“From Gombak to Mecca” – 55yo M’sian is Riding Solo Over 18,000km to Perform Umrah

A 55-year-old Malaysian man is currently on an adventure of a lifetime for an honourable mission to perform the Umrah or pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

While there are more conventional ways to get from Malaysia to Mecca, the man, Zulkepli Mo’minin decided to take the adventurous route via land from Gombak all the way to Saudi Arabia by riding solo on his Yamaha FZ150 motorcycle.

As reported by BERNAMA, Zulkepli’s journey will span across 11 countries, 18,000km and would take approximately 95 days. He began the journey on 8 July and as of the time of writing, he is currently in the Golden Triangle in northern Thailand.

Among the 11 countries that he will go through to reach Mecca from Malaysia include Thailand, Laos, China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Kuwait and of course, Saudi Arabia.

The father of five said he chose Mecca for his solo motorcycle expedition because he wants to explore the beauty of other countries and to better appreciate the majesty of God’s creations. He shared,

“I have been interested in solo expeditions since my school days. This time around, I challenged myself to go to Makkah, Islam’s holiest city, instead of visiting places without any specific purpose.

For the journey, Zulkepli brought 70km of personal belongings, which include motorcycle spare parts, a tent, cold-weather clothing, food and emergency kits. He also used RM70,000 of his own savings and some contributions from the public to embark on this journey.

Zulkepli, a tasbih trader said that the most expensive part of the journey is the 16-day travel across China, which will cost thousands of ringgit. This is because travellers are required to hire a tour guide for the duration of the journey.

Those wishing to follow the progress of Zulkepli’s expedition can visit his official Facebook Gombak ke Makkah 2023 or Tiktok @jiwakembara125.

Awesome! We hope Zulkepli will reach his destination safely and enjoy exploring the world on the way.

So, what do you guys think of the expedition? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.

Also read: WATCH: M’sian Starts on Dream to Travel to Mecca on Foot, Praised For Documenting His Journey