August 7th I left Brisbane . Brisbane Tibetan community and Australian Tibet council came to see me off at New Farm Park . It was a beautiful day and one of ATC members came to ride with me until Byron Bay which is a 3 hour ride. We arrived at Byron Bay around 1:30 pm. We had lunch there and said good-bye. Off I went to Coffs Harbor . Since it was a beautiful day, I decided to ride on the cost road. I made the right decision because I really enjoyed the view. It took me an extra hour, and I reached Coffs Harbor just before the sun set. I was told not to ride my bike at dusk because Kangaroo like to come out to the road because the road is warm at nighttime. I managed to reach Coffs Harbor safe. I found this small motel in the center of the town. I checked in the motel and before I unpacked I chatted with the hotel manager. I told him that I am Tibetan and I am traveling around the world for free Tibet . He told me that he likes Tibet and my cause is a very good cause, and he offered me to stay in hotel for free. Right after we talked he called the media. Coffs local paper interviewed me and the next morning it was on the front page. Wednesday August 10th I left for Newcastle . The weather was bad, and weather forecast said it would rain all day. The whole trip from Coffs Harbor to Newcastle it rained. It was a four hours ride and my feet were all wet with water filling up in my boots. I had to stop at the gas station to dry my socks at the hand dryer in the bathroom.
Around 5 pm I reached Newcastle and Tenzin and Linda were waiting for me. They were a little worried because it rained all day. I was so cold and wet. I unpacked all my stuff and sat next to the fireplace to warm up. When I saw Tenzin I felt that I knew him, and as we were talking I found out who he was. I had met him in Nepal, and he is the first Tibetan who rode a bicycle all over India back in 1992. We were laughing at each other and saying how the world is so small. He cooked delicious Tibetan food and his three beautiful children joined the dinner with me. The next day Linda called a radio station for an interview. I met with the ABC radio and had a live interview at 1:30 pm. The next day I was not feeling well and had to leave for Sydney . Tenzin and I hung out in Newcastle for a while and before I left I told Tenzin I was not feeling well and that I needed to take a nap. I took a nap for an hour and felt better. I said good bye to Linda and Tenzin and left for Sydney . It was a two and a half hour ride, and I felt that I would be fine. As I reached closer to Sydney, I felt bad that all my body muscles were in pain and I need to rest. In Sydney I was staying at Jigme la’s place, and I told his wife Dolma la that I was not feeling well and need to take a nap. She told me that her husband will be home in three hours. I woke up to say hi to Jigme la and went back to sleep. I felt that this was not a good sign. The same night I had a really bad pain in my right kidney for four hours. I was so worried that I might have a kidney problem. The next day I told Sue, one of the Tibetan community members, that I need to see a doctor. She took me to a hospital and as we were going to the hospital I felt much better, but we went any way to make sure every thing is fine. We reached the ER and told the nurse about my pain. She told me that I might have kidney stone and it passed through my urine canal. She asked me if I had any pain now. I told her not now but had really bad pain yesterday night. She told me to wait for ten minutes to see the doctor. As I was waiting, four or five very sick patients came in. I thought that it would be more than one or two hours to see the doctor. I was right, the nurse came to tell me that they are busy and told me to come tomorrow. I went home thinking that pain would be gone forever. The same night the pain came back around midnight and lasted for four hours. The next day I was meeting Australian Tibet Council, but I had to cancel and go to the hospital. This time I still had pain, and the doctor checked and sent my urine and blood for tests. I also had an X-ray to make sure there is no kidney stone left in my kidney. After four hours, the tests came back negative. The doctor told me everything was fine, and I might have had a kidney stone pass through my urine canal. She gave me a prescription for an antibiotic to make sure I won’t get any infection from inflammation. The next day I felt fit to start my tour and off I went to Canberra .

