From Tampin To Turkiye: Father & Son Drive Perodua Kelisa Across 20 Countries In 7 Months
"Sometimes you have to be crazy to do crazy things, so we did it."
By May Vin Ang — 01 Dec 2022, 05:50 PM
In a road trip of their lifetimes, a father and son from Tampin, Negeri Sembilan left their home to travel the world — through rain, snow, mountains, and dirt roads — in their trusty ol' 2004 Perodua Kelisa
Documenting their journey on Facebook and TikTok, Nursulhi Rahim, better known online as Aimpro Samudra, said he is grateful that he and his son, Muhammad Aidil, have been able to travel far and wide in their humble vehicle, nicknamed Wheely.
"From Malaysia to Thailand, Myanmar, India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkiye, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Croatia, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, France, Italy, Switzerland, Greece, and many more countries, Wheely has been our luxury residence and camping spot," wrote the adventurer on Facebook recently.
According to Google Maps, the pair would have easily driven a total of 20,000km in what was the first phase of their trip.
Speaking to SAYS, Nursulhi said their epic road trip had to come to a temporary halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic
The 45-year-old father shared that he and his eldest son, 17-year-old Muhammad Aidil, started their journey way back in November 2019, and were forced to come home one week before Malaysia went under lockdown in March 2020.
"At the time, we were on our return leg back in Turkiye, so we stopped there, parked our car, and flew back to Malaysia," he said.
When asked the reason why they set off on the journey in the first place, the father-of four said that it was actually his dream to travel the world in his old car
"We only made simple preparations for the trip and we have no sponsors, the trip is self-funded," the electrician-by-day first clarified.
"We are just orang kampung who want to see the world. I think of myself as a traveller, and sometimes you have to be crazy to do crazy things, so we did it. At the same time, I wanted my oldest son to experience the world."
"Aidil is not the best in school, so I wanted to broaden his mind and show him that our lives are more than just academic achievements, and that we must never give up."
Nursulhi added that he wanted to prove that anyone could travel, at any age, and with any type of car.
The avid traveller said the best part of their journey was being able to witness the polar lights, or auroras, in Sweden
However, with the good, also came the challenges of driving for hours on end and sleeping in a car with no heater.
"We have been stuck many times, once for six hours because of a snowstorm at the Julier Pass in Switzerland until the authorities reopened the road. And in another incident, we slid off a slippery road and had to wait for help in the middle of a forest for almost 12 hours in -35°C with the engine running," he recounted.
Their journey resumed in September this year, with the goal of driving Wheely, who has been parked in Bayramiç, Turkiye, for almost three years, back to Malaysia
However, luck and the weather has not been on their side.
"We were stuck with a gearbox problem when we went to pick up the car in Turkiye," Nursulhi explained, adding that they also had to battle the extreme cold while fixing the car with their limited skills.
"After that was done, we drove to Iran, where we decided to visit the border of China via one of the highest paved roads in the world, Karakoram Highway."
However, at 50km before the Khunjerab Pass, they were asked to turn around due to bad weather and dangerous road conditions
Nursulhi said the adventure has come to a stop again, and they parked Wheely at a friend's home in Lahore, Pakistan, to fly back to Malaysia to fulfil their responsibilities and vote in the 15th General Election.
The father and son plan to continue their journey in the near future and bring Wheely back home.
