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Aventures Bicyclétales ... |
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Getting
ready !!
(September 2007- June 2008)
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Thursday the 13th of September 2007 : assembly and picking-up of my bicycle at Rando-Cycles ; on the left, Florian, cyclo-technician and on the right, Paul Domela, founder of Rando-Cycles.
Thursday the 13th of September 2007 : assembly and picking-up of my bicycle at Rando-Cycles ; on the left, Florian, cyclo-technician and on the right, Paul Domela, founder of Rando-Cycles.
Tuesday the 18th of September 2007 : first
assembly of the tent, a real family performance with the help of my Dad
and my Mom ... which was finally successfull, after we fought for quite
some time with the wind !! And the bike fits in it. It's all good.
Monday the 1st of October 2007 : my bicycle traveled well and arrived safe and sound at the Suvanarbhumi airport of Bangkok. Quite a relief ...
But for now, back to work ... still 9 months to go before departure ...
Sunday the 28th of October 2007 : it was the October Bike Hash in Ratchaburi, along the Burmese border ... we were 80 highly motivated Hashers, we all returned safe to the hotel (i.e. nobody was left out there), but not without numerous scratches from the dense jungle and the f*#!!*& thorny bushes. To read the Write-up, click here.
... still 8 months to go before departure ...
Sunday the 18th of November 2007 : It was the November Bike Hash in Chanthaburi, near the Cambodian border. Two challenging trails were laid by our Austriano-German Hares in the middle of some bananas, rambutans and dragon fruits orchards. To read the Write-up, click here.
Later on in the evening, the all new BHHB 07/08 committee was appointed. Flip Flop stepped down as a GM, and I am now getting ready to leave ...
... 7 months to go before departure ...
Tuesday the 25th of December 2007 : it's Christmas time ... and what did I find at the foot of my tree !?
.
Well, well, well, I found quite a lot of things : starting with a pair of flip-flops weighting just less than 50 grams, a "scare-dog" catapult, an ultra light laptop, cutting pliers, the knife of Rambo (thanks Nath) and a chain whip (to remove sprocket).
... 6 months to go before departure ...
Saturday the 12th of January : here is a back-up if my compass gets all funny on the way, a wind rose tattoo of the 13th century ... in Marco Polo's footsteps ...
... 5 months to go before departure ...
Saturday the 9th of February : first time I take my green bicycle out for a tour, in the tropical heat of the Phra Padaeng peninsula, right in the jungle ...
The green bicycle and I went along quite nicely for this dry run, so now there are more or less just another 20,000 km to cover before reaching France ... sounds easy ...
Friday the 29th of February : I joined theBangkok
In the end, everybody managed to survive … but with what we took in our lungs, I suspect we lost at least a month of lifespan !! I am still coughing those diesel nasty fumes …
... 4 months to go before departure ...
Sunday the 9th of March : this was the "Sanook my ride" mini Hash with 30 kids from the KlongToey orphanage, so that those who don’t have a bike still get a chance to experience what it is to ride in the middle of the rice paddies of Pathum Thani !! An event funded by the Bangkok Bike Hash.
Saturday the 15th of March : I took delivery of my red Salaeng in Hualongpong district, and shortly after I did my best to survive in RAMA IV road horrendous polluted traffic (I am not overdoing it, not even a bit !). For those who just picked-up on my story, no, I am not riding back to Châteaudun on this funny red tricycle !!
Saturday the 29th of March : It was the March Bike Hash in Kanchanaburi, nearby the Burmese border ... and it was hot, hot, hot ... burning hot !!
Fortunately we enjoyed a bit of shade here and there while riding under banana trees !!
Tuesday 1st - Monday 7th of April : The sixth edition of the Sustainable development week in France ... and this is not a surprise to see a bicycle on the flyer !!
... 3 months to go before departure ...
Friday the 9th of April : The date of the departure is coming up quickly now and since my budget is not quite completed yet, I have decided to take a second job for the WE ; I am a part-time Samlor driver. A Samlor which will soon be seen in the streets of Châteaudun. Now this is proving the simple fact that it does not require an "army" of Japanese, German or French engineers to come up with a pollution-free taxi !
Wednesday the 16th of April : I made use of the Thai New Year (Songkran) and of the 5 days OFF which came along to get seriously started with my new bicycle. Indeed, it would be quite silly to neglect this part. So I went to the nearest cycling area (theQueen Sirikit Park
... 2 months to go before departure ...
Sunday the 18th of May : Here it is, in a month, I have ridden about 500 km ... and it is now time to put some load on this bike to see how he handles it. The weight increased from 19 kg to 53 kg : the handling is pretty different and so is the feeling on the pedals ! It feels quite like there is somebody constantly pulling me back and pushing me out the curves. And I fell -without damage- for not having properly taken into account the inertia of the load around the front wheel. I can still make a left or a right, sure, but I got to forget about a left-right or right-left in sequence. It just ain't working no more ! Must remember this one, and the training continues ...
