Miss-Delectable
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The Electric New Paper, Singapore - The Electric New Paper News
THREE-quarters of the globe, sixcontinents, 47 countries.
Mr Yarets Vladimir, 67, of Belarus, with his BMW 650, plastered with countless stickers from the 47 countries he has visited. -- Picture: GAVIN FOO
All with one beat-up BMW bike, and a whole lot of quiet determination.
You see, Mr Yarets Vladimir is both deaf and mute.
This 67-year-old from Belarus in Eastern Europe relies on a plastic-coated sign to explain his ambition.
It reads: 'I want to enter the Guinness Book of World Records as the only deaf and mute who has travelled all of Europe, Africa, Americas, Australia and Asia on a motorcycle.'
Mr Yarets became deaf when he was 6, after a German bomb exploded near him. He understands only Russian, cannot lip-read, and does not sign.
NOT HELPLESS
But he is anything but helpless.
When he was first introduced to us, he grabbed this reporter's hand and gave a low bow of welcome.
The man, beaming most of the time, and dressed in khaki pants, a brown T-shirt and brand-new sandals, communicated by gesturing and with his body language.
It was not easy to ask deeper questions and it was not easy understanding what he was trying to say.
He told his travel story by proudly showing his maps and news clippings from various places that were in at least four different languages.
He gave the thumbs-up to Australia and New Zealand as his favourite destinations so far, followed by Japan and Hong Kong.
He typically spends his days approaching the locals, browsing newspapers and taking photos with his digital camera.
In Singapore, he is staying at Hangout Hotel@Mt Emily.
He arrived three weeks ago and will be here until the end of May.
Miss Jo Chieng, marketing executive at the hotel, said: 'He loves taking pictures, and he is very vain. He will always take off his glasses before any photo.'
Mr Yarets started his journey from Belarus on May 2000.
From the route he traced on his map with his finger, it looked like he is heading to Malaysia next before ending his tour in Thailand.
However, before he could begin his Singapore tour, MrYarets ran into problems.
Miss Guna Pannirselvam, another hotel employee, said: 'He didn't have a permit for his bike.
'We tried going to the Land Transport Authority, the Port of Singapore Authority headquarters, the Belarus Embassy and even made a police report.'
This issue affected him.
Miss Pannirselvam said: 'He wore only one shirt for the three weeks when his bike was stuck in the warehouse.
'The same shirt, same pants, and he stayed in the room watching TV.'
VALUED BIKE
His motorbike, a canary-yellow BMW 650, is obviously a prized possession. It is covered with bumper stickers from his travels.
He was reunited with it on Wednesday.
Miss Pannirselvam said: 'It was the Singapore Customs who came to the rescue. Before that, he kept shaking his head, and almost gave up.
'But when he got it back, he hugged every one of us.'
Miss Seri Wani, another hotel employee, said: 'He was the happiest man then.'
He seemed more ready to move his body to communicate than to write.
When a written question and a pen were given to Mr Yarets, he would use it only now and then to scribble some numbers.
When we asked how he gets the money to pay for his meals or for his travels, he wrote '95%' and '5%', indicating that he gets donations from 5per cent of the people he approaches or meets.
Miss Darni Isnin, a hotel employee, said he 'gets help from organisations' at other destinations.
Miss Pannirselvam said Mr Yarets is 'fit and independent'.
She said that he does not like to talk about money.
A divorcee, MrYarets still keeps in touch with his two grown-up sons by e-mail.
Miss Pannirselvam said: 'They encourage and support his travel.'
On how he travels despite his handicap, he used hand signals to indicate that he relies on his side-mirrors and keen eyesight when on the road.
He has had his share of danger, though.
In 2003, he was found in a ditch with broken bones, his old Jawa bike mauled after a collision with a truck somewhere in Illinois, USA.
Mr Yarets' journey can be tracked on Âëàäèìèð Àëåêñååâè÷ ßðåö - Âåëèêîå Êðóãîñâåòíîå Ïóòåøåñòâèå - Ìèíñê Áåëàðóñü.
