Man drives across five continents in four years

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A 44-year-old Chinese man has concluded a drive around five continents, ending the last leg in Ushuaia, southern Argentina.

Chen Yong, a former technician from Yibin, in southwestern China's Sichuan Province, started his journey through North and South America on August 2. He arrived in Ushuaia on February 17 after 200 days of travel.

It took him three trips over four years to drive through Asia, Europe, Africa, and North and South America.

View of southwest China's Sichuan Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. /VCG Photo

"I didn't know how far I could go when I started this adventure, because it was a challenging and almost impossible goal for me," Chen said. "I used up 20 years of my savings to realize a dream I had when I was young. Of course, it took a lot of effort to succeed.”

"I now know that no matter how big or small your dream is, you can make it come true as long as you take action."

Before starting his trip, Chen worked at a State-owned enterprise in Yibin. He left his job in 2014 and became a traveler. He runs a drivers' club and leads interested participants on driving tours across the globe.

As an ardent traveler, Chen traveled extensively in China before making his first overseas trip in 2012 to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.

Prasat Bayon temple ruin in Angkor Thom, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia. /VCG Photo

Though Chen can hardly speak any foreign languages, he has set foot in 77 countries and regions.

He started his first cross-continental adventure on June 18, 2014, taking his 14-year-old son with him as he drove from Yibin to Beijing and then through Russia to Milan, Italy, in two months.

His wife complained about him being away for such a long time, but Chen was insistent on continuing his adventures.

On February 13, 2015, Chen left Milan bound for the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, which he reached 10 months later.

View of Iguazu falls in Brazil. /VCG Photo

"I received a lot of help getting the necessary documents as I traveled across countries," he said. "I planned to go to America from Africa, but I ran out of money and had to go back home."

Chen started to plan his third cross-continental trip in July. He shipped his SUV from China to San Francisco and flew to the city with two travel companions, a friend and a freelancer, who are both intrepid travelers.

Chen said each of them spent close to 200,000 yuan (29,400 U.S. dollars) for their journey across North and South America.

His next goal is to set foot in Antarctica.

"There is never an end to the journey of life, as there is never an end to one's dreams," he said.

Source(s): China Daily