Monday the 2nd of June : My team had organized a farewell party on the banks of the Bangpakong river, right next to the Wat Sothontemple
of Chacheongsao Châteaudun Town
... less than a month to go before departure ...
Thursday the 26th of June : 3 days before departure, it’s my last day at work … and it’s also my farewell party. InThailand
The organization was amazing, the food delicious, the thoughtfulness truly touching, and all in all, it was a very, very moving moment ! Thanks a lot to CC, K.Chumpol, K.Napa, K.Somphob, K.Twee, K.Putlai, K.Namphet (speaker), K.Patjaree, K.Maneepan (photographer) and to all the other participants, too many to be listed here, but who contributed to make this party a real emotional climax … I shall never forget it !
To K.Twee to who I was explaining the « carbon credit » concept, and who concluded in saying « so, you want to save the world », I would like to tell that it’s roughly the main idea, but my ambition is quite a lot more limited. If just say 10 or 20 persons decide to change their energy behavior because of me, the world won’t be saved, at least not yet ; but this will mean that at least I contributed, as so many other active citizens, to put it back a little tiny bit in the right direction …
And I was about to forget to mention the so many gifts … look at those two bicycles, and the rider with yellow Flip Flops of course is supposed to be me. With a farewell like this, really, you do not wish to go, but stay …
Friday the 27th of June : All my friends came dressed with a traditional outfit from one of the so many countries I will be traveling in ... we got many Indians, Chinese and Vietnamese ... we also got one Gandhi !!
Unfortunately, too many are missing on the picture above : Nath, Christian, Vincent, Patricia, Tazneem ... and of course all the ones who could not make it !!
Saturday the 28th of June : The night was short ... and I still got everything to pack in and on my bike for the big day on Sunday, in just a day !
And after this, as all my colleagues sang together around me during my farewell, I will be cycling. Check out below the lyrics originating from Rod Steward song sailing, and significantly modified for the occasion :
.
But for now, back to work ... still 9 months to go before departure ...
Sunday the 28th of October 2007 : it was the October Bike Hash in Ratchaburi, along the Burmese border ... we were 80 highly motivated Hashers, we all returned safe to the hotel (i.e. nobody was left out there), but not without numerous scratches from the dense jungle and the f*#!!*& thorny bushes. To read the Write-up, click here.
... still 8 months to go before departure ...
Sunday the 18th of November 2007 : It was the November Bike Hash in Chanthaburi, near the Cambodian border. Two challenging trails were laid by our Austriano-German Hares in the middle of some bananas, rambutans and dragon fruits orchards. To read the Write-up, click here.
Later on in the evening, the all new BHHB 07/08 committee was appointed. Flip Flop stepped down as a GM, and I am now getting ready to leave ...
... 7 months to go before departure ...
Tuesday the 25th of December 2007 : it's Christmas time ... and what did I find at the foot of my tree !?
.
Well, well, well, I found quite a lot of things : starting with a pair of flip-flops weighting just less than 50 grams, a "scare-dog" catapult, an ultra light laptop, cutting pliers, the knife of Rambo (thanks Nath) and a chain whip (to remove sprocket).
... 6 months to go before departure ...
Saturday the 12th of January : here is a back-up if my compass gets all funny on the way, a wind rose tattoo of the 13th century ... in Marco Polo's footsteps ...
... 5 months to go before departure ...
Saturday the 9th of February : first time I take my green bicycle out for a tour, in the tropical heat of the Phra Padaeng peninsula, right in the jungle ...
The green bicycle and I went along quite nicely for this dry run, so now there are more or less just another 20,000 km to cover before reaching France ... sounds easy ...
Friday the 29th of February : I joined the
In the end, everybody managed to survive … but with what we took in our lungs, I suspect we lost at least a month of lifespan !! I am still coughing those diesel nasty fumes …
... 4 months to go before departure ...
Sunday the 9th of March : this was the "Sanook my ride" mini Hash with 30 kids from the KlongToey orphanage, so that those who don’t have a bike still get a chance to experience what it is to ride in the middle of the rice paddies of Pathum Thani !! An event funded by the Bangkok Bike Hash.
Saturday the 15th of March : I took delivery of my red Salaeng in Hualongpong district, and shortly after I did my best to survive in RAMA IV road horrendous polluted traffic (I am not overdoing it, not even a bit !). For those who just picked-up on my story, no, I am not riding back to Châteaudun on this funny red tricycle !!
Saturday the 29th of March : It was the March Bike Hash in Kanchanaburi, nearby the Burmese border ... and it was hot, hot, hot ... burning hot !!
Fortunately we enjoyed a bit of shade here and there while riding under banana trees !!
Tuesday 1st - Monday 7th of April : The sixth edition of the Sustainable development week in France ... and this is not a surprise to see a bicycle on the flyer !!
... 3 months to go before departure ...
Friday the 9th of April : The date of the departure is coming up quickly now and since my budget is not quite completed yet, I have decided to take a second job for the WE ; I am a part-time Samlor driver. A Samlor which will soon be seen in the streets of Châteaudun. Now this is proving the simple fact that it does not require an "army" of Japanese, German or French engineers to come up with a pollution-free taxi !
