Two adventurers are gearing up for a 3,000-kilometre bike ride from Yangon to Singapore to support the city’s street children.
Jochen Meissner, 41, and Kyaw Min Naing, 31, of tour operator Uncharted Horizons Myanmar will begin their 28-day, four-country journey on August 26.
The pair hopes to raise about US$17,000—enough to provide 40 street children with food and education at SONNE Social Organisation’s new centre in South Dagon township.
“It’s really fantastic what SONNE is doing,” said Austria native Meissner. “It’s a great project that I support 100-percent and stand behind.”
SONNE’s four Yangon centres offer some of the city’s poorest children a respite from the stress of the slums and pressures of earning small money to support their families.
Myanmar Mix values the importance of these centres and is proud to be a media sponsor for the epic charity bike ride. We will be posting live updates of the trip, which takes in Mae Sot, Bangkok, Georgetown and Kuala Lumpur among other stops.
They will travel unsupported, aiming to cover between 100 and 120 kilometres per day, while staying in basic guesthouses along the way.
Rice and noodle shops will keep them fuelled with carbohydrates, says Meissner, the founder of Uncharted Horizons who first arrived in Myanmar 15 years ago and moved here permanently in 2012.
Kyaw Min Naing is a guide for Uncharted Horizons, which regularly takes people on bike rides around Dala and further afield to remote areas in Myanmar. The excursions keep both men in shape.
Kyaw Min Naing says they have cycled from Kayah state capital Loikaw to Lashio in northern Shan state, which was “very difficult,” though “after I finished, the feeling was so good.”
Meissner has a strong track record of supporting charitable projects in Myanmar. He has helped install water filters and toilets in Dala, where living conditions are generally worse than Yangon.
With the help of Myanmar Chefs’ Association president Oliver E. Soe Thet, he has aided children with cleft palates in Chin state, flying them and their families to hospital for surgery.
But he won’t need to use SONNE’s new project as a source of inspiration to cope with the more punishing days of the journey, he says.
“I am so much in love with bike riding I don’t need much extra motivation,” he added. “I’ve had this thought [to cycle to Singapore] for a long time.
“When you look at the map of Southeast Asia, it’s kind of obvious. I really love long distance rides, with proper roads. It makes sense to go there.”
His three top tips for long-distance bike rides are good equipment, including padded bike shorts and saddle, proper physical training, and, most importantly, he laughs, a good bike—they will use Trek Marlin cycles from their company.
This may not be their last bike ride that crosses several countries, either, with a Yangon to Nepal capital Kathmandu adventure in the pipeline.
You can support their endeavour and help Yangon’s street children here. Stay tuned to Myanmar Mix to see how their challenge unfolds.
