Abbas Alnabawi / Instagram
Doha, Qatar: Social media funnyman and traveller Abbas Alnabawi was not aware how much a trip from Thailand to Qatar by bicycle would demand from him, both physically and mentally.
Alnabawi –better known online as Mrabbosi— is in the business of laughter, where he excels in making a static, pixilated space throb with joy for millions of digital strangers.
While bored in Thailand, he told The Peninsula, Alnabawi decided to ride his bicycle starting from there, with eyes on Qatar as his terminal point. Those two countries, he added, were “the only two places in the world where I would love to live in forever.”
Alnabawi’s Thailand to Qatar challenge was not his first long journey, nor the first one on a bicycle for that matter. He had done this twice before.
The social media star, who has resided in Norway for over two decades, told The Peninsula that he had braved the cold Scandinavian mountains before for a good cause, during a 29-day journey advocating for mass mental health awareness, accompanied by his pet dog.
Two weeks later, he embarked on another trip supporting victims of child abuse.
Alnabawi’s trip from Thailand to Qatar served as a plea for both mental health and peace; throughout the journey, the flags of Palestine and Sudan were prominently on display on his custom-made jersey.
It was also a deeply personal trip. Beyond raising awareness, Alnabawi said he wanted to prove to himself that such a feat was possible.
On November 16, 2025, Mrabbosi – the phone camera his primary witness – got on his bike, greeted his online followers and pedaled his way through the busy Thai streets towards Laos, his first stop in the journey.
Due to some cross-border travel restrictions and regional safety concerns, Alnabawi told The Peninsula that he was unable to cycle the entire route to Qatar.
For safety reasons, and acting on sage motherly advice, he opted to fly over from China – his next stop after Laos – to Kuwait.
From there, the gears rolled as he made it to Saudi Arabia, and in early February Alnabawi cried tears of joy on camera as he announced his arrival in Qatar.
Picture: Rajan Vadakkemuriyil / The Peninsula
Bumps on the Road
Thailand, he noted, posed no difficulty in finding halal food due to its sizeable Muslim population. But upon entering Laos, he struggled. Halal food was scarce in the areas he passed through, contributing to significant weight loss during the trip.
“I stayed for like one week without food. I lost about 13 kilos I think in this trip. I went down to 47kg from almost 60kg,” he told The Peninsula.
In Vientiane, the capital city of Laos, he found his oasis. At an Egyptian eatery serving halal food he refueled and set forth towards China.
The hard time he faced in Laos he attributed to “haste trip planning” he told The Peninsula, saying that for a trip that would usually take six months to map out, his eagerness to accomplish had him set out for the finish line with just a month’s worth of planning.
I arrived in Qatar with a bicycle and a heart full of emotions.
— Mr Abbosi Official (@mrabbosii) February 7, 2026
This journey started in Thailand, and from day one it pushed me far beyond my limits—physically, mentally, and emotionally.
I’m a comedy content creator, and I never thought I would do something like this, let alone… pic.twitter.com/oRQMgzbkD5
Despite it being a very beautiful country, he said, the food challenges, limited accommodation options, and difficult road conditions made it a place he would not cycle through again, “even if somebody paid me.”
Alnabawi’s trip was clouded by internal doubt he said, pondering at times whether reaching Qatar was even achievable. The steady stream of encouragement from his online supporters functioned as the high-octane fuel that kept him moving forward.
The highlight of his journey he said was his visit to China, having experienced firsthand its lively business culture, technological innovation, and “the respect that they have for each other and other people as well.”
Asked where his ambition takes him next, Alnabawi revealed plans of a possible upcoming trip of the African continent. The bicycle, he said laughingly, will not be accompanying him this time around.
For now, he said, he wishes to enjoy his “recharge” in Qatar, where he plans to remain until his next major adventure.
