{" idown the road an just happened £0 | pass ‘by ‘a Buriess
)wedding. They: invited us in. It's good luck for-them to
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»S overland. The; travellers spent a number of days in
Katmandu, ‘Nepal’, —‘a' ‘place that's ‘recently.’ been
headlines in. Canadian’ news. “We did a lot of trekking in

‘people:and hired a ‘guide who got us lost for a day.” In

‘Nepal, Ron and ¢ company spent a few days in the jungles:

riding elephants, but when these same elephants were

suddenly ‘chased by rhinos, “I got a' little. bit. nervous.”
In India Ron saw. the Ganges River, the holiest river

in India.:“They ‘do everything in that river, wash their

‘The 18 bussed their. way into northern Indis, “where :

the ‘rich ‘Indians ‘live? and on‘ into Pakistan, the first
Muslim country they would visit. “There is no-aleohol or,
ography there. ‘The women have to completely cover.

they all have families and loved ones ey: care about.”,
Many ‘of ‘the. others : on the bus .were: allowed
di

|, wait 10: days for’ a flight ¢ across’ Iran‘.
stop five times’ a: <

permission to drive along: the: military access

when they passed by the’Dead Sea they all ‘just
take a dip in,.or-they tried to an ‘As Ron says,
walk in and your feet just go, up.

“ean do situps in the water.”

“ And they. experienced a fair amount ‘at harrassment 2
x sticking

* driving through Jordan.

‘with a stick in my hand, and a guy came out of the bushes a

‘terrified until he realized that this °
his'side. ; Guaria are such away of:

th A
‘On up the:road. ‘aad through the desert they, drove.
- They visited the ancient city of Petra where 160 families
still live in homes ‘carved out of the ‘rock. “!

‘Once in noe their bus trip ended. io Boogte a
Eurorail: pass: and went all through ‘Europe’ — ‘again
“living on the cheap.” He managed also to bg to almost

all of the eastern block countries. The difference between |:

‘East and West Germany. was “like'night and day; "The:

West is very affluent. The'East is very subdued, very.

gray in comparison:to colorful’ West Germany. In East
‘German:

y.there were lineups ‘everywhere and very little’ t

to buy.”

Froni Greece. and “Italy, he :

boat over to Morroco, but this’ was.

Boat”. Instead hikers-slept on top ‘of:

“their packs in very close quarters all over the deck: Ron

He trekked“ and’, hitchhiked. through Austria, |

saw most of Spain and France, and then into England: :

In a few short yeeks Ron’s'summer begins again in
~ Australia when he'll’ return to Nelson'Bay to beginyet
another season of swimming Jessons, 2

Despite the status of world traveller, Ron is a iocal
‘boy, born and raised here. His' parents are Vi and Serge
Plotnikoff and he has a brother Larry. He's a 1977
from Stanley: Humphries and all througl high school he

always participated in a lot of sports; swimming, minor:

hockey, track and field. And almost every summer. was
spent teaching swimming for the Recreation Commission.
In high school he sang in the Doukhobor Chair, and also
played in a rock band.

After a year at Selkirk ‘College, Ron went on to
Eastern Washington University where he majored’ in

‘where his trip ended and he flew home. Setting his leet

Physical Education. He completed the four year degree: :

program in three years, “because I couldn't wait to get on

my trip.” He also Lindel a year at Concordia University In’

Montreal.

Ron has strong “ideas about fitness. He believes in
physical as well as mental health. For his Physical eae
he's a strict. vegetarian who runs, swims and
every day. For his mental well-being he “tries mid Ped

away from stressful situations.” He's not into competitive.

‘sports now at all, but'is mainly interested in “lifestyle,
fitness and health.”

Ron, who has five bulging journals ‘of his travels
says, “I've done all those adventurous things Eve always
yranted to. donk 2 '