From The Peaceride Bicyclists, Edited by Rasa Ardys-Juška
The Ride for Peace: Only the beginning...
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| The Peaceride web site writers were the bicyclists themselves. The main contributors were Sigitas Kučas, Edvardas Žižys, Goda Ciplytė, and Slavomir Platek. |
"With the Peace flag and love in our hearts we reached Hiroshima on the eve of the New Millennium. During the seventeen months of cycling around the world, we visited 45 countries in North and South America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. We made 23,500 km by bike; more than 600 cyclists joined us for shorter or longer distances in different parts of the route. On the road there were thousands of people enthusiastically supporting the ideas of the Peace Ride. It is only the merit of these people that we succeeded in accomplishing the ride and meeting the new era in Japan. Thank you." Slawek
An entry in The Peaceride web journal highlighted the thoughts of the many Peaceride bicyclists as they journeyed around the world for a singular idea peace. The Peaceride concept began in Lithuania; the official start in Seattle, Washington on August 6, 1998; and it ended up with eleven international cyclists in Hiroshima, Japan on December 31st, 1999, in time to meet the millenium.
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The route of The Peaceride. From www.peaceride.org |
Only four cyclists began and ended the journey, with like-minded cyclists joining along the way to support these determined individuals. Sigitas Kučas (physicist), Edvardas Žižys (economics professor), Goda Ciplytė (English translator in the Lithuanian Prime Minister's office), of Lithuania, and Slavomir Platek, of Poland, were the original cyclists. Among the many countries represented during the ride were Russia, Poland, Germany, Turkey, Ghana, Senegal, Croatia, Japan, the United States and Mexico.
In their web page journal, The Peaceride was described as "an open grassroots event". "Its purpose was to invite people all over the world to join a group of cyclists who were pedaling around the planet for peace and better understanding." According to the web page, the concept of The Peaceride was born in Athens, Greece in 1993, during an impromptu meeting of world cyclists who discussed the different conflicts seen in their travels. Sigitas Kučas and his fellow Lithuanians were the organizers of this daring experiment "a social experiment to celebrate diversity and honor traditions of peace embedded in many cultures".
The hardy riders had been preparing for two years to make this pilgrimage. From Seattle, the riders bicycled down the coast to California, then to Mexico, Central, and South America, crossed from Chile to Argentina. From Buenos Aires, they took a ship to Benin and began a trip northward through West Africa. They crossed over from Morocco to Spain and bicycled northward through Western and Central Europe before turning south again to Greece, Israel and the Middle East. Crossing Pakistan and India, they cycled across Southeast Asia.
Finally, the cyclists took a ship from Shanghai to Nagasaki and Hiroshima "the sites of the only two atomic holocausts the world has ever known or ever will know, if their urgent message is heard."
Their purpose was to bicycle for peace, to deliver a worldwide message that cultural awareness was the way to unify the world. They ended their journey, but the ride for peace still continues for many nations as the new millenium counts off the days
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| The original foursome:
Sigitas Kučas, Edvardas Žižys, Goda Ciplytė, and Slavomir
Platek.
From www.peaceride.org |
A Look at their Journal
What experiences can awaken an individual's mind? During the trip, Sigitas Kučas, Goda Ciplytė and the other cyclists were able to stop and write down their journey's experiences for their web page. They also transmitted photos, which were viewed alongside their thoughts. Here follow excerpts from their "dairy".
"This trip is really from the heart. Each of us can personally appreciate what peace in the world means to the ordinary person." Sigitas Kučas
El Salvador
"The Peaceride met a poor family in El Salvador. The children hardly wear any clothes except for special occasions. The mother is too sick to take care of them. We collected some money and bought the medicine for this woman. Gunter took care to publicize the hard status of the family." Sigitas Kučas
Ica, Peru
"Today I am so tired I can not think straight. We are resting today in Ica, Peru. All the way we cycled is in the desert. At first sight more frightening than the one in Sonora, Mexico. In fact it is friendly enough to cycle through, if --if you have enough water, food or fruits with you . A house here means life, water, food and sometimes happiness. Coming to a city like Lima means the same only hundred times more of everything." Goda Ciplytė
Gagnoa, Ivory Coast
"I got up and went out just with the clothes I have been "sleeping" -- Peter's T-shirt and a piece of cloth around the hips. I could have stood in the middle of the road for something to happen, I could have knocked on somebody's-who-I-don't-know door, I could have done something beyond my control.
