A man from the war-hit Ukraine is on a mission to explore Arabia. The colourful stories he heard as a child made him fall in love with the region. Now he is on a mission to explore it on a bicycle.
During his long journey that took months, crossing several geographical borders encompassing thousands of kilometres, Ruslan Verin, a top-notch YouTuber with hundreds of thousands of followers, sometimes led the life of a nomad. He slept in tents in the desert and mingled with shepherds he met en route to the country.
He was spotted taking a short nap inside a mosque between the two checkpoints along the Oman-Saudi border in Rub Al Khali.
"I love travelling and exploring places since childhood, and the Arabian Gulf has always been in high regard in my heart as a must-visit place. This is my opportunity to explore the region and talk to people and understand the culture," he said.
He rode his bicycle for several months, taking short breaks in between and enjoying every length of his journey by tasting the local flavours and interacting with the local populace.
His long trail has not been without hiccups. Along with the joy of riding and exploring places, he had his share of unpleasant experiences too.
Just before entering the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, his cycle developed some glitches at the border. He had to return to the nearest city, Ibri, to get it repaired.
He hitchhiked a local man's truck to carry his cycle back to the city for nearly 200 km before he could get a mechanic for the job. That night he slept inside a mosque before he could resume the journey.
"I'd love to perform umrah in Saudi Arabia during my time there as I'm expecting to be there on Monday. That will be a dream come true for me and for my friends back home to come out of the scars created by the war and to submit ourselves to the Almighty," he added.
His long trail has not been without hiccups. Along with the joy of riding and exploring places, he had his share of unpleasant experiences too.
Just before entering the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, his cycle developed some glitches at the border. He had to return to the nearest city, Ibri, to get it repaired.
He hitchhiked a local man’s truck to carry his cycle back to the city for nearly 200 km before he could get a mechanic for the job. That night he slept inside a mosque before he could resume the journey.
“I’d love to perform umrah in Saudi Arabia during my time there as I’m expecting to be there on Monday. That will be a dream come true for me and for my friends back home to come out of the scars created by the war and to submit ourselves to the Almighty,” he added.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
