La notizia arrivata dal Sud della Cina ha colpito improvvisamente tutto il grande "popolo dei viaggiatori": il 16 settembre ci ha lasciati Giorgio Bettinelli, vinto da un'infezione sulle rive del Mekong. Giorgio, meglio conosciuto come lo Scrittore-in-Vespa e spesso affettuosamente soprannominato "Vespista per Caso" era forse uno degli ultimi grandi avventurieri-esploratori esistenti, quelli che - per intenderci - fanno del viaggio la missione della propria vita e trovano realizzazione nell'incontro con altri popoli, culture e luoghi.

Fred Birchmore’s Amazing Bicycle Trip Around the World. The American cyclist crossed paths with Sonja Henje and Adolf Hitler as he transversed the globe on Bucephalus, his trusty bike

Just in their twenties and living off a shoestring budget, three young Parsis, one from Baroda, ventured on the first ever trip around the world on bicycles on October 15, 1923. The trio covered 44,000 miles in three years and three months across 27 countries and four continents. On their return, Adi Hakim from Vadodara, Jal Bapasola from Mumbai and Rustom Bhumgara from Pune, who later became a freedom fighter, wrote a book of their memoirs from the epic journey, of which but a few copies still exist. The original book includes a foreword by Jawarharlal Nehru and comments from leaders around the world like Benito Mussolini and Calvin Coolidge.”

Life of a Victorian adventuress: Incredible story of clergyman's daughter who braved malaria, floods and wars to trek across China