Stranded S'porean cyclist rescued by M'sian in Johor kampung: 'He did all this for me, then left'
A Singaporean cyclist who was stranded in a Malaysian kampung with a punctured bicycle tyre was greeted by locals who spent hours trying to repair his bicycle and even drove him to a campsite for the night.
A video of the encounter was posted on Instagram by user @injaee, documenting the cyclist's journey from Malaysia back to Singapore.
The video opens with the cyclist recounting how his tyre was punctured twice as he was reaching Kota Tinggi, a town in Johor, Malaysia.
"I was out of solutions," the cyclist wrote in the on-screen caption. "I didn't even have a reservation for a campsite, and the sun was setting."
After walking about 3km to the nearest village, he met a local resident named Faz, whom he described as someone who "knows everyone in the kampung".
Faz repeatedly called a family friend who owns a campsite, eventually securing him a spot for the night.
Two-hour repair attempt
Another resident, Isa, then sat down with the cyclist and spent two hours attempting to fix the bicycle. He made multiple trips back home to retrieve tools, but the tyre could not be repaired.
As the cyclist was about to embark on a 7km journey to the campsite on foot, Isa rode off on his motorcycle and returned with a van.
He then transported both the cyclist and the damaged bicycle to the campsite.
Along the way, Isa even stopped to buy the cyclist a hamburger.
When asked if he had eaten dinner, Isa replied: "It's okay, I'll just eat the leftovers later."
"I'm just a complete stranger who he's probably never gonna see again. But he did all this for me and left without a trace," the cyclist wrote in the caption, showing the van driving off into the night.
Reflecting on the experience, he added: "We often think of people living in developing areas as having less — but that day, I honestly felt like I was the one missing out on something."
Other users heartened by encounter
The post has since garnered more than 790,000 views, 71,900 likes and 830 comments, with many netizens praising the locals' kindness and hospitality. Several described the encounter as "inspiring".
The post also caught the attention of President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who liked it.
"Why am I crying?! So so wholesome and yes, I do think the ones we think have 'less' are really the ones always with so much to give, so much to learn from as well," one netizen wrote.
"So glad to know this world is not just about scams and there are good souls out there," said another.
A user shared a similar experience, saying the sincerity of people in Malaysia was "unmatched".
"I've broken down or gotten lost before in rural areas around Malaysia and they are always happy to help. When I offer to buy them something or give money to thank them, usually they reject," the user said.
