A big thank you to Dr. Peter Boyle and his team for such a warm welcome on the 17th. I was privileged to show the first rough cut of the first 25 minutes. The gathering was, admittedly, rather prestigious and cause for extreme nervousness on my part. Indeed, I was faced with the world's leading cancer institute directors, many of whom had been interviewed for the film. This was not, I felt, an easy audience. In the end, the reception was very warm; I did not have to escape the room under a hailstorm of tomatoes.
The next deadline for the film is the end of August for a showing at the World Cancer Congress and then many more surprises in September and beyond. Back to editing.

It's been about three weeks since I last posted. Since then, quite a bit has happened. We made it back from our round the world trip safely. This said, our transit through Lagos was not the easiest. In fact, there is no 'transit' per se in Lagos. They make you go through the full arrival procedure and then check you back in. If your transit time is long... have fun. We had a fifteen hour layover. Ultimately, it all worked out and we flew on to Madrid and back to Geneva.

After a quick three day hugfest with our families, it was off to Barcelona and Atlanta. Here again, the surprises kept coming. Here's what happened. I decided to leave Gilles back in Annecy to get moving on other aspects of the project and to take Caroline with me. Her passport was not valid for the US. So she got an emergency passport made which was supposed to be acceptable. To cut a very long story shot, when we got to the airport in Barcelona, we were flying KLM from there to Atlanta, KLM told us she could not get on the flight. This happened literally as the check in counter was closing. So we had to make a crazy decision... I would fly on to Atlanta alone. Not great when I was flying there for an important interview with John Seffrin, CEO of the American Cancer Society.

Fortunately it did work out. The interview turned out to be one of the best of the trip. So was the Barcelona interview with Dr. Baselga. Both men were brilliant and warranted the extra trip.

Since then, for the past two weeks, I have been editing away. The rushes are great but there is so much footage. It's really a race against the clock now. Add to this crushing feeling an additional trip that I have decided to take to India. As most of you will recall, India had to be omitted from the previous round the world tour. I am not one to be defeated this easily and after meeting and filming Dr. Ketayun Dinshaw, Director of the Tata Memorial Center, I am convinced I must go. So June 23rd I will be in Mumbai.

Just so you don't think I'm sitting around doing nothing, tonight we drive up to Paris to interview a well-known French politician, P. Douste-Blazy. We'll be asking him about cancer in France as well as the new Canceropole they are building in Toulouse; he is also the mayor of Toulouse.

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We are almost finished the round the world journey. We're currently in the Lagos airport waiting for an evening flight back to Europe. If all goes well, we will be with our loved ones tomorrow at noon. Then it's a three day break and I'm off again to Barcelona to film Dr. Baselga and then to Atlanta to film Dr. Seffrin. Almost finished. Another couple of weeks and then it's time to edit!

A whole week has gone by since our last travel blog and it feels like we've done one month's worth of travelling! Since our last blog we have traveled to Bangkok via Hong Kong, on to Johannesburg, then to Tanzania and today we move on to Nairobi.

Let's start with Bangkok. The heat was up to its reputation. I loved the impact on our crew. Being from the Alps and northern Europe, they were not used to that heavy, humid temperature. This said, they ultimately learned to enjoy it. Admittedly, in the incredibly beautiful hotel we stated at, it was not very difficult.

The Bangkok visit had one main purpose, to visit the National Cancer Center. The visit was very worthwhile. We got the full facility tour and were able to engage in a very complete interview with its Director. I was most impressed by the faith component of the center. Buddhism was ever present and seemed to be most appreciated. Faith was only out shined by the presence of the revered King of Thailand. He too was a calming presence for people who have to endure the stress and pain of this disease.

Before leaving Bangkok, a quick side trip to the famous floating market. But this was not a tourist jaunt for us. As you will see in the film, the market will be featured in some of the background sequences to illustrate the lifestyle argument.

