Almost at the end of a journey across the world, Roman Rominger and his all-purpose Volkswagen van have landed in Guyana.
Rominger, 31, left his native Germany in 2012, after completing his studies in dentistry, to embark on his world travel.
During a brief interview near House of Flavour on Charlotte and Alexander streets, where he sampled some Guyanese-style “ital” cuisine for lunch, Rominger told Stabroek News that he had always wanted to travel the world and thought it best to undertake the journey after he completed his studies and before he commenced his career as a dentist.
After leaving Germany, Rominger, using his family’s 10-year-old Volkswagen van, which he bought off his father, drove across the continents of Asia and Europe.
Among the countries on the two continents he journeyed through were Austria, Greece, Italy, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia.
He eventually flew to and shipped the van to Australia, where he stayed for some time before shipping it off again to Chile, in South American. From Chile, he made his way into Argentina, then to Paraguay, and eventually to Brazil, where he stayed during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. From Brazil, he drove to French Guiana, then to Suriname, and, finally, to Guyana.
Since his arrival in Guyana, he says he has done several things, including making a trip to Kaieteur Falls. This trip alone, he said, is enough to convince him to come back to Guyana. Rominger’s van no doubt is his most important asset on his journey as it serves as his kitchen, bedroom, closet, storeroom, and whatever he requires it to be for the purposes of his journey.
When he leaves Guyana in the next ten days or so, he will travel through Latin America and into North America before making his way back to Germany. He estimates that the remainder of his journey will take him another three to four months. He says he is certain that a job will be waiting for him when he gets back home because dentists are always in demand.
He says that by the end of the journey he will be ready to go to work for the next 20 to 30 years of his life.
Rominger is documenting his journey in various ways, including via a blog.
Those interested in following him on his journey as well as taking a look at some of the places he has already been can do so at romanrominger.blogspot.com.