July 28th 2010 I arrived in Brisbain , Australia . The weather was cloudy and raining. Before I landed at the airport I looked down from the airplane window, and saw the landscape. The landscape looks just like mid west America . Big houses, the big backyards and driveways. Before I came to Australia I had a contact with Lobsang Lungtok, Brisbane, Australian Tibetan community president. He told me to come to his place to stay, and his place is close from the airport. I looked at the route to take a bus or train to his house, and it looked faster to take a taxi from the airport. If I take a local bus or train I had to go all the way to the City and come back to his house. That will take me an extra hour just to circle around. I took a taxi, and it took half an hour. As I was in the taxi, I looked around thinking that I felt like I was in America . Australia is just like America: everything is big, the road, the houses. Except they drive on the left side of the road. I arrived at his place without any trouble. His house has a big space, and I felt like this is what I need after I visited Japan . In Japan it’s the total opposite. Everything is so small and congested. I liked Japan, but I didn’t like Tokyo very much. I noticed there were not many public spaces like parks or benches to rest, except bathroom. I don’t have to worry about going to the bathroom. Public bathroom is everywhere, and it’s very clean. Most of the bathroom in Japan has self-cleaning. After you finish your job, press the button and there you go, you don’t need the toilet paper. The toilet does the washing and drying. Looking for bathroom in New York is difficult.
Next day I called my cargo agent to see where my bike was. He told me that my motorcycle will arrive in Brisbane , Australia on 1st of August. That gives me three day to buy driver’s insurance for me. Lobsang’s place is quite far from the city, half hour walk to the train station, and another half and hour in train to city. I reached the train station, and there is no one there. Not even the station worker. I had to buy the ticket by myself and looked at the map to purchase the ticket. Since I traveled in Europe, Australia is much easier to travel. I can speak and read English. I hung around downtown Brisbane and bought my driver’s insurance. It’s a small city, and it has beautiful views near the water. August 1st I went to pick up my motorcycle from Qantas cargo. Lobsang la helped me to drive there. It took almost all day going back and fourth between Australian customs. Around 3 pm I got my motorcycle and realized that my helmet is in one of the boxes for which I left the keys at Lobsang’s place. He had to drive me back to pick up my keys. I felt sorry for him; he spent his day helping me.
My motorcycle looks great and has enough gas to ride. I was hungry, and Lobsang la was hungry, too. We went to eat, and his wife joined us. We went to find a place to eat and could only see McDonalds. We were so hungry and decided to have McDonalds. Chicken burger with fries. I asked for a small coke. I was surprised it was small. At McDonalds in the US if you ask for a small coke they will give you large. I think there is no small size in the US .
Anyway, off I went to a gas station and home to check to make sure everything is fine with my motorcycle. After I received my motorcycle, I made the schedule for Australia .
Next stop Sydney , Australia .

I arrived in Japan on July 3rd, and the weather was hot and humid. Before I came to Japan I had contact with Tsering Dorjee from Student for Free Tibet (SFT) Japan, and he told me to come to SFT meeting. I was there and met all the SFT members in Japan. I gave a talk about my project. Some of the members knew me because there are following my website. After the meeting Tsering dorjee told me there was the Dalai Lama’s birthday celebration hosted by the Office of Tibet. We took a taxi to the Dalai Lama’s birthday celebration, which was at a four star hotel. The entrance fee was $100. I felt it’s expensive and that I can’t offer $100 for dinner. I told Tsering Dorjee I can’t afford $100. He said SFT will sponsor my entrance fee. I looked around and almost all of them were Japanese. I asked where were the Tibetans. Tsering dorjee told me that they were in a different place. Then I thought it’s too expensive for Tibetans to pay $100 for entrance fee. I felt sad that the Japanese could celebrate the Dalai Lama’s birthday at an expensive place but not the Tibetans. After the dinner I went to a bar where Tibetans were celebrating the Dalai Lama’s birthday. There were eight Tibetans there, and we chatted for a while discussing my project. At 11 pm I was so tired and went to Dolma Tsering’s house. I have to thank Dolma Tsering for offering me a place to stay. It’s very expensive in Japan. Next day I went to office of Tibet and met Lhakpa Tshoko, the Office of Tibet representative for East Asia. Two months before I came to Japan I called him for help me get in touch with media or radio. He told me if I contact any other Tibetan support group, then they will not be able to help me. I told him I have not contacted anyone in Japan and I don’t speak Japanese, and is difficult to get in touch with any Japanese Tibetan support group.
Then he asked me to email the details of my travel schedule. I emailed him just after I called him. Well, but I had no email response. So I went to the Office of Tibet in Japan and met Lhakpa Tshoko. He took me to lunch at a Nepali restaurant and told me to get in touch with SFT. He said his office is too busy to help me because of the Dalai Lama’s visit. At the Dalai Lama’s birthday I met the president of the Tibetan community there and he didn’t know I was coming there, and told me it’s too late to organize anything now. I asked him if the Office of Tibet informed him I was coming. He said he hadn’t heard anything from them. That was my end of the road in Japan. Whatever you plan in Japan you have to plan months in advance. Also my motorcycle was not there in Japan, and I decided not to bring my motorcycle because it’s too expensive to cargo. I decided to ship my motorcycle to Australia. As a Tibetan American I called American embassy to see if they are able to help me. I felt very sad about Japan, not for myself but for my Free Tibet World Tour project. After this, in July my family came to visit me in Japan, and I took a short break from speaking on my tour, while waiting for the paperwork for my bike to go through.
