A New McCandless?

On Monday in class, Ms. Serensky mentioned that almanacs may currently be used to help terrorists with target selection and pre-operational planning. The FBI has alerted police officers to watch during searches, traffic stops and other investigations for anyone carrying an almanac and to pay special attention to suspicious annotations. To me, this sounded absurd. I would have thought that terrorists would locate targets, like the Twin Towers, with something more technologically savvy than an almanac. I never realized that my constant desire to mark literary devices when reading could eventually get me into trouble, let alone cause me to fit the appearance of a terrorist. Intrigued by the bizarre “news” I researched “almanacs and terrorists” when I returned home from school. In my search I stumbled across an equally bizarre story about a man named Keiichi Iwasaki. In 2001, Keiichi Iwasaki at the age of 36, left on his Raleigh Shopper bicycle to tour Japan. He enjoyed himself so much that he then ferried to South Korea and since then, has cycled through 37 countries without returning home. Even more bizarre, he began his trip in 2001 with the Japanese equivalent of $2. On his travels, Iwasaki has been robbed by pirates, arrested in India, nearly died from a rabid dog attack, and escaped marriage in Nepal. Despite these troubles, Iwaskai’s strong will has helped him cycle over 45,000km (27,961 miles) on his favorite Raleigh shopper bikes (two of which have been stolen and two of which have been destroyed).  In one interview Iwasaki mentioned that ''Most travelers and adventurers need money but instead of giving up an opportunity to travel the world [he] wants to clarify that dreams can come true if you have a strong will.” As of 2009 Iwaskai had been travelling for eight years, living from money made from street performances, as he refused to carry a credit card or a traveler’s check. Yet again, outside of English class, my mind flashed back to AP English 11. Although still maintaining some contact with the rest of society, Iwasaki’s story reminded me of the story of Chris McCandless. The level of determination and courage in both men significantly inspires me; I just hope Iwaskai’s story ends more pleasantly than McCandless’.  

Iwasaki with his first bike

Iwasaki's bike route as of September, 2009