Chinese Globetrotter Ends African Trip by BicycleA 44-year-old man from China bid farewell to the vast African continent on Wednesday and rode on his bicycle with self-confidence to continue his ambitious round- the-world journey despite unimaginable twists and turns.As part of his "marathon" tour, bicyclist Li Yuezhong visited a total of 25 African countries, making it almost half-way round the continent in one year and a half, with Angola as the last leg of his African tour. Now he is gearing up his efforts to head straight for Brazil, the first stop of his new journey to Latin America. Wherever he went, he showed the people the photos he had taken during his African tour, including the Masais in Kenya and the Kimbundo and Ovimbundo people living in Angola, saying that "all of them smiled to me and helped me whenever I was in hot water." He began his round-the-world journey in March, 1997 from Bulgaria, where he had operated a Chinese restaurant, which was sold in the year. The globetrotter said: "I managed the restaurant only for raising funds for realizing my dream of traveling around the world. " From March, 1997 to January, 1999, he bicycled cross 26 European countries and three Asian countries. On January 16, 1999, he left Spain for Morocco, starting his one-year-and-a-half journey to Africa. As for his future journey, Li said that it will continue to be fantastic. According to his plan, Li will spend one year or so in Latin America, where he will visit Cape Froward, the southernmost point of the South American continent. After visiting Caribbean countries and the North American continent, Li plans to return to his motherland China. "I set China as the destination of my round-the-world trip because I miss and love my hometown," he said with certainty. |
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