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On the road for ... 1 year, 8 months and 14 days

 

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                Next stage : SPAIN - March 2008  

Current Position : Béni-Mellal, sky-diving in Morocco

On Mars 15th, 1997, after skydiving with friends on the Moulin Blanc beach in Brest, I took my bike "Magic. 24044kms and 333 days later, I came back to my starting point. The earth is actualy round and magnificient. But it is fragile tto. It is not dangerous, it's the unknown that implies fear. I was specially touched by the russian welcome all over this huge Siberia. This name means goulag and sadness for us in the west but it means a real pleasure for me.

9 years left for this trip but I never forget. There is life before and life after. Every time I see a globe, I wonder how it can be so small I can go round the world by bike.

Magic is impatient to set off again, it is now decided : we leave again on june, the 10th! It will  be ready, so I will. We are A nous les grands espaces, le vent, le soleil, la pluie, sans savoir le matin où nous serons le soir. We are going to ride on this planet without a sound, proud of our wanderer's way of life.

Lundi 21 janvier 2008
undefinedSuch a burden ! this wind coming from the North-East is terrible, 10 hours biking each day and only 100 km done with sand every where flying with the wind. In the other direction, it 25 km/h without doing anything, smoking a pipe … I won’t be able to make it, one can be masochist but this is just too much to bare. I am in Atar in the mountains of Adrar, I’ve decided not to continue along the Atlantic coast … or I would get a partial view of Mauritania. The tourism has dropped to almost nothing following the killings in December which has been done by young offenders with no hope and they have nothing to do with Al Quaeda. This panick has been created intentionally (for which dark reasons ?) by the French government has negative effects on the country.
Come in Mauritania, there is nothing to be scared of, the French are most welcom here. I have kept my French flag on my bicycle and it’s thanks to this one that I’ve been regularly helped by the Mauritanese along the road. “France is still my favorite country in Mauritania”, I’ve heard this so often … with less flattering comments on our president. 2 days ago, a beautiful night under the stars near the oasis of Terjit with 2 camels to look after us.
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Tomorrow I will go back toward West to Nouhadibou with a train which is 2.5 km long with 200 coaches (22000 tons of mineral iron for each trip), a great atmosphere there I’ve been told!

Par Flo - Publié dans : unautretour-en
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Mardi 15 janvier 2008
3 days ago, I’ve taken a pirogue across Senegal River just before the night. I am taking a picture of people insidundefinede but there are veiled women on board. Argument with a man who would like to take the picture back, I feel I’m going to be pushed outside the boat. 

Ask forgiveness, my neighbor advices. I do “sorry, sorry” and then he becomes instantly very nice, thanks for advice! 

Straight road to
Nouakchott with wind in front, not easy to eat in the little shops, sardines, cheese and bread when it’s possible; 






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around, desert with sand like Nesquick! I can find sometimes a few
Dakar racers on my way, looking for their lost dream! Old trucks and Mercedes have replaced family 403; 404,405 cars from Senegal

First night in the middle of the desert because I’ve passed Tiguent city without realizing. I ask for hospitality in an improvised village.
Before Nouakchott, it looks like apocalypse ; plastic bags on the floor, sheep waiting to be killed ; lots of camels and donkeys. 

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Very dirty panorama, I try to find a clean place to rest but I can not find! This morning, I’ve been to
DST to extend my transit visa; a very dirty and dusty building, old writing machines with lots of paper about to fall down.
Mauritania has only 3 millions inhabitants inside an area twice bigger than France; but it’s enough. A country of transition between Black and North Africans, an Islamic Republic: This morning, hundreds of speakers shouted at 5 am prayer call: Inch Allah...
My keyboard is like everything around: crape, old ; notes do not correspond to what is written on.
Tomorrow, I will ride further North to Nouadhibou. I am looking forward to be in the desert where it is quite clean compared to the rest and eyes can have a good rest!
Par brice - Publié dans : unautretour-en
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Vendredi 11 janvier 2008
undefinedThe lion and the baobab are the symbols of Senegal, I haven’t seen any lion for the moment but hundreds of baobabs along the way. We usually compare this tree of 1000 yrs to an elephant, his skin has the same color and it is said to be as strong with his solid trunk which can measure 12 meters wide and its height can reach 20 meters. 
That’s all for today with the pictures.
Par Flo - Publié dans : unautretour-en
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Jeudi 10 janvier 2008
IMG-1105.JPGTivaouane, a Muslim city, 1st step before Dakar 3 days ago. I arrive late at night after fighting against the wind face to face. I’ve been to the police stop to check where I could sleep. Only one hotel a few hundreds away. Guy, 34 yrs old warns me: there’s no water, no electricity and a lot of mosquitoes, but he can gie me a candle, a bucket with water and a spiral to fight mosquitoes. The government has stopped all supplies and doesn’t want to support financially this hotel. I spent the whole night to scratch myself and decided not to pay the 11000 FCFA requested. Very early morning, he came to me with some coffee and a small piece of bread with butter and we talk …

Guy is the manager of the hotel and lives with his wife and 2 kids. He earns 500 FF per month and gives one part to his cousin Georges who can’t speak but smiles all the time. He can’t save any money and can hardly feed his family. 2 years ago, he decided to come in France for 2 or 3 yrs to make enough money and buy a grocery shop in Senegal. He succeed to save 8000 FF which he gives to a “passeur” (a border escort) but this one went to France with the money and he never saw the color of that money again …. He will try to go to France again by selling his 205 Peugeot which is in a good shape. He wants to go there by plane because the trip by boat costs around 4000 FF and it’s very dangerous. More than 2000 people from Senegal leave the country every week with these pirogues, around ¼ of them disappear in the sea and the rest can go to the Canaries as a first stop. 150 succeed to go to Europe, the rest are taken by the police and have to go back to Senegal after having lost everything. They have a small chance to find a job as the unemployment rate reaches 50% and in fact, it’s more 80% than 50. I have paid the 11000 FCFA without saying anything. I’ve arrived hier in Saint Louis, old capital in Senegal and first place where the French arrived in Africa. The good mood is everywhere despite the extreme poverty and the difficult way of living. I should be in Mauritanie very soon tomorrow night.

Par Flo - Publié dans : unautretour-en
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Lundi 7 janvier 2008

 

IMG-1080.JPGMagic has its arm plastered but it should be stronger than it used to be! Thanks Alain for working till 2 am the other for the bicycle to be sent asap. I’ve improved in mechanics, now I know what is a “tige filtee de 8 mm” (sorry I didn’t find in the dictionary how to translate this) … It reminds me of work: it is always in transmission of information that lies problems!

 

Everybody in the hotel and the small street were waiting for the piece to arrive, not for me to leave asap …everybody asked each other “ca va?” (How are you ?) and is ready to chat, the dogs know me and follow my way when I go for groceries.

 

At night, we meet, always the same, in the restaurant of Aisha, she decides on what you will eat and it can be nothing if she’s tired. We talked till late, Ibrahim (in the middle, second rank) is very acknowledgeable in history. It’s a bit strange to hear French here, if a see a white person around during the day (he has a strange look this one!), it is the maximum and I realize I’m white myself. The official language of the country is French but everybody talks “Wolof” as well. IMG-1078.JPG

 

Only the main road is tarred on, only sand and dust for the other streets with the old taxis (usually only 2 screw nuts out of 4) and small horse-carts.

 

Looking forward anyway to cycle again tomorrow, is 370 km ahead, Occidental Sahara 1200 km away and Morocco 2000 km away.

 

Par Flo - Publié dans : unautretour-en
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my trip

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