He may be deaf and he may be mute, but Vladimir Yarets has a mission – to conquer the world on his motorbike which, he hopes, will earn him an entry in the Guinness World Records book.
In a surprise appearance at the Gulf Bike Expo last week, Yarets rode up on his BMW tour bike. He was carrying two suitcases, a bunch of Arabic and English signboards and a lot of enthusiasm. Mission possible
The 68-year-old, a native of Minsk, Belarus, has travelled through 46 countries and covered a distance exceeding 100,000 miles, having begun his mission in 2000. Yarets claimed he was [possibly] the first deaf and mute person to have gone on a round-the-world trip on a motorbike.
His blue eyes dance as the father of two, who can only communicate through gestures and the written word, shows the map detailing his marathon trip, which he began from Minsk, in Belarus. The dotted lines outline his travels through Europe, Africa, South and North America, Australia, Japan and south-east Asia.
Yarets has also managed to visit every state in the US, barring Alaska and Hawaii. The adventurer always carries his video camera with which he records his video blog – with hand gestures and sign language - while filming people and scenes around him. Through the journal he carries and the pictures he has taken one can tell that Yarets has seen and done more than just travel.
Yarets always dreamt of travelling the world. In 1967, he conquered the territory of the former USSR, from Belarus to Magadan, Siberia.
He returned home with newspaper cuttings of his “marathon'', and local authorities granted him his driving licence.
Yarets knew his time had come.
So began an incredible journey. Since 2008, Yarets has toured Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, China and now the UAE.
His next stop is Oman.
* Follow his journey at www.yarets.com (English and Russian language).
