The incredible journey
Here’s an astounding story that I initially thought might be a hoax, it was so improbable. But I decided it was indeed true:
A Canadian man who has been missing for five years has been found more than 6,500 miles away in the Amazon jungle.
Anton Pilipa trekked across two continents, walking mostly barefoot with just the clothes on his back, after he disappeared from his Vancouver home in 2012.
His family spent years desperately searching for the former humanitarian worker, who suffers from suspected schizophrenia, and had almost given up hope when they got a call out of the blue.
Please read the whole thing.
He did this without any passport or ID, by the way. How this man survived is beyond me. He seems to have had a fair amount of help along the way, from strangers who sensed he needed it.
I also wonder—after learning that his destination was the National Library of Buenos Aires in Argentina—whether he’s a big Borges fan. His story almost seems like something out of Borges.
Here is the link:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4205080/Canadian-man-disappeared-2012-Brazil.html
It turns out that his lack of ID prevented him from entering the National Library of Buenos Aires in Argentina, which, according to the story, he did reach. After being turned away, he walked back to Brazil.
Ira:
I had made a typo on the link. Just fixed it. Thanks for alerting me to that!
A short story of mine in which a man ends up lost in the Amazon, sold by one tribe to another, is finally located and set free — was made into a sort film by an award-winning Australian director last year.
“Hurt’s Rescue.”
Meanwhile, in real fake news, Russia has corroborated some of the details in the Pissgate dossier. Specifically, that some Russians did, in fact, communicate with other Russians on the dates and times the dossier claimed.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/10/politics/russia-dossier-update/index.html
Naturally, this means Putin’s goons are a completely trustworthy source of accurate information, because they are now telling CNN what they want to hear. They will continue to be an accurate and trusted source, until such time that they tell CNN something they don’t want to hear, at which point they will once again become a bunch of lying commies only morons like their sock puppet Trump would ever put faith in.
Doesn’t state his age. States his schizophrenia was diagnosed in 2009. Worked for “humanitarian organizations” previously, which I take to mean he volunteered, did irregular hours, was paid little or nothing, and was likely schizo from his teens. Went off his meds and so went on a bizarre journey.
No info, none, on how he crossed borders.
The map shows he went all the way through the Sonoran desert. How’d he do that? Caught rides on the Interstate at rest stops? And in Mexico? Gotta have agua. I found a human skeleton once while hunting in southern AZ, with its shoes and backpack still beside it; people do die of dehydration out there. The libs in Tucson put out piles of water-filled gallon jugs north of the border along trails of the illegals. Encountered another young illegal who had just refilled his jug at a stock tank, who asked direction to Phoenix -100 miles, no compass! Determined: I’d have hired him in a heartbeat.
Doubt his destination had anything to do with Borges.
The narrative is mostly his, and is very vague, but though he is back on meds, indications for medication other than “schizophrenia” are unstated: Delusions? Hallucinations? Paranoia? What features to his illness?
How he survived: he had nothing worth stealing, was probably pretty filthy and repellant most of the time, and received God’s protection.
Frog:
The article said he’s 39 years old.
You are right, Neo. Missed it in one of the seven sub-heads because I usually go right to the story.
You are right, Neo. Missed it in one of the seven sub-heads because I usually go right to the story.
It would be interesting to examine the soles of his feet to assess the statement he walked 6500 miles barefoot. If so, he should have developed extraordinarily thick skin there.
Sharon Begleys new book “Can’t just stop” about compulsions talks about a mini epidemic of mad travelers in Ninteenth century France. One man would get an overwhelming need to go to a anplace if he heard the name of the place in conversation. I think with air travel these people are not so noticeable unless they walk
There’ve been lots of crazy danger-seeking individuals in history, unrenowned and renowned. Alexandra David-Neel was one. Those who died or got eaten by cannibals have left scant memoirs.
See story by Paul Bowles, set in Morocco, “The Delicate Prey.”