Why ?

The fire reminded you that the worst can always happen. That you have been too close to the worst. He also questioned your relatives. Your son asked you: “Why? “. Your son is rational and he wants to know what there is on the other side of the balance. For three years you have worked on this project. You spent your nights, your weekends and your savings. Why so much effort? Three years of often fruitless attempts, slow progress. And now, while the main difficulties seemed past, a shipwreck. Why such risks?


You still consider this journey to be important. Not for a single reason, but for multiple reasons:

  • The starting point is quite simple: you wanted to show that a real ‟round the world” trip is possible. A trip without any ferry, nor plane. A world tour in reasonable autonomy. During your one year trip, you had to deal several times with airlines, and, once, you put the bike in a cargo ship. Even briefly, you needed the support of the transport industry. You’d be happy to show that you can do without.


    batomoto-gilbert

  • You also want to promote travel on the lands, those who bring the traveler to meet people. To be in contact with people. To get help from people. Meeting, anywhere in the world, a man on horseback and telling him that you also come from your village by the same track. This is not the same as if you’ve landed at the nearest international airport.
    sourires
  • You would like to draw attention to the Bering Strait. This is where the Amerindian tribes have conquered America. Descendants of Eurasians. They are our cousins. There are only one or two millennia, all populated areas had been reached by walking, and crossing some straits. On maps, we see the Bering Strait at the end of the world. This would further its center. The junction of the two largest land areas. The junction point of the continents that actually constitute a single emerged space. The former Pangaea.
    cartes
  • To attract attention to the Chukotka, the twin region of Alaska on the Russian bank of the Bering Strait. Amazing scenery, among the most beautiful in Russia. A region where live courageous aboriginal populations in difficult conditions. An isolated area, known only by a few thousand people. A region with exceptional natural resources, both geological and animal. A region that needs care.
    chukotka
  • To break the wall between Russia and the Western countries. A clash of nations. On each side of the borders, leaders oppose strong arguments to condemn the enemy, to rebuild the walls. Private initiatives that unite friends of both sides are desirable. Especially if these initiatives show that the boundaries are not so insurmountable as that. During your travels in Russia, you have always benefited from the solidarity and brotherhood from Russians. You want to testify.
    russie
  • Try to do something that has never been attempted also makes sense. So when the adventure blend technical, geographical and historical originality, you still find more reasons to try. And you’re happy that this adventure has not germinated into an incorporated company, but in individuals. Individuals who wish to meet others and to share.
    nouveautes
  • Finally, if these peculiarities unify people helping you, you’re happy to wear such a joint project. Traveling with friends, thinking to all those who helped you to prepare this trip. Also to those who will help you during the trip.


So many reasons. But these reasons are not enough to justify an accident. You think you’re careful, even if you can’t predict everything. The fire took place, and you will work not to see it again. This journey is risky, but not foolish. You wanna tell your children.