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A Time for Change
Some of the best highlights of my journey was that
I was able to experience and see many animals, some of which are endangered, and to see the rain forests, much of which is
theatened.
For those of you who have been living under a rock the last twenty years,
I have some urgent news for you. This planet, and specifically, this continent of South America is in dire need of care-givers
and teachers.
The forests were being burnt down as I passed on my bike. Pollutants
like motor oil, were being discarted on the sides of the roads, and everything judged worthless was being burnt. Today 14
percent of the Amazon forest has been destroyed and has no possibility of recovering. One chemical spill in Guiana in the
year 1995, has wipped out fishstocks and the communities that relied on them.
But the biggest problem of all, is the lack of education. People are
simply unaware of their effect on the ecosystem. And, where there are laws to protect the enviroment, there is a absense of
enforcement by the governments due to either willingness or appropriate funding
People must put what knowledge they do have into practice. Accomplishing
this can bigin in two easy steps. One, speaking out in your community against what you see is wrong, and encouraging the co-operation
of the community. Secondly, we all need to consume inteligently.
The choice to use only recyclable products is not enough when there
is no recycling facility to complete the process. These plastics and petrolium based products are simply gathered and then
burnt, releasing even more free-radicals and toxic chemicals into the enviroment.
It is time for all of us to ask some serious questions of ourselves.
Do we own any shares in logging companies that have overseas operations. If so, think about why! Are they avoiding the stick
codes we have in North America, and taking advantage of less concious people in the third world? Do you invest in companies
that utilize only renewable resourses?
Are you aware of the enviromental costs of the gold jewelry that you
wear ? Or the white paper that you write on? How about the consumption of meat or genetically modified foods? ( I bet that
one will hurt )
Most of all, are you willing to see what the consiquences of your previous
choices are, and decide to choose differently today? Are you willing to step into a leadership role to facilitate positive
change in these matters?
The world and I await your decision !!
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Cycling My Way Through South America
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by Kyle Chester, a Canadian guy looking for some enlightenment
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| a friend's cabin,,, Victoria Beach, Manitobe, Canada |
This site is dedicated to the person who is most responsible for the creation of the
site. Her name is Marcela. This woman has more qualities than I can fit on this website, but simply put, she is the finest
woman I have met in my short 37 years of living.
Marcela, many thankyous, much love and many kisses.
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| The City of Puno, Peru |
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| on the north-west coast of Lac Titicac |
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My Story....
After my first trip to brazil in december 2001 to march
2002, I had decided that my next trip would be much more extensive. While in Canada, I planned a 15,000 km trip around the
whole of south america, to keep me busy for the following year.
With some experience behind me, I planned
out the journey, and my necessary supplies that would be required. Everything lightwieght and as waterproof as possible. I
would face all weather extremes, from the sun blazing at 45 degrees, to the snow capped mountain passes.
Next,
just a check to see if there is enough air in my tires, and yep,,,I'm gone.
Some quotes that I like:
"every monkey should stick to its own branch on the tree" (brazilians)
"life
is too short to drink cheap beer" (unknown)
"it's not so easy, but it's not so difficult either" (Finzetto)
"history
repeats itself,,, historians, repeat each other" (unknown)
| the lost city of Macchu Piccu |
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My Space
While on my journey, many people asked questions that became standard from village to village, country
to country. So here, once again, I shall answer them, and in some cases, clarify them.
I am Canadian. Sometimes this makes me proud, when i think of our work in the United Nations. Such
work as stateing to the United States and Isreal, that Palistiene desires its' own nation, with the same freedoms and liberties
that we all enjoy in tyhe western world.
Sometimes this makes me ashamed. for example, when I think of how much we waste and consume without
so much as a thought to the enviroment or the economical impact of the countries in which we trade.
No! I am not getting paid or supported in any way from anyone else for this trip. I have saved, and
am spending my own money. Sometimes it is expensive, and sometimes it is very cheap.
I eat the same foods that the local people do, with the exception that i have giving up the eating
of red meat, pork and farmed fish. The world would change overnight if we all did, and so I have put into practice what i
have learned from my observations in the trip.
I have both parents still alive in Canada, as well as a brother and sister who both have each one
girl and one boy. I have no children, and have never been married. All for which, I am very happy and would not change for
the world.
The reasons I went on such a trip are as different as eazch country I visited. One, I enjoy a challange.
Not just simple ones, but a real challange. Two, I do enjoy the attention, and the limited fame it has brought me. Three,
I like to lead. Not only by words but by actions. I recieve the most joy when I think of the kids that will follow im my tiretracks,
step out of the box, and go where no-one thought was possible.Four, to really know ones' self, you have to be prepared to
be by yourself. This can be done through the phyical separation as when you are out in the rain forests on a bike, or through
meditation 30 min a day. Both I recommend to everyone!!!
I ride usually between 80 to 200 kms a day. There are exceptions; like when there are many nice beaches
in a short stretch of road. Rio Grande do Norte in Brazil comes to mind. Anyone's itinerary can dissolve in those warm waters.
And finally, yes sometimes I was scared. Not often, but when you stare down a 30 kg jaguar, your pulse
has a tendency to go through the roof.LL But when its all said and done, if you are affraid to die,,, you are affraid to live.......In
which case, you are already dead: or to say the least , asleep.
Wakey, wakey!!!!!!
Where I am now.....
At any other time, this would have been difficult to
answer. But now, i am back in Brazil. Mission complete, after cycling over 19,000 kms, and travelling over 21,000 kms in total.
I just have another month or so of some quality holidays, and i shall be returning
home to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. By then, everything will have healed.LLL
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