The 58-year-old, originally from Ipoh, Perak, completed her Global Dream Ride last month, closing an extraordinary chapter that began not with a motorbike but with a personal crisis and a single, “crazy” idea.
Anita’s journey kicked off in 2015, followed by a second major leg in 2019. Along the way, she crossed deserts and mountains, borders and belief systems, all astride her trusty Yamaha FZ150i.
From Alaska to Antarctica, Ethiopia to Mexico, her journey was as much about inner transformation as it was about distance covered.
“It was immensely rewarding,” she said, reflecting on the ride. “Especially the opportunity to really understand the cultures and traditions of different countries.”
More than just a long road trip, the adventure pushed her physically and mentally, testing her endurance, resilience and self-belief at every turn. The second leg alone took her through 81 countries and cost close to RM400,000.
Not every moment was picture-perfect. One of her toughest ordeals took place in Ethiopia, where she was stranded for nearly three weeks after the authorities prevented her from taking her motorcycle out of the country owing to documentation issues caused by the pandemic.
“I almost gave up. Getting the motorcycle out of Ethiopia was extremely difficult. The authorities wanted to confiscate it. It was like a nightmare, but with prayers and perseverance, I managed to convince them to let me take it out,” she recalled.
When she finally rode on to Jeddah, the clouds lifted. Anita went on to perform umrah – something she had initially feared would be complicated by Saudi Arabia’s strict rules, particularly for women riders.
“Alhamdulillah, I passed through all the checkpoints without any problems,” she said, smiling at the memory.
Remarkably, motorcycling was never part of her plan – in fact, it had not crossed her mind at all. Back in 2012, Anita did not even have a motorcycle licence.
At the time, she was a backpacker going through a difficult period in her personal life. Then she stumbled upon a travel blog by Malaysian cyclist Zahariz Khuzaimah, who had written about his adventures in Kyrgyzstan. The images sparked something deep.
“I contacted him to ask how to get to those places,” she explained. “He told me they were very remote. There was no public transportation.”
Hiring a driver was too expensive, and none of her friends were keen to join. Cycling did not appeal to her, either. Then came the unexpected suggestion – a motorcycle.
“That was when the ‘naughty idea’ came to me,” she said, laughing. “Even though I was already 44 years old.”
Anita learnt to ride in 2012, starting close to home before venturing into Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. Within a year, she made it to Central Asia, riding through Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and even Afghanistan.
“That was the beginning of my transformation from a backpacker into an adventure rider,” she said.
In 2015, she took a year of unpaid leave from her job as a lecturer at Institut Pendidikan Guru in Ipoh and embarked on her first world tour, covering more than 65,000km across four continents and 40 countries.
Eventually, she made another bold decision – early retirement. The Johor-born chose freedom over routine, determined to explore the world without a calendar dictating her limits.
On the road, she kept things simple. Hotels were a luxury, not a rule. She stayed in budget lodgings, campsites and sometimes with people she met along the way.
Safety came from preparation – extra fuel, essential gear, and a sharp awareness of her surroundings, especially in remote regions.
Today, as Anita parks her bike back home, her story stands as a reminder that adventure does not have an expiry date – and that sometimes, the road to discovering the world begins with daring to reinvent yourself.