Ekaterina Dubanevich is the exact opposite of stereotypes about motorcyclists. Off-watch, even in the heat, even in the cold in a helmet and a full set of equipment. And if you are preparing for a long trip, you think through everything to the smallest detail, choose the most beautiful routes, interesting places. It seems that now you will surprise - at a time when Instagram and YouTube are at the peak of popularity. But each time she managed to grab attention, for example, with crazy landscapes of Iceland or a trip to the Finnish archipelago, where the Swedes mainly live and there is a troll trail. Now the girl is planning her main trip - around the world. Her motoproject caused heated discussion in social networks.
Start. Motorcycles - Work and Hobbies
Of course, the idea of embarking on such a risky adventure came not just like that, but after many motor trips over long distances.
Katya has been driving a motorcycle for eight years. She began to ride quite late - at 25, already having behind her the experience of driving a car. The first motorcycle was the M1NSK M4200 - lightweight, maneuverable, forgiving many mistakes of a novice driver. At that time, she worked for Motovelo, to which she devoted seven years of her life.
The second motorcycle was also the M1NSK, but 50 cubic centimeters more - the C4250. Catherine painted it pink and decided to start traveling already.
“The first independent trip was a trip to the Curonian Spit, during which a wheel was broken and invaluable experience was gained in resolving force majeure situations, staying behind the wheel for a long time and driving in the rain,” the motorcyclist recalls. - The excitement of the new roads, the stunning nature, the sand dunes, the dancing forest and the unmatched feeling of the road was so great that the next morning after returning, I hit the road again, only to Latvia, where the small town of Pinki was located (after of this I also began to call my motorcycle Pinky). Total - only four days of the May holidays and a huge baggage of impressions.
After that, the planned vacation in Turkey was canceled. Catherine thought about a two-week motor show in Europe.
- Vacation fell in October. The temperature difference in the path ranged from −5 to +20 Celsius. But I visited the Alps, drove to Venice, was fascinated by cozy Slovenia, breathed the crystal-clear air near the Neuschwanstein castle (Germany) and walked around the contrasting and vibrant Amsterdam, the girl lists.
According to her, having completed the journey of more than 5 thousand kilometers, she "fell ill" completely.
Now she has a BMW F650GS, on which a motorcyclist drove through Iceland, Sakhalin, the Kuril, Aland, Faroe Islands - only 26 countries.
As Catherine admits, she especially likes ferry crossings and places where there are few people but pristine nature.
Crash. Rethinking
Any incident makes us experience the previous experience differently. Such an event for the girl was an accident. This happened on a dirt road on which the wheel fell into deep sand. Catherine flew over the steering wheel ...
The result is a complex comminuted fracture of the shoulder, two operations, a year with a titanium plate and a long rehabilitation period.
“It was scary to start riding again, but I scrolled the moment of the incident a hundred times in my head, analyzed my mistakes and have been driving carefully for three years, since there is no desire to go through all this again,” the motorcyclist admits.
However, there was a pleasant moment. The young man whom she met from the hospital took her to his home and took care of the entire period of rehabilitation. Then they got married.
“He is a mechanic, supports me in everything and prepares the motorcycle for long trips.”
Around the world. Tell about Belarus
“First, the idea of a circumnavigation arises in the very depths of the soul with a timid seed,” Catherine describes her experiences metaphorically. - The focus of attention shifts and begins to catch everything from the huge information space around where the word “around the world” appears. And the seed begins to grow, consciousness entangles with strong roots - and now all nature lives on with one big idea. And the day comes when you make a decision, after which there is no turning back. The Universe begins to actively help or hinder you, but the desire to overcome all difficulties only grows stronger.
The girl assures that she is ready for difficulties, that it will be difficult, difficult, lonely. But her decision is conscious.
- During the round-the-world trip, I would like to tell a large number of people in all countries about Belarus, - the motorcyclist sets such a goal. - I plan to bring postcards with photos of our sights and facts about our country on the back.
Perhaps someone wants to help with the design, you can send options through the site or post in the comments.
Training. Route. Visas Insurance. Vaccinations
Clear business, round-the-world travel are not only plans and dreams. There are many issues to be solved: getting visas, documenting the movement of the motorcycle, preparing it, and still getting vaccinated, and so on.
The start is scheduled for August 18 this year. The route is already known: through Russia to Kazakhstan, then to the countries of Central Asia. In mid-September, you must be in Vladivostok. From there, the motorcycle in the container will go to Australia. Catherine - after him.
Why Australia? It turned out to be the most cost-effective option. Immediately to "jump" to South America or Africa would cost much more.
