This is Pierre. A crazy French man over 75 I met at Jungle Jonction in Nairobi; headquarters for overlanders traveling across -Eastern- Africa. I always meet great people on the African roads, I reckon, but people who truly inspire me, very very little. And Pierre really had an impact on me.
I will always remember this short old man coming to me with that gigantic smile covering all his face. Pierre captivated me like a superhero I always dreamt to meet in real life. We couldn’t stop talking, his strong energy magnetized me so much.
Pierre discovered Africa for the first time in the 60’s with his beloved wife. They literally walked across raw Africa and experienced an authenticity which seems to have disappeared forever. They could embrace countries I still crave exploring: like Mali, Tchad, or Libya.
Pierre has got such a strong temper -one other thing we have in common -and I don’t always share his ideas and concepts. But his sensitivity is obvious, especially when his eyes get flooded with tears every time he mentions his -deceased- wife. His hypersensitivity touched me deep inside.
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The first time I saw the old man crying, I realised what courage actually is, finally. Courage is not undertaking adventures solo somewhere in remote places of the world, courage is not about putting you in danger, courage is much deeper than this. Because today, and thanks to Pierre, I finally understood that courage is about assuming their own unpredictable emotions and to allow them to be expressed. And that assuming our emotions and letting go are not about being vulnerable but strong.
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Anyway. I had the unique chance to join Pierre -along with two other overlanders- on a short trip across the Mara. Well, ‘around’ the Mara. This kind of moment where time fades away and where a nice bonfire makes you forget the unexpected. A few days where I could observe this short creature jumping on the roof of his dark grey Nissan Patrol and driving like a rockstar in the dust.
I will always remember this day when I met that one inspiring soul on the way.
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