i'm not registered with the times... i just clicked on the link and read the story.
ChrisB
here it is in full:
from The Times February 27, 2004 Adventurer runs out of road in Leeds BY ANDREW NORFOLK
AN ADVENTURER who left South-East Asia to travel halfway round the world on his cherished motorcycle had it stolen within a few hours of arriving in Leeds. Dalbir Jhol, from Singapore, rode in triumphantly this week after clocking up 17,500 miles on his Honda Dominator. In ten months he had safely negotiated the bustling cities of Malaysia and Thailand, impoverished Indian villages, the Nepalese mountains, war-torn Afghanistan and the deserts of Iran. By the time 30-year-old Mr Jhol and his trusty old bike reached Leeds, they had enjoyed a trouble-free passage through 20 countries. He was staying with a student friend in the Bramley area and left the motorcycle outside the house. When he returned later it had been stolen. Police are now looking for the distinctive machine, which had a red and black sheepskin seat and a Singapore number plate, plus two attached boxes containing spare parts, clothes and cooking equipment. Mr Johl refuses to be downhearted but admitted yesterday that he was disappointed at the loss. “Whoever has taken it must have stolen it as a joke,” he said. “It is really old and not valuable, but it’s my lifeline and I am not going to get very far without it. “So far, people across the world have been very friendly and welcoming. People have been nice and friendly in Leeds as well, but it’s a shame that my lasting impression will be the theft.” He is determined to continue his journey. “I am still planning my next move,” he said. “I want to head up to Newcastle next and then to Scotland and Ireland. At this rate, though, it looks like I will have to walk there.”
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