Next stop Australia.

Friday eve May 28th I left for Barcelona, Spain in Ferry. I got my own cabin with no window. I unpacked my stuff and took a shower. The shower makes me relax. I changed to regular lose clothes. It was 10 pm, so i went to eat dinner. There was a long line for dinner. I stayed in line and noticed that I was only the Asian on the boat. Everyone on the boat was Italian and Spanish. Everyone was looking at me like I just dropped down from another planet. The worst thing was no one speaks English except for one guy who rides a motorcycle. After an hour next to the buffet, I can see the menu in Italian. I think it says if I take some sort of combo, I won’t get charged. I didn’t understand what the menu says, so I grab four dishes. At the cash register the cashier punches register, and I see the amount of 12 euro. I showed my room key and still had to pay. When I looked at the other people with their food, they also showed their room key and didn’t get charged. I thought I guess I didn’t understand the menu and maybe took different foods, for which they charged me. After the dinner I went to my room and crash in my bed until morning. I was so tired and didn’t remember how I fell asleep. Woke up in the morning and still seven hours to go. I went to the front desk to buy an internet card to go online. I had to show my ID to buy it. I went online to check my email and went back to my room to take a nap.
At 5 pm an announcement on the speaker said something in Italian and Spanish. I figured they said the boat is arriving at the designation. I packed all my stuff and waited at the entrance. I heard my name on the loud speaker and the instructions for me to come to the information desk. I went there and realized that I forgot my ID at the front desk. Off I went to pack my motorcycle, and Tibetans in Barcelona were waiting at the ship terminal. The ship was an hour late. As soon as I left the ship I saw Tibetans waving a Tibetan flag.
I told them I was sorry that the ship was an hour late. There were also some motorcyclists waiting with Tibetan flags. We circled Barcelona city in a motorcycle rally. After the rally we went to Tibet house. Geshi Wangchen la and the Tibetan community organized some event in the evening. I stayed at Geshi Wangchen la’s place, then off I went to Madrid . It’s a seven-hour ride, and it was very hot there. In Madrid, Pedro offered me a place to stay. I had to thank Gyshi Wangchen la. Pedro is a friend of Gyshi Wangchen, and I stayed in his place. He organized a Spanish television interview, and we had a little rally near downtown Madrid . Next stop was Paris, France, and Paris is too far to go in one day. I went on Facebook to ask if anyone could help me find a place to stay for the night. I got lots of responses. I found Roman Prio who lives in the South of France at a place called Pau . He was kind enough to allow me to stay at his place and feed me. There was also a French Tibetan support group who organized an event with the media. Pau is a beautiful little town. It is small and quiet. I enjoyed the quiet time there. The next day I left for Paris . Roman dropped me off till the highway, and we said goodbye to each other. From Pau to Paris was a seven hour ride. It was a beautiful day, and my motorcycle was smooth. In Paris I met with the Tibetan community there and staid at Thupten Gyatso’s place. He lives in the middle of the city, so it was easy for me to hang out in Paris . In Paris there are café’s everywhere. I really enjoyed the café’s. You can have a cup of coffee and stay there for three hours, and no one will tell you to leave. I heard that the price is different if you sit inside or outside. Everyone is sitting outside. I sat outside and didn’t care for extra 10 cents. I enjoyed the outside, and it’s beautiful looking around while I am having coffee. I stayed three days, and all three days had beautiful weather. The day I was leaving for London, England the weather was bad. It rained all day till I reached London . There is no direct road to England . I had to take a ferry from Calais , France to Dover , England . It was a two hour ride, and before I got in the boat I had to pass the English immigration. I was asked where I was going and for how long. I said for a couple of days, and he saw my Tibetan flag and ask me if I am Tibetan. I said yes and that I am going to meet Tibetans in London . He told me to enjoy my stay and ride safe. As soon as I entered England everywhere I heard English. I felt like now I can communicate to people with English after a month and a half. There was another problem, though. In England they drive on the left side like India . It was unusual for me, so I turned on the right side when I left the highway. I was riding for a few seconds and noticed that there was a car coming right at me. I was like, oh, no, I am going in the wrong direction. I moved fast to the left side. After a while I had to enter the highway and had to stop next to the highway entrance to make sure someone enters before me. I reached London at 6 pm after a 10 hour journey. I was all wet; English weather is always foggy or raining. I stayed for three days and got the special audience with His Holiness Sakya. I also met the Tibetan community there too.
