Malaysian launches book on 35,000km cycling journey across Asia

The Star

2 days ago

Fifteen years ago, adventurer Zahariz Khuzaimah, 45, made headlines with his mission to cycle in different continents of the world.
He was on the road for nearly a decade, five of those spent cycling, covering close to 35,000km.
Now, the globe-trotting traveller has released his debut book, Dengan Basikal Aku Merentas Benua Asia , which was launched on June 29 in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.
Though Zahariz has shared much of his journey on his YouTube channel, he felt a book would give him the space to dive deeper into his experiences and emotions.
Years on the road have given Zahariz a deeper understanding of diverse cultures, people and landscapes across Asia. Photos: Instagram/Zahariz Khuraimah
'As I grow older, my memories are starting to fade slowly, so while they are still vivid, it's better to share all my travel stories now before they slip away.
'Since the book is self-published, I handled everything – from writing and design to publishing. It was a long, tedious process which started in early January, but I enjoyed every moment of it. I chose to publish it myself because the story is deeply personal, and I wanted it told in my own tone and style,' says Zahariz.
Written in Bahasa Malaysia, the 320-page book includes 80 pages of photographs from his first year on the road. It chronicles his 7,000km cycling journey from Sichuan province in China, across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Gobi and Taklamakan Deserts, Kazakh Steppe and Tien Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan.
'The book has 14 chapters based on the places I travelled through. Writing was easy because I kept a personal diary almost every day. I could recall memories through my old journals and the photos and videos I took,' he shares.
The book includes two near-death experiences – one in the Tibetan Plateau and another while crossing the Taklamakan Desert.
Zahariz also introduces readers to the fascinating people he met on the road, including an American who spent nearly 40 years cycling around the world.
Living his dream
A graphic design graduate from New Zealand's Wanganui School of Design, Zahariz is among the few Malaysians who dared to chase his dreams.
Hailing from Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, he grew up with a deep desire to travel the world – a dream he fulfilled by living over a decade as a modern-day nomad.
In 2010, Zahariz quit his job as a university lecturer to embark on a cycling expedition that he had been putting off for years.
He bought a ticket to Chengdu in Sichuan province, China and began pedalling across hills and valleys throughout Asia for a year, including Kyrgyzstan. After that, he also spent time cycling in Russia, Norway and Iceland.
In 2012, he began filming a travelogue, Dengan Basikal Aku Menjelajah , without a camera crew. Four seasons aired on terrestrial TV from 2017 to 2020.
From surviving harsh deserts to bonding with nomadic communities, Zahariz's (right) travels taught him resilience and simplicity.
While he hasn't covered every corner of the globe, Zahariz's immersive, culture-rich experiences distinguish him from the average tourist.
His journey is not just about his travels – it's about living fully, intentionally and on his own terms.
'The message I want to convey from this book to my readers is simple - accept everything that comes in life, both the good and the bad. Keep moving in life, so you will always feel fresh like flowing water in a river.
'If you don't move and live a static life, you will become 'murky', like still water in a pond. Live simply, and life will feel so light, so easy.
'That's what I've learned from living a nomadic life,' says Zahariz, who clinched the 2013 BMW Shorties for Crossing The Arctic , which documented his journey across the Arctic region.
Since the pandemic, he's been back in Malaysia, where he has been working on YouTube content, shooting videos, hosting a few local travelogues like Aroma Puncak Borneo (TV Sarawak), Nomad and Amazing Journey (TV Okey), and organising private tours to Kyrgyzstan.
Finding clarity
Zahariz admits that writing the book wasn't easy, as it stirred many memories.
'Some stories were too personal to include,' he says. 'Some involved friends who passed away during their journeys,' he says, adding that he asked permission from their families before mentioning them.
One such story is about a German traveller he grew close to while being stranded for nearly two weeks in Urumqi, China.
Zahariz's journey was a path of personal growth, cultural immersion and life-changing lessons.
'We bonded during that time, but a year after returning home from his world travels, he died by suicide in Berlin due to depression,' says Zahariz.
The book also contains some of Zahariz's unforgettable memories. For him, it's a reflection of how far he's come – from his early cycling days' struggles to finding inner strength.
'It reminds me of the feeling when I almost gave up, when I sat alone at the road side in the mountains of Sichuan, crying like a kid as the journey was too difficult for me. At one point, I almost threw my bicycle and all my belongings off a cliff. From there, I became strong slowly, both physically and mentally.
'Another time, a restaurant owner offered me her very young daughter's hand in marriage! These memories still make me smile,' explains the father of two.
After over a decade on the road, Zahariz has found clarity in his life. He finds peace in living with less and thinking with more intention.
'After so long living on the road, I've come to prefer a simple life – simple thoughts, simple needs. The less I possess, the lighter I feel.'
Each place left its mark, but his bond with the Kyrgyz people stood out.
'I lived there the longest, grew close to the people, adapted to their way of life, and learned their language. Their nomadic culture is incredibly unique – and it felt like home,' says Zahariz, who plans to release a series of travel books in the near future.
Does this book reveal how he fell in love with a Kyrgyz girl and got married? Well... you'll have to read it to find out.