"He has experienced a lot of challenges and obstacles."London (ANTARA News) - Gilang Embang Pratama, an Indonesian who has been touring the world on his bicycle, has been stranded in Russia after losing his passport in Irkutsk.
"The young man from Cianjur, West Java, lost his waist bag containing the passport and some documents in Irkutsk, Russia," Indonesian Students` Association (PPI) chief Mustaqim Effendi told ANTARA News in London on Thursday.
Mustaqim said Embang was a graduate from Bogor Agriculture Institute and had been travelling around the world on a bicycle for three years.
"This daring boy with eyeglasses has travelled around seven countries Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, China, Mongolia and Russia. He has experienced a lot of challenges and obstacles," he noted.
His bicycle tire got punctured 10 times when he was on his way to attend a prayer on Lebaran Day in Siberia, where the temperatures had dropped to minus 32 degrees, Mustaqim stated.
He said Embang received support and encouragement from the people of every country he went to. They also provided him with food and other important supplies.
Mustaqim stated that Embang`s bag got stolen in mid-November in Russia, due to which he lost his passport and could not continue his journey.
Currently, Embang is trying to obtain a new passport from the Indonesian Embassy in Russia so he would not need to immediately return home.
However, the embassy has asked Embang to return to Indonesia.
"If people using a tourist visa lose their passport in Russia, they must return to their home country immediately unless, of course, they get permission from the Indonesian Ambassador to Russia to continue staying there," Mustaqim pointed out.
"It will be a pity if Embang fails to conquer the world just because of the passport problem. Embang is a cultural ambassador of Indonesia," he added.
(T.ZG/Uu.B019/INE/KR-BSR/A014)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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