In January, the girl plans to get to the United States. Then comes South America. Catherine is going to reach the extreme point of the mainland - Ushuaia. From there - to Uruguay, then - to South Africa. And finally - through the eastern part of Africa in the direction of the house.
To be honest, in such a trip it’s difficult with accurate planning - the motorcyclist evaluates the plans realistically. - Let's see how it turns out ...
Separate conversation about vaccinations. There are a lot of them. The set is calculated by the infectious disease specialist in the clinic: vaccinations against hepatitis A and B, typhoid fever, diphtheria, tetanus, tick-borne encephalitis and others.
- Without some vaccinations, a number of countries (Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Gabon, Ghana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Congo, Liberia, Mali, Mauritius, Father Mayot, Niger) will not be allowed at all. Documentary evidence that the injections are made is such a yellow booklet. They already gave her to me, ”says Ekaterina.
Visas ... Who better than Belarusians to talk about the trouble with obtaining permission to visit the country.
- The most difficult visa is Australian. A whole package of documents is required, much larger than for Schengen, including a detailed justification of the purpose of the trip, a letter from the transport company that will transport the motorcycle, ”says Ekaterina. - Then I got a visa to the USA, I was very worried. But everything went well, the interview was conducted by a nice woman. She asked only a couple of questions: why should I go to America, who sponsors, for how long and where I am going to later. The rest of the time I talked about the round-the-world trip, vaccinations, preparation, two cats, a husband and a granny, the Grand Canyon and the Elvis estate.
Now the motorcyclist is busy collecting documents for a Schengen visa. But the rest is a snag: the period of entry is too short, that is, permits will have to be obtained in other countries.
Catherine plans to arrange medical insurance in the maximum "configuration", including dentistry and the worst outcome.
“I'm going to insure the motorcycle in stages, as it is too expensive,” says the motorcyclist. “For entry I will still need such an intricate document as the Carnet de Passages en Douane.” This is an international customs declaration that allows you to enter various countries of the world without customs clearance under the temporary import regime. In many countries, at the entrance, they may be asked to make a deposit / deposit of the value of the motorcycle and return it after a few weeks, which is very inconvenient. Yes, and the paperwork process can be long and complicated. "Carnet" in this sense is the way out.
Catherine also ordered "international rights." All countries of the world are divided into those that signed the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic in 1949, and those that chose Vienna in 1968.
- Theoretically, the driving license of “Geneva” does not apply to “crowns”, and vice versa. But some countries are more loyal to this, and some quite harshly - the motorcyclist devoted a lot of time to studying the legal subtleties. - In many countries, you can go and officially receive "international rights", which, in essence, are translated into eight languages and are valid only together with your relatives. But Belarus does not provide such a service. The traffic police came to my request that they were preparing a legislative framework for the granting of such rights, but for now “look for information in the media.”
Before a long trip, the girl acquired a satellite tracker. The appliance is quite simple. There is a SOS button - when urgent help is required. Help button - they say I have problems, but I'm fine. OK button - everything is fine with me, but there is no connection. And a button on which you can record any message. Every 5/10/15 minutes (how to configure) the tracker sends a signal to a site where all your movements are visible. When you click on the above buttons, he will do a newsletter with a message and your coordinates for 10 numbers or email addresses that are entered into the account. A year of maintenance costs € 200. Just remember to buy other travel and camping accessories.
The preparation of the motorcycle took over Catherine's husband: the main gear chain was replaced; chain lubricator installed, reinforced rear shock absorber, sensors for coolant temperature and external temperature, additional lighting; brake line replaced; The tail frame mount has been upgraded and so on.
The motorcyclist took courses in extreme medicine, where she learned to apply tourniquets, tampon bleeding, carry a person, do not panic in unusual situations, do artificial respiration and much more:
“In my opinion, everyone needs such courses, not just travelers.”
In Valdai, the girl was trained in off-road driving, learned to ride on the sand and raise a motorcycle. Updated knowledge on driving in a driving school.
Family issue. Worthy answer of the husband
One of the first questions we asked Catherine, learning about her plans, was "What about the husband?" Parting for a long period is coming, and this is a difficult test, even for held couples.
“The husband is free to choose himself,” the girl believes. “We are equal partners, and I never give him ultimatums or impose my own rules.” In the end, in our time, what can prevent a man from doing something secretly, even if his wife is sitting at home?
The trip will be a test for our family, and only time will tell how we can withstand it, ”the girl emphasizes. - If everything goes well, then I will have something to tell our children.
On the road, I took a laptop and worked with small projects to work remotely (design, media articles, marketing consultations). - In different countries, temporary workers are also often required to harvest and perform housework. I took every opportunity to continue the journey.
Photo: Vlad Borisevich; from the personal archive of Ekaterina Dubanevich
