123-year-old man

123-year old man named Carmelo Flores Laura, living alone near Lake Titica, Bolivia, is believed to be the oldest person walking on Earth.

In an interview with The Telegraph UK, he claims that the people who lived in the area have left over 10 years ago. The widower has been living alone in a straw-roof hut, feeding on lizards, foxes, pork rinds as well as canahua, a type of quinoa rich in amino acids and proteins. As for alcohol, he shares he drank a bit during his youth. The 123-year old native Aymara claims he does a lot of walking and until now does not go about the rough terrains with any aids.

"I've never been lazy," the 123-year old man shares in the interview. "I always shared the cooking with my wife. We would eat what we could find growing wild. We ate mostly skunk meat. I still go on long walks every day." He doesn't speak any Spanish, is illiterate but doesn't wear any glasses. He tells the reporter, "I see a bit dimly. I had good vision before. But I saw you coming."

Just to give you an idea as to how long this man has been living, he was 24 when the 1st World War broke and Queen Victoria had yet 11 more years on the throne. His age was easily presented with proof, thanks to the civil registry of Bolivia. The 123-year old man was born July 16, 1890 according to his baptismal certificate, which was considered a legal and good enough document prior to the existence of the registry come 1940.

123-year old Carmelo needs to be proven and stamped by Guinness World Records in order to certify that he is the oldest living person in the world. Jamie Panas, Guinness' spokeswoman claims they are unaware of any claim that's currently being filed by Bolivia. If he does, then he easily surpasses115-year old Japanese native Misao Okaw. On record, the oldest person who ever lived was 122-year old French Jeanne Calment who passed away in 1997.


Carmelo currently has 3 children, 16 grand children and 39 great grand children.

source: http://www.jobsnhire.com/articles/4932/20130815/123-year-old-man-bolivia-oldest-person-world-whats-secret.htm