Walk n°1 : Geneva (CH) – Dhanushkodi (IND)

A first walk that will last 3 years

You can trace the walk live at the following link https://eur-share.inreach.garmin.com/OSOS18

Country's

Travelled kilometers

Remainning kilometers

Last update: 06/02/2020

The initial walk

From Geneva to Dhanushkodi

Since I was young, I do not hold up! I always had to go further, do more, discover new horizons, experiment and learn more. Over time, these desires and this desire to live everything have not dissipated and, after having turned in multiple directions during my youth, they take today, and for some time, a new course, a new meaning.

After living a lifetime of daily work, punctual trips and endless parties, I finally opened my eyes to a world I did not suspect and, following the meeting of various people during in recent years, I have been made to realize that the world we live in today was not as beautiful as the one I saw. Thanks to the new vision of the world that I had been offered, I started my personal development. I went in search of my inner self and became interested in Buddhist philosophy while attending a temple. I also turned to Shamanism by following ceremonies. I learned about the history of religions and its prophets. I started meditation and also just to live in full consciousness. I participate in seminars on the power of Love. Most of all, since this new vision, I have met a large number of people with whom I have been able to discuss all these subjects. And these are just some of the topics I mention among so many others. Then over time, after gaining some knowledge and some inner peace, it came to me the desire and the will to do good and prove to me that the world was not that bad and that above all we have the power to create it better. I wanted to prove to myself that it was beautiful and not through books, shows, videos or any other media, I wanted to see it for myself. To prove it to me by starting the quest of the latter and at the same time to continue my quest, my personal development. And in order to go to meet the people, what better than to travel on the roads and footpaths! This in order to give me a maximum of opportunity to meet, rub shoulders with and exchange with the inhabitants of the regions traveled and to prove to me that the world is beautiful. A journey whose destination is only a detail, the main thing being the way.

The path precisely. It’s almost two years since I prepared this solo escapade! My initial goal is to join Sri Lanka because when I became aware the Universe induced me in my quest. But it does not only tell me the destination but also how to get there. Because yes, even if my goal is to join Sri Lanka, but my walk on behalf of the One Step One Smile association will end in the south of India because my goal for the latter is a walk and Sri Lanka being an island, I decided to go as close as Dhanushkodi. Regarding departure, simply from my childhood region, namely Geneva.

To achieve this journey, this quest, I had to determine a more or less precise route to cross Europe and Central Asia! What I did was using Google Maps (and other map sources and software), selecting one after the other cities and regions I wanted to discover. Not to mention the many constraints due to border crossings, but also high altitude passes, mountain ranges, deserts and so on! It was also necessary to take into account the seasons and the weather of the crossed regions …

The final journey is thus Geneva-Dhanushkodi (south of India), while passing by Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kirghizistan, the Mongolia, China, Tibet and Nepal. If my basic idea was to join Sri Lanka, I finally had to stop my journey in Dhanushkodi. Sri Lanka being an island and my project being a walk, it seemed to me logical to finish my adventure in the closest of this country, without having to use another means of transport than my (poor) feet.

More than 25’000 kilometers on foot

And yes, you read correctly, so I embark on a walk of some 25’000 kilometers! Which is equivalent to more than half the turn of the Earth … I took the (wise) decision to equip myself for this long journey. The material selected was carefully selected after hours and hours of internet research, store visits and testing of the material. There is more than hope to have made the right choice!

I prepared for this expedition by doing a trip to Nepal in the spring of 2018, going to the Himalayas, to Everest Base Camp (5’364m.), at the top of Kala Patthar (5 ‘643m.) and Annapurna Base Camp (4’130m.). These treks enabled me to test my resistance to the effort and the high altitude, my route envisaging indeed passes and roads to more than 5000 meters. Fortunately, my metabolism has supported these conditions! Hope this is still the case in a few months!

“A walk for solidarity, A mutual aid journey”

Thomas, Founder & walker