July 24, 2011, around noon, I was leaving Paris, Place du Trocadéro, to attempt a circumnavigation of the world on a motorcycle ...The idea was matured thought and thought for many months, but at the start, the apprehension was immense ...The first kilometers, I felt that I was not going to regret it ...And here I am 1 year later, July 24, 2012, Chile in Valdivia, on the Pacific coast with the same desire to complete this journey a year ago!A few differences ready, the idea has not changed.Travel, meetings, landscapes, discoveries, kilometers, and especially ...Freedom!But all this is just to add something for which I was unprepared, which I had not thought, reflected and taken the time to consider ...I think some call it love ...
Summarize 1 year travel will not be easy because it happened so magical moments that really transform my way of seeing life that put all this on paper and write it in black and white will not simple.Especially to be honest, I'm writing this for publication on 23 and 24 I'd write something right for the first "article-anniversary" of travel and take half at the last minute does not seem to best solution ...But hey, it's like that, since my last article, there are already more than 5 months, I did not find the time or desire to write again.I know I'm in dire need of discipline in my writings for regular monitoring of my adventures, but I'm not going to apologize for that.I travel primarily for me and even if sharing this journey is important to me, it will not pass before the trip itself.If I did not publish the last 5 months, is that for me the trip to radically change and I still do not know where I'm going ...Also before you tell me I do not know, but I did not care.Until today, my desire to travel has only been growing and always go a little farther each day makes me happy.But recently I'm afraid ....For the first time in my life, I'm really scared ...More than one day to go, there are battery a year!For the first time, I do not completely control the situation and what I thought was the best thing for me to do a year ago today seems almost impossible ...Travel alone ...New ...I adored it!But since I arrived in Buenos Aires, things have changed ...And my perspective on this trip too ...Read moreObviously yes, but with her!
So here's the context: I'm lost.I'm in Chile, in the small town of Valdivia, on the Pacific coast, I'm in the house of a young couple met through Espanola-Chileno CouchSurfing.I am alone in this little shack of drinks, to drink mate tea from Argentina, a background of soft music and the warmth of the fire in the stove to drink that warms the room ...Not far from the happiness ...Ideal conditions for writing.To take the time, the time of day to think about this past year ...Leave France, leaving Europe, North Africa discover then the west coast of Africa black cross the Atlantic by boat, passing in the southern hemisphere, a foothold in South America, learning a new language, target the south, still further south, take the time to live at my own pace ...Find Love ...A year full of emotions, surprises, discoveries, lessons of life and also galleys but also a year of total freedom!A year has passed at breakneck speed, I do not feel that they are already 1 year passed.This departure from Paris seems so close and yet so far ...So close in time, but so far in distance ...I traveled more than 25,000 kilometers this year, which is really low for a year of travel.I met many other travelers who run them where this distance in 3 4 months!And another in which one year is around the globe ...Each person finds his rhythm traveling, mine is rather slow, rather slow ...But I prefer the leisurely pace and take time to enjoy every place I go, take the time to meet and experience the local life rather than doing only go and see only the façade of things ...Take the time to learn, share, live, enjoy the present moment no tomorrow ...And this philosophy of life suits me perfectly until now, I do not intend to change this rate to accelerate, quite the contrary ...I'll even slow down ...The originally planned three years of the project's now much too short and I intend now 5 years to complete world tour ...In addition to that, this year I lived on my savings and have very little work.From now on, every mile will be followed by a job to fund the following ...The road is still long way to Paris ...But frankly, the idea of returning not tell me anything!I do not absolutely return and this time seems so far that I even consider!Almost no where!For now, I want to continue my journey as well.This life journey "endless" is so pleasant and suits me perfectly.France does not miss me, my works in France do not miss, even if my family, my friends, my colleagues I miss you, I just do other than endure this separation and accept.Of course, some days are harder than others, nostalgia is stronger and the desire to see my loved becomes oppressive, but there are thousands of miles that separate me from them and distance relationships are difficult to keep ...Even emails ...I am therefore a reason and trying to be patient on that side.I hope of course some of them again before my return to France, but I know it will be difficult.My mother came in the month May in Buenos Aires for 10 days and it was really great to share some time with her ??at the other end of the world.To all those who want to spend some time on the other side of the globe, do not hesitate, it will be a good experience!
Let's talk about bike now!How this relates dear Transalp after one year?Well, not bad at all!I always lead to destination without flinching, without flinching, always with the soft purr of twin-cylinder V-I made ??him little by little changes but nothing vital.Recently I had a small galley with spider fixing fork head who broke with the vibrations of gravel tracks, but Bariloche when I stop a month to work in a bike shop j ' I solved the problem using a soldering iron arc ...I also enjoy to get rid of the curse that I have from the start ...Punctures in rehearsals ...On reflection, I made ??the accounts, and approximately 25 punctures in one year ...More than 2 month ...Knowing that I do not drive all the days ...I'm not far from the world record I think ...A puncture every 1000 terminals ...It was too much!I took things head on and have opted for a radical solution!In the rear tire, the bursting most often a tube 4 mm reinforced fills puncture preventative product, covered with a second tube reinforced for protection, then topped with a spear fire fire!Completely effective!The fabric is ultra spears fire resistant but still a soft cloth therefore relatively easy fit around the tube.If with all this I still manage to die and so managed to get a nail, it really is that I'm cursed and I will go to a marabout ...For the front tire, inner tube reinforced with 4 mm covered with a second chamber as enhanced protection.I have not installed the fire hose for fear of too unbalanced front wheel.Normally I'm completely rid punctures and will be able to continue this around the world without fear of bursting more than 100 km / h and make me literally ejected from the motorcycle!I cross my fingers, knock on drinks, and I believe in my lucky star!
