locations supplied to assist him. They gave him water, clothes, meals, tea, espresso, money and different presents. Some even helped him by fixing his garments, baggage and sneakers.
Perhaps most astonishingly, he started his journey with simply eight euros in his pocket. He used that money to purchase bread and requested locals for water. Along the best way, he collected, washed and ate edible leaves from the roadside for sustenance.
Meigo’s unimaginable journey is way from over.
Meigo wouldn’t let funds preserve him from fulfilling his dream of seeing the world.
To preserve funding his travels, he determined to hire out his residence to vacationers or locals. He’d lived within the previous picket residence buried deep inside a forest for five years. Later on, he ended up promoting the house to make touring simpler.
“I have learned that every single heartbeat and every breath is an unrepeatable gift, and a true miracle! And even though it is very easy to complain about everything, we should still try to be appreciative and grateful – grateful even for all the difficulties and challenges of life because they can really help us to become wiser, better, and stronger,” Meigo says.
Meigo set an final objective of strolling a minimal distance equal to the circumference of the planet’s equator. This equates to 40,075 kilometers or 24,901 miles world wide. He needs to proceed the journey together with his spouse and daughter, who would journey close by him in a tenting automobile. It’s actually a exceptional objective, and we want him one of the best in attaining it!
According to his newest YouTube videos, he’s at the moment staying in a village in Vietnam. It appears he’s been there for about a year now together with his spouse and daughter. Some of the movies embody night walks together with his household, planting rice, and cleansing up trash within the rice fields. It additionally exhibits varied festivities within the village, together with a parade, yoga day, and Christmas dances. It appears like Miego’s dream grew to become a actuality, and we will’t wait to see the place he walks to subsequent!
Final ideas on the person strolling his means throughout many international locations
Seeing new international locations doesn’t must imply shelling out 1000’s of {dollars}. Oftentimes, the locals will allow you to stick with them, permitting you to expertise their tradition first-hand. It may appear scary to depart behind all the pieces you understand, however as they are saying, life begins on the finish of your consolation zone. That’s the premise behind Meigo’s dream of seeing international locations all around the world.
He, his spouse and daughter have had unimaginable experiences in international locations like India, Thailand and Greece. He’s traveled over 20,000 kilometers on foot, and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime quickly. It looks like he’s settled in Vietnam in the interim. But with 20,000 kilometers left to fulfill his objective, we now have little question he’ll be again on the highway earlier than lengthy.
