- Wandering Mushto explores Sri Lanka and talks travelling during a pandemic
Back when he was working at Walkers Tours Ltd. – a part of the John Keells franchise – as a Tour Executive, he had the dream of becoming a travel agent so he could satiate his urge to travel but unfortunately, that never happened. Then, he started his own company Eco Media in hopes of doing video production for travel content. These hopes were also dashed four years down the line, when he realised he was going down various other routes, pursuing different interests.
Practical routes and a reasonable budget
His dream of travelling finally came true on 1 August, where he embarked on his journey – Solo Sri Lanka – from the western coast where he travelled to Central Sri Lanka, and then making his way to the southern coast, after which he headed north. From the northern part of the country, he made his way to the east and finally back to Colombo. He emphasised that it was not just a bike ride: “If it was just a bike ride, I could’ve passed all these cities and say I travelled all of Sri Lanka.” He explained that the difference between Solo Sri Lanka and a regular bike ride was that he stopped at each destination and embarked on an excursion that the place is known for, as well as found accommodation to stay in, all whilst having the whole journey on video record. He also wanted to film and highlight the culture and people in the area, which is what made his tour so special.
Musthaq planned out his stops and mapped out the most practical routes that would allow him and his bike to cover the most ground, and on 1 August, he started his adventure. According to him, this is the highest amount of places that were covered in just 30 days, for travel content.
His entire tour was self-funded; there was not a single sponsorship. “I wanted to be frank with all the information that I put out without being biased and give my honest opinion on all aspects of the trip.” Musthaq gave himself a total budget of Rs. 300,000 for the whole journey, out of which, he only spent 280,000 on his accomodation, food, fuel and repairs for his bike, and excursions.
Musthaq explained that his journey was targeted towards three different audiences: Solo travellers, bikers, and digital nomads. “I wanted to show what opportunities we have in Sri Lanka, and what one can do in certain places by inspiring people to travel to these destinations,” he commented.
Sri Lanka is rich with a variety of landscapes; it’s one of the very few countries in the world that is famous for both its coastal and marine attractions as well as mountain sides and forests. Having been to so many places, Musthaq could not pick a favourite but he recommends Yala for anyone with an interest in wildlife, and Trincomalee for anyone who wants to observe marine life. “It was the best place for scuba diving and you can easily observe the corals and interesting fish.” Apart from that, he names the Northern Province to be most suitable for a leisurely bike ride, because not only are the roads big and smooth, but there’s also a magnificent view to look at while driving.
Ordeals and obstacles
Musthaq’s bike is one that is revered among the biker community; he drives a Himalayan Royal Enfield, which is an Indian adventure touring motorcycle and very rare in our country. “Throughout this tour, if I’ve stopped at 30 fuel stations, at least 28 asked me about my bike. No matter where I stopped, people would inquire about it,” said Musthaq. He chose this bike because it’s specifically designed for touring, and he knew that he would have to cover many kilometres; he did 4,508 km to be specific.
Unfortunately, during his tour, the battery on his bike got a bit weak, which meant that he couldn’t drive around at night. On the third or fourth day of his journey, he noticed that his battery had gotten weak during a long drive to Mannar. Because he couldn’t travel at night, he was forced to rush a little bit to reach his destination before he lost sunlight. On some days, it was unavoidable that he had to drive at night, and then the bike wouldn’t start the next morning. On these occasions, he would have to do a push start and also request locals to help with it. Only if he drove for about one to two hours at a stretch after a push start would it work properly again. Otherwise, he explained, if he did a push start and stopped after about 10-15 minutes, it would stop working again. He named this as a major obstacle in his journey, due to the fear it induced. “Sometimes, I go to isolated areas, so if the bike stopped in any of these places, there is nothing I could’ve done.”
Another problem he had was that he couldn’t charge the bike, because it takes hours, and he simply did not have that kind of time to spare due to the previously mentioned issues. However, he added that despite all this, he had plenty of support from locals he met along the way, and his tour was eventually a success.