Wednesday the 16th of April : I made use of the Thai New Year (Songkran) and of the 5 days OFF which came along to get seriously started with my new bicycle. Indeed, it would be quite silly to neglect this part. So I went to the nearest cycling area (the
... 2 months to go before departure ...
Sunday the 18th of May : Here it is, in a month, I have ridden about 500 km ... and it is now time to put some load on this bike to see how he handles it. The weight increased from 19 kg to 53 kg : the handling is pretty different and so is the feeling on the pedals ! It feels quite like there is somebody constantly pulling me back and pushing me out the curves. And I fell -without damage- for not having properly taken into account the inertia of the load around the front wheel. I can still make a left or a right, sure, but I got to forget about a left-right or right-left in sequence. It just ain't working no more ! Must remember this one, and the training continues ...
Monday the 2nd of June : My team had organized a farewell party on the banks of the Bangpakong river, right next to the Wat Sothon
... less than a month to go before departure ...
Thursday the 26th of June : 3 days before departure, it’s my last day at work … and it’s also my farewell party. In
The organization was amazing, the food delicious, the thoughtfulness truly touching, and all in all, it was a very, very moving moment ! Thanks a lot to CC, K.Chumpol, K.Napa, K.Somphob, K.Twee, K.Putlai, K.Namphet (speaker), K.Patjaree, K.Maneepan (photographer) and to all the other participants, too many to be listed here, but who contributed to make this party a real emotional climax … I shall never forget it !
To K.Twee to who I was explaining the « carbon credit » concept, and who concluded in saying « so, you want to save the world », I would like to tell that it’s roughly the main idea, but my ambition is quite a lot more limited. If just say 10 or 20 persons decide to change their energy behavior because of me, the world won’t be saved, at least not yet ; but this will mean that at least I contributed, as so many other active citizens, to put it back a little tiny bit in the right direction …
And I was about to forget to mention the so many gifts … look at those two bicycles, and the rider with yellow Flip Flops of course is supposed to be me. With a farewell like this, really, you do not wish to go, but stay …
…
this was very tempting, and not only because of this farewell, but I did not
change my plans, I am still leaving on Sunday, in just 3 days, at 8.00 AM, from
the King RAMA VI statue located at the Lumpini park entrance. You are all invited
to come and cycle along with me, we will have some fun on
Meanwhile, I still have to attend a last farewell, on Friday, with my friends ...
Friday the 27th of June : All my friends came dressed with a traditional outfit from one of the so many countries I will be traveling in ... we got many Indians, Chinese and Vietnamese ... we also got one Gandhi !!
Unfortunately, too many are missing on the picture above : Nath, Christian, Vincent, Patricia, Tazneem ... and of course all the ones who could not make it !!
Saturday the 28th of June : The night was short ... and I still got everything to pack in and on my bike for the big day on Sunday, in just a day !
And after this, as all my colleagues sang together around me during my farewell, I will be cycling. Check out below the lyrics originating from Rod Steward song sailing, and significantly modified for the occasion :
.
Fred
is cycling,
Fred is
cycling,
Home again, Cross the sea,
Fred is cycling, Stormy waters,
To succeed To be free,
Fred is cycling, Fred is cycling,
Like a bird, Across the sky,
Fred is cycling, Passing high clouds,
To achieve, To be free,
Can you hear me, Can you hear me,
Through the dark night, Far away,
If you’re tiring, Whenever crying,
We(‘re) beside you, We can say,
Can you hear me, Can you hear me,
Through the dark night, Far away,
If you’re tiring, Whenever crying,
We(‘re) beside you, We can say,
Fred is cycling, Fred is cycling,
Home again, Cross the sea,
Fred is cycling, Stormy waters,
To Châteaudun ( ชาโตดา ), To be home,
To Châteaudun ( ชาโตดา ), To be home,
To Châteaudun ( ชาโตดา ), To be home,
To Châteaudun ( ชาโตดา ), To be home,
To Châteaudun ( ชาโตดา ), To be home,
Home again, Cross the sea,
Fred is cycling, Stormy waters,
To succeed To be free,
Fred is cycling, Fred is cycling,
Like a bird, Across the sky,
Fred is cycling, Passing high clouds,
To achieve, To be free,
Can you hear me, Can you hear me,
Through the dark night, Far away,
If you’re tiring, Whenever crying,
We(‘re) beside you, We can say,
Can you hear me, Can you hear me,
Through the dark night, Far away,
If you’re tiring, Whenever crying,
We(‘re) beside you, We can say,
Fred is cycling, Fred is cycling,
Home again, Cross the sea,
Fred is cycling, Stormy waters,
To Châteaudun ( ชาโตดา ), To be home,
To Châteaudun ( ชาโตดา ), To be home,
To Châteaudun ( ชาโตดา ), To be home,
To Châteaudun ( ชาโตดา ), To be home,
To Châteaudun ( ชาโตดา ), To be home,
So now, let's just do it ...
