Traveller Marek Slobodník. (source: Archive of M. S. )
After he graduated from high school, Banská Bystrica native MAREK SLOBODNÍK bought the Jawa Pionier 250 motorcycle produced in Považská Bystrica in northern Slovakia. Together with a friend, they travelled across Slovakia on the bike, then crossed the border, then continents.
He has ridden various machines, for example, an amphibious tricycle. A feature film was made about his trip through Africa. Now another one about his expedition to Mongolia is being made. He is currently travelling around Slovakia with the travel presentation Trojkolkou do Mongolska (To Mongolia on a Tricycle).
Where did the idea to travel the world on motorcycles come from?
Together with Rasťo, a very good friend of mine from high school, we wanted to be big bikers. Of course, we didn't have any money or motorbikes back then. We searched the Internet, looking for a cheap one, and found a Jawa Pionier. In 2008 we travelled Slovakia on it. It was amazing, the best holiday ever. We experienced a lot. We immediately thought that next time we had to cross the border. Then some guys joined us and we went to Romania. We liked how far the bike took us, much to our surprise. The following year we decided to go even farther away, to another continent.
We wanted to see the pyramids in Egypt, but in the end we decided on going to Kazakhstan. Our friend, who worked as a printer, was printing satellite images of the Aral Sea, which is drying up. We wanted to see it while it was still there. That was our first big expedition. We didn't go to Africa until seven years later.
What attracted you to the Jawa Pionier?
The price, actually. For 5,000 Slovak crowns we bought a bike with papers. It was later that we found out that it is reliable and simple; a person can repair it themselves. Modern machines have a lot of electronic parts. But, we have travelled on other types of machines, such as diesel bikes and a tricycle that could float on water.
What is your favourite experience from Kazakhstan?
There are so many of them. Since 2010, I have been there three times. The best one would be from the first trip, when we wanted to reach the Aral Sea, but there was no road. It would be impossible to get there on bikes. In the end, we met a man named Bacha and a navigator named Kendzhike, who took us to the lake in an old Russian 'bukhanka' van. We drove for two days through the desert near the Uzbek border and made it to the lake. Few can do that today as it is almost dried up. A lot of fish used to be caught there, tonnes a year, now there is only one species.
You also travelled alongside the famous yellow Trabants (of Czech film-maker and traveller Dan Pribáň who organised several expeditions to various places - Ed. note).
After Kazakhstan, we thought about going around the world, but that kind of faded away, I don't even know why. Then Dan Přibáň, who was travelling to South America with his Trabants, approached me and asked if I would like to join them. Since I had nothing else to do, I did. We spent the next few years together. We went from Australia to Thailand via Indonesia. All that time I was riding the Jawa. After that I wanted to revisit my dream of going to Africa; not just to see the pyramids, to travel the whole of it. And I did! Then I visited India, which I absolutely fell in love with. In 2023, we rode diesel bike all the way from India to home. Last year we went to Mongolia, where we had tips for places where we could sail with a floating tricycle.
