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The American Couple Who Settled In Changchun Is
Going To Travel by Motorcycle across Four
Continents
News Cue
He’s an American who loves driving motorcycles,
he has 35 years of motorcycle driving
experience; he loves adventure; he loves the
challenge even though he’s over 60. His name is
Jack Murray. On the morning of July 17th,
he’s going to take his 64-year-old wife Janet to
drive his “Chinese Changjiang 750” motorcycle
on a 75000-kilometer trip which most all the way
around the world from Changchun across Asia,
Africa, Europe and America—four continents!
Marital Journey to the West—First Impression
Kind and Gentle elderly American Couple
July 4th, according to the
appointment, the reporter came to a building on
Changchun’s Tongzhi Street, in the mean time
there was an American Couple waiting next to a
black motorcycle. The man is wearing a
checkered shirt，a
light yellow mustache; the woman has light
yellow hair which combs perfectly in order.
Seeing the reporter coming, they come closer
with smiles and shake hands with the reporter.
They gave very kind and gentle feelings about
them. After the introducing, the reporter knew
this man is Jack Murray who’s going to have a
long trip by his motorcycle and next to him is
his wife Janet Murray.
Marital Journey to the West—Love knot of
Motorcycles
Like to Ride Motorcycles to Feel Nature
Jack Murray said, he loved to drive motorcycles
since he was young, until now its 35 years. From
the smallest Honda to the big BMW, all kinds of
motorcycles used to be his favorite buddies. For
decades of years when he lived in America, he
rode his motorcycle wherever he went, and he
even rode the motorcycle across the West of
America alone.
When the reporter asked him why he didn’t like
cars, but only loved motorcycles, Jack Murray
said: “Motorcycles have no windows, no baffles,
you can breathe the fresh air freely, and it
gives people a natural feeling. When it rains,
the raindrops will drop on your head, when the
wind blows, it will blow next to your face,
you’re a part of nature.”
Marital Journey to the West—The Great Plan
To Travel Across Four Continents by Motorcycles
Jack Murray said, his wife and he live in the
West of America, they were both teachers. Along
with
China’s
reform and opening-up, he began to have the
ideas to teach in China in his sixties. Then he
sold his house, his car and everything and came
to China with his wife in 2001.
With the great help of a friend, Jack Murray and
his wife opened a foreign language training
school in
Changchun
and settled here. During the five years when he
lived here, Jack Murray still treated the
motorcycle as his transport, he used to ride his
motorcycle to Jilin and recently he just rode
his motorcycle back from
Beijing
to
Changchun.
In 2004, Jack Murray who loves adventure and
challenge had an idea suddenly: why not have a
long distance trip? A trip across four
continents by riding the motorcycle! When he
told his wife this bold idea, he got the support
from her immediately.
Marital Journey to the West—Exploration
Route
Start from Changchun and Finally Arrives at
Mexico
Jack Murray has made a very complete plan for
this trip, in his laptop; the reporter saw a
mature and detailed route. Jack Murray said,
his wife and he would start from Changchun and
arrive at Beijing first, after checking the
motorcycle will go to Erenhot in Inner Mongolia，then
from there will go into Mongolia to head for
Ulaan Baator, across the desert and plains then
finally arrive at Moscow, they will arrive in
Turkey in mid to late September, and after a
while, Jack will fly back to Changchun for a
week by himself then fly back to Turkey.
Later they will start off from Turkey, head for
Egypt in Africa, and then go back to Europe and
head for England, from England to Canada by a
ship, and then go back to their hometown pass by
big cities like New York, Washington etc. in the
East, arrive at Florida, then arrive at the
small town of Duluth, Minnesota, then go to
Canada across the West of America, along the
west coast until arrive at the end point in
Baja, Mexico, the whole trip is 75000
kilometers, equals to six 25,000 li long march,
5000 kilometers more will go round the earth 2
times.
Marital Journey to the West—Super Motorcycle
Standby Facility are All Complete and Reserve
the Seat
For Jack Murray’s adventuresome trip, the thing
that makes people pay attention is his black
super motorcycle. We call it “super” because
Jack Murray has made many changes; it looks like
very durable (and very cool).
The reporter saw a very big cover made with iron
on the sidecar for their field camping tools
like sleeping bags, tents etc. On the right side
of the trunk there’s a red bucket, it’s the
standby gasoline tank that Jack prepared, at the
back of the motorcycle there’re two spare
wheels, under the spare wheels there’s a toolbox
and a grease-box. So it is obvious that Jack
Murray has made plenty preparation for the
uncertain things.
