Cover image via @gdranitayusof (Instagram)
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Meet Anita Yusof.
The 58-year-old Malaysian has just returned home after completing an epic solo motorcycle journey around the world.
She has been riding her trusty Yamaha FZ150i across all seven continents and 81 countries since 2019.
In total, Anita clocked 113,284km over 2,280 days on the road, navigating countless wrong turns, erratic Google Maps directions, and moments that were as nerve-wrecking as they were life-threatening
"At last… I finally found my way home. Thank you, Allah, for the permission and protection You granted me throughout my life on the road," she wrote on Instagram after finally arriving in Malaysia.
This marks Anita's second global expedition. She previously completed her first 'Global Dream Ride' in 2015, which saw her travel through 40 countries.
The lone rider's latest journey, dubbed 'Global Dream Ride 2', was disrupted for nearly two years by the COVID-19 pandemic
By then, she had already ridden through Africa, reaching as far as Cape Town, before being forced to pause her travels. In January 2022, she returned to Ethiopia — then in the midst of conflict — to retrieve her motorcycle, which had been left behind.
From there, her bike was flown to Jeddah, allowing Anita to continue riding through Mecca, Medina, and Riyadh, before crossing into other Middle Eastern countries, Iran, and the Balkans.
"I zig-zagged all over — up, down, left, right, turning back whenever I felt like it," she said.
The former lecturer from Institut Pendidikan Guru's Ipoh campus said the journey has been deeply rewarding, offering her invaluable insight into the cultures and traditions of the many countries she passed through.
Speaking to Bernama, Anita revealed that the expedition cost her nearly RM400,000, adding that a personal life crisis had pushed her to do something "crazy" for herself.
Anita heading to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
Image via @gdranitayusof (Instagram)
Heading to Tatev, Armenia.
Image via @gdranitayusof (Instagram)
In Glasgow, Scotland.
Image via @gdranitayusof (Instagram)Before taking up motorcycling, Anita shared that she was an avid backpacker. Her interest in adventure riding was sparked after reading a blog about a cyclist's travels to remote parts of Kyrgyzstan.
Determined to follow a similar path, Anita learned to ride a motorcycle in 2012.
At 45, she obtained her motorcycle licence and began riding within Malaysia before gradually expanding her journeys to neighbouring countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos.
After a year of riding experience, she ventured further into Central Asia, travelling through Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan.
"That was the beginning of my transformation from a backpacker into an adventurer," she said, adding that she opted for early retirement to continue exploring the world without being bound by work commitments.