One other minor challenge when solo travelling, he noted, was that he had to do everything himself, from mapping the routes to checking the directions to filming and photographing. He also didn’t have another person he could rely on to take the wheel when he was sleepy or tired. He had to do everything on sheer willpower alone.
We asked Musthaq if he faced any challenges after the lockdown was imposed in the middle of his tour, to which he informed us that he had foreseen such a situation and prepared for it beforehand. “In the case of such a situation, I had arranged a pass for myself before 1 August, detailing what I will be doing,” he explained, adding that this pass was how he got around after the lockdown was announced. He was of course stopped by the Police and the Army several times, and he had to explain what he was doing. “It was a little bit of a hassle but as I had the pass, I managed the situation.”
Experiences gained and lessons learnt
One thing that Musthaq really wanted to experience was the hospitality of Sri Lankans. “The nicest thing I felt during this journey was the love that people gave me when I was in their areas,” he said, commenting on his most memorable experience. Musthaq’s followers on Instagram, who are located all over Sri Lanka, contacted him when he was in their hometown, offering him meals and even accommodation. They even helped him by taking him to hidden gems around their towns and showed him around. Of course, he didn’t take them up on their offers because of the prevailing situation with the pandemic, but he was incredibly touched by their generous offerings.
During his entire tour, Musthaq told us that he was unbelievably lucky in terms of the phrase “right place, right time”. He saw many animals that usually don’t tend to wander around and certain once-in-a-lifetime views as well. Elaborating on this, he said: “In every destination that I went to, there was something nice that happened to me. When I went to Delft Island in Jaffna, the local who accompanied me said that even though he’s been living there his whole life, this is the first time he saw that many wild horses at once!” Musthaq also spotted four leopards when he was in Yala, which is astonishing because most people hardly even spot one. Lady luck seems to have blessed him on this journey and these are memories that will remain with him for a lifetime.
The biggest lesson he learnt by the end of his tour was that we, as Sri Lankans, are so blessed to be born in such a beautiful country as this, because there is nowhere else on Earth you get to experience so many varied experiences. Apart from that, he said: “We have the best kind of people here because they’re so helpful. They are always so happy to help. That’s what I love about Sri Lanka.”
Personally, he added that he learnt he had much more stamina than he thought. “I thought that I’d be tired by mid-tour but I didn’t feel any fatigue until about the 26th day. I was able to wake up and go about my day with a boost of energy.”
A word of advice
Having travelled to so many places amidst a pandemic, we asked Musthaq if he had any advice for other travellers who are seeking to explore their passion during these times. “If anyone wants to travel, they should know how to keep themselves safe and how to keep others safe,” he stated.
He also noted that there are people who depend on travel to make a living. “I had to spend almost 300,000 and all that money went to the locals. They got money out of me because the travel trade is their income; if people don’t travel, these people won’t be able to earn a living,” he expressed. On that note, he stated that he doesn’t encourage people travelling in big groups at all.
For Musthaq, the allure of travel is that it reduces his stress. “I don't know if it works for everyone, but I’m a businessman and I’m loaded with work. So, every weekend l travel and I find that it takes a huge weight off my shoulders.”
With all the footage he acquired over the 30 days, Musthaq explained that he will be releasing over 15 vlogs on his YouTube channel, early this month. He promises that they will be informative and entertaining. “If anyone wants to travel solo, they can learn how to; for bikers, they will understand the challenges and how to handle them; and the vlogs will also have information for people who like to work in different places because I have listed very reasonable accommodation with amazing views and other amenities.” He added that most of the places he stayed at cost him between Rs. 3,000-8,000, which was something his social media followers appreciated as everyone looked for budget options.
On a conclusive note, he added that we as Sri Lankans have so many resources we can use to improve ourselves. Currently, our economy is falling drastically, and eventually, people are going to find it hard to survive. One of the major solutions, Mushtaq explained, is to improve exports in the country. “One, we have to improve the product, and two, we have to improve services.” When travelling the country, he happened across many empty fields that could be used for farming, that he urged people to take the initiative and invest in. “My humble request is to make this country a little better and give back to everyone that lives here.”
YouTube: Wandering Mushto
Instagram: @wandering_mushto
Facebook: Musthaq Shamail