Macau thrill-seeker to bike to London and back

BORN in Macau, Tyler Kuan could easily have been complacent about life. Instead, he wants to go to London and back - on a bicycle equipped with a fold-out tent.

Turning his back on an easy life working in Macau's casinos, which are seeing billions of dollars of foreign investment, the gangly 27-year-old plans to spend years pedaling thousands of kilometers alone. He's doing it all in the name of adventure.

"Life in Macau is not bad, it is too good," said Kuan. "It's very easy to earn lots of money and buy whatever you want but there is a need to look beyond the material value."

Kuan, who once worked as a casino dealer, left his most recent job as a trainee engineer in Macau and started his journey in March.

With six days behind him now, Kuan aims to get to London in nine months, traveling through areas ranging from China's Tibet to Norway.

But his planned route there and back again - weaving around Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East - will take five years. He will carry 120,000 Macau patacas (US$15,000) and the bicycle.

One of the biggest constraints will be language barriers, he says. Snowy roads, being robbed and someone approaching him with an AK-47 assault rifle are also worries. He plans to blog en route.

Kuan is confident that all will go well. Having planned and practiced for the trip for few years, he has spent the last nine months making final adjustments and fitting out his bicycle.

He will take part-time jobs as needed along the way.

"I have been reading travel cyclists diaries, watching "Man vs Wild" and learning from what people have done in the past," he said. "Knowledge is the best teacher."

Why not travel in more comfort? It's simple, Kuan said - travelers miss too much from a plane. "London is only one stop on my whole journey," he added. "Biking is the right way to travel."

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