I found myself in hospital - walking and looking for a little better place to sleep. I found a fan and bed too! However, the hospital was overfilled with the sick, no comfort at all. Somebody asked me in French, "White woman, what are you looking for?". I shook my head trying to say "nothing" and turned towards the exit.
I slept only in the morning when it rained again." Goda Ciplytė
Iran Needs Jeanna D'Ark
"It was easy to choose the title for this story, it came up by itself in seven days of patience to realize the true reason of disagreement with myself. When I grasped it, I got back my sense of freedom and independence.
If I could, I would like to be Jeanna D'Ark, but it is only a dream I want to share with you.
If I could, I would address all the women of Iran, who feel the same way I do, would they follow? I always feel the pressure of the men, who openly stare at me, the police, who stopped me today saying that my trousers were too short by 10-15 cm, and the women, who swim in the Caspian Sea in the black clothes covering the body from the head to feet!? And why does the police make trouble, when an elderly couple comes wanting to talk to Sigitas and the woman has to stand back 5 meters behind the husband? What kind of freedom is it, if the police interferes in the conversation, strictly forbidding us to exchange addresses?
The girls run away like frightened hens - sorry, sorry, sorry...What for, is that the freedom you believe in?
We packed our things and moved to another place - it is quiet here, and I feel at peace." Goda Ciplytė in Anzali, Iran
October 27, 1999 Received from India.
We Lost our Friend Walter Ramon
"On [the] 25th [of] October all of us, eleven Peace Riders, took a train from New Jalpaiguri to Guwahati. It was around eight o'clock in the morning.
Only three of us could get into the first train, and eight riders were obliged to take the next one. Both trains were overcrowded, and therefore it was difficult to get in and get a seat. Eventually everybody found some place, and Walter sat on the floor next to the open wagon door.
We were tired, as this was the third day we have been travelling in the crowded Indian trains without much sleep. Shortly afterwards everybody fell asleep. Suddenly, a voice woke us up and we understood that somebody had fallen out of the train.
The train stopped. It took us a moment to realize that Walter was not with us. Manuel and Pier jumped out and ran back to look at what happened, while the train slowly moved backwards.
After running three kilometers back, Manuel found Walter's documents scattered around, and a hundred meters further he found our friend surrounded by the villagers.
From the first sight it was clear that his head was seriously injured. He was unconscious. After some minutes the train arrived and we placed Walter in the train, where we provided first aid.
We arrived to the nearest village - New Coochbihar - by the same train. In the village hospital they gave oxygen and advised us to find transportation to bring him to a more serious hospital in Siliguri, 180 km, as soon as possible. Because of the bad and crowded roads it took us a lot of time - 4 hours - to reach North Bengal Medical College-Hospital. It was too late, and we lost Walter before we reached the hospital.
He closed his eyes at sunset. Beautiful sunset nearby the Himalayas. Five o'clock. He was not alone."
Sigitas, Goda, Edvardas, Slawek, Manuel, Pier, Carlotta, Ancica, Waldek, Berti
The End of the Peaceride...
China
December 1999
"This is a true testimony of our experience that all that matters first depends not on the instructions or regulations, but on GOODWILL only!
The Peace Ride is entering the last part of the route - arriving to KUNMING on 12 December, we will continue through China pedaling towards SHANGHAI. Christmas will be unusual - on the ferry to Japan! We will arrive to HIROSHIMA in time to meet the New and Peaceful Millennium." Sigitas
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Hiroshima
1 January 2000,
"Life that you have lived until now is not all that you can make." Pier and Carlotta.
"Realize your dreams. You will be happier and you will make others even more happy." Waldek.
"Face the situation as well as you are able to and do not loose the noble spirit with which you were born." Manuel.
"All the time is ours." Goda.
"If you can change yourself, you can change the world." Sigitas.
"When you are developing yourself in understanding life, do it with empathy for others because we all are on the same way." Ancica.
"Let's dream, it's time." Walter, Edvardas, Berti