WHAT IS IT?
the early 1920’s to the late 1960’s the Soviet Union’s Politburo was sending massive numbers of people (estimated around 20 million ) to prison. Many of them died on the way to their camps or in detention due to extreme physical labour, very poor living standards and the undeniable lack of food.
Some survived the work and others, like Slavomir Rawicz, took the desperate decision to escape in a way to reject their ordered ‘death’.
By staying in the camp, they knew they would die. The camps meant death. The only freedom the prisoners were allowed was the choice of whether they wanted to live or die. With this in hand, some like Rawicz or Ossendovski, decided to escape from the gulag. It was their only way to have the ultimate control over themselves and their lives by choosing the way in which they died.
After organising and waiting the necessary time some groups tried to make their way through Siberian hell. Some failed, some succeeded. Going East from their Siberian camp, meant joining another war front with the Japanese conflict. Going West equalled jumping into German’s hands. And going north would lead no where else then to ice!
Heading, south even if long and geologically extreme was the only way that was acceptable.
By following this way, they still needed to pass through the iron curtain and the countries attached to it. Walking, riding, hiding in the steppes, forests, swamps, deserts and mountain ranges were only some of the obstacles that needed to be defeated over 6000km for their lifetime escape.
WHAT DO WE WANT TO ACHIEVE?
ased on a common escape TAKLAMAKAN.NET do not intend to retrace just one escape effort, but
would like to retrace the tremendous efforts made by the hundreds of men and women whose only wish was to breathe freely.
• We want to find the natural routes and tools they used and finally produce a map of their routes, to make them real.
• We want to face the difficulty of the itinerary in order to understand better what can push an individual to overpass himself in such conditions.
• We want to witness for the world.
> Because we all remember the Nazi’s victims but we never mention the Gulags’, TAKLAMAKAN.NET wants to
break the ice.
F
B
”
WHO IS DOING THIS?
Two members of Taklamakan organisation will be walking:
And a whole professional team will join us 3 times during the quest:
• Film crew: one cameraman, one sound engineer from FML Production • One photographer
Cyril Delafosse, a modern adventurer and entrepreneur, who has done over 8 international expeditions. Born in 1978 he lives abroad for the last 24 years and has an extensive passion for history and geography so he founded Taklamakan. “hard work, courage and determination are the keys of success that made them survive”
Guillaume Tourlourat, young sportsman based in the Alps. Born in 1982. snowboard and surfing traveller he builts a serious experience in lonely travels. Calm and determined he is the best outdoor mate. “The challenge of experiencing the loneliness and toughness of the journey is a deep motivation to understand the escapees’ mind”.
ITINERARY ESTIMATIONS
SECTION Duration Month Avg
Temp° Rain
From Magadan to vertical Yakutsk 1 month JUNE 7° 33mm 61mm Siberian Taiga to the Baikal lake on
foot 2 months JULY AUGUST 19° 14° 71mm 53mm
The mongolian step, on foot and
horseback. 1 months SEPTEMBER 20° 15mm
Gobi desert with horse. 15 days. OCTOBER 20° 30mm Cross of the chinese Ghanzou on foot 15 days OCTOBER 15° 10mm Cross of the Tibetan L´Amdo on foot 1 month NOVEMBER 2° 15mm From Lhassa to Calcutta on foot. 1.5
months DECEMBER 0°
THE ESTIMATED BUDGET
Technical equipement (flares, new gps,
survival kits, etc…) 500
Medical (vaccines, tests, etc…) 200
Camera + Memory cards 1200
Special clothes (technical shirts /
trousers / fleeces, etc…) 500 Airline ticket from Paris to Moscow 300 Airline ticket from UlanBatoor to Paris 600 Transiberian railway ticket 400 Visas (Russia, Siberia, Mongolia,
China, India) 200
Money for daily expenses (food, others)
10 x 240 days 2400
Horses (500 x2) or Bicycle 1000
Local transportation 300
WHAT ABOUT MEDIA COVERAGE ?
Due to our previous experience, we have organized a real result focused media plan on the following means: • INTERNET
The taklamakan.net website is updated via Satellite phone every four days. It helps building suspense, the scenario and addiction to the website!
• PRESS
on the internet (le Point) or paper, we are used to deal with articles by having professional pictures and writers. Our PR agent makes sure we are seen (European or American press). We do not target only national press but international too.
• FILM
Our producer comes on several occasions during the expedition with his team. We also prepare interviews and a ‘making of’. We are usually broadcasted on Cable television. Our latest film had 5 episodes of 26min broadcasted.
• BOOKS
a major picture book is planned, with coloured panoramic/wide pictures.
OUR HISTORY
This project has been prepared for the last 3 years.
The lastest big expedition’s (Paris Kabul) media result was: • Internet:
o taklamakan.net (2000c/d)
o lepoint.fr (http://www.lepoint.fr/special_paris_kaboul/sommaire.html)
o lemonde.fr • Press:
o 50.000 signs divided in 30 articles
o in 6 languages • Film:
o 5 episodes of 26mn on Cable television
o 1 of 92mn in cinemas • Books
o « Routes de la soie » Mille et une nuit
o « paris kaboul » Hoebeke