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American begins epic journey around the world
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GEARS and shocks, check. Camera, check. Shirt and cap with slogan, check. American Matthew Galat, an entrepreneur who has lived in China for five years, earlier this month began what he expects to be a five-year world tour on a custom-made three-wheeler.
Galat calls it his trike. It’s about 1.5-meters long and 80-centimeters tall and was tailor-made for Galat at a German factory. It’s designed so he can ride in a comfortable recumbent position with an ergonomic seat that supports his back, shoulders and butt.
He has even got it rigged so that he produces electricity when pedaling, which allows him to charge his smartphone and laptop. He’s also got a small trailer hitch to carry his equipment and clothing.
“I chose a unique mode of transportation that combines human power, a pace that can allow you to really taste the planet, a little bit of comfort and fairly simple construction,” Galat tells Shanghai Daily.
He commenced the adventure on August 15 in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, has spent a week in Hangzhou, and has already passed through Anhui Province. He is now pedaling his way across Hunan Province. He says he will mostly camp out under the stars or stay in people’s homes to save money.
Galat has been living and running a trading company in Ningbo for the past five years and says he started preparing this journey two years ago. This includes physical training and planing his finances accordingly.
“I was warned to watch out for Chinese traffic, but it turns out the Chinese need to watch out for me because people stop their vehicles to take photos of me,” the 35-year-old says, laughing, while in Hangzhou.
He plans to visit more than 100 countries with stops at Mount Everest and even the South Pole.
“I’ve been training and preparing for it the last two years and registered for the 2015 Everest expedition, to be the tallest person in the world for five minutes,” he says.
His trips will take him across southern China before crossing the border into Myanmar and heading toward India and then Nepal. There Galat will challenge himself to reach the top of the world.
His itinerary then includes a return to India before heading to the Red Sea, Persian Gulf and Africa. Next up is Jordan before crossing into Europe. Galat then plans to return to Africa before taking a ship to South America and going to the South Pole.
Upon returning to South America, he will work his way north to Central America and Mexico, where he will carry a parachute and jump into the Cave of Swallows, before reaching the US.
Even then he still won’t be done as Galat plans to keep going north to tour Canada before heading to his hometown, Detroit, and finally pedaling his way across the US to end his world tour in Los Angeles.
“It is a dream path. You want to accomplish something big, you need to dream big,” he says, adding his motto is life is what you make of it.
Reborn in China
Many people dream of touring around the world, but the former firefighter says when he was in his 20s the thought never occurred to him. He admits he didn’t know much about traveling before coming to China and his main motivation for coming here was to be a successful businessman.
Five years ago he came to Ningbo, China, alone, with the ambition to start a trading company. At that time he had already been running a trading company in the US for 10 years and was doing some business with China.
“I had to force myself to open up to China,” he says. “Now looking back, I think this was the best decision I’ve ever made.”
Galat says his life changed when he got a camera of Canon 5D1 for the first time. To this day, he remains fascinated with capturing people’s lives and the country’s scenery through the lens. It has helped him discover his potential to observe others and the world.
Since coming to China he has done many things he wouldn’t have done in his previous life. He has swam with sharks in the Maldives, swam cross the Yellow River when the water temperature was 4 degrees Celsius, climbed a 6,200-meter mountain in Yunnan Province and produced a bilingual TV show, “Ningbo Focus.”
“I was reborn,” he says and slowly a world tour emerged in his mind. “If I didn’t do it now, I don’t think I will ever do it, so I would better do it right now.”
Ja Yoe trip
Galat is wearing a bright orange T-shirt with the words “Ja Yoe” on the front and “Add Fuel to Your Life” on the back. He also sports a baseball cap with the Ja Yoe logo. He says he has dozens of other Ja Yoe T-shirts.
The slogan “Ja Yoe” is from the Chinese “jia you” and literally means “add fuel.” The term is used at the gas station, but more often it can be heard at sporting events to encourage athletes or teams.
“Ja Yoe is my perception of the world,” Galat says. “The world is full of people who look at the world in their own way, and as long as you give your best, goods things will happen.”
Galat has made a series of videos introducing his tour and what he calls the Ja Yoe spirit (check http://jayoe.com for details).
The American says he has two goals for his world tour: checking some items off his bucket list like Mount Everest and the South Pole; and meeting people all around the planet who have the Ja Yoe spirit.
Galat hopes wherever he goes, people will say Ja Yoe to encourage him to keep going. As a businessman, Galat is also making some money while on the trip to fund his travels. With his Canon 5D3, he plans on making documentaries and selling them. Stonehouse Production, an agency in US expressed willingness to help Galat promote his Ja Yoe adventure to some major networks in USA, like National Geography and Discovery.
If you happen to cross paths with Galat, remember to say the magic words, Ja Yoe.
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