Mention overlanding in a car and most will think of a suitably large, outfitted 4WD, complete with long range tanks and all the necessary gear. But Nursulhi Rahim, better known as “Along” to friends and enemies, preferred to do things a little differently with his 2004 Perodua Kelisa.
Together with his 17-year old son Muhamad Aidil, 45-year old Along is now in the second phase of his journey around the world with his Kelisa, affectionately named “Wheely”. Their journey began in November 2019 when Along, after completing renovations to the author’s house, embarked on the first phase.
Taking the overland route via Thailand, Along and Aidil took Wheely through Myanmar, India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovenia, Austria, German, Holland, Sweden and Norway. A short break in the journey was necessitated after Wheely’s automatic gearbox needed repair, requiring a replacement unit to be flown out from Malaysia.
The journey resumed, traversing Europe via Belgium, France, Switzerland, Italy, Greece before stopping in Turkey for the return leg. It was at this point the Covid-19 pandemic struck the world, calling a temporary halt to Along’s trip with the father and son duo managing to return to Malaysia before all international travel was halted.
“At first, when the thought of travelling across the continent came, I thought it was crazy but I couldn’t sit still till I did it,” says Along. The second thing Along considered was Aidil, whom Along wanted to see and experience the world.
“Aidil is not the best in school, so, I wanted to show him the world and expand his horizons,” Along says. “To show him that the world and our lives are more than just about academic achievement,” he added.
Wanting to show Aidil the reality of life, that there are opportunities and skills that bring meaning and fulfilment, Along says, “I want him to know, even without academic qualifications, we must never give up. We are not failures. With overlanding, I hope to broaden his mind and thinking.”
Along is no stranger to overlanding, having previously done a trip to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, using a Vespa scooter. This time around, with a Perodua Kelisa, Along wanted to show that normal folk, coming from a small town in Malaysia, are able to travel the world without using a big or fancy vehicle.
The journey was not without its challenges, says Along, reminiscing about the time a snowstorm left them stranded at Julier Pass, Switzerland, for six hours before authorities reopened the road. In another incident, a slippery road surface sidelined Wheely for 12 hours in the middle of a forest in minus 35 degree Celsius, with Along and Aidil having to sleep in the car with the engine running to keep warm.
Their journey resumed in September 2022, when Along and Aidil picked up Wheely after a there-year break, having been left in the care of Bayramic, Turkey. At which point Wheely threw a spanner in the works with a return of its gearbox issues.
Help sourced online, along with a video call with a mechanic in Malaysia, allowed them to progress on their journey with a plan to visit the Pakistan-China border via the Karakoram Highway. Just 50 kilometres before the Khunjerab Pass, their journey was halted yet again by authorities, citing bad weather and dangerous road conditions.
With this change in plans, they headed to Lahore, Pakistan, where Wheely was left in storage while they travelled back to Malaysia for the General Election. Along plans to resume the journey in the near future, bringing Wheely back to Malaysia.
Who would have thought, being self-supported and without sponsors or publicly, this father and son team together with their Kelisa, could have made such a journey?
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thank you for the story. inspiring :o)
semangat! kudos, tabik Along dan Aidil
Nice and amazing journey. Would love to do similar one day.
Remarkable feat by the father son duo! Making Malaysians proud indeed.
Kudos to the Semangat Malaysia Boleh of the father-son duo for making this happened. The bonding, pre-adolescent experiences of the father son, and the irreplaceable world touring exposures would be a last time and precious moments.
BTW, maybe someone should be inspired to take our “King of the Road” MyVi on a similar sojourn to forever mint the title?
Or better still, round up a gang of Myvi drivers to do the same! Let’s see whether they’ve had the material like they do on Malaysian roads!
Tahniah along Dan aidil. Respect bro.
Nxt time around..show you.. son kebesaran ALLAH
why must everything be about religion?
Cant we just accept this story as a remarkable feast by 2 Malays?
What’s wrong about religion? Don’t forget where did you come from?
Agreed, neither do we need to make everything about race. A remarkable feat by 2 Malaysians indeed.
A truely inspiring journey. Me having a similar interest to travel by driving, but bounded by normal day-to-day 8am-to-5pm job, the least I could do is everyday, i would open Google Maps for half an hour, and go thru the street views of various countries all over the world… as if I am driving thru the streets there.
Would be nice if he can share how he did it with details on the route, insurance coverage, permits required and other stuffs.
I’m sure alot would like to know and keen on doing the same given the chance.
agree, have been thinking about doing this adventure
What a story ! Hopefully he can share more, and I have one question…Do the car even have heater? I am sure Kelisa only have aircon.
Bravo to Father and Son taking the road less travelled! Inspiration to the rest of us.
‘having to sleep in the car with the engine running to keep warm’
A Kelisa is usually not fitted with a heating radiator in the dashboard (as it’s standard in cold countries)?
My thoughts exactly. They must’ve done some modifications, and sourced a heater core from half-cut Daihatsu’s and fitted it to their Kelisa. Most local SE-Asia cars won’t be suitable for trips like these without modification, Toyota Vios comes to mind. Can’t adjust the aircond blower to blow to the windscreen, and I don’t think it’s fitted with a heater core either even tho there’s auto A/C
Salute bro!!!
With the experience gained the father and son could start a company for Malaysians to travel overlanding across countries. I am sure there are many Malaysians who would like to experience this adventure with professional and experienced guides like Along and his son.
Reckon they did not streamed their travel on Youtube because I tried searching, negative results.
For them, everything is possible…they made all Kelisa owner proud
nothing to be proud of kelisa, if you read the article the gear box had to be replaced twice
This is amazing to read. Best of luck on the second phase of your journey!
Absolutely fantastic.
I had a Kelisa manual transmission. Traded in. Regret to this day.
What a great adventure on a small car! Well done! It would be incredible (and profitable) if Father&Son can set up an overland driving Tour company. SYABAS!
An inspiring story. I have shared with my students for Motivation in English. What you did for your son is amazing. Travel is indeed the best education one can have.
20 years gone, kelisa second price still strong around rm16k. Funny back in 2005 i was thinking of changing my kelisa gx to gen 2 which can now get under rm8k. That’s the differences of a friendly maintenance car vs a problematic designed car.
Tq to all for ypur support ..
Ordinary folks doing great things!
What a good story!
I once owned a Kelisa, it was a work horse! Mechanically simple, it doesn’t break down because it has nothing much to break. No fancy motherboard and sensors. A very good upgrade from my Kancil before it.
Very inspiring story. I was so inspired I decided to make my own journey with my BMW. I reached Genting enjin kaput :(