7 YEARS ON A BIKE: The best and worst
then, he had made other plans so he said no, promising to see them on their return.
But a few days after they left, the boat ran into a huge storm. They were never found.
Said Timmis: “I should have been on that boat. I will never look at the ocean in the same way again. Every decision, no matter how small, can change our lives forever.”
MOST FRIGHTENING: Tibet The coldest temperature he encountered was -40°C, at 5 000m on the Tibetan Plateau.
“Physics change at this altitude,” he says. “Elastic becomes solid, water becomes like super glue on bottle threads, breath freezes in beards and inside tents and wind bites.”
It couldn’t have helped either that he had broken into this prohibited area and was “living like a fugitive”. He made it three weeks before he was caught and escorted to Nepal by the Chinese police.
MOST INSPIRATIONAL: People Having been given food and shelter by the poorest of the poor, he says: “The kindness of strangers I have experienced is a constant reminder of how incredible humanity is.”
MOST STUPID THING: Being mugged In Singapore over Christmas, Timmis met a “ladyboy” at a party who let him try on her knee-high boots. “She held my can of beer as I strutted up and down the street in high heels. I returned and continued to drink. It was the last thing I remember.”
He woke up the next day on his friend’s sofa with no wallet, money, ID or credit cards.
MOST SICK: India In the month before monsoon season, the temperatures soared and he couldn’t drink enough water. But he didn’t fancy the crowds he attracted every time he stopped to filter water, so he just drank what he was given.
“I spent a lot of time in India with diarrhoea, running into bushes only to be followed by inquisitive children.”
FAVOURITE PLACE: Anywhere wild Nature puts our worries into perspective, he says, and experiences that push our limits — such as enduring extremes of cold and altitude in Tibet or sailing through storms in the South Pacific — are often the most rewarding.
NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE: The dog that wasn’t a dog Camping in the Yukon in Canada, he once hung some food in a tree close to his tent and ducked inside to escape the rain. Soon, he heard rustling. Outside, he saw “an animal skulking beneath the food, bigger than a large dog but with different feet, a cat-like face and caramel colouring. I naively studied it from behind only a mosquito net as the animal crouched, watching me. After a couple of minutes it wandered off.” Later, he learnt it was a mountain lion. “I thought lions lived in Africa. I had looked upon it as some beautiful dog. I believe the absence of fear helped me.”
GREATEST LESSON: Human fragility Cycling across the Outback, Timmis carried carefully calculated quantities of water. One day, he stopped to set up camp and realised he had lost a 10l supply. “My heart sank,” he said. “I was alone in the desert with only the dregs in my bottles.”
In desperation, he left the bike and ran back, scouring the road and realising how much we take for granted in the west.
“At that moment, nothing else mattered; my camera, my computer, my bike, my passport, all insignificant compared with a few litres of water.” (He did find it).