World travel record holder says terrorist held rifle to his head
Imagine a terrorist holding a Soviet-made Kalashnikov rifle to your head in Ethiopia in Africa and this is exactly what happened to German world traveler Gunther W. Holtorf.
The 79-year old wiry German just laughed about it in our interview in the beautiful, lay back Tropicana Lagoon Apartments’ Nakamal opposite the blue waters of Nambatu Lagoon two days ago saying he was lucky because his age might have had something to do with it as terrorists in that part of the world “respect” age and they let him go after he paid them a bit of money.
Just as well he was not killed because Holtorf is no ordinary German. He is on a Mercedes-Benz “Ottos’s” Round the World Record Tour and so far he has already driven 800,000 kilometres in his faithful all weather vehicle covering 210 countries and territories and believes he has broken the record.
He and his late wife Christine U. Holtorf embarked on the Round the World Record Tour in 1989 and plan to complete the quest in 2012. Sadly his wife Christine U. Holtorf fell ill and passed away and their son Martin J. Holtorf, 31, joined his dad and they are here in Port Vila this week with their ‘home and garage’ Mercedes-Benz all weather vehicle.
They have cruised round Efate twice already and they love the place and the people compared to their extraordinary experiences in Papua New Guinea and the Solomons.
Read our interview with the travelers inside
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