WHEN we last chatted to Durban North globe peddler, Garth Lezard, he was at the beginning of his epic cycle around the Oceania region, to raise money for the Leonard Cheshire Home which looks after people with disabilities, illness and people living with degenerative disorders. Northglen News recently caught up with the fearless traveller who was on Upolu Island, Samoa.

The pacific country is known for its roaming stray dogs, and although he was chased by a few on Upola, Lezard said he wasn’t phased.

“The tourists kept telling me the dogs were terrible at night, but I didn’t have the same experience. I’m used to big dogs in South Africa, so when a few dogs chased me, I wasn’t scared, they were quite small,” he joked. Samoa was the 24th country in his whirlwind tour and the fourth in the Pacific region (which has included Fiji, New Zealand and Australia).

The intrepid traveller said he has gained so much from his travels so far and has been blown away by the generosity of the locals.

“It’s great being here. People have been taking me into their houses even though I was a complete stranger to them,” he said. Lezard started his journey in 2010 and has cycled through countries in Africa, Europe, Asia, South America, Central and North America.

“Initially it started out as a way of combining my two passions, photography and travel. Each country I travelled to I visited a Leonard Cheshire Home and it occurred to me that I could raise money for such a fantastic foundation and give something back to them,” he said.

Garth has also met a number of local and international rugby stars including Manu Samoa’s Brian Lima. He is now cycling through Melbourne, Australia.