Hafizuddin and his parents cutting a cake during a ceremony to celebrate his safe return from the Everest-Felda expedition at his home in Pekan yesterday. Pic: Mustaffa Kamal/ NSTPEKAN: After conquering Mount Everest, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) undergraduate Muhammad Hafizuddin Ibrahim is  planning to kayak round  the Asian continent on a kayak.

The 22-year-old said he had already set his sights on using a kayak to travel through Southeast Asian waters.

"People usually kayak in rivers and lakes but rarely in the open seas. My days of kayaking in local rivers as part of UiTM's Recreational Club activities gave me this idea," he said during a ceremony at his family home at Felda Chini Timur here yesterday.

Hundreds of settlers attended the ceremony to celebrate his safe return from the expedition.

Hafizuddin was one of the seven climbers who conquered the tallest mountain under the Everest-Felda 2013 project.

Mohd Nasuha Shamsudin, 21, from Felda Tersang 3 in Raub, Pahang, was the first to reach the summit at 8,848m on May 21.

After Nasuha, Mohd Asyraf Mohd Halim, 25, from Felda Lok Heng Timur in Kota Tinggi, Johor; Hafizuddin; coach Zainudin Lot, 37; Myrza Fasha Md Hamyrudin, 25, from Felda Tersang 3 in Raub and coach Muhammad Illaham Ishak, 37, followed suit.

Team leader Siti Hanisah Sharudin, 23, from Felda Jelai 1 in Gemas, Negri Sembilan, completed her climb two days later because of poor health and bad weather.

Hafizuddin, the fifth of 10 siblings, said if he could not kayak across Southeast Asian waters, he planned to at least kayak around Malaysian waters.

"For a start, I will try to kayak around the peninsula."

However, he said he would ensure that he completed his degree first before pursuing his next expedition.

On the RM50,000 incentive he received from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak recently, Hafizuddin said he would use most of it for his studies while the rest would be given to his parents Ibrahim Deraman, 57, and Marni Ismail, 49.

Hafizuddin encouraged Felda youths to get involved in sports, exploration and other fields.

"This will steer us from getting involved in negative activities."