Sunday 1 December 2013

One bicycle, 18 countries, 9,000 km…. here comes Simon Schedlbauer

We had a rare guest at PepperTrails this time; Simon Schedlbauer and his friend Katharina. He is from Lower Bavaria, Germany and is on a rare mission. Every person above the ordinary has a certain mission that they are called to fulfil and Simon is one. Read his story in his own words: 
“My name is Simon Schedlbauer and I come from Bogen (near Straubing/Lower Bavaria, Germany). Having completed a 3½-year advanced training course while working, I would now like to take the opportunity to experience foreign countries and cultures and to reach out to people in need. A friend from Munich will join me on my trip. Starting in mid-March 2013, I am going on a charity bicycle tour which will take me all the way from Germany to North India in the course of about six months. On this trip, I hope to pass through 18 countries, covering a distance of around 9,000 km (roughly 5,600 miles). You will be able to follow me at any stage of the tour on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, and of course on my blog, where I am going to share my impressions and experiences along the way.

My goal is to raise at least €1.00 for every kilometre of the trip, which would make for a total of €9,000.00. The beneficiary of those donations will be Tibets Kinder imExile.V. (Exiled Children of Tibet, registered association), a not-for-profit organization providing aid for Tibetan children living in India, who have been on the run from oppression and persecution ever since China’s illegal occupation of Tibet in 1951. To this day, concerned parents send several hundred children every year on an extremely dangerous journey on foot across the Himalayas and on to the exile communities of India. They do so in hopes that at least their children will be able to live in freedom and safety; that they may preserve their language, their religion, and their culture; and that they will enjoy a good education and be given the chance to shape their own future unimpeded by compulsion or constraint. Based in Munich, Tibets Kinder im Exil e.V. lends a helping hand to the children who live in Tibetan SOS Children’s Villages by enlisting sponsors and collecting donations. The donated money goes directly toward supporting specific projects in these children’s villages, in full and without any deductions for administrative costs. Your donation will not be used to cover my travel expenses. Rest assured that I will literally pay my own way.” (Read more at; http://www.simon-schedlbauer.de/english)

Simon stopped at PepeprTrails for a meal and some relaxation, the duo was very keen to know about India and its traditional tastes. Excited about the live culinary demo; Simon noted on TripAdvisor: “Excellent cooking-class: They show you how to cook original Indian food and the taste is amazing. The complete meal is included in the price, so there is nothing to pay extra. It`s fantastic because you get the written instructions for the meals so you can cook it also yourself at home. Thank you very much for your great hospitality, we really enjoyed.”

Thank you Simon and Katharina and all the very bests for the rest of your journey!