These days, becoming an Internet sensation is not just reserved for a select few. With the advent of TikTok, anyone can go viral.
Recently, a French traveller, Alwin GC, who documents his travels on TikTok, went viral among Malaysian netizens for one of his first videos showing him coming to Malaysia.
When he first arrived in Alor Setar, Kedah, on August 6, he had about 70,000 followers on his TikTok account. But after one day and a few videos, his following grew to more than 120,000.
Today, Alwin has achieved celebrity status among Malaysians on the video-sharing platform. He has almost 300,000 followers, and the first video of him in Kedah has over 4.8 million views.
He even had a “fanmeet” with some of his Penang followers at a food court, where they introduced him to local food.
Although he has been busy exploring the Malaysian peninsular, WORLD OF BUZZ managed to catch up with him on how he is finding Malaysia.
1. What has been your most memorable experience in Malaysia so far?
When I was hitchhiking in Cameron Highlands, I got on this gracious Malaysian man’s truck. It was already such an adventure – getting into the car of a typical Malaysian man and talking to him about everything.
But when I asked him to sing me the national anthem, I was amused by how he did not hesitate a moment and started singing Negaraku. It was one of the best moments I’ve had in Malaysia so far.
2. What is your favourite Malaysian food so far?
You’d probably laugh, but I’d say roti canai, the breakfast bread. I love it. It’s so tasty.
3. What are you most looking forward to in terms of travel in Malaysia?
I can’t wait to see all the best nature spots like Kota Kinabalu and the east coast of the Peninsular. I would love to discover nature there.
4. Why do you think so many Malaysians followed you after your TikTok went viral?
Malaysia was one of the later countries to reopen borders, just one or two months before I arrived. So I think when people see me, like this guy, making a stop in Malaysia in his travels around the world, it piques their interest.
And when I talked about being a traveller instead of a tourist and being open to travel everywhere, I think people were very inspired and thought, “I want to travel like this guy”. I think that’s why they follow me.
5. What can your followers expect from your future TikToks?
They can expect more adventures, inspiration, questions and answers. I get a lot of questions about travelling – how I get money to travel and technical questions like what cameras and software I use to edit my videos.
I never really thought about these questions because nobody asked. But now that I get so many of them, I want to answer them all!
Perhaps it is not just that people are inspired by how Alwin travels, but they are also drawn by the fascination and awe he shows when he visits the different places in our beloved country.
It reminds us Malaysians of how fortunate we are to live in this multicultural, nature-abundant foodie haven.
Watch Alwin’s viral video below:
@alwingc Are you Malaysian? If yes comment here and tell me where you live
We wish you safe travels, Alwin!
Also read: “Why use 30 words when 3 words will do?” – British Expat Shares His Funny Experience With Manglish
