Next time you fancy travelling across the Andes on your dodgy motorcycle just make sure you tell someone where you’re going, yeah?
58-year-old Raul Fernando Gomez Cincunegui, who disappeared four months ago in the remote and hostile Andes Mountains, was incredibly found alive on Sunday after spending the harsh winter eating rats and raisins to survive.
Rats and raisins? Probably not a dish that your local supermarket will be stocking any time soon.
After his motorcycle broke down, the lost traveller proceeded to attempt to cross the mountains from Chile to Argentina on foot, before being eventually discovered in a shelter by Argentine officials from the northwestern province of San Juan.
The officials had travelled to the remote outpost to monitor snow levels when they discovered the emaciated and bearded Gomez, who had been feeding himself sugar, raisins, rats and the shelter’s leftover supplies.
Amazingly, according to a doctor who examined him, Gomez is “ a patient with high blood pressure, a history of smoking and signs of undernourishment,” but “he’s going to be fine and in a few days we’re going to discharge him.”
“The truth is that this is a miracle. We still can’t believe it,” San Juan Governor Jose Luis Gioja told the local Diario de Cuyo newspaper. “We let him talk to his wife, his mother and his daughter. … I asked him: ‘Are you a believer?’ He told me, ‘no, but now I am a believer.'”
Of course, this was no time to be quoting the lyrics of Monkees hits, especially as Gomez was likely dehydrated and confused at what was happening all around him.
Thankfully though, all’s well that ends well as the weary wanderer has since been reunited with his family and is well on his way to making a full recovery.
Next time just take the bus, ok Raul?
And in case you’re wondering where Uruguay is exactly, just let Homer Simpson help you out…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLVJm7QW3dA
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