As the earth in Japan continues to shake, power plant on fire, tsunami destruction flourishes and the death and injury toll continue to rise, I get a message from my internet boyfriend. Not someone I have been lucky enough to meet (yet), rather an internet friend and fellow long term bicycle tourist. Someone, I greatly admire. Also, the recipient of my long standing joke that the cute, single, Alvaro “Biciclown” Neil is my internet boyfriend. The message said “I climbed a hill and slept near a temple, the airport close by is annihilated, I am ok”. I was relieved to hear that my internet boyfriend and fellow cyclist was safe.
Alvaro “Biciclown” Neil has been travelling the world by bicycle since 2004 and working on a project called “Miles For Smiles”. This lawyer turned clown performs physical comedy clown shows for free to children and adults around the world. He writes books, documentary films and lives on a meager budget of 5USD a day. He has vowed to not return to his home in Spain until his project is complete, for the grave yard is full of dreamers and he doesn’t want to be one of them.
The BiciClown is presently pedaling in Japan towards the region most heavily affected by the tsunami and earthquake. He is performing clown shows for free in the many devastated towns throughout the route. In Alvaro’s last blog post he states that at times it is difficult to put on the clown but he will because the people are in need.
‘Sometimes I have to play the clown when my soul is broken or when I want to be elsewhere. I think I have to do it professionally, so I forget my fears and do it…that is the mission of the clown, to be insensitive to ones own pain and shine on the smiles of others…..’
A lucky local Japanese woman wanted to see her country by bicycle and together they venture towards the devastated Hokkaido area sharing much needed smiles along the way. Catch up with the biciclown on the Website, Facebook, Twitter or become a Clown Funder and help spread smiles around the world.