One man, one bicycle, two continents, 35 countries, over 30,000 kilometers, Fayis, on his mission from India to London on a bicycle, reaches Kuwait Saturday, 24th December. Mr Fayis Asraf Ali from Kerala started his historic journey on his bicycle, touching 1000 destinations across 35 countries, on 15th August from the capital city of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram. Crossing Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra, Fayis took a flight from Mumbai to Oman with his bicycle to continue his onward journey. From Oman, he started pedalling his bicycle to cover all emirates except Al in the UAE, then to Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi to reach Kuwait.
"My aim is to spread the message of Zero carbon emission, drug-free campus and to promote peace, healthy heart and fitness," Mr Fayis told IndiansinKuwait.com at Salmiya Marina crescent. This is his second such trip on a bicycle. Earlier in the year 2019, Fayis completed a successful trip from Kerala to Singapore via Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia. The response he received was overwhelming, which made him start his second trip to London.
Fayis, after completing his engineering, was working in Saudi as a network engineer. Due to his father's illness, he was forced to quit his well-paying job to look after his father's health. "That was one of the toughest times in my life, where I spent almost all of my earnings for my father's treatment," Fayis said. That made him realise that money is not everything in life. It was a tough time for Fayis, and he wanted to do something different to achieve recognition in his life. As he was suffering from thyroid and after watching his father's deteriorating health, he started cycling as an exercise. This later made him think about cycling for a long ride. Fayis started to ride a bicycle to Mangalore from his home town in Calicut, which gave him the confidence to make a longer trip.
"My wife is my greatest support for this trip. She is handling all the back-end jobs from India," Fayis said. His wife Dr Asmin Fayis is an Assistant professor at Coorg Institute of Dental Science in Karnataka. The couple have two children.
"So far, the trip is all smooth. Often faced some difficulties in the Visa process. The weather in this region is also a little difficult but manageable," Fayis told. He carries minimal luggage to make the journey comfortable. All luggage is tied to his cycle. The total luggage is around 30 kg, and the cycle weighs around 20 kg. So the total weight is around 50 kg, which gives him good ground support.
"Before starting my journey, I had approached all government agencies, including the Ministry of External Affairs, for support. I also met Minister Shri V Muraleedharan before starting my trip. However, I am still facing many difficulties in Visa formalities and other procedures to cross each country," Fayis said.
In Saudi, Fayis received very good support even from the local government. The Saudi police accompanied him and gave him road protection throughout his journey in Saudi. Crossing of Kuwait border also was a comfortable experience. The Kuwaiti officers at the border were very supportive, Fayis said. During his trip, Fayis also visited many schools and gave his message of healthy life and drug-free campus. Nothing is impossible if you work hard to achieve it, from city to city, in unknown countries and territories, Fayis proves that your aim is what drives you forward.