Albert Casals

This young man of eighteen in the wheelchair is called Albert Casals, Spanish.

He's been travelling around the world on his own since the age of 14 on a budget of 3 euros per day.

Last week he slept in the "Auberge Sahara" where I'm working for a while substituting my partner that went to France on a visit.

The first thing I said to him in the morning as he was leaving was:

- Can I draw you ?

He said yes. He was on no hurry to get anywhere so I did this quick sketch.

And then he left on his way to Rosso and Senegal. I looked up in the net and found about him in english here and in spanish here you should check the spanish link just to see his photo as that's how he looked as I did his sketch just with the blue almost faded having instead a blond head with bits of greenish strands.

Later I regreted not having had thought about asking him to stay. I do know where Mauritanian kids on wheelchairs get together to play basket and they would have loved to have met him.

He makes us people aware of the limitations we put to ourselves and to our happiness.