“It's a bit hard, I'm 500 miles from the jam jar.
From Chita, in south-eastern Siberia, Russia, his heart is heavy when spoken to on the phone.
Leaving Paris on April 30, Patrick Veisselier, alias Patrick Le Chinois, was to rally China in a Smart to play his show in Mandarin on June 17 and 19.
For administrative reasons, he was forced to turn around at the gates of the Middle Kingdom after 17,000 km.
“We tried all the tracks, now I know for about an hour, it does not work, he says.
I did have a visa for China and a tolerance for quarantine to enter, but then there are 21-day quarantines to change region, he explains.
I'm going to go through seven and at least three would force it on me, I didn't know.
"
Patrick Veisselier, alias Patrick Le Chinois, in Tchita in the south-east of Siberia.
This June 14, the comedian is forced to turn around.
DR Patrick Veisselier
The shows could be postponed until the end of June, beyond that is not possible, even if he complied with these quarantines, he would be out of time.
"I could give it a go, but if I enter, I can't turn back, because I have a visa for one entry into Russia," he adds.
A Chinese official came to meet him at his hotel on Monday to tell him that it would be no.
"They tell you that with a smile, coat it with compliments, but it's still a no."
"
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“I had doubts early on, when in Slovenia I was turned away and I was unable to enter Austria, I said to myself:
It's not won.
But over time, confidence won out, he continues.
I was stranded in Poland, Ukraine, I was searched and held for six hours at the Russian border, they put the car on a bridge, took off the wheels, I felt like I was James Bond ".
The road in Siberia is embellished with many unusual images.
DR
“I passed all these stages with an insolent luck which suggested that it was going to pass. Entering Russia was already a miracle, I imagined that once there, it was won, well no, he continues. I always have a strong morale, but this is a bit hard because it was trying
(he is silent for a while)
. But hey, here it is ... I feel helpless, I have no solution, he breathes. It hurts my morale, it's fatigue too. I do 4-hour nights… ”
“I have to find the motivation to take the path back with a laugh, because it must be said, it is a failure.
We can talk to him about his memories, "incredible, obviously, but it is the disappointment that prevails."
He lists, however, his announcement live on Russian television that he would come back to play in Russian - "on a whim, I have to learn Russian, the dates are taken in March" - the Mongolian national holiday lived in the middle of a forest with a family or even those hotels in the middle of nowhere which did not make him pay by saying: "Tell the French people that the Russians love them."
"
His visa for Russia expires on June 30
“I will try to erase the disappointment to make some incredible encounters on the return trip as well, to take advantage of it.
He will therefore be back on the road, in the opposite direction in a few hours, around 4 am local time, taking advantage of the day that rises early to drive as much as possible.
"I think it will be difficult to return to Ukraine because of the conflict with Russia, so I will go in the direction of Moscow and try to go through Latvia or Estonia, knowing that on my way there , Latvia did not let me leave Europe, I will do it piecemeal.
"
VIDEO.
Archives: Patrick Veisselier rehearses his one-man-show in Mandarin
At best, he has twenty days to come back. In any case, he must leave Russia before June 30, the expiration date of his visa. He will perform his show in Mandarin on January 30, February 1 and 2, 2022 on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower. Just before, he will return to China where his dates have been postponed to January 2022. By what means? "Not on a plane, sure," he smiles. I find it difficult to be satisfied with the show, for me, that's all, it's the preparation too. I already have some ideas. "