Jack Murray said most the time of the trip they
would sit on the motorcycle, so because of this
he specially reserved two soft seats from
America. When he talked about this the facetious
elderly man pantomimed and said: “If the bottom
is not comfortable, the head doesn’t work; and
that’s not good for safety.”
The reporter saw this motorcycle license is
“JA1009”; the body of the sidecar has the
Chinese the five-star flag. Jack Murray said he
bought his motorcycle in Beijing, at last he
chose “Changjiang 750” which is made in China.
He’s very confident to complete his trip riding
it.
Marital Journey to the West—Equipment Taking
With
Video Camera and GPS Nothing is Less
Jack Murray said they have prepared this trip
for 5 months, now everything is ready. Tent,
sleeping bag, blanket, mini kitchen appliance
are all in the waterproof travel bag. 3 shirts,
2 pairs of pants, a pair of sports shoes, and a
pair of boots for each one is the only clothing
that the couple passes through after a long time
arguing. His wife Janet complained: “My husband
doesn’t want me to take any lipsticks to lighten
our load; this makes me feel so disappointed.”
At Jack Murray’s home located in Longli Road,
the reporter also saw his important equipment:
two video cameras, two cameras, a laptop, two
GPS and a cell phone with map function. In order
to share their happiness with friends
instantaneously, he has set up a website
especially for this trip, he’s going to put the
pictures he takes during the trip on the website
at any moment and he’s going to write the log
periodically to let friends know what happens
during their trip.
In addition, Jack said in order to guarantee the
security he planned to go only 3 or 4 hours a
day, so the whole trip will take about one and a
half years.
Marital Journey to the West—Purpose for the Trip
Know More People and Experience the Real Life
Jack Murray said the purpose of this trip for
his wife and he is to feel different local
conditions and social customs in each place
around the world, to know more average people,
to feel different civilization of different
country, to experience the real life style in
each place when they’re still young (He thinks
64 can’t calculate as the old person). Therefore
they prepared 400 video tapes especially and
equipped a special sound system for the video
camera. They’re going to collect sounds of each
place like sounds of people, sounds of nature,
and sounds of animals…
Janet said she felt very excited about this
trip, she loves travel and nature as much as her
husband, and she prepares to communicate with
the local people and make friends with them and
to understand their mind and feeling as much as
possible. She said she had only ridden a
two-wheeled motorcycle, not three-wheeled
motorcycle, so her husband will drive all the
way for this trip; she’s only going to tell the
directions and video the scene.
Wizardly person
Brief introduction: Jack Murray, male, 64;
Janet, female, 64, both of them are American,
now they live in
Changchun.
Curriculum vitae: Jack Murray and his wife are
both teachers, they came to Changchun in 2001
and opened a foreign language training school.
Hobby: Jack Murray love motorcycles, he has
35-year riding experience, he has ridden
motorcycle across the West of America by
himself.
Philosophy: Challengesg, achieving the goal,
it’s more important for me to have the feeling
of satisfaction that comes from achievement.
Super Trip
Trip: On the morning of July 17th,
he’s going to ride his “Changjiang750” from
Changchun, across Asia, Africa, Europe and
America four continents and arrive at Mexico.
The whole trip is 75,000 kilometers, equals to
six 25,000 li long march; it will take about one
and a half years to come back to
Changchun.
Equipment: Standby gasoline tank, tent, sleeping
bag, mini kitchen. They especially reserved the
soft seat, and two video cameras, two cameras, a
laptop, two GPS and a cell phone with map
function.
Fall in Love with
Changchun
and Want to Teach in
Changchun until they’re Old
Jack Murray said when he first came to China in
2001, he had the chance to go to Beijing,
Shanghai, Guangzhou, but because he knew a
friend and received so much help, it made him
make up his mind to come to Changchun to start
his career. After five years years, he knows
lots of Changchun people and he was touched by
Changchun people’s modesty and zest, he loved
the city deeply and he prepared to keep running
the foreign language school and teach children
English until they’re too old to teach.
When he talked about the opinion of life, Jack
Murray said: “It’s important to do something
significant without harming anybody.
Challenging, achieving the goal, having the
feeling of satisfaction and the sense of
achievement is what is important for me.” Janet
told the reporter her two sons were both at
America, they felt very proud and when they knew
they were going to travel by riding the
motorcycle. They wished her and their dad a
good trip and hoped to see them in America soon.
She believed they will complete the trip and
come back to Changchun successfully! “I’ll be
back!” Jack said. |
