Bruno Blanchet returns in the fourth season of the series with his usual madness, his thirst for adventure and his appetite for authentic encounters Monsieur Bruno’s vacationbroadcast from Friday on the special channel Évasion.
The presenter never misses an opportunity to add a touch of self-deprecation by filming skits highlighting various characters, but admits in an interview that he has calmed down a bit.
Mr. Bruno with his host Raymond in the Soweto ghetto, South Africa. PHOTO PROVIDED BY EVASION
“I think that as I get older I need tenderness, love and simple joys. Mr. Bruno wants to make people laugh as well as move them; he wants us to be good to each other.”
Always equipped with the same costume and the same little brown suitcase, Mr. Bruno is sometimes a poet, sometimes a privileged observer of places little visited or even of cultures and traditions to be discovered.
He shows great sensitivity and an inspiring openness towards others and suggests unusual human encounters, as we saw when watching the first episode.
“If I can inspire people to reach out to others, not just in travel but in life in general,” he said as a wish to the universe.
This time, the Quebecer, who lives in Thailand, and his Zone3 team are visiting countries in the south of the African continent as well as Indonesia, where he almost “hangs his hat because the people are so nice”. It is impossible for him to be interested in the most popular attractions or the destinations popular with travelers.
Always with Raymond at a market before preparing a typical local feast. PHOTO PROVIDED BY EVASION
He begins this fourth season, ten years after the first, by packing his bags in South Africa, where he visits Johannesburg, the country’s largest city, which he discovered 15 years earlier. “I thought it was a great opportunity to witness the passage of time.”
He quickly understands the positive change in places in terms of safety. He also goes to the Soweto ghetto, where poverty is more severe. Nevertheless, he only meets smiles on his way, including the friendly Raymond, who opens the door to his house for him.
“The nice thing about the series is that all angles are allowed. Everything that inspires and surprises us can be seen on television, even the problems we face. The things that don’t work, we don’t pretend it didn’t happen.”
Three more countries on his long roadmap
This season he visits three countries he has never seen with his own eyes: Mozambique, Lesotho and Eswatini. The latter is a well-kept “travel secret”.
“Access is not very easy and distances are long. It was so wet that we couldn’t leave our hotel in Semonkong. The bridge was under water and we had to change our plans. It’s a typical show in the sense that there was an obstacle in our way and we went the other way. We hired a guide and discovered Maletsunyane Falls, an absolutely wonderful place worthy of an Avatar setting.”
On his very first visit to South Africa, Mr. Bruno meets a woman he knew 15 years ago. PHOTO PROVIDED BY EVASION
Bruno Blanchet, who mainly only travels for his shows, otherwise runs in Quebec like last summer – he wants to do it again in 2024 “to meet the world again” – or explore the many provinces of Thailand, speaks of an “intense” shoot .
“I always have to be 100% there and that’s what keeps me going! There are few things that combine all of my passions so much: communication, meeting people, travel and adventure. I don’t want to be anywhere else or do anything else. Everything I am is reflected in the series.
The first of 12 episodes of the fourth season of the series Monsieur Bruno’s Vacation will air this Friday, November 17th at 9 p.m. on Évasion.