By Rafiq Vayani
DUBAI/KARACHI: On Sunday, October 15, 2023, at 6 p.m., Mr Royke Lumowa and two other cyclists, Mr Muhammad Saat and Mr Dimas Gita, arrived in Karachi after a long journey into Pakistani territory in Lahore. Their arrival was happily received by the Indonesian Consul General in Karachi, Dr June Kuncoro Hadiningrat, and his wife at Wisma Indonesia.
“Royke World Cycling: cycling anywhere to save the earth” was the theme of his journey from Jakarta, Indonesia, to Paris, France, with a distance of 50,000 km passing through 47 countries, including Pakistan. Mr Royke Lumowa is a retired Indonesian Police Officer with the rank of Inspector General and currently dedicates himself to an environmental activist. “Cycling is one way to campaign for actions to save the earth through environmental conservation; bicycles are a healthy and environmentally friendly mode of transportation,” he said. The journey to Paris is estimated to take 481 days and is planned to arrive in Paris on July 24, 2024, to coincide with two days before the opening of the Summer Olympics in Paris. He will continue his journey to several countries in Europe until November 2024.
The Indonesian Consul General in Karachi greatly appreciated Mr Royke and the team for their extraordinary initiative and mission with cycling. The Indonesian Consulate General in Karachi facilitated and assisted in processing several travel documents to the following country while in Karachi. “The arrival of the Indonesian cycling team is also part of Indonesian diplomacy to strengthen the friendship between countries in maintaining world peace; apart from that, it also promotes Indonesian culture and tourism,” said the Indonesian consul general in his remarks at the welcoming dinner.
On the same occasion, the Indonesian cycling team expressed their gratitude for the facilitation and support of the Indonesian Consul General and the Indonesian Consulate General in Karachi to complete this mission. They will be in Karachi for a few days to prepare some travel documents and also visit several tourist spots in Karachi by bicycle. There are still 38 more countries to go through; the following destinations are Iran and Turkiye. During the tour, the team also raised donations to help provide renewable energy / solar electric energy to remote communities in several villages in Indonesia.
