Dubai: The UAE’s celebrity social media star couple Khalid and Salama Al Ameri are visiting Kerala “to explore the beautiful Indian state and its deep history with the UAE.”
The popular Emirati vloggers have been sharing pictures on social media that show the fun they are having, sending their Indian fans, especially Malayalis, stir crazy with likes and comments.
While one would expect their pictures with the Who’s Who of the state that has sent over one million people to the UAE, the first known faces that Khalid and Salama have visited are bound to further melt their fans’ hearts.
One of their stops in Kochi was at ‘Sree Balaji Coffee House’ where they met the tea-selling elderly couple Vijayan K.R and Mohana who have hit headlines internationally for globetrotting with the money they save by selling tea and snacks.
Rakesh Thomas, founder of visitkerala.ae that is taking care of the couple’s Kerala trip, shared the photo of Khalid and Salama with Vijayan and Mohana in front their nondescript tea stall.
Speaking to Gulf News over phone from Kochi, Khalid said it was an amazing experience to meet the couple running a ‘pure’ family business.
“To see them as a couple, together even after so many years, complementing each other was really great. Both have passion for their work and they are passionate about Kerala and travel. We are here to meet people like them who are showing the culture of Kerala.”
A jubilant Vijayan said he and Mohana “loved having our brother Khalid and sister Salama from the UAE come and visit us.”
“Having travelled to about 24 countries, we felt right at home while in the UAE. It’s amazing how tea unites our two countries,” added the tea-seller bit by the travel bug whose trip to Dubai two years ago was also reported in Gulf News.
‘Extension of the UAE’
Though he doesn’t have any other specific person in his ‘must-meet’ list, Khalid said he was excited about his meet and greet with his Kerala fans on Tuesday evening.
“Salama and I are so excited to be in Kerala. The warm welcome and support that we’ve received from you all has been absolutely beautiful, so we want to thank each and every one of you in person for welcoming us home to Kerala,” he posted on the Facebook event invite.
“It’ absolutely, gorgeous, beautiful and refreshing,” Khalid told Gulf News about his trip that began on Friday.
“I feel I am not in another country. I feel this is an extension of my home country.”
“There are so many Keralites in the UAE. So many people have told me you need to go to Kerala. When I reached here, I feel I remind them of someone they know.
“Today I am dressed in my national clothes and people are greeting me with assalamu alaikum, and [shouting] hello Abu Dhabi…Dubai…”
The couple have been shooting their local experiences at various locations in Kerala and are expected to release their much-awaited Kerala edition video soon.
Khalid’s video appealing people in the UAE to support Kerala during the devastating floods in 2018 had gone viral.
