• Analysis
Karl Bushby's journey home: Hull explorer returns after 28 years
British explorer Karl Bushby has returned to his hometown of Hull after 28 years and roughly 50,000 kilometres of travel across four continents, and spoke to France 24's François Picard shortly after his homecoming.
From Hull, around the world, back home
After 28 years and some 50,000 kilometres of travel, British explorer Karl Bushby is back in his hometown of Hull. Shortly after his emotional homecoming, he spoke to France 24's François Picard about the journey home that took him across four continents.
Bureaucracy over monsters: the hardest obstacles
The physical feats alone would test anyone: the treacherous crossing of the frozen Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia, a marathon swim across the Caspian Sea and, finally, the English Channel. Yet Bushby joked that his fiercest opponents carried clipboards rather than weapons. As he put it:
Not so many giant Cyclops, but giant bureaucratic problems and hurdles to overcome
In his experience, political geography frequently proved the more insurmountable obstacle, with diplomatic negotiation and international cooperation needed to keep moving.
'It took a world': the best of humanity
Asked what carried him through, Bushby pointed to the best of humanity: the kindness of perfect strangers, the support of communities and the assistance of governments along the route. "They say it takes a village. In this case, it took a world," he said.
A nearly new country
Nearly three decades abroad have changed his view of home. Returning to Great Britain, Bushby said it almost feels like discovering a whole new country.
The Hull explorer is now home, his journey complete.
