Wheel2Wheel and Morgan Parker Still Riding Strong

One month down as Morgan Parker rides into the April leg of Wheel2Wheel's Australasia adventure. With 5 countries completed in a mere month, Morgan Parker hopes to complete 2 or more in April. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) April 11, 2011 - Hong Kong - Wheel2Wheel continue their efforts to raise money and awareness for 10 Asian charitable organisations as Morgan Parker rides through Australasia.

After more than one month on the road, Parker takes on April with a vengeance as he rides through more of Southeast Asia. March saw Parker tackle Hong, Kong, China, Vietnam, Laos and Northern Thailand. His journey began on 1 March as he rode from Hong Kong to China, to meet with GECKO and China's youth ambassadors for environmental awareness. Following that, he rode into Vietnam to witness the plight of moon bears and the heinous conditions in which their bile is extracted. He then rode into Laos to work with Child's Dream to improve education for Laotians. After, he rode through the scenic route in Northern Thailand and continued into Cambodia for a field visit with New Hope, whose mission is to restore hope and dignity through education, health and community building.

Parker braved hours of riding in undesirable conditions, trekking through mud, jungles and border crossings to reach each destination. Sometimes on the verge of tears but always with a steady mind and focus did he complete one month's journey.

Not to be "all work and no play," Parker played the tourist in China, Laos and Cambodia to better understand the environment and culture. He took a ride down the Li River in China and visited a villager's home for some local cuisine. An Eco-tour in Laos brought Parker closer to the jungle and fellow adventurers as he zip-lined from canopy to canopy. A spiritual journey through the Khmer Rouge sites enlightened Parker to the atrocities Cambodians suffered in recent history.

The rest of April will see him depart Cambodia, re-enter Thailand and pass through Malaysia. On his journey, Wheel2Wheel will aid orphans infected and affected by HIV through Baan Gerda in Thailand, advocate for women's rights in Malaysia with Women's Aid Organisation, after which he will do his first main water crossing from Malaysia into Indonesia.

Wheel2Wheel encourages donations either directly or indirectly via their Own-a-Km campaign. Each km of the 20,000km journey can be bought. All proceeds from the km purchase go directly to the charitable organisations. For example, for HK$100, buyers can help build schools in impoverished areas as well as help fund other worthy endeavours. Currently, just over 4000km are owned.

You can follow the Wheel2Wheel adventure online at www.wheel2wheel.tv or Facebook
(www.facebook.com/Wheel2Wheel), Twitter (www.twitter.com/wheel2wheelteam) and
YouTube (www.youtube.com/wheel2wheelchannel).

Contact Information
Paige Sinclair
Wheel2Wheel
Email: paige.sinclair ( @ ) wheel2wheel dot tv

More about Morgan Parker:
During Morgan Parker's 15 years in big-time Asian real estate development and investment banking he has worked for Morgan Stanley, Macquarie Bank, Lend Lease and most recently as President of US-listed real estate company Taubman in Asia. His corporate achievements have propelled him to Board positions with numerous industry bodies to become one of the region's highest profile real estate figures.

More about Wheel2Wheel:
Wheel2Wheel is an innovative independent non-profit organisation created to raise awareness and provide financial assistance to brilliant yet under-recognised charitable organisations throughout Australasia.

More about the Journey:
On 1 March 2011, Morgan Parker will embark on a 100 day expedition through some of the most beautiful and at times most inhospitable terrain in the world. The ride starts from Parker's home base of Hong Kong, continuing into China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, East Timor and finally, Australia. The epic adventure will finish in Parker's hometown of Brisbane.

Along the way, Parker will be visiting each of the ten carefully selected charitable organisations supported by Wheel2Wheel. Parker and his team will meet and film the principals and beneficiaries of each organisation. They will discuss the challenges and opportunities for the future, whilst gathering more knowledge on the issues.

Parker will be riding the incredible looking BMW F800GS enduro motorbike. While completely set up to be self-sufficient there will also be a support vehicle travelling with them.

The journey will fill the senses: from the chaos of crowded, polluted urban metropolises, the desolation of obscure dirt roads, the thrill and grandeur of mountain terrain, the serenity of coastal vistas, and the vastness of the Australian Outback. The guys will travel past and through national monuments, sacred sites, precious rainforests and natural disaster areas - from cities of millions to fishing villages of a few.

Whilst the route has been designed to include all the must-sees, along with the ten charitable organisations, a day on the road for Parker will be built around opportunity and spontaneity. Accommodation will be whatever fits right, from sleeping under the stars to the comfort and security of 5 stars.

The logistics of the journey are enormous from visas to carnets, border crossings in communist countries, water crossings from island to island, bike servicing and break downs, security concerns not to mention the physical and mental challenge of being in the saddle for 100 days.

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