Star Metro - French duo reach Shanghai, completing year-and-a-half walk

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 told AFP.

"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.

- 'Responsibility' towards the planet -

The pair have known each other since they were 10 years old, and went to secondary school and university together.

Hanging out after work in Paris one night, they asked each other what they would do "if you could do whatever you wanted".

"When we talked about adventure, (China) came up quickly. Then we had this slightly crazy idea of going on foot," said Humblot, a project manager.

"We're both conscious of climate change, and the responsibility humans bear for it... there are some actions we can take individually," said Voisot, a climate consultant.

"We try not to travel by plane. We've done a pretty good job!"

Crowdfunding and business sponsors helped cover the cost of the trip.

Along the way, their fan base has grown.

"I think they're very impressive, to both have this idea and actually turn it into reality," Salome Gao, a 28-year-old Chinese woman who joined the walk and got their autographs, told AFP.

A woman surnamed Luo said she had come across the Frenchmen's account on social media platform RedNote.

"I found it very moving, because I also like walking and I think it's incredible to come here all the way from France," the 57-year-old said.

She had walked two hours from her home to meet the pair, she said.

- 'Always keep going' -

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.

"It's a bit of a cliche, but it's delicious," said Voisot.

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".

"We've hit the ocean, so we thought, why not take a boat to keep heading east and reach the United States?" said Humblot.

In this scenario, they could walk across North America, then cross the ocean to France and walk back to Annecy, "coming full circle".

But before that, some more pressing -- and simpler -- plans.

Asked what he would do first now the walk was over, Voisot said: "Sleep a lot!"

J.Hall--SMC