I’m back in Belgium with that Kazak-Trike unforgettable experience of life. I designed, funded, built and drive my solar-bicycle to discover along the way and inspire people about other way of moving. I’ve to much to tell about this 3 month expedition and the 4th month to came back slowly to Belgium.
I was following my path to inspire people with my solar trike and being inspired by people I meet along my way.
How was my feeling all along the way? How did I cope with the robbery? What did I learn? What was the most important to me?
Do you want to know more about my feelings after this adventure... Click on "lire plus"
I was following my path to inspire people with my solar trike and being inspired by people I meet along my way.
How was my feeling all along the way? How did I cope with the robbery? What did I learn? What was the most important to me?
Do you want to know more about my feelings after this adventure... Click on "lire plus"
During this expedition, I wanted to adapt myself and try to understand as much as I can the locals. I share traditional meals and drinks. I tried the famous Ayran (milk+water) in Turkey or the fermented mare milk in Kazakhstan, the early morning vodka before starting cycling. I learned a bit of Russian like the translation of grinder and locker because I needed a grinder to cut my locker. I try also to translate in Russian some songs from Stromae but I did not really succeed. I discover a lot about culture even sometimes it very unusual for me. A Kazakh say to me once, you say too much “thank you”. I wanted to explain that in Belgium, if you don’t say “thank you”, your mother say you’re very impolite. I slept on the same floor than people in the steppes, on the back bed of a local truck, on the beach in front of the black sea and of course in some apartment/house where people invited me. I have too much stories to tell about my trip but, it’s too long to tell all of those here so I can only suggest you to try to travel a bit by bicycle, foot or hitchhiking on your own, be open-minded and curious and find your own path. You’ll see!
About mechanical consideration, I had to replace 22 broken spokes, fix 5 tires punctures, weld some part of the basis of the trailer in Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Kazakhstan. Find and replace 7 trailers wheels because I broke to much spare parts in Kazakhstan to continue using my original wheels and I had to replace them by some “made in china” material that I can find locally in the bazaar. I find several times some guy ready to take one entire day to go in every shop of the city to find some spare wheels.
Some guy’s stole all my camping stuffs. I was not able to sleep in the steppes area and there were only 300km to the Aral Sea, one of my goals! When it happens, I took all the stuffs, and start driving back the 10km to the city as a rally driver to calm me down. After this should I be unmotivated? Or, is it another challenge to me? I took the robbery as a challenge and I finished the way hitchhiking into trucks (Kamaz) with my solar-bicycle. I've already loaded the trike on the top of a straw truck, on the luggage box of a bus and in a frigo truck. Great experience especially because some Kazakh met more deeply because we hit the same road; you know the one without asphalt, the one that broke your vehicle! I wanted to finish on a positive note about this country, Kazakhstan and found some people ready to help me because they like my project.
Adventure it’s not easy, I had some difficult experiences. I was prepared for that in my head. But in the end, I’ve not met some steppe wolves (like lots of urban Kazakhs legends).
I lost 10kg because of some digestic problems in Astana. It was about 2kg a day! Fortunately, I'm sure I will earn the weigh I lost in Belgium because we have some very good traditional meals like Belgian Fries! Some thieves stole me some materials but it’s only materials, nobody threaten my life so I think I can cope with that.
Adventure it’s not easy, I had some difficult experiences. I was prepared for that in my head. But in the end, I’ve not met some steppe wolves (like lots of urban Kazakhs legends).
I lost 10kg because of some digestic problems in Astana. It was about 2kg a day! Fortunately, I'm sure I will earn the weigh I lost in Belgium because we have some very good traditional meals like Belgian Fries! Some thieves stole me some materials but it’s only materials, nobody threaten my life so I think I can cope with that.
I want to remember two thinks:
First, despite all the challenges I’ve to cope with. I always found locally at least one guy to share a shelter, share some advices, drink some beer/tea with, give me a hand, help me, or motivated me to pursue my crazy project. I want also to be this guy for some crazy others projects or travels.
Second, I’m very grateful to all the people that motivated me before and during this crazy experience especially the people that have written in the notebook. I want to thank you my sponsors, my friends and my family to believe and follow this Kazak Trike project and support me in all my challenging situations. I did not expect this support and all those boosts. In the end, I want to thank you Bénédicte because I have to!
She wrote with my hand when I did not have any internet connection and cope with almost all the communications in Belgium while I was riding my bicycle. And because of all my challenges on the way, there was too much think to do.
She arrived in Astana in the end of my trip to enjoy the way back by train to Moscow and then Berlin with me. We leaved Astana by train to go back slowly to Brussels. The Kazak Trike expedition end exactly for my birthday (October 07) in a reception in the Belgian Ambassador Residence.
Thanks for following me and hope to see you in a conference or on the way somewhere in the world.
Guillaume Bruyr
First, despite all the challenges I’ve to cope with. I always found locally at least one guy to share a shelter, share some advices, drink some beer/tea with, give me a hand, help me, or motivated me to pursue my crazy project. I want also to be this guy for some crazy others projects or travels.
Second, I’m very grateful to all the people that motivated me before and during this crazy experience especially the people that have written in the notebook. I want to thank you my sponsors, my friends and my family to believe and follow this Kazak Trike project and support me in all my challenging situations. I did not expect this support and all those boosts. In the end, I want to thank you Bénédicte because I have to!
She wrote with my hand when I did not have any internet connection and cope with almost all the communications in Belgium while I was riding my bicycle. And because of all my challenges on the way, there was too much think to do.
She arrived in Astana in the end of my trip to enjoy the way back by train to Moscow and then Berlin with me. We leaved Astana by train to go back slowly to Brussels. The Kazak Trike expedition end exactly for my birthday (October 07) in a reception in the Belgian Ambassador Residence.
Thanks for following me and hope to see you in a conference or on the way somewhere in the world.
Guillaume Bruyr