Written by Julia Lewis
Life is a journey. This we all know. It ebbs and flows in constant reminders, mainly through the use of the all too familiar phrase, “we are what we make of our time here on this Earth.” Very few of us can say we are living life by that mantra. Lucky for us, there are a select few who dare to dream. Who step out of their comfort zone, and epitomize what is it to live life while continuously learning and making a positive impact on the rest of the world.
Meet Waleed Shaalan, a man who is one of those few making the most of his time here on Earth. To say he is a talented individual is an understatement. He is an artist, visionary, an accomplished and socially conscious architect, writer, photographer, and jewelry designer.
His adventure starts with a 10 day motorcycle trip with his wife along the world’s highest motor-able road in Ladakh, India. Ladakh means ‘land of high passes’ and Shaalan and his wife endured extreme conditions while motoring along the Himalayas. This road is higher than the Mt. Everest base camp and Shaalan and his wife will be traveling on it astride a Royal Enfield.
The next step in Waleed’s journey is embarking on a journey of happiness. He will be traveling around the world to 10 different countries over the course of 50 days. His sole mission is to learn and spread happiness. He believes that we can all benefit by learning from others, and that the definition of happiness isn’t limited to a certain people or region, or is dependent on material things. He plans to document his journey with a camera crew on hand, as well as his own personal photos and narrations. We are lucky enough to be working with him and sharing you his stories as he takes along his Knot Standard Weekender bag and Traveller jacket.
Follow @knotstandard and @waleedsha3lan on Instagram as we continue to experience this amazing adventure. Dream on.