Abu Dhabi based father-son duo travel to India, breaks world record

Dubai: An Abu Dhabi-based father and his five-year-old son on a India tour have set a Guinness world record for visiting the maximum number of UNESCO world heritage sites in less than 12 hours using public transport, according to a media report.

Mohammed Thahir, a 36-year-old IT professional in Abu Dhabi, wanted to partake in the world record feat with his son, Mohammed Aayan, to teach him about perseverance and about the culture of their home country, India, the Khaleej Times reported on Thursday.

The two visited seven heritage sites, covering nearly 300 km, in exactly 11 hours, 33 minutes and 18 seconds, it said. The previous record was held by a duo in the Netherlands and was completed in 24 hours.

The sites covered by the father and the son were the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri in Uttar Pradesh, Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan, and Humayun Tomb, Red Fort and Qutub Minar in the national capital Delhi. They completed the journey using electric rickshaws, autos, cabs, public buses, trains and Metro, and also with brisk walk and running.

The duo were part of a tour, which had 22 participants and was conducted by the India-based Expeditions and Transcend Adventures firm. All the participants were Indians.

"I was exhausted due to the hot and humid climate and so was Aayan to an extent, but liquid intake at regular intervals helped overcome it," Thahir was quoted as saying by the newspaper. Thahir said the only time they rested was when they waited for a train or bus to arrive, which also gave them time to eat.

"The waiting time for our transport means at each location gave us minimal breaks and we just relaxed during our train journey to Delhi from Bharatapur, where we had our breakfast. We couldn't sleep at all," he said.