Kathmandu, October 16:

A British national Jason Lewis of Expedition 360, who is on a thirteen-year mission to circumnavigate the world using “human power”, is in Kathmandu. He is using only human power such as bikes, pedal boat, roller blades, kayaks, swimming and walking and “no motors or sails”.

“The current leg through South East Asia entails 7,000 miles of bicycling of which Lewis has so far completed nearly 5,000 through Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, China, Tibet and Nepal and India. He has completed an astonishing 35,000 miles under his own steam since departing London over 11 years ago,” said Expedition 360 (x360). He is “en route” to Mumbai, India.

Thirty-eight-year-old Briton travelled a third of this distance using a pedal powered boat to cross the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. “Along the way he has fended off the attentions of whales and crocodiles, caught malaria twice and been run over - almost losing both legs in the process. On this latest leg to Kathmandu Lewis caught Malaria in Laos and a near fatal case of altitude sickness (AMS) in Tibet,” said the x360 team statement. So far, Lewis and the x360 team have completed three quarters of the journey, according to the team’s website.

The expedition is expected to complete by summer next year. The final journey will be a 2,200-mile crossing of the Indian Ocean to Djibouti on the horn of Africa. The adventure will then continue through Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, the Middle East and finally Europe to finish at Greenwich in London, the statement said.

During the SE Asia leg Lewis is inviting young people from each major city to create short 5-10 minute films about who they are and where they live in the world. Students around the world can have an access to these video blogs uploaded to the expedition website. “The aim of these educational activities is to use the expedition as a vehicle to promote qualities of international understanding, awareness and tolerance amongst people of different cultures,” it said.

“Lewis intends to work with a small group of youngsters connected to UNESCO’s Associated Schools’ program during his time in Kathmandu,” said the statement. Aberdeen Asset Management, a Singapore based investment portfolio company is supporting the present leg of his mission while the next part of his expedition is being assisted by Schenker Singapore who are providing logistics solutions support, including shipping the pedal boat from Singapore to Mumbai ready for Lewis to pedal to Djibouti in East Africa early next year.