Now getting out of Bangkok was no easy task. Because we could not go to India - filming permit problems courtesy of the Indian consulate in Paris - we had to reroute. But rerouting out of Bangkok on a Saturday when you have a round the world ticket issued by Iberia via American Express in Paris is about as easy as getting your kids out of the house for school in time and with a full breakfast. No kidding, it was a nightmare. I spent three full hours standing by the Cathay Pacific counter. Ultimately, and this is the killer, it turned out to be very easy but it just required getting the agent to 'understand' how to go about the switch. And, believe me, I am cutting the story short.

So off we were from Bangkok, via Hong Kong to Johannesburg. Did I mention that it was a 20 hour journey in two fully crowded aircraft? Unfortunately our Johannesburg stay was way too short. We had planned on three interviews and had to cancel two and only have one. It was a great interview, but I always regret having to cancel the others. I hope to make it up to them as well because, obviously, it's also a disappointment to the interviewee.

As I write, we are now in Tanzania. Got here the day before yesterday. After a tough customs passage - Tanzania does not adhere to the Carnet ATA convention, so it makes it a little more complicated. You basically have to 'talk' your way into the country with all the gear. Fortunately, we found our driver Sham and off we went into the city.

Here we interviewed Dr. Twalib Ngoma. Great interview at the Ocean Roads Cancer Institute. Our Tanzanian footage will definitely add several important elements to the film.

Now it's on to Nairobi for a wind down of the round the world leg. I still have a couple of trips to finish (back to Atlanta, new visit to Barcelona, Bellinzona and final filming in Geneva and Lyon). So I look forward to this little layover in Nairobi where we will, again, have the privilege of staying in a very nice place. That's it for now, off I go to breakfast...

We are leaving Singapore but not without thanking the very efficient team at the Singapore National Cancer Center. First thanks go to Carol and Adeline for organising our stay. A special thanks to Adeline for taking such good care of us all day. I hope that your karaoke evening went well! As for Professor Soo, thanks for a great interview; yours and your team's. We feel we leave Singapore with as much material as we collected in Peru. We feel that, added to our USA and European footage, along with Australia and other countries visited, we are starting to get a balanced view of cancer worldwide.

We now look forward to our days in Bangkok. We have yet to confirm our interviews but, in all cases, it will be a valuable stopover inasmuch as we will use the time to get some stunning background footage. Actually, I'm getting to the point of wanting to get the filming done and to hit the editing. There's so much footage to sift through and put together! But, alas, that time is not yet here. Another 30 days to go before we wrap up our filming.

A big hug to all our fans! I know that quite a few of you have been following our exploits and I thank you for your interest. But don't be shy. Feel free to post comments directly on the site under each blog or gallery image. You need only register to post.

That's it for Tokyo. We leave for Singapore tomorrow. It was quick but useful. Our interview with Dr. Hirohashi went better than expected. As for the National Cancer Center; quite an impressive facility. It is modern, equipped, staffed and apparently funded.

Tokyo was also useful for many lifestyle shots including smoking, eating and stress.

On a personal note, it was very frustrating finding restaurant where I could explain that I was a vegan. I really should have learned how to say "vegan" in Japanese! I did, ultimately, find joy. I found a great stand up sushi bar that served delicious vegetable maki.

As for transportation. It is the most efficient and cleanest public transport systems I have ever seen. This said, the train and subway map is daunting and yet I found five people who know all the stops by heart!

We leave Sydney with a desire to come back soon. What a city. Clean, dynamic, beautiful, diverse, monumental and the words could keep coming. I must say, Sydney surprised me. I'm not sure what I was expecting but it was that and more.

Professionally, it was a successful trip. Our interviews went very well. The first one with Dr. Penman, CEO of the Cancer Council of New South Wales was a great picture exchange. He was able to give us both a New South Wales and Australian perspective. I think, admittedly, that the highlight was Dr. Heinrich's role playing operation. Basically, as you will see in the film, he and his team put together role playing to improve medical practioners' communications skills. Talking with Dr. Stretch was also very informative. He told us all about melanoma, the most common type of cancer in adult Australian males.

We were also pleased with our mid-point stand up which we filmed in front of the Sydney Opera House.

Now it's on to Tokyo to interview Prof. Hirohashi the President of the National Cancer Center.

