PETALING JAYA, Sept 18 — Celebrating the Merdeka month was special for avid biker Harprit Singh, also known as Rider Chris, who took to the road to celebrate his interpretation of freedom.
For the 30-year-old who spent 14 days to ride from Malaysia to Thailand, Laos and Cambodia clocking in 7,366 kilometres in total, “Merdeka (Independence) means that I can be outside of my comfort zone and be independent on my own to travel freely,” he wrote in a blog post.
Harprit’s began his long journey from the historical Sultan Abdul Samad building in Kuala Lumpur where the Union Jack was lowered for the last time 62 years ago to signal independence.
The Kuala Lumpur-based IT specialist travelled on an average of 500 kilometres a day riding between 10 to 12 hours daily.
He would be on the road as early as 7am, describing the experience as mentally and physically testing.
“Along the way, I picked up injuries which make riding even harder especially when one of my left foot toe’s skin got peeled off.
“This happened when a worker who cleaned my bike tried to lift my bike off from the center stand and almost dropped my bike,” he detailed.
The entire trip cost him RM4,850 including expenses for fuel, accommodation, food, border and entrance fees, as well as insurance.
His adventure took him to many picturesque places including Bayon Temple in Cambodia’s Angkor, Nakhon Pathom in Thailand and Nam Xay Viewpoint in Laos.
In his post, Harprit encouraged others to chase the adventure of their dreams but highlighted the importance of proper planning, research and repair skills.
“The world is an open highway, go and explore them. It will be your story which will last forever,” he wrote.
He hopes his story will inspire riders out there to explore the world even if it means riding solo.
Read his full post here.
