The world without a motor or how to go around the globe on foot
But, how does it occur to someone to undertake this apparent "madness"? Ignacio, right now in Peru, clarifies it for us. “The main motivation is that this trip is a dream. I like to travel, adventure, sports...and I wanted to walk around the world. Also, with the one who is falling, I felt the need to contribute my grain of sand to make the world a better place ”. And how can a better world be claimed through this idealistic walk? Our adventurer from Malaga wants with his journey “ send a message of care and respect for nature and planet Earth , the house in which we live, so punished by our habits of life”. But his intention does not end there, he still gives us another reason "nothing is impossible, we have the power to create reality and change what we do not like".
At 33 years old, this graduate in Advertising and Public Relations and Environmental Technician, decided to turn his life around by undertaking an almost unique project. “It is something rarely seen, very few times in history has someone gone around the world walking, and more alone , as I am doing. I don't have many references, just four or five counted cases, like the Canadian jean beliveau , who took twelve years and walked for peace in the world”.
Along his path Ignacio meets other adventurers, like this cyclist family touring Peru
Ignacio left Madrid in March 2013 and began touring Europe through the Mediterranean coast. Later he entered Asia through the Bosphorus Strait to cross Turkey, Armenia, Iran, India, Bangladesh, Southeast Asia and, later, through Indonesia to Oceania to cross Australia from West to East. From there he flew to South America to cross it from south to north from Chile . Once he does he will fly to cape town to cross the black continent along its east coast until reaching Europe where he will skirt the Portuguese coast to go back to Madrid.
His initial idea was that fulfilling his dream would take approximately five years, although his pace is being higher than he thought he could carry. “Things are going better for me than I thought. The rhythm that I have it is the result of the visa time, the budget, my physical and mental strength , circumstances and a pinch of luck. All together they make it possible to be solving this great challenge in less time than expected ” although he prefers not to rule out possible delays because “I still have a long way to go and a million things can happen”.
In an odyssey like yours, Ignacio is collecting landscapes and experiences of all kinds although, above all, he highlights the human contact with whom he meets. “At the moment I am having the luck of verifying that people are generally good all over the world , and knock on wood to be able to continue saying the same thing for the rest of the trip. This trip is an adventure and a constant change, each country, each culture, is unique ”although, in his journey so far he remains with an experience, “Touring Australia on foot was an experience that I loved, free and wild”.
Traveling around Australia on foot has been one of the hardest but also one of the most stimulating parts of Ignacio's adventure
And if we can be surprised to learn of his adventure, even more so can those who find him walking, ask him where he is going and he answers traveling the world on foot . “I find reactions of all kinds. There are those who do not believe it, others are fascinated. In general, it happens that they have never seen anyone like me, in any country.
While he walks and after each stage, Ignacio also finds time to recount his adventure so that we can travel with him from a distance . Those interested in following the evolution of his challenge and even interacting with him and sending him encouragement can do so through his blog, his Facebook page or his Twitter account from which he shares photos and communicates with the followers of the. For this he carries a photo and video camera, a tablet and a mobile phone that he carries with his luggage. in a trekking cart specially adapted for the route.
The trekking car and the tent (the two companions of Nacho) in Armenia
Every day Ignacio travels at least 30 kilometers traveling as far as possible on roads and paths and preferably along the coast to avoid changes in level, although for example in Bolivia and Peru has had to deal with the Andes for a month. And it is that a journey of these characteristics is anything but simple. “Practically every day I have to face situations such as cold, hunger, loneliness, altitude, headwind, risk of contracting diseases, poor hygiene and rest... Keep in mind that I have crossed deserts, jungles, mountains and very different ecosystems that require great resilience and adaptability.”
And not only time, orography or loneliness present difficulties . Ignacio has also come to pass fear . “I have lived many dangerous situations, I have slept under lightning in the storm, my trip almost ended at the border between ** Armenia and Iran **” since he was robbed although he was able to get out of the way. But the dangers did not end there, "I have been in front of a wild rhino in the jungles of Nepal, in an attack in the capital of Bangladesh, I have had dingoes howling around my store in Australia...". And it is that for his adventure not only determination is needed but a lot of courage.
But the journey also has, on the contrary, moments that compensate for the sufferings and hardships, mainly because of the people he meets along the way. “What has marked me the most is seeing how people from very poor countries opens the doors of his house and his heart , and shares it all with you, giving you a true lesson in sharing in scarcity. See how there are countries where you really live with very little, while in the first world we are absorbed in ridiculous worries. A trip that, despite some setbacks, is generally being very well received. “Everywhere and in every country they have welcomed me very well. It is true that there are places where I have gone unnoticed, like in Bulgaria or Georgia . The country that cost me the most to adapt to was India, it was a stark contrast and a great challenge to cross it on foot”.
Although he still has half of America to go and all of Africa, Ignacio is still motivated by the challenge of completing the walk around the world although he is aware that everything can still happen. "Whether the itinerary is longer or shorter depends on circumstances that are not in my hands" and, optimistic and supportive, he encourages more adventurers to follow his example in similar adventures. “ I encourage people to listen to their hearts and follow their dreams. . The difficult thing is to take the first step, to cross the threshold of the door, that it cannot be said that you did not try. Now, be very clear that such an adventure is very dangerous and risky. One day you realize that it's not going to be as easy as you thought, and another that you can't even get home safe and sound anymore."
Parinacota Volcano Yauca National Park, Chile
Ignacio is clear that in his life there will be a clearing before and after this challenge only within the reach of dreamers and daring like him. “It makes you a more serious, tough, experienced person . Look life in the eye, know the world you live in and call things by their name. The world is full of anonymous stories of valor and courage, there are no excuses not to be a fighter and brave. It makes you feel good to know that you are fulfilling a dream and contributing your grain of sand for a better world ”.
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