QUETTA (Pakistan): ADNAN Abdullah and his wife, Hadibah Idris, have been driving through rugged desert terrain in their journey towards the Pakistan-Iran border since Tuesday.
The retired lecturers, who are driving from Malaysia to Saudi Arabia to perform the haj, endured temperatures of more than 40°C.
This gruelling part of their journey takes them through the deserts of Balochistan, the largest of Pakistan’s four provinces.
On the first day of their desert drive, they covered 340km between here and Balandhin, Pakistan.
They were accompanied by members of the Balochistan Levies Force, a gendarmerie paramilitary unit throughout their desert trek. This is required under Pakistani regulations for foreigners travelling in this region.
Adnan, 65, said he and Hadibah, 64, were escorted by at least four members of the Balochistan Levies force at any one time.
These groups of security personnel changed 15 times when the couple entered different security jurisdictions along the 340km route.
“The members of the Balochistan Levies Force rode on vehicles that led us through the desert. But I was driving quite slowly that I was left far behind at some points. One of them told me to drive faster,” Adnan told the New Straits Times.
He said the heat was another challenge.
“It’s desert weather all the way. The wind was hot. I could feel the heat on my lips.
“I was always trying to avoid sand dunes that had spilled over the road. The sand is loose. This made steering a challenge.
“I switched off the air conditioner because I feared that my vehicle would overheat and affect the cooling system.”
Adnan and Hadibah are driving a modified Ford Ranger 2.5 WLT Turbo, which they have named “Unta Kurus” or the Lean Camel.
The name is based on a verse in the Quran, which encouraged Muslims far and wide to make the haj pilgrimage even if it was difficult.
By crossing the border to Iran yesterday, the couple would have travelled 8,915km since leaving their home in Shah Alam, Selangor, on May 2.
After Pakistan and Iran, they plan to take “Unta Kurus” on a ferry service between Bandar Abbas in Iran and Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.
After that, they will enter Oman and reapply for permission to be haj pilgrims ahead of a July 26 deadline.