Shrewsbury wellness teacher's plea for help after being stranded in Brazilian jungle during lockdown
A Shrewsbury wellness teacher is appealing for help after finding himself stranded in the Brazilian jungle during the coronavirus lockdown.
Simon Calder is stuck in Bahia, just south of Salvador, and is sometimes having to go three days without water.
His family are trying to raise £5,000 to bring him home. So far more than £2,000 has been raised.
Simon, who teaches Qiqong, a mind, body and spirit practice, said: "I am reaching out to you at this time of crisis to ask for financial help to aid in moving me to a safer location in my home country so I can be with my family, to support them and have them support me at this difficult time.
"As for all of us, it has been a strange and unexpected series of events that led us to this point. I had been in Brazil teaching Qigong and yoga in retreats, staying in a small town called Itacare, at the mouth of the Rio de Contas on eastern Brazil’s Cocoa Coast.
"Then all of a sudden 'bang' all of the tourists left, my flight was not until March 23, but the town became locked down.
"I was the only foreigner around and the locals were starting to look and say strange things. A guy told me that they believed the tourist had brought the virus in and I was the only tourist to blame.
"Big alarm bells at this point to get out, whatever. So I contacted some friends deep in the jungle. At this point, I needed somewhere safer, as the news around of other local populated areas was not so good.
"After coming to the park I spent three weeks in a 2m by 2.5m room, then my friends decided to move deeper into the jungle as the social unrest in Brazil and the local count of the virus was going up. I could not go with them as their conditions are more extreme than mine - they are native to Brazil but survival camping in the jungle, with my luggage and limited clothes, was not an option for me."
He added: "Food is getting scarce so I am each day walking in the jungle and collecting food from the land.
Safety
"Electricity fails for up to two days sometimes and the other day I had no water for three days, no power for three days and no wifi for four days.
"I managed to borrow a tiny trekking water filter so I can now walk to a jungle stream to collect and filter water but I have also managed to make contact with a local man that would drive me to the airport seven hours away for a fee and that is what I would really like to do.
"In the building I live in there are no locks on the doors so no security and at the moment the rains and winds have come. With heavy rains falling every day which brings the mosquitoes. The open plan room I live in is completely open to the weather and mosquitoes, so I am spending a lot of time under a net trying not to get bitten.
"So now my money, spent on rent and food and a cancelled flight, is almost finished and my skills as a Qigong teacher and artist I cannot use at the moment due to quarantine and with no internet cannot offer online services.
"Due to all this, it has left me without financial support to get out of here to more safety and to be able to better support my family.
"I know that it is a difficult time for everyone at the moment and I would like to offer online one-to-one Lifeforce Qigong training to anyone able to donate to my cause, on my return to the UK."
To donate to Simon visit gofundme.com/f/stranded-by-covid19-bring-simon-calder-home
