KOTA BARU: Diami Yusoff, 60, Mohd Fadli Abdul Rashid, 43, and Ahmad Zailani Zulkifli, 65, took 87 days to reach the Holy Land to perform their umrah (minor haj) on motorbikes.
They described the journey, dubbed “Gi Mekah Nga Motor” (Going to Mecca on Motorcycle) in Kelantanese dialect, as an unforgettable and life-changing experience.
“Despite the challenges faced, we were not deterred. It was our first project. We are planning another trip early next year. Hopefully, we will have the company of more bikers,” said Diami, who is fondly known as Abang Mat.
The former civil servant said one unforgettable incident was when one of the bikes ran out of fuel in a desert near the Pakistani-Iranian border.
Diami said it happened 10 days after they started their journey from Rantau Panjang on Nov 3.
“We were about 100km from Iran when Fadli’s bike ran out of petrol. I was riding in front and had realised that they were not with me only when I looked behind.
“I panicked. Thinking something bad might have happened to them, I looked for them.
“Luckily, I found them and we managed to fuel up,” said the father of six in Binjai yesterday.
Diami said other moments included being heavily escorted along their journey in several countries.
“Between 20 and 30 military and policemen escorted us during our 25-day journey from Pakistan to the Iranian border.
“The cold weather was harsh, between -2°C and -10°C. Although we had made preparations, we did not anticipate the freezing cold weather. This forced us to wear thicker clothing,” said the president of Kelantan Bikers.
The trip covered about 14,000km, passing seven countries — Thailand, Myanmar, India, Pakistan, Iran, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.