If there's one thing I'm not proud but I do not really avoid some ... I have a square tire behind ... I did not care that I openly mouth of my clients before which rolled with square tires because they do not leaned their bikes in the corners ... Today I am ashamed to see my rear tire ... Square in square! When I took the corner with the bike in a curve, she throws herself at once on the sidewall and behaves like out of the curve ... Dangerous and unpleasant!But what else??? Traveled 2000 km to cross the Pampa Argentina are all right! For more than 2000 terminals! I'm all done to rectify the draws of this tire but too late ... It is now much too strong. I'll have to find a new train on my return to Buenos Aires ... Yes, because there is a return to Buenos Aires ... It was not really in my original program but I told you that some things had changed ... Following the journey may be a little different ...
In August, the bike is entitled to a new major revision and some additional changes, it is in fact evolving to gradually improve driving comfort and then if it has to carry an extra person, comfort should be optimal for two passengers! But that's another story ...
After a year of travel, so I'm in Chile, which I thought that after a year I would have almost completed the American continent ...I'm far away ...This huge continent, you can spend five years on its own without having time to discover everything ...When I arrived in Buenos Aires I met a couple of German fighters ready for that 4 years had walked these lands Latin and tell me he was returning to the country, not because they had seen everything, but because their "home" their missing ...I met many travelers that it lost in the trip and never want to go ...Never want to stop this train of life ...And today, as I understand them!Every day is a new adventure!The routine does not exist trip!No day is like another, every city, every region, every country is different and deserves that one stops there for a moment.Okay, some regions more than others ...Difficult to stay one month in Pampa Argentina made ??of stony desert shrubs and dry ...Reefs and coastal areas are mostly much interesting.Well where the mountain!Cordière the Andes is about 3,000 km long and is full of landscapes, lakes and hidden corners that are simply wonderful!There also may have to spend a lifetime without see everything!And that's not counting the cultural history of the places in question.If you start to really take an interest in the culture of men and women who have lived here for generations, discovers a world in the world ...The man with a remarkable ability to adapt and behind every corner hides a story that ...The two continents that I saw a two year deserves more time to be appreciated at their fair values.Africa is the continent where it is easier to lose definitely travel ...Where you can spend months and months and never want to return ...South America offers a playground almost limitless with a variety of landscapes and cultures exceptional ...I still do not know the rest of the world but the little I know of these two continents have no way leaves me as the scenery is complete!And I did see a tiny part of the two and I have memories full head!I know beforehand that I would not have the time and opportunity to see and already thinking seriously to return to these two parts of the world just waiting to be opened to the world ...
This is a year spent on the road, only for the first 9 months, then from Buenos Aires, the trip to change perspectives ...There I met a pretty young Argentine with whom I forged strong links with relatively quickly and that I travel on the continent for the past 3 months ...We first parties in Uruguay for a week to explore the coast and the capital, Monte Video.Then back to Buenos Aires our relationship has increased and we decided to take a trip some time together between Patagonia and Chile.It must take these industrial engineering studies in August and we must return to the federal capital before 13.It must end its year and make his thesis to acquire his degree.Its aim is to do all this before the end of December.And since I have some money again to travel I'll have to stop somewhere for a few months work.The idea is the following: Bosser Buenos Aires from August to December of history and some bailing me to consider continuing this journey together.Nothing is decided yet because there are many factors improbabilities that are running ...The first and most important, our willingness to travel together!Today this is the case, but to go around the world, there is a world!It must be on wanting to be part of this adventure and it is as easy to take a decision ...I took 24 years for me to decide ...And 2 years to implement this journey ...It is not to be taken lightly ...Second factor is that it succeeds his exams at the end of the year ...Otherwise it is a year in addition to graduate ...And we must learn to know better during the next 6 months to see if our history like the road ...Until then, all rolls for the better and for my part, I really want to explore the rest of the trip with her ??...Or rather, I have a hard time to consider it without ...
So the program for the coming months, a small travel poses a few months of work, a bit of time to improve my Spanish, and then 5 more that 6 months in Buenos Aires will allow us to know if we are ready to embark on this adventure 2 ...
For the moment we still have a little over 2000 miles to reach the capital to Argentina through Concepcion, Santiago del Chile, Mendoza and back across the continent from west to east ...And all this before mid-August ...
In the coming weeks I will publish a new article summarizing these 5 months in Latin America with much more travel details. Be a little patient to know a little more ... But I still just say his name I think ... Her name is Mayra ...
