Argentine family drives 21,000 km (13,000 miles) to see Pope Francis

The road trip through 13 countries, chugging along the highway in a cramped Volkswagen bus, began on a whim. Like many parents, Noëlle Zemborain and Alfredo Walker juggled family duties and demanding jobs that left them with disappointingly short weekends, packed with youth sports and other activities for their four children.

He was an operations manager for a food and beverage company in Buenos Aires. She worked as a marketing and communications consultant for San Andrés University. The couple dreamed of taking an extended vacation after their kids were grown and gone. But then they heard that Pope Francis, a fellow Argentine, would visit Philadelphia in September, a desire to show their kids places that they’d only read about in books began to take hold.

The result was a most unorthodox family vacation, which they dubbed América En Familia ("The Americas with the Family&quot : six months and 21,000 km packed into the 35-year-old bus, relying on the kindness of strangers and their own good humor when the vehicle broke down - which happened frequently as they rolled through South and Central America, Mexico and the southern United States.

The trip — documented by Noëlle in a blog that has drawn nearly 103,000 visits so far — has turned the Walkers into minor celebrities among Spanish-speaking Catholics in the United States and Latin America. Masses were organized in their honour and messages from around the world cheered them on.

“We were not conscious that this would generate all of this attention,” Noëlle said. “For us, it’s been a transformative experience.”

The family set out in March, after enrolling the children in online courses, cobbling together some money from a small fundraising campaign and buying the van, which they dubbed “Francisca” in honor of the pope.

The Walkers drove through the soaring Latin American countryside, the van straining up mountain roads and gliding along the Pacific Ocean coastline. In Peru, they swam with giant sea turtles who had migrated from the nearby Galapagos Islands. Walker and his two eldest children hiked up Machu Picchu. They also witnessed some of the region’s despair; unmarked roadside graves, the signs of the illegal drug trade in some countries; and, always, relentless poverty. After a two-week delay in Guatemala, the family raced through Mexico; they crossed the Texas border near Laredo this month.

Their main impression of the United States, after days of driving along wide, smooth roads past vast suburban neighbourhoods, is one of boundless opportunity — the kind that can be elusive in Latin America. After staying with yet another family near Philadelphia that had been inspired by their journey, the Walkers headed back out on the road. Their next stop would be Washington. After that, Philadelphia, where they hope to catch a glimpse of Pope Francis.

When they’re ready to return home, the family will drive to Miami, and board a plane to Buenos Aires, where the rest of their lives await.

At: http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/199276/argentine-family-gives-up-life-in-ba-drives-21000km-to-see-francis
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The Walkers' travelog: http://americaenfamilia.com/

Crowdfunding page: https://life.indiegogo.com/fundraisers/buenos-aires-philadelphia-a-family-on-a-vw-kombi