Walking may be a common thing for most people, but just how far of a distance are you willing to walk? Just last month, a Malaysian named Manu Ram decided to follow his shower thoughts and took a walk from his house in Damansara, Selangor to Melaka!
M’sian man walks from Selangor to Melaka!
Reading his tweets, Manu shared that he decided to depart from his house at 6:37am. While he stated that he has not done any prior trainings for this challenge, he was determined that he will make it. As he paused for his short update, he shared that he had been walking for close to two hours.
“I’m currently wearing jeans and carrying a laptop bag, and the good weather is giving me plenty of motivation”, he said, adding that he still feels rather energized.
4 hours into his journey, Manu encountered his first challenge. After walking for about 15km, his shoe had given up on him, leading him to take a detour to buy some essentials, including a pair of new quality shoes and socks. While some would’ve chosen to give up, he decided to keep going as he had already broken plenty of personal records since he started.
Harder than expected, but determined to keep going
At this point, Manu revealed that he was actually exhausted from all the walking and knew that he had to rest. He managed to find a decent hotel and called it a day. In one of his videos, he mentioned that his body was already aching and there were blisters forming on his foot.
“I underestimated how hard this would be, especially when I’ve got no prior training”, he mentioned.
However, despite the aching and exhaustion that’s hitting him, he was determined to start fresh the next day. He then headed out to grab a quick bite, before hitting the sack.
The next day, Manu woke up bright and early, wrapped his blistered toes up and continued his journey. By 1pm, he spotted a bus stop and decided to rest there. At this point, her had reached Serdang. As he resumed the following day, Manu found himself back in his hometown in Kajang.
A journey full of ups and downs
“The heat was a real problem,” he recalled as he was sunburnt, and the blisters were beginning to worsen. Running on just a cup of Maggi and Red Bull, soon Manu was on the move again.
Day 4 and counting, he was adamant to cross the Selangor border and reach Mantin, Negeri Sembilan in that same day. While he was successful, another challenge lay ahead, since there were no hotels in Mantin. The task? Walking alone in pitch black darkness for hours through an old dark road.
Eventually, Manu made it through the grueling walk, although feeling terrified. But there was still a silver lining as he stepped foot into Seremban. After staying a day with an old friend, Manu was back in good spirits and set on completing his walk.
Took a toll on his mental aspect
As he soldiered on, Manu managed to brave the harsh weather and growing pains on his body. However, that was not the toughest part of it all. Speaking to Wau Post, Manu said that the hardest toll was on his mental aspect.
“It is too easy to be distracted by stray thoughts,” he said, “So I had to keep fighting my own mind to stay focused, or just relax and take it one step at a time, literally.” There were multiple times throughout his journey where kind passersby offered him a lift. In spite of that, Manu resolved to finish his expedition all the way by foot.
And 7 days, which was 170 hours and 7 minutes later, Manu had done it – he had finally reached Melaka! With A Famosa in his sights, he didn’t waste any time to document the momentous victory. “Time for the photo ops. Explored St Paul’s Church up the hill, took in the view of the Straits of Melaka. Wore a brand-new shirt for the occasion,” he wrote in his post.
“I did what most thought impossible”
Towards the end of his travels, Manu admits that relief, more than happiness, was what filled his emotions. “As I was limping for the last 8 hours of my journey, the fatigue was just too much. But also, a sense of it being surreal – I started the walk, and now I had finished it.”
Manu owes it to his job as a freelance editor which granted him the flexibility to carry out the journey. Currently, he is also seeking for a full-time position.
Having just turned 26 this year, the extraordinary walk is certainly a huge accomplishment for someone so young. Nevertheless, this is not end of the road for Manu.
When asked on what’s next, Manu hints at possibly another quest. “I have not decided. Perhaps walking to Singapore? Penang? Definitely going to try something,” he promised.
Well, we know we can’t wait to see what’s more to come from Manu. Such an inspiration!
Read all about his amazing journey below:
On 2nd November 6.37am, I left my house on a journey. With almost 0 training and preparation, I wanted to walk 159km to reach A Famosa fortress in Melaka.
In this thread, I will be posting the videos and photos that I took along the way.
Enjoy, and be inspired. pic.twitter.com/Q26wdn3CeI
— Menara Kajang (@r00dran) November 15, 2023
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