German envoy’s fondness for cycling, reached Dhaka in nine days

Some scenes are rarely seen. Among many strange incidents around the globe, the journey of the Ambassador of Germany to Nepal, Dr. Thomas Prinz, is one of them.

“Ambassador Prinz has reached Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh from Nepal”, well the sentence might not be that amazing as it is very common for diplomats to visit different nations. The interesting thing that amazes here is ambassador reached Dhaka from Nepal through India by riding a bicycle.

At a time when it is very difficult to just even imagine a visit of any foreign country by any ambassador by bicycle, Ambassador Prinz amazes everyone and proved it as possible.

As the ambassador had the plan to celebrate Christmas in Dhaka this year, he set his embark of 850 km long trip to reach Dhaka by riding a bicycle.

Ambassador Prinz started his journey on December 12. He reached Hetauda from Kathmandu after 76 km of rough terrain cycling on the first day.

He wrote on twitter: “It was a great first day on tour! I have reached Hetauda after 76 km of rough terrain cycling . Some impressions of the absolutely stunning landscape of #KtmToDhaka #BikeTrip“

It was a great first day on tour! I have reached Hetauda after 76 km of rough terrain cycling 🚴. Some impressions 📷of the absolutely stunning landscape of 🇳🇵#KtmToDhaka #BikeTrip pic.twitter.com/deq6iN0A2n

— Dr. Thomas Prinz (@GerAmbKTM) December 12, 2022

Similarly, crossing the plains of Nepal, the ambassador reached Bairgania in Bihar after a 118 km ride. He said that it took him 2 hours to cross the border. Posting pictures of roads, local peoples, farmers, and farms on his Twitter handle during the journey, he said, ” Harvest is going on and the villagers are very busy”.

I reached Bairgania in Bihar 🇮🇳 after a 118 km ride 🚴🏼‍♂️. Crossing the border took me 2 hours. Harvest is going on and the villagers are very busy… 🌾👩🏽‍🌾👨🏾‍🌾#KtmToDhaka #BikeTrip #India pic.twitter.com/u4DPSA6Znc

— Dr. Thomas Prinz (@GerAmbKTM) December 13, 2022

Likewise, after three days on December 16, he reached Dalkhola of West Bengal.

After a few days I reached Dalkhola in West Bengal. Doing 110 to 125 km 🚴🏼‍♂️ per day since I left the mountains of Nepal. Weather is cold and foggy in the morning. My diet consisted mainly of masala chai, bananas and dosa.#KtmToDhaka #BikeTrip #India pic.twitter.com/J3stykbic3

— Dr. Thomas Prinz (@GerAmbKTM) December 16, 2022

Ambassador Prinz finally reached Dhaka on December 18. There he received a warm welcome from the local administration and a crowd of journalists. He said that he was impressed by the extraordinary skills of the carrom players and a large number of electric vehicles in West Bengal and Bangladesh.

Informing about his journey experiences, Ambassador Prinz said that he traveled through scenic rural roads and crossed the mighty Brahmaputra River. He also learned that bicycles were not allowed on the bridge, so the bike had to be loaded on a lorry together with the biker.

929 km done and only another 90 km to reach Dhaka! Yesterday, I travelled through scenic rural roads and crossed the mighty Brahmaputra River. I learned that bicycles are not allowed on the bridge, so the bike had to be loaded on a lorry together with the biker.#KtmToDhaka pic.twitter.com/PMhmctl5F1

— Dr. Thomas Prinz (@GerAmbKTM) December 18, 2022

After reaching Dhaka crossing the hills and plains of Nepal, and also a long trip through India, Ambassador Prinz thanked ambassadors Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury and Naveen Srivastava for their support and thanked all the friendly people he met. He also thanked his wife, who didn’t question his decision in completing a journey by bicycle.

The ambassador reached Dhaka by completing a distance of 1025 km with a total of 9 days of cycling. The ambassador got a warm welcome in Bangladesh from his friend, Achim Tröster, German ambassador to Bangladesh.

Ambassador Prinz said that he was very happy with a 9-day unforgettable fantastic journey.