55-year-old Pakistani's National Day walk across UAE ends

Abu Dhabi - Idris walked 1,050km for peace across the UAE. This is the third year Idris has done this, though his pervious walks were much shorter.

A Pakistani man wanted to do something different to celebrate the UAE's 44th National Day. Braving the cold and challenging terrains, 55-year-old Malik Mohammed Idris walked 1,050km across the UAE.
Idris' 13-day journey ended on Monday. Undertaking a walk to celebrate the country where he has spent 30 years is not a new concept for Idris. In fact, this is the third year Idris has done this, though his pervious walks were much shorter - starting from Fujairah and ending in Abu Dhabi, covering about 400km.
Idris, who is a carpenter, began his journey on December 2 from Hatta. He passed through Maazira, Maddam, Kalba, Fujairah, Khor Fakan and Dibba. From Ras Al Khaima's wadis and hills, he entered the populated areas of Umm Al Quwain, Ajman, Sharjah and Dubai.

He walked on the 160km Dubai-Al Ain Highway to the garden city of Al Ain. He walked his journey's last leg of 165km to the capital city, where he ended the walk at the Pakistan Embassy.
Father of five grown-up children, Idris would walk up to 60km a day. He would start his day around 7.30am and walk till about 2pm or 3pm without taking any break. "It was very tiring, but I continued my journey," he said.
A simple man, Malik would freshen up in the rest rooms at petrol pumps or mosques on the route after sleeping on the roadside in cold weather conditions.
"The weather remained windy all through my 1,050km journey. The late evening or early morning dew drops would bother me a lot because they made my body wet," he said. "Thank God, I did not get the seasonal cold and fever."
Idris has a grander plan for next year, and this time he is going international. Come March 2016, he plans to walk 5,000km from Dubai to London.
He intends to complete the arduous journey in eight months. The walk will take him to different terrains in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait, from where he will enter Iraq. From there, he plans to walk across Turkey into Greece, to finally end up in London before the winter sets in.
haseeb@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
• Abu Dhabi