Dearest friends,
Easter time already! Have a Happy Easter, filled with chocolate bunnies, everyone!
Where is Jean now? Well he has crossed two countries since the latest newsletter. First, Argentina where he has found a welcoming really out of the ordinary. Everywhere he walked, passing by vehicles and people cheered him. He made numerous appearances on TV and newspapers... so much so that I had to work days and nights to publish everything on his website. Unfortunately, I have missed some newspapers; either they were not on the Web or I could not find them. I know he appeared on a newspaper in China because we now have a friend in Beijing! Her Western name is Marilyn and she wrote to me having read about Jean in a newspaper of her city.
We also received emails from people in the Czech Republic, most European countries, The Philippines and Morocco, to name a few. It is so rewarding to read these enthusiastic emails. When an article was published in La Nación, in Buenos Aires, on March 6th the site's statistics soared to a new high but it is when the International News Agencies started to publish Jean's story that the statistics went wild... We received hundreds of emails all so encouraging and so gratifying... Thank you everyone for this wonderful show of support!
When Jean was still in Chile, at the house of Eric Savard, this remarkable Chilean veterinary who hosts in his house, cyclists from all over the world, he met Osvaldo Zambrano, an Argentinean cyclist who, back in his home town of Luján (near Buenos Aires) orchestrated Jean's visit to the capital of Argentina and especially his meeting with Adolfo Perez Esquivel, Nobel Peace Prize Winner - 1980. Although el Señor Perez Esquivel is a very active and busy man, he granted to Jean a most cordial meeting and even gave him a gift of one of his spontaneous drawing. It will be published on the wwwalk shortly! A very special thanks to you... Osvaldo and to your family!
I suppose Jean could have stayed in Argentina for many more months... just to visit the many people who invited him to their home but as he and I, as well, want his return home one day, he had to continue his walk!
So, on March 13, he crossed the Rio de la Plata, by ferry, to arrive in Colonia in Uruguay. There, he found a nice, quiet and peaceful country. It was a change from the hectic pace of the big and powerful two preceding countries: Chile and Argentina. He compared the people of Uruguay to the people of Panama... a bit shy and distant when you first meet them but cordial and affable when you start talking to them.
From Colonia, he walked to Montevideo, the Capital, where he appeared on TV and in the newspapers. Then Piriapolis... Maldonado... Rocha and finally Chuy where he arrived on the 13th of April in the evening. Everywhere again, friendly and warm people! We thank you all!!!
This was the final leg of Jean's walk in Spanish speaking country... now, on with Portuguese... and Brazil! Funny how enthusiastic he is about learning a new language... he says he is getting richer everyday! I wonder how rich he will get with Hindu, Arabic and Chinese? But we have a few years to wait for that!
Jean and I will never be able to express all our gratitude to all and every one of the Canadian Embassies and Consulates in every countries that he has walked across. To everybody working in these offices, as well as to our very patient and diligent contact in Ottawa, Canada, please accept our gratefulness and our appreciation. Jean's walk would not be so smooth if it would not be for you all. And yet... if is far from finished!
And enormous "Thank you" also to Chariot Carriers Inc. of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Dan Britton, its founder and President, our special contact, Jeff Mah and all the people working at Chariot Carrier. A brand new "Sports Stroller" is awaiting Jean at the Canadian Consulate in Sao Paulo. So Jean will start walking in Africa with a brand new friend... a twin to the old one that will have granted him his companionship for some 20,000 kilometres without fail... Sincerely I would not hesitate to recommend these carriers to transport a child with the utmost safety!
If you want to continue receiving the updates on Jean's walk, please let me know if you change your email address. Email me at luce@wwwalk.org Unfortunately some updates are coming back to me, undelivered because the address does not exist anymore.
Till next time...
Luce