ADVENTUROUS CYCLIST

Shannon News, 25 February 1927, Page 1

ADVENTUROUS CYCLIST

JOURNEY ROUND WORLD. 25,000 MILES IN 20 MONTHS. A cyclist who had more than half fulfilled his ambition of travelling round the world on a push bicycle, unconcernedly pedalled his way into (Sydney this week. He was Emmanuel Kotulsky, a young Latvian, who left Riga 586 days ago, and has since visited more than 20 countries. " Kotulsky, who is 32 years o!: age, was a Russian citizen before thh war, during which he was an aeroplane pilot. After the war he decided to become a journalist, and it was partly to qualify for that profession, allied to an unquenchable spirit of adventure, that prompted him to set out on his long and arduous journey. Clothed in a Boy Scout uniform, now faded by the suns of many lands, and with one arm thickly adorned with the insignias of different nations, Kotulsky presented a slim, boyish figure, and one wondered whence comes the reserves of stamina and strength necessary to endure the hardships and fatigue arising from the journey of such a nature. Tangible proof of Kotulsky's wanderings is given in the form of two volumes in which are written signatures of people with whom he has come in contact in all the counfries he has visited. Beginning with the President and Premier of the Latvian Republic, wishing him success on his enterprise, the books contain greetings and announcements in a hundred and one forms of language, and handwriting in a thousand and one styles. The latter range from the bold scrawl of an Englishman to Uie incomprehensible symbols of Japanese and Chinese. When Kotulsky returns to Latvia, one of the books will g-o into the republic's archives; the other will remain the adventurer's own treasured possession. Kotulsky left Riga on June 14, 1925. He passed through Latvia, Lithuania, Dantzic, Germany, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Jugo-Slavia, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Palestin, Egypt, Aden, India, Burmah, Siam, French IndoChina, China, Japan and Macao. Thence he shipped to the Philppines, whence he came, by a Japanese steamer to Thursday Island, and then Townsville. He landed at the latter port five weeks ago, and has since been wending his way southward. From Sydney Kotulsky proposes to take a steamer to South America, finding his way by his trusty bicycle to North America,, and then by steamer to Europe. Kotulsky has maintained a route he planned before leaving Latvia, and he estimates that if he is successful in returning to his native land his journey will have taken him over 40 countries and a distance of 40,000 miles, covered. v