After embarking on a cycling expedition from the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur more than a year ago, couple Ahmad Mohd Isa and Noradilah Mohd Sapie have finally arrived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
They are now on their way to Mecca to celebrate Hari Raya at the Grand Mosque there and perform their umrah, thus ending their Kembara Memburu Hikmah (KMH) expedition, which began on April 8, 2016.
Ahmad says the highlight of the whole expedition will be performing umrah (a mini pilgrimage) together with their respective parents, Mohd Isa Maarof, 52, Nuridah Mohd Isa, 50, Mohd Shafie Abdul Hanan, 70, and Saadiah Shamsudin, 63, as well as the KMH crew.
“Our parents are scheduled to arrive in Mecca on June 22. God willing they will be accompanied by the KMH family that has stood by us from the beginning to the end,” he says when contacted.
Ahmad, 29, says he and his wife have travelled 12,000km, covering routes in Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, India, Nepal, Pakistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.
“Due to the different geographical features of each country, at times we had to cycle through narrow passages and rocky, muddy, hilly, rough and winding terrain while staying cautious on the road, especially in crowded cities.
“In certain areas where we were not allowed to ride our bicycles for safety reasons, we had to travel either by bus, truck or car,” he says.
Noradilah, 30, recalls the challenges she faced when she became ill during their ride towards the Deosai plateau in Pakistan. At that point, they lost communication with the outside world for a week as there was no Internet signal.
“It was at one of the mountains there that I experienced vomiting, dizziness and diarrhoea for several days. The nights were much longer stretching for 14 hours while temperatures were 17°C.
“With the help of villagers, I was rushed to a nearby hospital and admitted into the intensive care unit (ICU) for three days as I was severely dehydrated,” she says.
Apart from carrying out a humanitarian mission in every country they explored, the couple also took note of the countries’ history, culture, and Muslim communities.
The couple was accompanied on the expedition by Mohd Nur Aiman Mohd Zaid, 28, and Amirul Ariff Abd Wahab, 29, who acted as the documentary crew.
To keep track of the couple''s adventures, visit the KMH Facebook page at facebook.com/kembaramemburuhikmah. – Bernama
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