In January 2018, Moroccan engineer Amine Kahlouch started a journey, heading to Asia. In only five months, the 24-year-old man visited 12 countries, discovering the beauty of the continent and enjoying what an adventurous trip can bring. For Amine Kahlouch, a 24-year-old engineer who has just toured Asia, traveling is the key to personal satisfaction. And to experience this sense of fulfillment, the Casablanca-native quit his job in England to start a new journey. In only five months, Amine visited 12 Asian countries, including Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and Myanmar. Contacted by Yabiladi, the young adventurer spoke about his Asia voyage, his motivations, dreams and future plans. Why did you choose to leave England and tour Asia ? I started my journey in January 2018 and managed to visit 12 Asian countries in only five months. However, before deciding on my voyage I had to make a tough decision. I am an engineer and I spent two years working in a firm in England. Having to go to work every day and doing the same thing over and over bored me and made me question my everyday life. To be honest, having a 9-to-5 job restrained my freedom and I did not have much time to do things I liked. Moreover, I am against the idea of having a well-planned path that I should follow. I mean that «classical journey» that society forces you somehow to go through. To study, go to college, have a degree, work, buy a house and then get married and have children. It was hard for me to stick to this typical format. With all these thoughts in my head, the idea of traveling grew little by little in me and I decided to give it a try. It is hard to take the first step but after thinking it through I realized that it wasn't impossible. So, I left my job in November 2017 and in December I flew to Casablanca where I stayed for a month, preparing for my journey in Asia. Why did you opt for Asia ? I chose Asia because it was different and I knew almost nothing about it. Previously, when I was a student in the UK, I had the chance to tour Europe. It was affordable to do it through England. I thought of Asia also because it was very far from home. It was adventurous and challenging in the sense that I would be able to rely on myself, no one else but myself. I did not have a very strict plan for my trip but what reassured me the most is the fact that I could easily get a visa. For most of the Asian countries I have been to, I was able to ask for a visa online or receive it once at the airport. Asia was also very affordable for traveling. For instance, I spent around 50,000 to 60,000 dirhams during my tour with food and transportation included. During my 15-day stay in Indonesia I spent only 3,400 dirhams! What marked you the most during your journey in Asia ? During my stay in Indonesia, I managed to climb Mount Batur, an active volcano located at the center of two concentric calderas North West of Mount Agung on the island of Bali. Moreover, I have been to several exciting places such as the Water festival in Thailand, Petra desert in Jordan and to Mekong, the longest river in Southeast Asia. Have you made friends while traveling along Asia ? I was staying most of the time in hostels and I met a lot of people. Some of them have even accompanied me through some parts of my journey. When I was in the Philippines I met a Czech girl who was also touring Asia. We traveled together around the country for one week. I told her that I wanted to visit Myanmar and she promised to join me there so we could discover the country together. What happened is that we separated later, I went to South Korea and Vietnam and she had to go to Thailand. Once she knew that I was in Burma, she took a coach for a 35-hour trip from Bangkok to Myanmar. We met there and spent a few days touring the country. Do you have plans for a second adventure ? My next project is to ride a bike from Tangier to Dakhla. I am working on the trip now while in Casablanca. This time I want to get things more structured and for a good reason. I am currently looking for sponsoring firms so I can generate funds and donate them to an association. I will start on August and I think it might take from 30 to 40 days for me to reach my destination.
