A
man has stunned many people with his weird ambition after embarking on a
very unusual quest to make an incredible journey on foot.
Jose Antonio Garcia
Jose Antonio Garcia is a man who has become known as ‘The Pilgrim’ in his native country of Spain.
The man got many people stunned after spending the last 11 years of
his life walking over 100,000 kilometers to various pilgrimage sites on
all continents except Oceania. This year, his amazing journey has
finally come to an end.
Oddity Central reports that Garcia who was born in Puerto de Santa
María, in the Spanish province of Cadiz, spent most of his life on
water, working as a sailor. He wasn’t the most religious person, but
after going through a near-death experience, he decided to dedicate his
life to an epic pilgrimage to as many holy sites as he could walk to.
In 1999, the fishing boat Jose was working on capsized off the
coast of Norway, and he was the only survivor out of a crew of 17. He
spent hours in the freezing water clinging to the bodies of two fellow
sailors, and it was then that he turned to religion, vowing to the
Virgen del Carmel, the patron of sailors, that he would walk to all of
the world’s holy shrines, if she saved his life.
Miraculously, Jose was found by a rescue team, but had to spend the
next eight months in a hyperbaric chamber to recover from his injuries.
But even after that long period of time, he was still unable to walk,
and doctors were unsure that he would ever be able to use his legs
again.
Garcia spent the next two years in a wheelchair, and two more after
that walking with crutches, but in the end, he was able to walk like a
normal person again. And he never forgot the promise he made to the
Virgen del Carmen when he was so close to death. As soon as he was back
on his feet, he took out his life savings (around 36,000 euros), filled
up a backpack with basic travel items, and left his home town to visit
as many holy sites as he could.
The first stop on his epic pilgrimage was Santiago de Compostela,
in Galicia, where he visited the sanctuary of the Virgen Fatima. From
there, he walked all the way to Rome, Italy, where he met Pope John Paul
II, and dozens of other holy sites throughout the European continent.
He then walked into Asia, through Turkey, visiting countries like
Israel, Syria, Kazakhstan, Tibet and India.
The Pilgrim then walked through Siberia and traversed Russia to
pass into the North American continent through Alaska. He walked south,
reaching Mexico and eventually passed into South America, stopping at as
many religious sites as he could along the way.
During the last 11 years, Jose Antonio Garcia walked on all
continents except the Oceania region, visiting holy sites of multiple
religions, including Buddhism, Islam and Christianity.
Even though he started off with 36,000 euros, he spent all of it
during the first stages of his incredible pilgrimage, and ended up
relying on the kindness of strangers for food, shelter an directions. In
a 2014 interview with Viaje con Escalas, Jose said he was impressed
with the generosity of people in poor countries, who know what real
hunger feels like and are always willing to share what little food they
have with someone in need.
Speaking about his most noteworthy experiences on his pilgrimage,
Garcia said that he will never forget the six months he spent living in a
monastery in Lhasa, Tibet, nor his visit to the Bosnian town of
Medjugorje, where the church uses all donations to rebuild the town. He
calls it “a place where you can really feel the faith”.
Regarding how his family feels about him being away for over a
decade, Jose Antonio Garcia said that they are very supportive and
proud. He thinks it’s both due to the nature of his journey and the fact
that they are used to him being away for long periods of time. Ever
since he started working as a sailor, in 1962, he has been away from
home for at least six months a year.
After walking over 107,000 kilometers around the world, visiting
thousands of holy places and shrines, Jose Antonio Garcia is finally
ready to return home, to Puerto de Santa María, where his daughter and
grandchildren are waiting for him.
At 67 year old, The Pilgrim feels that he has fulfilled his promise
to the Virgen del Carmen, and is ready to dedicate the rest of his life
to helping others.
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