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Jason Lewis (adventurer)
Encyclopedia
Jason Lewis is a self-powered English
circumnavigator accredited with being the first person to circumnavigate the globe by human power.
He set off with fellow adventurer Stevie Smith from Greenwich, London in July, 1994 to travel round the globe (Expedition 360
), and had travelled over 60000 km (37,282.4 mi) by July 2007. He finally ended his expedition on the sixth of October 2007 having travelled 74842 km (46,504.8 mi).
He then planned to travel through Ethiopia
, Sudan
, Egypt
, and the Middle East
before reaching Europe
— however, he encountered a problem in Sudan. The Egyptian authorities would not let him pass through their waters, and when his visa for Sudan ran out he was left with an "impossible decision". He attempted to kayak across Lake Nasser
to Abu Simbel
but was arrested on suspicion of spying. He was released but the Egyptian authorities forbade him from mountain-biking the 178 mile journey to Aswan
. He completed this section illegally by riding partly at nighthttp://www.expedition360.com/journal/archives/2007/06/the_last_of_the.html.
In July 2007, he reached Syria
and then crossed Turkey, Bulgaria
, Romania, Austria, Germany, and Belgium before returning to London on 6 October
Lewis expected the journey to last 3.5 years, but due to the many difficulties he faced, as mentioned above, the journey extended to 13 years. Other factors of delay were a bout of depression and a crocodile attack in
2007.
In 2007 Lewis bumped into Ewan McGregor
and Charley Boorman
in Sudan while they were undertaking their Long Way Down
trip.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
circumnavigator accredited with being the first person to circumnavigate the globe by human power.
Expedition 360
Expedition 360 is the name of a successful attempt by Briton Jason Lewis to be the first person to circumnavigate the globe, passing through two opposing points on the Earth's surface and crossing the equator, using only human power...
), and had travelled over 60000 km (37,282.4 mi) by July 2007. He finally ended his expedition on the sixth of October 2007 having travelled 74842 km (46,504.8 mi).
- Lewis and Smith crossed the Atlantic Ocean from Portugal to the US in a wooden pedal boat.
- Lewis and Smith split up in Florida, and Lewis roller bladed across North America. Struck by a driver in Pueblo, Colorado, he spent nine months recovering from two broken legs, returning to the trek in May 1996.
- Lewis and Smith crossed from California to Hawaii in their wooden pedal boat, where Smith ended his journey.
- Lewis continued by pedal boat to Australia. He bicycled through Australia.
- Smith then kayakKayakA kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...
ed from AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
to SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. - He biked from SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
to the HimalayasHimalayasThe Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
. - He hiked through the HimalayasHimalayasThe Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
. - He pedaloPedaloA paddle boat or "pedalo" is a form of waterborne transport, primarily for recreational use, powered through the use of pedals....
ed from MumbaiMumbaiMumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
crossing the Indian OceanIndian OceanThe Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
to DjiboutiDjiboutiDjibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
.
He then planned to travel through Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
before reaching Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
— however, he encountered a problem in Sudan. The Egyptian authorities would not let him pass through their waters, and when his visa for Sudan ran out he was left with an "impossible decision". He attempted to kayak across Lake Nasser
Lake Nasser
Lake Nasser is a vast reservoir in southern Egypt, and northern Sudan, and is one of the largest man-made lakes in the world. Strictly, "Lake Nasser" refers only to the much larger portion of the lake that is in Egyptian territory , with the Sudanese preferring to call their smaller body of water...
to Abu Simbel
Abu Simbel
Abu Simbel temples refers to two massive rock temples in Abu Simbel in Nubia, southern Egypt on the western bank of Lake Nasser about 230 km southwest of Aswan...
but was arrested on suspicion of spying. He was released but the Egyptian authorities forbade him from mountain-biking the 178 mile journey to Aswan
Aswan
Aswan , formerly spelled Assuan, is a city in the south of Egypt, the capital of the Aswan Governorate.It stands on the east bank of the Nile at the first cataract and is a busy market and tourist centre...
. He completed this section illegally by riding partly at nighthttp://www.expedition360.com/journal/archives/2007/06/the_last_of_the.html.
In July 2007, he reached Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and then crossed Turkey, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, Romania, Austria, Germany, and Belgium before returning to London on 6 October
Lewis expected the journey to last 3.5 years, but due to the many difficulties he faced, as mentioned above, the journey extended to 13 years. Other factors of delay were a bout of depression and a crocodile attack in
2007.
In 2007 Lewis bumped into Ewan McGregor
Ewan McGregor
Ewan Gordon McGregor is a Scottish actor. He has had success in mainstream, indie, and art house films. McGregor is perhaps best known for his roles as heroin addict Mark Renton in the drama Trainspotting , young Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy , and poet Christian in the...
and Charley Boorman
Charley Boorman
Charley Boorman is an English TV adventurer, travel writer and actor. He is well known for his association with motorcycles and enthusiasm for biking.-Education:...
in Sudan while they were undertaking their Long Way Down
Long Way Down
"Long Way Down" is a single by the Goo Goo Dolls from their breakthrough album, 1995's A Boy Named Goo. This song is often overshadowed by the low-key ballad "Name", which launched the band to household names...
trip.
External links
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/england/dorset/6094094.stm
- http://www.expedition360.com/