After almost two years of travel and “50,000 mosquito bites,” Ed Stafford became the first person known to have walked the entire length of the Amazon River.
"I am simply doing it because no one has done it before," the 34-year-old former British army captain told the AP, adding that he hoped his journey would raise awareness of destruction of the Amazon rain forest.
Stafford, whose journey has cost some $100,000 and is paid for by sponsoring companies and donations, began the walk on the southern coast of Peru on 2008.
“Along the way, he has seen vast swaths of demolished jungle; has lived off piranha fish he caught, rice and beans, and store-bought provisions found in local communities along the river; and has encountered every conceivable danger, from enormous anaconda snakes to illness, food shortages, and the threat of drowning,” the AP said.
But there were also moments of relative luxury: To relax at night, Stafford said he has downloaded episodes of The Office via Internet satellite phone.
By David Wilkening
