[URL="http://m.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11797657&ref=NZH_fb"]Source.[/URL]
[IMG]http://media.nzherald.co.nz/webcontent/image/jpg/20176/ds_480x270.jpg[/IMG]
[QUOTE]Stefan, right, sees his lost brother Anton again for the first time in five years in Manaus, Brazil. Photo / GoFundMe
A Canadian man who has been missing for five years has been found more than 10,460km 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.
A Canadian-born Brazilian cop spotted Pilipa, who she initially mistook for a beggar, shuffling down a dirt track in bare feet, and dirty Bermuda shorts and a vest. He had no passport, and was without any form of identification.
Incredibly, with the help of several international agencies and embassies, she was able to track down his family who flew down to be reunited with their lost loved one.
"I was stunned," Anton's brother Stefan told the Daily Mail. "I told myself that he was dead. Because that was the only thing I could come up with that explained his absence.
"But in my heart of hearts, I didn't think he could be."
"I was really shocked," added Stefan, who said he'd spent years asking himself the same question, ''Where is he? What happened to him?"
"I feel amazed that he's alive and had made it that far."
Anton, who has been put back on his schizophrenia medication, travelled through at least 10 countries from Canada, including the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina and Brazil - all without a passport and with little more than the clothes on his back.
His brother said he had one bizarre mission; to get to the National Library of Buenos Aires in Argentina.
Tragically, when he finally made it to the library, after walking thousands of miles, he was turned away because he didn't have any identification. So he turned around and began his trek into Brazil where he would eventually be found.
He described how he survived by picking fruits and berries, scrounging for food and clothes in the trash, and relying on the generosity of strangers.
But that's not to say times weren't tough. Anton started off with a small bag of belongings but was robbed of what little he did have on several occasions.
While walking 800km alone through the dangerous Amazon jungle, filled with poisonous spiders, snakes, caiman - which can grow up to 6m long - and jaguar, all his toenails dropped off.
Yet, while he met some "bad people" on his incredible 10,000 mile journey, he said he had "received more generosity, especially in recent times."
"I've never felt alone,' he said. "It's been a lot of thinking for years, sleeping in the open. It's very simple to live, we do not need many things."
[/QUOTE]
While that's an absolutely ludicrous trek due to his condition and he's lucky to be alive and found by his family, you can't help but imagine what kind of perspective that puts on someone traveling on foot all that distance.
In the age of the internet with the world seemingly becoming smaller, that sort of trek just makes you realize the world is still massive.
Damn, this could make a great movie.
[quote]Anton, who has been put back on his schizophrenia medication, travelled through at least 10 countries from Canada, including the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina and Brazil - all without a passport and with little more than the clothes on his back.[/quote]
This dude was wandering through the jungle, both urban and physical, while off psych meds, with a disease renown for causing the inflicted to have issues with disassociation, hallucinations, and occasional psychotic breakdowns.
Not sure if this is some nirvana-tier exercise of self harm or one-way ticket through hell and back.
Holy shit, I want this man's balls
[QUOTE=Scot;51799658]Damn, this could make a great movie.[/QUOTE]
Shhh! Don't give them ideas. They're going to turn it into a romance.
Coming soon to a Theater near you....
[quote=Article]Tragically, when he finally made it to the library, after walking thousands of miles, he was turned away because he didn't have any identification. So he turned around and began his trek into Brazil where he would eventually be found.[/quote]
Well, on the bright side, now he has an identification, so he can finally go to the library.
This is so bizarre, but I'm glad that at least this ended on a happy note
What a fucking story, I hope the guy mentally recovers alright.
I read the title and mistook it for the delivery service.
Hope the man is alright.
so inspiring :'^)
But what did he need from the library? What magical tome was he seeking? What arcane answers? Will we ever know?
[QUOTE=ColdWave;51800610]But what did he need from the library? What magical tome was he seeking? What arcane answers? Will we ever know?[/QUOTE]
Probably proof of Hitler being alive or some other delusion seeing as he was suffering from mental illness.
[QUOTE=matt000024;51800751]Probably proof of Hitler being alive or some other delusion seeing as he was suffering from mental illness.[/QUOTE]
People called him mad because they couldn't bare the thought of the truth this man discovered. This guy is a frickin wizard on a grand quest for the best bbq sauce recipe.
now thats a fucking adventure
[thumb]http://i.imgur.com/FZV4lBw.png[/thumb]
he'll be home in 2 business days
[QUOTE=Secrios;51800505]I read the title and mistook it for the delivery service.
Hope the man is alright.[/QUOTE]
Missing Canadian found five years later trying to survive Stack-Ranking Hell at a job with a 100:0 Work:Life balance.
[QUOTE=matt000024;51800751]Probably proof of Hitler being alive or some other delusion seeing as he was suffering from mental illness.[/QUOTE]
Looking forward to history channel doing a documentary on this
After watching a documentary where an expedition walked the length of the amazon with modern equipment and came to failure so many times its incredible he did it with effectively nothing. (Walking the Amazon by Ed Stafford if your interested)
Holy crap that is amazing
[quote]
Yet, while he met some "bad people" on his incredible 10,000 mile journey, he said he had "received more generosity, especially in recent times."
"I've never felt alone,' he said. "It's been a lot of thinking for years, sleeping in the open. It's very simple to live, we do not need many things."
[/quote]
Some real perspective
now that's one hell of a pilgrimage
How can canadian survive 5 years without maple syrup?
[QUOTE=dunkace;51803199]After watching a documentary where an expedition walked the length of the amazon with modern equipment and came to failure so many times its incredible he did it with effectively nothing. (Walking the Amazon by Ed Stafford if your interested)[/QUOTE]
Two very different undertakings, though.
[QUOTE=GordonZombie;51799602]While walking 800km alone through the dangerous Amazon jungle, filled with poisonous spiders, snakes, caiman - which can grow up to 6m long - and jaguar, [B]all his toenails dropped off.[/B][/QUOTE]
????
[QUOTE=Garrot;51803526]????[/QUOTE]
walking barefoot for 5 years is not easy on the feet.
[QUOTE=Garrot;51803526]????[/QUOTE]
I lost my left big toenail from a relatively benign bump, with the amount of wear he put on his pads I'm not too shocked. Toenails arent very sturdy that's for sure
[QUOTE=Qaus;51804125]walking barefoot for 5 years is not easy on the feet.[/QUOTE]
I read that as 'not an easy feet' and giggled
If he passed through Panama within the last 5 years, then this guy might have passed in front of my building.
I live right next to the Pan-American highway. Wonder how he managed to cross the Panama-Colombia border, those indians are fucking ruthless.
[quote]His brother said he had one bizarre mission; to get to the National Library of Buenos Aires in Argentina.
[B]Tragically, when he finally made it to the library, after walking thousands of miles, he was turned away because he didn't have any identification.[/B] So he turned around and began his trek into Brazil where he would eventually be found.[/quote]
Sounds strangely familiar...
[img]http://www.screencuisine.net/hlcomic/comics/concerned145.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=thejjokerr;51803446] Says schizophrenic man.[/QUOTE] A lot of the tribal style living have no predispositions to it as normally they see it as a shaman thing. Which is more likely why he never felt alone because they be pretty damn accepting in those matters.
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