June 15th I left for Belgium . I had to go back to Dover , England and take a ferry to Calais , France to go to Brussels , Belgium . On the way from France to Belgium it’s all flat. In Belgium everyone speaks English. I felt more comfortable that I can communicate. In Belgium I stayed for two days but didn’t like the Brussels city. I felt like something was missing. After Paris every city looks like something is missing.
Holland is flat country, and it’s below sea level. It remained me of Texas , USA . While crossing the state of Texas, all I saw was flat, and I could see miles and miles of flat surface.
Holland is a very green country. People ride bicycles, and there is a bicycle route there only for bicycles. People are not allowed to walk on the bicycle route. I was in Amsterdam and saw thousands and thousands bicycles parked next to each other. I was wondering how they find their bicycles among those thousands. I asked Dawa, and he told me you have to know where you kept your bicycle, so I asked him what happens if someone moves your bicycle to different place, how will you find your bicycle. He said if someone moves the bicycle to a different place, most likely he would loose his bicycle. He told me one day he parked his bicycle and forgot where he parked it, so he lost it. He also told me the best idea is to buy a cheap bicycle, so no one will steal it. I stayed for three days at Amche Lobsang la’s place.
Amche Lobsang and I grewn up in the same school at Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV) in Dharamsala, India . His family welcomed me to his place. he lives in a small and quiet town called Ede , Holland . After traveling to the big city, I needed to be in a small and quiet town, and his place was a perfect place. His neighbor has a BMW motorcycle, and I asked him about BMW service nearby. He gave me the address, and I went to service my motorcycle there. It was perfect timing, as I already put 17,000 miles on it, and it was time to service my motorcycle. It cost me 700 euro for service and to change the tries, but now I don’t have to worry for another 600 miles for next service. Monday June 20th at 8:45 am I left for Kobenhavn , Denmark . It was yet another beautiful day. It’s an 8 hour ride, and I had to take a ferry to cross Denmark from Holland . It’s a 45 minute ferry ride to Denmark . I can see Denmark from Holland . All these Scandinavian countries are on islands. I had to take ferries to get everywhere. It’s beautiful, I think it best time to be there during the summer. Great weather, and it never gets dark. Summer is the longest daylight. As I went up north to Sweden and Finland, the day light is so long that it never gets dark. At 12 pm it turns to gray, and sun comes up at 2 am. In Kobenhavn , Denmark I stayed at Bhuti la’s place. Nice family, and she is also Amche (Tibetan Doctor). I met her through Amche Lobsang in Holland . I stayed for two days and woke up at 4 am because it was too bright to sleep. Sunshine at 4 am, and there is no dark curtain to make it dark. I had to put the pillow on my head to sleep until 7:30 am. They were sleeping with bright light. I guess they got use to it. Off I went to Stockholm , Sweden . On my way to Sweden the landscape looked like Seattle , USA . Lots of trees, and I can smell pine trees everywhere. It also reminded me of Dharamsala , India . I grew up in the pine trees and really enjoyed smelling pine trees on my way. In Stockholm I stayed at my school friend Rinzin and Soyang’s place. I met Rinzin and Soyang after more then 20 years. We grew up together at the TCV School when we were little. We had lots to catch up and talked about our school. I had a great time there, and their both cooked good food and didn’t let me touch the dishes for washing. Ok for one day as a guest; two days I felt I want to do the dishes myself. The third day I already felt I want to clean the house, not just dishes.
Sunday June 27th I took a ferry to Helsinki , Finland . It’s a16 hour ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki . My friend bought the ferry ticket, and I didn’t check the port terminal properly, so when I was ready to take ferry, i was in the wrong port. I had to change it to a different ferry because I had the schedule to drop off my motorcycle for cargo. I reached Helsinki at 9 am and went to the cargo office to prepare my motorcycle documents for cargo.
At the cargo office in Helsinki, I was told a stamp was missing on my ATA Carnet.
The officer said he would talk to New York cargo and work things out. I left my motorcycle there hoping everything would be fine.