Thiruvananthapuram: The FIFA World Cup in Russia has set in motion an unusual journey across the countries. Clifin Francis, a resident of Cherthala in Kerala, is on his way to Moscow, pedalling all the way from Dubai. He expects to reach Moscow on time for the match between France and Denmark on June 26.
Francis wanted to pedal across India and cross over to Iran and Azerbaijan through Pakistan, but he was dissuaded by the potential legal complications in the neighbouring country. So he flew to Dubai, bought a bike and proceeded to Iran four months ago.
The road trip has paid him well even before he reached his destination. Iranian families took him in and asked him about actor Mithun Chakraborty, he was offered a safe parking place for his bike inside an Azerbaijani police station and he was welcomed with a smile by a Russian security officer who was smitten by actress Aishwarya Rai.
Francis earned money for his exhaustive trip by offering maths classes to aspiring bank officers in Ernakulam. He started his journey on February 23.
A different Iran
Like most outsiders, Francis had expected a terror-stricken country when he entered Iran. He realised his mistake the first day in the country. Border officials welcomed him warmly when they learned the visitor was from India.
Many people spoke Hindi because they had worked in the United Arab Emirates at some point. He said that he spent only two nights in a hotel during his 45-day stay in Iran. He was invited by Iranians to dine with them and stay with them.
He feasted on Iranian delicacies and watched Hindi movies dubbed into Persian. He was even allowed to spend the night in masjids.
Kerala in Azerbaijan
Francis was completely lost when he crossed over to Azerbaijan, a former constituent of the Soviet Union. The Azerbaijanis spoke neither Hindi nor English. Azerbaijani and Russian were Latin and Greek for Francis.
He could not even order food from the strange-looking menus. Then he was faced with the phenomenon called the ubiquitous Malayali. He strayed into an eatery run by Siraj, Amit and Jinu, all fellow Malayalis. He was also helped by Dominic, an Ernkaulam native who works with an oil company in the central Asian country.
On nights he was not offered a place to stay, he slept in his tent. The Azerbaijani police were as much thrilled as their people to host an Indian who was pedalling his way to Russia to watch the World Cup. They showed him safe places to camp and let him keep the bike inside the police station.
In no man's land
Francis went up to the Georgian border with a German traveller he met on the way. The German was let in but Francis was kept waiting despite showing his travel documents.
He could not turn back because the Azerbaijani officials had already stamped exit on his passport. He was in the middle of nowhere, caught between two countries, without food or water. He even tried flashing the ticket to the World Cup match but Georgian authorities were not amused.
He finally logged into the net on his mobile phone and applied for a visa from Azerbaijan. He returned to Azerbaijan, where he was told that he could try another route where Azerbaijan shared a border with Russia.
Entry to Russia
The Russian border was a welcome change. He was treated warmly when the officers realised he was an Indian. They did not even check his luggage. He only had to show them the FIFA fan id he was given while booking a ticket for the football match. The only question he was asked was about Aishwarya Rai.
The future course was not as simple. Little did he realise that he was pedalling through an area with heightened security warning. The local police escorted him to the police station for examination. He learned that the station had been just rebuilt after a devastating bomb blast a few months ago.
He was let out after the police checked his travel documents and the ticket to the World Cup match. He has 700 more kilometres to reach Moscow, where he hopes to watch the France-Denmark match in the Luzhniki Stadium.
Francis is a die-hard Argentina fan. He hopes to click a selfie with Lionel Messi and convince the superstar to sign on his bike!
Anybody's game
Francis said that he spent about $1,000 to reach Russia from Dubai. He could have cut down on expense had he carried some food. He avoids staying in hotels as far as possible, looking for a place to pitch his tent instead.
He spent Rs 40,000 on the bike. He said that he takes it easy, taking in the sights and sounds on the route. He finds his way using GPS and the maps he carries. The GPS, however, is not always reliable when he traverses through vast deserts. He said that he had not been led astray so far.
He said that his experience is proof that anyone can travel the world. He hopes to write a book about his travel some day. He is yet to get any contacts in Russia.
Maybe he could bump into a Malayali in the largest country on earth. Francis is just a click away on Facebook
