Wanderlust and motor head Shakir Subhan, popularly known on social media as ‘Mallu Traveller’, has made a pit stop in Bahrain as part of his ‘dream ride’ to 100 countries, straddling the 2015 Honda Gold Wing-40th anniversary edition.
This is the adventure enthusiast’s third visit to the kingdom – he has been here previously with family.
Bahrain is his sixth destination after riding 5,000km from India to Nepal and then to Dubai, where he lives with his wife and two sons, followed by Oman and Saudi Arabia.
“I started this ride two months ago but I took a break for Ramadan and restarted after Eid,” the 34-year-old, who has travelled to more than 70 countries so far, told the GDN yesterday.
“From Bahrain, I am going to ride to Kuwait and then Iraq, followed by Türkiye,” the Indian national from Kerala, who was in Bahrain for two days and left yesterday, added.
He hopes to complete his project in two years.
The travel bug’s love affair with bikes began during his rides with his dad. However, life had different plans and he ended up moving to Dubai where he worked as a labourer for two years.
In 2018, he decided to move back home and start his own YouTube channel and hasn’t looked back since; the channel currently has 2.7 million subscribers.
“I used to ride with my dad, he had a Vespa (scooter). Since my childhood, I dreamed of owning a bike and alhamdulillah (thanks to God), now I have the most beautiful bike in the country – the 40th anniversary Honda Gold Wing is the most luxurious bike in the world.
“Things changed for me after I started my channel. I returned to Dubai after the Covid-19 pandemic as a guest of the government to promote tourism – the same country where I worked as a labourer,” the UAE golden visa holder and media company owner, noted.
This is not the first time Mallu Traveller (@mallu_traveler on Instagram) has embarked on a riding mission – ‘Mallu’ is slang for ‘Malayali’, a person from Kerala. In a recent adventure, he clocked more than 5,000km cruising across Türkiye.
Prior to the Gold Wing, he took the Toyota Overlander on a spin across countries like Georgia, Jordan, and Bahrain and other Gulf countries.
Even so, he has faced many challenges like the time in Iran when the fuel station attendant refilled his diesel-engine ride with petrol; or when he and his family almost fell off a mountain in Armenia.
“There have been many challenges but I’m ready to face them – I’ve been doing this for a long time. I call myself a ‘traveller’ and not a ‘tourist’ because I like to face the struggles; I want to meet the local people and learn their culture…,” he said, adding that he started his escapades as a hitchhiker.
Talking about his experience in Bahrain, he said, “Bahrain is so safe, the roads are nice, and it has changed so much since I was here two years ago. Even the border crossing (from Saudi Arabia) was easy because they use the latest technology – no stamping hassles! The culture here is very modern and the people are so welcoming.”
Speaking of his future, Mallu Traveller revealed that this is his last tour. “After this ride, I will not do any projects. This is my dream ride. I am going to cover every country. While I’ve set a target of 100, I know it will be more than that,” he said.
melissa@gdnmedia.bh
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