Nabeel Abdul Nahdy is not your average Joe when it comes to seeing the sights. The Tanzanian student recently took the road less travelled by most tourists – or even locals – and cycled about 420 kilometres from the town of Sibu to Kuching over two days with a group of friends.
“The trip gave me a chance to see more of Sarawak, experience the culture and meet new people. I’ve also made friends with people from as young as 12 years old and as old as 55,” he said with a grin.
The journey took him to small towns like Sarikei, Lachau, Sri Aman and Serian.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. If I hadn’t gone along on the trip, I might not possibly have the chance to see these places at all,” said Nabeel who was the only non-Malaysian in the group.
The trip was organised by a group of cycling enthusiasts from Kuching, who apart from challenging themselves physically also hoped to promote the sport of cycling.
“I’ve also tried some of the local fare which I’ve never seen before. Coming from Tanzania, this is all very new and exciting for me.”
A student majoring in accounting at Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus and an avid athlete who is into cycling, football and kayaking, Nabeel also saw the trip as a test of his physical fitness.
Born and raised in the Tanzanian city of Dar Es Salam, Nabeel “had done some cycling” back home but it was only in Kuching that he got into the sport in a serious way.
“So going on the bike trip was a personal challenge for me. I wanted to see if I have the endurance to complete the journey. Spending 18 hours on the bike over two days can be really exhausting but I managed to cover over 420 kilometres and completed what I set out to do,” said a beaming Nabeel.
The 20-odd participants in group first travelled to Sibu by land where they spent a night. Supported by two cars loaded with supplies such as spare tire tubes in case of punctures, high energy food and drinks as well as emergency kits, they made their way to Sri Aman the next morning.
They stopped to spend the night in the quiet town before making the final push home to Kuching the following day.
“And the good news is that I also lost four kilos as a result. So I’m quite happy,” said Nabeel, who admits he had been a little concerned about his weight.
The experience has certainly given him a new high, he says, and he now wants to encourage more of his friends to pick up cycling. “Cycling is also good for the environment as a bicycle does not pollute,” said he said.