Dearest friends!
As scheduled, Jean begins his walk in Taiwan on January 10th at the northern point of the island. His sciatic nerve still makes him suffer but at least he is not alone. Amongst others Mr. Lin, “Taiwan Agan”, the Taiwanese Forest Gump, accompanies him, pushing his small chariot. Mr. Lin is renown in his country for his efforts towards the environment.
Taiwan will be the country where Jean was constantly accompanied in his walk. Indeed, almost every day, there will be between one and 25 persons walking with him.
Mindful to the cause of children, Taiwanese people are well informed of Jean’s passage in their country, thanks to a Press Conference organized by the Rotary of Taipei 2 days before the beginning of the wwwalk, on January 8th.
Back in Taipei on the 11th, Jean spends the night at the house of our friend Paulo Su and early the next morning, the WWWALK is officially launched in Taiwan.
Taiwan is the Paradise of scooters. We see them on every road and it is the mode of transport the most utilized in the country. And what can we say about the temples that are marvels of details! In Sanchong City, the mayor, Mr. Long, welcomes both walkers and offers them a symbolic souvenir. In Taoyuan City, Jean has resumed his cruising speed and feeling tired, Mr. Lin decides to follow him by combining transport to walking. This will be more convenient to synchronize the people who want to go along with them.
On January 15th, in Miaoli City, we restlessly get ready for the Chinese New Year in preparing an exposition of dragons. The next day, by way of Sanyi, Jean is amazed to see the wonderful artworks done with raw wood often collected from the beaches.
As I was preparing my meeting with Jean, this year, I was a bit surprised that he would not ask me to bring spare parts that the manufacturers of his chariot in Calgary would always promptly send me. I was thinking that the stroller was in perfect condition this time! What was not my surprise, as soon as I arrived, to notice that the tires were definitely worn out! Jean calmed me down by telling me that he could certainly find “bicycle shops” that sold these tires. But cosmic providence was watching as usual!
Around December 22nd, we got an email from Aik Hsu, from Grand Harvest Co. Ltd, original manufacturer of the wheels, who had learned about the WWWALK from the media. Aik was offering to equip the chariot with bran new tires and he did send them in time for the start of the walk. Meanwhile Aik and the team of Grand Harvest were impatiently waiting for Jean’s arrival in Taichung.
On the evening of January 19th, just before Douliou City, Jean and Taiwan Agan are welcomed by a kind Taiwanese family who grants them all kinds of attentions. In Kaohsiung on the 24th, on the Eve of the beginning of the Chinese New Year festivities, they are met by Mr. Medicare, Governor of the Rotary Club of Taipei and Mr. Super, Governor of the Rotary of Kaohsiung.
One of the traditions of the Chinese New Year is to burn bundles of counterfeit money so that the spirits are provided with funds in the other world. The festivities last for about ten days and the quiet village of Kenting where I stayed with Jean during our last reunion is now packed with Taiwanese on holidays.
Only 800 meters more and the walk in Taiwan will be ended at the south point of the country.
From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank the Rotary Club of Taiwan and its District Governors who have supported the WWWALK all the way through the country and even took charge of finding a sponsor for Jean’s flight to the Philippines.
We are also deeply grateful to all the generous Taiwanese who readily welcomed Jean in their home and who walked a few or many kilometers with him. Many thanks also to the people of Kang Hsuan Publishing Group who supplied vehicles, walkers and collaborators.
The “Taiwan Experience” was so special that during our last phone call in that country, Jean said: “We definitely will have to come back to this country to visit our friends after the WWWALK has ended!”
On January 22nd, in Tainan, Jean had met Cedric Jaeg, a Frenchmen exiled in Taiwan, who had referred him to someone in the Philippines. Dominique Lemay, also a Frenchmen, is the Founder and Chairman of Virlanie Foundation. Virlanie looks after the street children in Manila. This is thus furthermore an inspiration for Jean with regards to his own mission!
Welcomed at the airport by the volunteers of Virlanie, Jean is accommodated in one of their houses while they bustle to find a way of combining the WWWALK to their own activities to generate a big campaign for the benefit of children.
As often when he moves from one country to the next, Jean undergoes a slight culture shock! Much more than the countries that he went through for almost a year, there are in the Philippines, thousands of children who make the streets their home. While the staff and volunteers of Virlanie go to work planning a profitable event for the children, Jean begins his walk in the north point of the country on February 7th.
The landscape is Polynesian and the Filipinos very friendly! People accompany him on the road while a police car leads the way. Local, regional and provincial authorities warmly receive him and he stops in schools to talk a bit about his walk for children.
Back in Manila on February 26th, he is happy to learn that the people of Virlanie have been working indefatigably to orchestrate a great plan to promote the cause of children: a Press Conference on March 9th and on the 15th, a big walk through the streets of Manila. While waiting for these important events to take place, Jean continues walking and stops in Lucena. Then he comes back to Manila by transport on the 8th.
On the next day, all goes well with the Press Conference, with an excellent participation of the media. Dominique Lemay and the Filipino singer Billy Crawford are there and it seems that the success of the event of March 15th is well assured.
Back in his quarters in one of the Virlanie House, Jean is extremely happy to find his son, Thomas Eric, who just arrived from Germany for a 3-week stay with his dad. Both take advantage of these few days in Manila to explore the city and its particular exoticism.
Among its numerous activities the Virlanie Foundation runs a mobile school for homeless children and after the lessons, children are fed. It is very moving to watch the older students showing the younger ones the benefits of brushing their teeth.
The “March 15th Great Walk” begins after a short speech from the Mayor of Manila who joins the walkers as well as people from the UNICEF, the Council of Welfare for Children, sponsors and celebrities. It turns out to be a real success all the way! Close to 1,000 walkers of all kinds went through the 3-kilometers stroll hoping to raise human consciousness in favor of children. The funds collected on the occasion went to Virlanie who is carrying out worthy achievements for the children of this part of the world!
As soon as the walk was ended, father and son went by bus to Jean’s latest stop in Lucena to go on with the WWWALK. Both Béliveau enjoy happy days in spite of roosters sometimes waking them up at 4h am. Even if walking all day long turns out to be a bit hard on the toes, the sheer happiness to be together quickly obliterates these slight inconveniences!
Their 400 km walk ends in Legazpi on March 28th. Both are very pleased with their unforgettable journey and spend the last few days before Thom’s leaving enjoying swimming with “Whale sharks”, totally harmless to humans, and admiring the volcano Mayon (2462 meters), a perfect volcanic cone in charming surroundings.
Till next time…
Luce
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