Our Atlanta trip was very focussed: an interview with Dr. Otis Brawley. That's enough. His vision of cancer was so sweeping and, frankly, he shed light on an aspect of cancer which, until now, was too far below my radar screen: disparity. I discovered how disparity has a direct impact on cancer. He gave me a great story of a poor woman who was unwilling to continue her treatment. Among the reasons she gave was that her treatment was at the same time each day and that she was afraid that if she left the house every day at the same time, burglars would seize the opportunity and burglarize her home. How sad.

A major thank you to Rennie Sloan for her passionate work on this project. Thanks to you and the entire ACS international and communications teams for your enthusiasm.

A quick thank you to the ACS studio staff, especially Peter Carlin and his boss Becky. Thanks to all for the use of the studio.

We will be back in Atlanta in late May to film Dr. Seffrin. I also want to visit the Carter Center and the Aquarium. Both look like very worthwhile and educational side trips.

From Atlanta, it's now on to Sydney via Dallas and Los Angeles; a mere 24-hour journey with three nice opportunities to have our luggage lost or dropped off the airplane by oh so gentle luggage handlers.

I still remember arriving to the United States in the early 60's. We used to come down from Canada by car. Crossing the border was a welcoming experience. Same for the flights into the United States or even arriving by boat as we did on the Rotterdam. The experience was thrilling. We were being let in but also being greeted. What's more, it was an exact science. Americans were just so efficient.

Well, fast forward to this arrival to the US. An overhaul is required. Arriving at JFK was not easy. Not that I mind standing in line for 90 minutes, as we did. But as we neared the immigration counters, all normalcy faded. Suddenly, despite long line ups, a dozen officers left as if called on an emergency. Others opened but the poor ushers who had to guide us could only guess at how to redispatch those of us in the abandandoned queues. In short, a two and a half hour experience. But we did make it through.

There is good news in the arrival process. The customs officer who had to inspect our camera equipment and sign off on the ATA carnet, was a gentleman and very kind. The whole process took less than five minutes filled mostly with conversation about the film we were working on. As with all Americans we have spoken to since arriving, a film about cancer can only interest them.

From JFK we headed to Manhattan only to find that we (I) took us to the wrong Marriott. Long story but after several negotiations, we managed to get a room in the hotel. At this point Sophie and Gilles were in sensory overdrive as they discovered the US, New York and of all places, Times Square.

This was Sunday. A little personal note; friends of mine threw a little class reunion dinner for me so I shared some nice moments with some old friends from high school. One of them I had not seen in 31 years. We do change.

Monday was an exciting day for the film. We had the privilege of filming Dr. Bernard Levin, professor emeritus at MD Anderson and editor of the World Cancer Report. In addition to great substance, the interview will hopefully reflect the location: Barzani's, a grocery store on Broadway. It was incredibly a propos to be interviewing a leading prevention advocate a few meters from fresh fruit and vegetables.

Monday night was a personal moment as well. My wife Maria and our two girls joined us; they flew in from Geneva to spend the girls' school holiday here visiting family. We managed to schedule the Washington DC shoot to coincide with their arrival. Now comes the fun part. Rather than flying or driving down from New York to DC, I decided that the crew and the family would spend a few days together in an RV (recreational vehicle). This 31-foot Winnebago turned out to be a great idea. We saved money, enjoyed ourselves far more and got to see side road wonders that you would not see from the air or a freeway.

Film-wise, Washington far surpassed expectations. The four interviews were all very powerful. We started with Ruth Hoffman who heads Candlelighters, a great NGO that you will see featured in the film. We also interviewed a well known figure in the fight against cancer, Komen for the Cure's founder and leader, Ambassador Nancy Brinker. Last, but not least, two inspiring figures were interviewed at the Washington Cancer Institute, Dr. Elmer Huerta, President of the American Cancer Society and Dr. Tom Glynn, its scientific director. In the case of Dr. Huerta, I think and hope that we will become friends. His unique style and actions must be emulated. Additionally, our two moms both passed away with cancer within two months of one another. As we shared that moment we were, as you can imagine, both moved. Interestingly, both of us made the same promise as well: to use our respective knowledge, resources or positions to further the cause and fight cancer with all our energy.

