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Man travelling to every country in the world without flying is stuck in Hong Kong due to coronavirus

Meet Torbjørn C. Pedersen (Thor) who is on a mission to travel to every country in the world. He has completed visiting 194 nations and 9 away from completing his target. However, he is stuck now in Hong Kong due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

Man travelling to every country in world without flying stuck in Hong Kong due to coronavirus
Author
Bengaluru, First Published Apr 23, 2020, 5:24 PM IST

Bengaluru: A man who is on a mission to visit every country in the world that too without flying, has been stuck in Hong Kong due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The 41-year-old Torbjørn C. Pedersen (Thor), born in Denmark, left his home on October 10, 2013. Since then he has travelled to 194 countries including India out of the 203 nations in his mission. He takes sea and land routes to visit countries. He travels on $20 per day budget and is a goodwill ambassador for the Danish Red Cross.

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On his blog, he gives his introduction like this. “I am travelling to EVERY country in the world WITHOUT flying! - and this is where you can join me. Welcome my friend. Grab a chair and sit down. You have arrived to the main information hub regarding my adventures throughout the World.

“A land and sea journey to a total of 203 countries which is estimated to end in 2021. The adventure started on October 10th 2013 at 10:10am. 10/10 at 10:10am!”.

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As the coronavirus spread around the world, Thor is stuck in Hong Kong for over 80 days now. His next stop is Palau in western Pacific Ocean.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Last new country of the year:⁣ .⁣ INCREDIBLE !NDIA ❤️🇮🇳✨⁣ .⁣ That brings us up on 168 countries in an unbroken journey completely without flying 😉 35 more to go...⁣ .⁣ I’ve been to India before. I was here as a tourist back in 2010. It’s quite a country! Almost a continent!!⁣ .⁣ The Saga has clocked up over 242,000 km (150,000 mi) with all sorts of public transportation. We have completed four continents and mountains of logistics and bureaucracy lies behind us!! 🏔️⁣ .⁣ If anything then the Saga has certainly proved that it pays off not giving up. I also feel that the Saga has proved several times that a stranger is a friend you’ve never met before and that no matter where we look; people are just people ❤️⁣ .⁣ Let’s take a look at what India has to offer and let’s definitely keep on keeping on!! #KOKO 👊😉✨⁣ .⁣ #onceuponasaga #everycountryintheworld #solotravel #unstoppable #India #Amritsar #Punjab #Asia #SouthAsia #Viking #ModernViking #Danish #Scandinavian #explorer #deberejstesklub #IncredibleIndia

A post shared by Thor 🇩🇰 (@onceuponasaga) on Dec 30, 2018 at 5:35am PST

On his Instagram page, Thor wrote about being stuck in Hong Kong. “The virus outbreak dictates when we can leave and the Saga can continue. Isn’t that extraordinary! Something so small that we can’t even see it is keeping billions of people on lockdown.”

“And yes, for me personally, when I can’t get what I want, I somehow got the second best thing. I’m stuck in Hong Kong but I’m free to move about. A loving family is caring for me. I’m supported by thousands of people online. I’m in good health. I’m safe. My visa will soon expire but it seems that extensions come relatively easy these days. We will soon find out. While time is a valuable commodity which will never be returned...so far...all I’m really loosing here is time. Stay safe and sane wherever you are.”

On him not taking flights, he said, “Flight would be the easy choice to visit many countries. But what is the fun in easy? This will be a surface journey by scheduled ground transportation; that is primarily trains, buses and boats of different sorts. I will not buy, borrow or rent a vehicle in order get from A to B and I definitely do not have a chauffeur. This way I will ensure a lot of time spent with locals and travelers alike – an amazing way to see the World!

“Also I will spend at least 24 hours in each country and I aim at not returning home before I have completed the journey.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hong Kong: day 78!⁣ ⁣ The virus outbreak dictates when we can leave and the Saga can continue. Isn’t that extraordinary! Something so small that we can’t even see it is keeping billions of people on lockdown, has closed borders, has families separated, has cost people their jobs, has shut down businesses, keeps children out of school and dominates conversation🦠⁣ ⁣ And yes, for me personally, when I can’t get what I want, I somehow got the second best thing. I’m stuck in Hong Kong but I’m free to move about. A loving family is caring for me. I’m supported by thousands of people online. I’m in good health. I’m safe❤⁣ ⁣ My visa will soon expire but it seems that extensions come relatively easy these days. We will soon find out. While time is a valuable commodity which will never be returned...so far...all I’m really loosing here is time. Stay safe and sane wherever you are❤🇭🇰✨⁣ ⁣ #onceuponasaga #ModernViking #HKG #HongKong #香港

A post shared by Thor 🇩🇰 (@onceuponasaga) on Apr 15, 2020 at 12:01am PDT

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Finally some good news😃👍⁣ ⁣ I’m very impressed with the Hong Kong Immigration Department!! My three month visa will expire on April 27th. To prevent overstaying I headed to the Immigration Tower in Wan Chai for an extension.⁣ ⁣ There was plenty of staff and everyone was really kind and helpful. I headed up to the 5th floor to collect a form and speak with a kind woman behind the counter. She sent me to the 3rd floor to make some copies. Then I had to go to the ground floor to catch the elevator to the 24th floor where I had a brief interview.⁣ ⁣ My case is now being processed and I’m invited back for an extension interview on May 21st. Between now and then I’m permitted to stay so in JUST 20 MINUTES my visa was effectively extended by 30 days.⁣ ⁣ Let’s hope the Saga continues long before. However it’s good to know that Hong Kong is so accommodating❤🇭🇰✨⁣ ⁣ #onceuponasaga #ModernViking #HKG #HongKong #香港

A post shared by Thor 🇩🇰 (@onceuponasaga) on Apr 20, 2020 at 11:32pm PDT

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