After touching down in Brisbane, he continued his cycling expedition, eventually concluding the adventure at a popular pub in The Rocks, Sydney. There, he was warmly welcomed by a gathering of Instagram followers who had been keeping up with his journey online.

“This trip has transformed me in countless ways,” he reflected.

During his travels, Hargreaves made an effort to recreate images his father Phil had captured four decades earlier.

Jamie Hargreaves has a tradition of reenacting scenes from his father’s bike trips from 40 years ago. Source: Supplied / Jamie Hargreaves

Hargreaves embarked on his journey using a vintage 45-year-old steel-framed bicycle, identical to the one his father had ridden back in the day.

Hospitality ‘remained the same’

Over the past year, the father-son duo often spoke on the phone as Hargreaves followed parts of his father’s route, comparing what they had each seen along the way.

But Hargreaves couldn’t fully replicate his father’s journey, as some countries had become difficult to access.

“Iran, we couldn’t get through, whereas my dad could go through,” he said.

After arriving in Türkiye, he adjusted his route, travelling to Russia via Georgia, then visiting Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan, before rejoining his father’s path in Pakistan.

“So there are numerous countries which are harder to get into now, and some which are easier to get into, with the politics of it all, but that’s changed dramatically,” he said.

Hargreaves said compared to other countries, Australia had more rules on cycling, “and you just sort of have to adapt with it”.

Throughout the journey, Jamie Hargreaves (left) said he met many “kind strangers”. Source: Supplied / Jamie Hargreaves

Despite the changes and differences, Hargreaves said the kindness of strangers has “remained the same”.

He encouraged people to travel and see the world through their eyes.

“When you actually get out there and go to these places that you’re warned about, they’re the most friendly places on Earth.

“And in actual fact, the world is a much kinder place than it seems to be.”

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