A lot of people pass through Dunklin County on Saturday nights. However, few pass through in the manner of Luis Jorge Obando Ramirez. Ramirez is riding a 10-speed bicycle from Bogota, Columbia and ultimately plans to conclude his journey in Miami, Fla.
Ramirez, a 52-year-old Colombian, is making his fourth such trip. The first time he ran from Bogota to New York and participated in the New York Marathon.
Through an interpreter, Ramirez said he is making this trip to bring awareness to the conflict with guerrillas in his home country. Ramirez said that for 40 years guerrillas have been active in Columbia, looting, kidnapping and stealing from the average citizen.
Ramirez said that the guerrilla are not necessarily aligned with drug lords there or that they are necessarily opposed to the government. Instead, he said, that guerrilla bands have roamed the country side, doing as they please and that the guerrilla lifestyle has become a way of life for many in his country.
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Luiz Jorge Obando Ramirez plots out his route for Sunday, the next leg of a journey that began in Bogota, Columbia. |
mirez, who goes by the nickname “El Berraco,” which loosely translated means “The Achiever,” first traveled from his hometown to New York in 1997. At that time, he told Time For Kids magazine he did so “for my family.” In its November 1997 issue, the magazine reported Ramirez had recently lost his job and his house. He made that trip to raise money and, “I wanted to fulfill my dream to live the fiesta of the New York marathon.” he said.
Perhaps it is as a result of that journey Ramirez decided to make future trips, but changed the focus of his efforts.
Through the interpretation of Clarissa Maldonado at Las Margaritas, Ramirez said he received a postcard from the guerrillas following his 1997 running trip. That card congratulated him on a successful trip. After a bicycle trip in 1999 he received a second postcard from the guerrillas. That postcard congratulated him on his successful journey, but also demanded money. He also made a similar trip in 2001, but was not bothered by the guerrillas after completion of that trip.
“The government struggles with the guerrillas, but they are not very effective. For 40 years there has been kidnapping, murder. All for what?” he asked.
“There has been too much bloodshed in Columbia. If everyone could make the effort the size of a grain of sand...” he said without finishing the thought.
As part of his campaign, Ramirez has written letters to the president of Columbia and the mayor of Bogota. He has yet to hear back from them. In fact, he has had very little contact with politicians, either Colombian or those of the United States. He did say however, that he did meet with the Columbia ambassador in Washington, D.C., but that was just to receive congratulations on running from Bogota to New York.
Ramirez keeps a journal of his trip. Along the way he stops in at police stations of cities he visits and has an officer sign his book with a brief message and date the entry. When he stopped at the Kennett Police Department he met Officer Paul VanDeventer, who signed the journal.
The journal contains entries and business cards from law enforcement personnel from stops all along the way. His last stop before arriving in Kennett was Newport, Ark. Leaving Kennett, Ramirez’s next stop was Patton, Mo. The significance of Patton is that it is about 100 north of Kennett. Ramirez has set a goal of 100 miles per day. When he reaches the 100 mile mark, his day is over.
Although his ultimate goal is Miami by July 20, he first plans to ride his bicycle to New York City and then turn south. Ramirez gets by on handouts and the generosity of others when making his trips. He was the guest of Las Margaritas Restaurant for dinner Saturday evening. Ramirez sleeps wherever he can find a room, although he has slept in gas stations, parks and other public places along the way.
By Saturday morning he was spotted north of town on Highway 25, setting out on his 100 mile journey for the day.
bhunt@dddnews.com (573) 888-4505, ext. 326
