Members of the Malaysian Haj pilgrimage Expedition (KIH) on their way to Makkah on land, had a pleasant surprise as they were travelling on the Chinese Lian Huo or better known as the G30 highway last week.
They were travelling on two 4x4 when they spotted a cyclist on the same highway on a hot and humid day on July 31.
As they passed by the cyclist, they noticed the most joyful thing, a mini Jalur Gemilang hoisted at the rear of the bicycle.
It was their countryman!
When members of the expedition spotted him, Teo was on his way to Urumqi, the capital city of the Xinjiang province while the eight KIH participants, who started their journey on July 18, were travelling to Kumul city in the same province
Upon spotting the Malaysian flag, the overjoyed KIH members immediately hailed Teo, asking him to pull over.
Both had a happy time exchanging stories and information about their adventures.
Teo is expected to reach Spain in a year’s time from the day he started his journey from home on March 1st.
Teo said he travelled light, carrying only the necessities that could make his journey easier, and he had no problem of getting food or spending the nights in places he felt comfortable.
“I made friends along the way … and now I have a cycling partner from China who is accompanying me as we travelled in this country,” he told Bernama.
Teo, a former architect, said he decided to embark on the journey some five years ago but it received strong rejection from his parents.
But after persistent persuasion, they finally gave in and decided to let him go for his adventure, he said.
“But I keep in touch with them every two days because I miss them and they miss me too. They know I can manage and take good care of myself,” he said.
Teo said the hot weather in China would not deter him from continuing his journey which has taken him through Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.
“I have to drink a lot of water and although sometimes the weather gets too tough, I am still excited to continue my journey,” he added
Teo said some of his memorable moments of the journey include Buddhist monks offering him food that they have collected in the day, in Thailand.
On the day he was interviewed by this reporter, Teo had travelled some 9,276km.
Talking about the technicalities of his journey, Teo said that he had to make sure that both tyres are replaced at every 5,000 km to ensure safety.
He only travels during the day as it is not safe to cycle at night especially on the highway which is dark without any lights.
To get to Spain, Teo will be travelling through many other countries including central Asia, Turkey and several European countries.
Expedition project director, KhirAriffin, said that he was happy to have met Teo who has similar quest that is to achieve their dream in life.
“We hope that Teo will succeed in reaching his dream and make Malaysia proud”, he said.
The Kembara Inspirasi Haji haj pilgrimage expedition has travelled more than 9,000km with another 7,000km to go before reaching Dubai to complete their journey to Jeddah by flight for their haj in September.
-- BERNAMA
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