Globetrotting family brings 72,000km bicycle journey to Whitehorse
A Swiss family is in Whitehorse, fresh off a two-month bicycle journey through Alaska.
Before that, they were in Japan, Vietnam, northern China, Mongolia and Siberia.
Xavier Pasche, his wife, Celine Pasche and their two daughters, six-year-old Nayla and two-year-old Fibie, have cycled 72,000 kilometres over the past nine years — 11,000 of those kilometres after the birth of their two children.
In 2010, Xavier and Celine decided they would try to cycle from Switzerland to New Zealand in less than three years. After a year and a half, they started to realize this challenge they'd made for themselves had become a way of life.
And that's when they decided to bring the children into the mix.
"We had the feeling that if it was our life, [in] the celebration of this life we could have a family," said Celine.
"We just said, 'If it happens, it happens.' But of course Nayla was like, 'Ok I am here,' … She came straight away."
Celine says she told Xavier she was pregnant while they were in Nepal, at a 5,500-metre elevation facing Mount Everest. Then, the couple did research into an optimal place to give birth.
"One of the most important things for us was … to have a place to welcome our child in this world with a lot of softness and love," said Celine. "Everything went toward Malaysia … so we ended up in Malaysia."
Four years later, the Pasches returned to the island country to give birth to Fibie.
'We have a very simple life'
Xavier and Celine say they don't need much in the way of finances to keep up their lifestyle. They have their bikes, live in a tent, cook their own food and keep very little in terms of other belongings.
"Everything we have, we have to carry," said Xavier.
"We don't have a lot of room … but we have a couple [of] books because we homeschool Nayla and we have some toys of course," said Xavier. "We have a very simple life."
The couple's income stream largely comes from a Swiss newspaper they contribute to every few days. Celine writes and Xavier takes photographs. They have also written a book about their lifestyle, and will sometimes give talks.
The family will be giving one of those talks in Whitehorse next week.
Sharing road tips, inspiration
During the talks, they give tips about living on the road and discuss which routes are good. For example, Xavier says they've returned to Japan a few times and love the landscape in Mongolia and New Zealand.
The family also shares what it's learned about humanity.
"We have just encountered amazing kindness on the road," said Celine. "[It's] something beyond culture, that transcends culture."
But she believes the most important message is simple.
"You can create your life, and live the life you want to dream."
The Pasche family will be giving a talk Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. at the Baked Cafe.