The trip back to New York was also fun but goodbyes are never easy and that's what I just did to my little family who will stay in New York for an additional week before flying back home to Annecy.

The film adventure continues as we fly onwards to Atlanta...

What a busy time we have had in Latin America. It has not been calm for a moment. Our arrival in Sao Paulo was already rather lively inasmuch as Iberia lost our luggage. We are not talking any luggage here, we are talking about the two cases with all our camera equipment. That somehow is not good news for a film crew just starting a round the world trip. So our first weekend in Latin America was spent chasing around trying to get some news on our two trunks. Finally, at the last minute, literally an hour before getting on the flight from Sao Paulo to Rio de Janeiro on Sunday 6 April, we found them. Despite being told that they were stuck in Madrid, they had actually never been through Madrid. They had flown on Lufthansa, instead of Iberia, from Lyon to Munich to Sao Paulo. Adding insult to injury, the staff at Iberia in Sao Paulo were really not helpful. But anyway, with the amazing help of Michael's wife Ana, we finally tracked them down. The good news is that the federal policeman who could have very well asked us to pay for a transit deposit, saw my despair and decided he would just trust me to take the equipment back out of the country and let us through.

A quick thank you to all the mondofragilis américa latina team that greeted our crew. It was so good to finally meet all of you face to face. It's crazy when you have foreign partners and staff that you have never met. But now we have and I am very happy we did. And thanks for looking so hard for a vegan restaurant, that was great of you.

So off we went from Sao Paulo, without having done any filming, and on to Rio de Janeiro. That was quite a trip too. When we landed in Rio we were hit by a humidity wall of heat. It was in the low 30s (Celsius) with humidity up in the 90s. This did not help to calm our nerves regarding potential mosquito presence. Not sure if you all heard, but Rio is in the midst of a Dengue fever epidemic. This is what AFP had to say about it a few hours ago: "Twelve more people died from dengue fever in Rio de Janeiro state, raising to 79 the death toll from the start of the year and to 75,399 the infections by the mosquito-borne disease, health authorities said Wednesday." I think we made it through okay, though Gilles got a mosquito bite at the hotel. This said, it was several days ago and he has shown zero symptoms, so he must be fine.

In Rio, we were picked up at the airport and made our way to the hotel right on a beach. Unfortunately, we were only staying there one night, it was late, and the low cloud cover and rain meant we could neither go out or see anything for that matter. We were obviously looking forward to seeing the Cristo but that would not be our destiny. This said, we did see it briefly in the morning when our driver took us to INCA, the national cancer institute.

That's where we went on the Monday. Thank you to Rodrigo and his team for a wonderful welcome. They worked really hard to pack in several interviews into just one morning. We were pleased and honoured to interview most of the directorate including Prof. Santini. We also had some great moments looking around the INCA facility most notably their pediatric section.

From INCA, it was time to rush to the airport. Surprise, the car they provided was too small to fit our trunks. It was a hybrid biofuel/propane car with two large propane tanks in the trunk. So we had to rush to get a van and off we went to the airport to catch our rather bizarre set of flights that would take us from Rio back to Sao Paulo for an on the ground -- not off the plane -- stopover. Then on to Santiago for a couple of hours before heading for Lima.

Peru

Simply perfect. The filming, the people, the interviews, the travelling, the food, the ruins... Need we say more?

Indeed, the INEN team was incredibly prepared. Headed by Edgar Palomino, the team greeted us, led us, had interviews ready... We interviewed two ex-health ministers both current/ex directors of the Cancer Center (INEN). We interviewed the deputy director, the ever charismatic Raúl Cordero. Then we went to Trujillo where Dr. Ayala's team was simply superb. Dr. Ayala, known simply as Pepe, picked us up at the airport and from then on in, it was one busy moment after another.

The hotel in Trujillo was also great. The 'Libertador' is truly a memorable location. It's something out of old colonial Spain. Wait, that's right, Peru was... Actually, it's more like a Zorro location. It could be the governor's palace.

Filming in the ruins was also great. We filmed the intro to the history piece there.

PS. Don't forget to click over to the trip's photo gallery for images along the way...