25000km journey ... on a bike

[caption id="attachment_35076" align="alignright" width="405"] SADDLE SORE: Chinese resident Qiangzi Wang has cycled from Shanghai, China, to Port Elizabeth. Picture: FREDLIN ADRIAAN[/caption]

A CHINESE waiter, 30, who only packed a tent, gas burner, some thread and a needle, spare tyres and brakes before setting off to travel to South Africa on his bicycle last year, finally reached his end destination this week – the friendly city of Port Elizabeth.

Having left his home town, Shanghai, on March 26 last year, it took Qiangzi Wang 15 months to complete his journey. He had no specific reason for stopping in the Bay, but always knew during his journey this would be his last stop.

Wang, 30, a waiter at a small restaurant in China, cycled about 25000km across 12 countries and spent anything from one night to a week in different cities, often in kindly strangers' homes.

A minor traffic accident in Armenia after he visited Iran saw him undergoing a shoulder operation. But even that could not stop him reaching his goal.

"The accident was but one of the few troubles I picked up along my journey," he said. "There were issues with visas and permits and cultural differences that were often challenging, but I've made it. I think this journey to South Africa taught me that no matter what happens, everything will be all right."

Wang comes from a small, poor village north of China where his family grows corn and wheat for a living.

Of all the places he has seen over the last 15 months, it is Ethiopia that reminds him most of home. "It's like people there are one with the earth. They have so little, but share it so widely."

The only time he slept in a guest house was in Egypt. "The rest of the time I camped outside. In parts of Africa where I was afraid of wild animals, I asked to camp in people's yards. I found Chinese restaurants where they directed me to the best place to camp and stock up my Chinese noodles," he said.

Wang's visa expires later this month. His plan is to fly back home before then. "Then it's back to being a waiter.

"One thing about life on a bicycle is that it gets lonely, so I am excited to see my friends and family again." - Alvené du Plessis