Saturday 18 / May / 2024
When Hamdoon Al Hashmi was pedalling his way home across the Arabian Gulf, he had just one thought at the front of his mind: don’t give up.
It is a lesson he’s learned over and over again on his gruelling 1,700 kilometre journey that took him across five Gulf countries last year, and one he plans to put into practice once again when he attempts to undertake the same journey by sea this year.
Another of his rewards on the journey was the lasting memories he made with all those who helped him complete his arduous trip, which sometimes saw him cover 150 kilometres at a stretch on his trusty bicycle, over areas that had little in the way of shops where he could buy food or water, a toilet to relieve himself, or even so much as a palm tree for him to rest for a few minutes.
Hamdoon chose this arduous route particularly for that reason: he wanted to push the limits of his own endurance and see just how much he could test himself.
He landed in Kuwait City, the westernmost GCC country, on 27 December, 2019, and set off on a 1,700 kilometre journey that would see him travel across the eastern coastline of Saudi Arabia – which also included a stopover in Bahrain – before crossing into the United Arab Emirates, where he would cycle to Abu Dhabi.
On arrival at the capital of the UAE, Hamdoon turned his bike north to Al Ain and crossed into home territory, finishing the rest of his amazing journey two weeks later as he pulled into Muscat. Throughout his journey, he added another layer to his challenge by choosing to only cycle on the main highways.
“The reason is because the route is really dangerous for someone to cycle alone,” he recalled. “There are a lot of trucks on the highways, and there is often no place to cycle on them. There is a danger of injury when you are on these roads, mainly because of falling parts from the trucks.
“I have experienced these myself,” he added. “There have been times when the hooks that fasten the containers and the rear doors of these trucks in place have come off, and have fallen right in front of me. “I managed to escape out of sheer luck.
Hamdoon admitted: “Many of the items stored inside rolled off the back of the truck and almost hit me. Fortunately, I survived the impact of these things when they hit me or my cycle, but that is also because they maybe went to the left or right of me, and not directly at me.”
Hamdoon would’ve finished his journey sooner, had it not been for even more troubles he faced on the way. He suffered a knee injury in Manama, the Bahraini capital, which forced him to stay there for a couple of days so that it could mend.
His knee continued to flare up excruciatingly over the next few days of his trip, but his bodily suffering didn’t end there: there were times when he had to endure sandstorms while passing through long stretches of desert, the miniscule sand particles stinging him like thousands of tiny insects, not to mention the punishing thirst, and baking heat, despite his journey taking place during the cooler months of the year.
“From day three to day 10, my knees continued to give me pain, but I never wanted to back out from my plan,” he recalled. “I told myself that I had set out to make this journey as challenging as possible for me, and this was another challenge I had to overcome. All you need to have to rid yourself of this pain is a positive mind set.”
Hamdoon intentionally travelled light on this trip, carrying with him just a sleeping bag for the night, and only two pairs of clothes, which he would alternate between washing and wearing. People he interacted with on his journey, their inquisitiveness aroused by his expedition, would, out of the kindness of their hearts, offer him a meal or a place to stay.
One such incident took place at a restaurant near a petrol station in Khafji, a Saudi Arabian border town, where he’d stopped for lunch shortly after crossing over from Kuwait. After eating his meal, just like many other did, the owner asked him where he was going. Without a second’s hesitation, the he ushered Hamdoon to the space next to his establishment, which lay vacant.
“When I told the owner that, after I finished eating, he paid for the food, and informed everyone in the station of my mission,” he recalled. “They brought blankets and a mattress for me to sleep on.”
Similarly, while en route to Abu Dhabi, he came across two locals who offered to put him up in their farm for the night so he could get some much-needed R&R.
“It’s the small kindnesses like these that really helped me on my journey, and the ones I will remember the most,” said Hamdoon – [email protected]
