For the couple, Lim Wee Han and Lim Kah Xuan, their life goal includes driving around in their campervan, exploring new landscapes and immersing themselves in different cultures. As they drive through Sarawak in their campervan, the duo behind OKOK Travel share more about their journey with the Sarawak Tribune.
Living in a campervan
The roads of the ever-changing landscape may be rocky, but the excitement of reaching one location to another is all Lim Kah Xuan and Lim Wee Han think about. Their never-ending road trip on their campervan leads them to discover different cultures and daily routines.
Arriving in Sarawak last December, the duo are still venturing the state and will go up to Sabah next before returning to Kuching, Sarawak again – all via driving the roads.
Commenting on their travels and driving around in their campervan, they both agreed that it has been a perspective-changing experience that has allowed them to be more open-minded about life.
When met with Sarawak Tribune for an interview, they revealed that they have been on the road since 2023. Their journey started within West Malaysia, and into Thailand in the same year, having driven throughout the country, into Laos, and then on a backpacking trip in Vietnam.
“It has always been my dream since I was young,” said Kah Xuan.
Remembering back an Australian trip with her family, she met with a family journeying the country in a mobile home, bringing along their pets and other household items.
“Ever since I saw them, I have been thinking about travelling on the roads, about wanting that sort of lifestyle. And when I graduated and was working as an accountant, I started to save up and managed to convince Wee Han to go on a trip with me,” she added.
Meanwhile, Wee Han agreed and went ahead with the idea, “I was in the food and beverage line before I quit. I found that the working lifestyle was mundane and it felt like it wasn’t for me. I felt like I didn’t want to wake up everyday until I was old just doing work,” revealed Wee Han.
The duo bought the secondhand van in 2021. They disclosed that it was originally a popular, local bread brand van. “It was right during the Movement Control Order (MCO), and we had nothing to do and nowhere to go,” said Kah Xuan.
Once they bought the van, they went right into business – spent 10 months making the van into a campervan, equipped with a dining area, a shower place, a toilet place, a bed – everything in one.
“Revamping the van was something new to us. We didn’t have the necessary skills needed to do it. We never did carpentry, drill a hole, or repair things. I remembered drilling four holes for a whole day when we first began,” remembered Wee Han.
But thanks to YouTube, they both managed to revamp the van using video tutorials from foreigners revamping their vans. Once they had finished revamping, they went to submit documents to get approval to drive it on the road.
The journey on the road
On their first night on the road, Kah Xuan expressed delight as she finally got to achieve one of her bucket lists. Wee Han, on the other hand, had difficulty sleeping as he worried for their safety on the road.
“I felt nervous, what if someone were to rob us? I couldn’t sleep well and I constantly woke up to check outside the window for anything suspicious. It was because we didn’t find a campsite to rest. Instead, we parked randomly at a beach in Air Papan, Johor,” said Ah Han.
He also added that, over the months, he learned to park the campervan at a secure spot before calling it a day.
“Thankfully, we didn’t encounter any issues.”
But one constant issue being on the road in their first year was the non-stop van breakdowns they experienced. As it was a second-hand van, they spent the first year understanding the common problems.
“Once, we broke down in a small town called Phatthalung. It was a two-hour drive into Kelantan, so we towed the van all the way there. Afterward, when we fix most of the problems, the van works fine now.
“Whenever there’s an issue with it, we will know what the problems are,” he said.
Another challenge they encounter is to balance between travelling and sustaining their lifestyle. Revealing further, Kah Xuan mentioned that while their campervan shipment from West Malaysia to East Malaysia was sponsored by the telco UMobile, they relied heavily on their savings.
“As we are not working, we do feel nervous about our finances. We are still learning how to enjoy travelling and sustaining this lifestyle. Other than that, everything is good,” she said.
To sustain their journey, they would create content for their social media pages. They also operate a mobile coffee shop using their van as a platform.
Now, they’re still in the midst of their travels within Sarawak, journeying into the rural parts, unearthing the beauty within. Asked whether they miss their non-campervan journey, they agreed that they do miss home from time to time.
“Because when we are traveling, we will be away from home for three to four months. And this hinders us from attending family reunions or special occasions. But yeah, this is the life that we choose. Sometimes, our family members would fly over and join us, and we’d travel together.
“It is quite a nice feeling,” said Wee Han.
To follow their journey on the road, they regularly post on their social media: Instagram, YouTube, Rednote, and Facebook @okoktravel.
