Hot-footing it around the world

"no autostops, no trains, buses, bikes, skates or planes. only boats and run," reads a sticker. born in toulouse on september 10, 1982, quenel sylvain decided to run around the world. this was not possible, as sylvain had miles to go before he turned 18. "once i was 18, i was permitted to run. it was really tough in the beginning to convince my parents, eventually, i succeeded." the mission of the world tour: propagation of world peace, friendship, justice and environmental awareness.sylvain started his world tour from france in 2000, and he has been running ever since. all he carries with him is his bag pack with wwf (his sponsors) stickers. running around the world is not all he does. he also makes it a point to learn the language (thanks to pocket books) of the country that he passes. sylvain has already made this way through france, spain, portugal, germany and england. sylvain covers 30 to 40 kms a day. it's a hectic schedule for sylvain for his day begins at 8 am and ends at 7 pm, during which he stops for an occasional sandwich or two. said he, "i plan to spend three to six months in india". he also wants to "make a statement against the american, israeli, french, german and chinese governments regarding the way they handle their people." what does he think of the indian government? "i have to meet all the ministers before i make up my mind," he replies. sylvain arrived in mumbai on april 12, and so far has met the mayor of mumbai mahadev deole. "the mayor just wished me luck. that's all." all sylvian needs is light shoes to make it through the day. what about company? does he get lonely or homesick? "no way. i don't need a companion. i like to meet different people, from different countries." and what are plans for the future? another world tour. what else? he replied, "this time around, i want to try out a different route. the target: south pacific, the amazon and the congo basin, russia and central asia.