Rafiq
Growing up in Madurai, South India, my window to the world was TinTin. TinTin, Snowy, and crew took kids like me on a virtual tour around the world. The colorful depiction of nuances – attire, features, architecture, landscape – laced with the adventures in the storyline kept us captivated and perhaps put a bug in my head.
Fast forwarding to mid-life, there is a growing sense of wanting to materialize a few churning adventure ideas. Indeed mid-life crisis has a role to play. The coming of age of next generation – Faris (Nephew) and Narein (Son) – can’t be better timed as well. Faris completing his primary education and about to start the 2 year drill with Singapore National Service and Narein completing his first year of high school.
For now, overlanding from India to Singapore to cover all the South East Asian countries that are connected by land seems doable. That will take us to India, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. That will leave us with the remaining SE Asian countries to cover down the road – Philippines, Indonesia, and Brunei – and of course the rest of the world.
Faris
As a young globetrotter, I always had a thirst to travel and try new things. Pacing along long stretches of highway and narrow by-lanes in towns in a Toyota Fortuner allowed us to experience the local culture in much more detail.
Having grown up in Singapore – a bustling metropolis, exploring different countries in such a way was astonishing. Moreover, doing so just before starting my two-year stint with my Singapore National Service opened up many doors to me and allowed me to mature as a more culturally cognizant person. As part of my National Service, I am training to be a firefighter.
This trip would not have been possible without Rafiq Uncle’s intricate planning that spanned nearly 6 months. There is more travel in the pipeline but for now, I can’t help but cherish those eventful four weeks Overlanding some 8,000km in a Toyota Fortuner
Narein
As a high school freshman, I think I can withstand some physical challenges and demands of extended travel. When I first heard about my dad’s intention of embarking on such a trip, I initially thought this would be another passing cloud of his to explore the world. As the days passed through, his plan to travel across Southeast Asia became more tangible, along with my uncertainty about the possibility of completing such a trip.
As a naturally curious person, I have a genuine interest in seeing new things, whether they are beneficial or unknowingly harmful. However, my expectations for this trip were totally unmatched for when we reached Moreh, India. Immediately, all kinds of unexpected obstacles came across us, and I started to wonder if this trip was even a good idea in the first place. After being accustomed to a life with daily routines, a trip that could have so many flaws began to worry me.
When our trip was finished, I had a newfound appreciation for different cultures. A trip like this has given me the ability to better value the diversity of cultures as well as my own upbringing when compared to some of the poverty stricken areas we have seen. After finishing such a trip, my Dad and I can’t help talking about traveling to new places, like North Korea being on top of my growing list.