Bernarda Pulko - Benka has recently completed a daring challenge, becoming the first woman ever to circumnavigate the globe on a motorcycle. It took her five and a half years to cross all seven continents and cover almost 200,000 kilometres on an F650 BMW. Asked by the presenter of the popular TV programme, Studio City, what the motive was for her "odyssey", Pulko said that she turned thirty and thought that she should do something with her life and learn something... She visited 75 countries, although was unable to enter China or Vietnam. China's authorities wanted US$ 20,000 from her to visit their country on her own means of transport. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese said that her motorcycle was too big - she was not allowed to exceed the limit of 172 cubic centimetres - the size used by the Vietnamese police. How did she go about her journey? She set off from her hometown of Ptuj, Slovenia and visited the Americas, Antarctica, New Zealand and Australia. She then visited Asia, starting with Japan, across India into Iran. She started her tour of Africa in the south and completed her journey with a tour of Europe. How was she accepted as a woman travelling alone on a motorbike, a symbol of freedom, in countries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan? "Fascinating. I was always respected as a woman and treated as a man." Invited for a dinner with a Muslim family, she was seated with men, Pulko explained. Nevertheless, she drew the attention of the whole village as she arrived in Iran, her head uncovered. In India, somebody gave her a sign saying: "While you're staring at me, I hope someone is staring at your wife". She put it on her motorcycle and that guarded off unwanted looks. Where was she on September 11? "In the United States...it was horrible". She believes that the world has changed after the attacks. "People are much more reserved, there's more fear and tension, especially in the Muslim world.