KUALA LUMPUR: "Embarking on this journey, I never expected to find my life partner. Alhamdulillah, Allah answered my prayers," said Mohd Johaniff Mohamed Sohaimi, 39.
He met his wife, Rosalina Wahid Hayat, a native of Betawi, Indonesia, during a Vespa expedition to the country using a 1973 Vespa Super and a 1976 Vespa Sprint.
He recounted that he met his wife after being introduced by the Vespa community there upon arriving in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2016.
According to him, the woman played a significant role in assisting him and his friend, Zafari Zakaria, during their mission named Discover Nusantara from 2016 to 2019.
"I got to know my wife through friends in the Vespa community when I first arrived in Jakarta. In short, throughout our mission, she helped facilitate matters, especially when we encountered scams there.
"Since then, our relationship grew stronger. Honestly, finding a life partner was unexpected. But perhaps due to family and people around always saying that you'll find a life partner there, Allah eventually answered their prayers. We truly found each other while wandering," he told Harian Metro.
He said that their plan to unite was realised in May of last year after being delayed twice.
"The first time we planned to get married was in 2020, but it couldn't happen because Jakarta imposed movement restrictions due to Covid-19. I returned to Malaysia. Then, I tried again in 2021, but it failed as well. Alhamdulillah, in May last year, we were finally united as husband and wife in Jakarta. We were also blessed with a newborn who is now over a month old," he said.
Sharing about their journey, Johaniff said the exploration began from the Malaysia-Indonesia border in Kuching, Sarawak, at the Tebedu (Sarawak)-Entikong (Kalimantan) border, then traversing several islands in Indonesia.
He added that the plan was made as early as 2010, thoroughly studying all aspects before starting the expedition.
"I am from Kerteh, Terengganu, and Zafari is from Kota Tinggi, Johor. Both of us rode to Kuala Lumpur to send our Vespas to Sabah. This is the starting point of our journey, where from Sabah, we entered Brunei, went to Sarawak, and crossed the Entikong border to Pontianak, West Kalimantan. From there, we started our journey island-hopping. We covered around 70 to 80 percent of the major islands in Indonesia, estimated at about 16,000 kilometres or more," he said.
Despite facing financial challenges, he emphasized that the mission was primarily about fostering friendship between Vespa clubs in the two countries.
Among the explored islands and locations in Indonesia were Kalimantan, Sumatera, Jawa, Sulawesi, Bangka Belitung, Bali, Lombok, Flores, Timor Leste, Papua, Maluku Utara, Sumba, and many more.
In 2019, for five consecutive months, they traveled non-stop. But between 2016 and 2019, they mainly covered Java Island because money was scarce. They saved up and started again. After that, they returned to Malaysia and saved money again.
"Our expedition had no sponsors; it was entirely self-funded and supported by contributions from friends and family members. We spent around RM10,000 per person throughout this journey. However, through this mission, we also paved the way for adventurers who want to explore Indonesia.
"Nowadays, many only want to ride to Thailand and never attempt to cross to Sabah, Sarawak, and Indonesia," he said.