Spaniard Guim Valls Teruel wants to travel the world on his electric bicycle.
Now, travelling across continents for years is a lonely pursuit that could test
the fortitude of even the most determined. Luckily for him, he now has a
companion – his new Vietnamese bride he married recently after a lightning
courtship.

Green message: Spaniard Guim Valls Teruel (left) and Nguyen Thuy Anh pose for a photo in Ha Noi. — File Photo

The Barcelona-born Beijing resident
left the Chinese capital on his bicycle soon after the 2008 Olympics, hoping to
promote a global culture of energy conservation and waste reduction while also
indulging his wanderlust.

The 36-year-old planned to write,
take photographs, and shoot a documentary about what various countries are doing
for the environment.

“My parents were not at all
surprised when I told them my plan [to ride across the world] since they know I
am always ready to travel and experience something new.

“I woke up one day and it was my
first thought. I just knew.”

But little did he know that on the
way he would meet his life partner.

When he arrived in Viet Nam after
passing through Japan and South Korea, he was interviewed by Viet Nam Television
journalist Nguyen Thuy Anh, 31. He promptly fell in love with her.

Anh said she was not attracted to
the man who seemed to love only his bike and go to strange places. “The more I
chatted with him, the more I thought he was a mad man. I couldn’t believe he was
ready to give up a comfortable life and wonderful family to pedal alone around
the world.”

Teruel decided to stay in Ha Noi
for two weeks and looked for chances to meet her. He told her about his love for
her, but she turned him down, urging him to continue his journey.

“Don’t let a girl spoil your life’s
journey. After finishing the tour, come back here,” she told him.

Teruel was very sad but decided to
continue with his trip to Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Australia.

But it was when the “madman” went
away that Anh began to miss him. They stayed in touch, chatting seven or eight
hours online every day.

One day, when he was in Sydney,
Australia, he suddenly decided to return to Ha Noi and ask for her hand in
marriage.

Finally, his persistence paid off.
She consented after he serenaded her by playing the guitar! They got married in
January in Ha Noi. A month later, on Valentine’s Day, Anh decided to continue
with her husband’s journey. The couple plan to celebrate a wedding in Barcelona,
Teruel’s hometown, when they reach Spain.

Teruel has launched a website
called http://www.electricbicycleworldtour.com and is looking for sponsors to
raise money for the trip, which has been mainly funded by his own savings and
some help from his parents.

“I have received many supportive
comments. Many people have left their contact details and promised to host me
when I pass through.”

To raise money, the couple also
sell T-shirts printed with the logo of their tour.

When they arrive in a country, the
couple speak to the local community, urging people to use environment-friendly
energy and embrace the culture of energy conservation and waste reduction.

Anh plans to make a series of
documentaries about their journey and about life and people in the various parts
of the globe they visit.

The couple plan to travel through
20 countries before arriving in London for the Olympics next year.

After the Olympics, they will
return to Ha Noi where Teruel could possibly resume his career as a finance
professional.

VietNamNet/Viet
Nam News