Two French adventurers reached the end of an epic walk from their hometown to Shanghai on Saturday, after nearly a year and a half crossing 16 countries almost entirely on foot.
Tired but delighted, Loic Voisot and Benjamin Humblot embraced as they stood by the river on the Bund promenade, the Chinese financial hub's distinctive skyline glittering in the background.
Voisot, 26, and Humblot, 27, set off from Annecy in southeastern France in September 2024.
Yearning for a "great adventure", they wanted to visit China but without flying, to avoid contributing to the harmful environmental impact of the aviation industry.
"We're having a hard time believing it's real, that we've done all that on foot, that we're finally here, after having thought of Shanghai for so long," a weather-beaten Voisot said.
"I think first and foremost we're proud, especially of having dared to do this... We weren't sure we'd make it, but we told ourselves we'd try it out."
The pair spent 518 days on the road, crossing a distance of about 12,850 kilometres (7,980 miles) and taking rests every five or seven days.
They walked around 45 kilometres a day, except for a brief cross into Russia by bus for safety and logistical reasons.
Around 50 people gathered at the start point of the final 10-kilometre stretch of their odyssey, including locals who have been following their journey through China this autumn on social media.
Along the way their numbers swelled, as media, French residents of Shanghai and others joined the procession.
A huge cheer went up as the two men declared their walk was over.
Expectedly, the French duo had encountered some challenges along the way.
"There were very hard winters, we had to cross the desert in Uzbekistan," said Voisot, taking pride in "having had the willpower to always keep going".
And while Humblot said they had generally eaten very well, there was one thing they both missed terribly - French cheese.
Both said that the magnitude of the feat they achieved had not yet sunk in, and that they were tempted "to maybe keep the adventure going"..
Asked what he would do first now the walk was over, Voisot said: "Sleep a lot!" — AFP
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