“Jam lah!” – That’s the first phrase KL folks say in the morning as they hit the road en route to work. Stuck in the slow moving traffic, we just die a little inside while pondering the meaning of life. Is it really worth it spending all our precious time on the road like this?
Refusing to go through the same nightmare every morning, this German guy swims to work instead of driving or taking public transportation to beat the insane traffic congestion.
According to Tribune, Benjamin David from Munich, Germany would swim along the Isar River for 2km every morning because the traffic congestion on his way to work is just too much!
“The traffic on the road next to the Isar is so wild that there’s just no fun in it. When I’m swimming, I am indeed quicker and also more relaxed,” David said.
But what about his working attire and personal belongings?
Obviously he had thought it through. David would pack his laptop, suit, and a pair of shoes into his waterproof bag and strap it on his back before leaving the house.
“This is the waterproof bladder which can store all my things. You wrap the top to seal it. By wrapping it, it inflates and becomes like a rescue buoy, on which you can simply float,” he added.
Since he does this on a daily basis, he took some safety precautions to protect himself.
“I wear rubber sandals so I don’t hurt my feet on glass or old bicycles that sometimes lay in the river. But most importantly, I check the water level and with that the speed of the current and the water temperature,” David explained.
“When I arrive and enter the bar in swimwear, my colleagues have to grin as they had just arrived by bus or car,” he said.
Many Malaysian netizens especially those who live in KL were immensely inspired after this news went viral on social media.
“This guy is a genius! Imagine how much we could save on transportation and toll if we do the same,” a netizen said.
“Sure we could do the same thing but for once only, because the rivers here are so polluted and poisonous!” another netizen commented.
Also, don’t think about swimming in the Klang River because crocodiles have been spotted there!
Also read: Crocodile Spotted In Klang River