THREE-quarters of the globe, sixcontinents, 47 countries.
Mr Yarets Vladimir, 67, of Belarus, with his BMW 650, plastered with countless stickers from the 47 countries he has visited. -- Picture: GAVIN FOO
All with one beat-up BMW bike, and a whole lot of quiet determination.
You see, Mr Yarets Vladimir is both deaf and mute.
This 67-year-old from Belarus in Eastern Europe relies on a plastic-coated sign to explain his ambition.
It reads: 'I want to enter the Guinness Book of World Records as the only deaf and mute who has travelled all of Europe, Africa, Americas, Australia and Asia on a motorcycle.'
Mr Yarets became deaf when he was 6, after a German bomb exploded near him. He understands only Russian, cannot lip-read, and does not sign.
NOT HELPLESS
But he is anything but helpless.
When he was first introduced to us, he grabbed this reporter's hand and gave a low bow of welcome.
The man, beaming most of the time, and dressed in khaki pants, a brown T-shirt and brand-new sandals, communicated by gesturing and with his body language.
It was not easy to ask deeper questions and it was not easy understanding what he was trying to say.
He told his travel story by proudly showing his maps and news clippings from various places that were in at least four different languages.
He gave the thumbs-up to Australia and New Zealand as his favourite destinations so far, followed by Japan and Hong Kong.
He typically spends his days approaching the locals, browsing newspapers and taking photos with his digital camera.
In Singapore, he is staying at Hangout Hotel@Mt Emily.
He arrived three weeks ago and will be here until the end of May.
Miss Jo Chieng, marketing executive at the hotel, said: 'He loves taking pictures, and he is very vain. He will always take off his glasses before any photo.'
Mr Yarets started his journey from Belarus on May 2000.
From the route he traced on his map with his finger, it looked like he is heading to Malaysia next before ending his tour in Thailand.
However, before he could begin his Singapore tour, MrYarets ran into problems.
Miss Guna Pannirselvam, another hotel employee, said: 'He didn't have a permit for his bike.
'We tried going to the Land Transport Authority, the Port of Singapore Authority headquarters, the Belarus Embassy and even made a police report.'
This issue affected him.
Miss Pannirselvam said: 'He wore only one shirt for the three weeks when his bike was stuck in the warehouse.
'The same shirt, same pants, and he stayed in the room watching TV.'
VALUED BIKE
His motorbike, a canary-yellow BMW 650, is obviously a prized possession. It is covered with bumper stickers from his travels.
He was reunited with it on Wednesday.
Miss Pannirselvam said: 'It was the Singapore Customs who came to the rescue. Before that, he kept shaking his head, and almost gave up.
'But when he got it back, he hugged every one of us.'
Miss Seri Wani, another hotel employee, said: 'He was the happiest man then.'
He seemed more ready to move his body to communicate than to write.
When a written question and a pen were given to Mr Yarets, he would use it only now and then to scribble some numbers.
When we asked how he gets the money to pay for his meals or for his travels, he wrote '95%' and '5%', indicating that he gets donations from 5per cent of the people he approaches or meets.
Miss Darni Isnin, a hotel employee, said he 'gets help from organisations' at other destinations.
Miss Pannirselvam said Mr Yarets is 'fit and independent'.
She said that he does not like to talk about money.
A divorcee, MrYarets still keeps in touch with his two grown-up sons by e-mail.
Miss Pannirselvam said: 'They encourage and support his travel.'
On how he travels despite his handicap, he used hand signals to indicate that he relies on his side-mirrors and keen eyesight when on the road.
He has had his share of danger, though.
In 2003, he was found in a ditch with broken bones, his old Jawa bike mauled after a collision with a truck somewhere in Illinois, USA.
Mr Yarets' journey can be tracked on Âëàäèìèð Àëåêñååâè÷ ßðåö - Âåëèêîå Êðóãîñâåòíîå Ïóòåøåñòâèå - Ìèíñê Áåëàðóñü.