KUALA LUMPUR – Pelancong Malaysia yang mengembara melalui tujuh negara untuk sampai ke Arab Saudi untuk menunaikan umrah telah menamatkan perjalanan Ramadan selama 30 hari, berpuasa bersama masyarakat Islam yang mereka lawati sepanjang perjalanan.
Farhan Mokhali, 28, dan Ainaa Fakhira, 27, memulakan perjalanan dari Padang Besar, sebuah pekan bersempadan dengan Thailand di bahagian utara Malaysia, Perlis.
“Inspirasi dan idea semata-mata datang daripada Ainaa. Dia adalah orang yang sentiasa bermimpi untuk menjadi backpacker dan mengembara ke seluruh dunia sejak dia remaja,” kata Farhan kepada Arab News.
“Selepas beberapa tahun menangguhkan impian itu, pada 2025 dia memutuskan untuk mengejarnya kerana dia tidak mahu menunggu lebih lama lagi.”
Dari Hatyai di seberang sempadan, mereka sampai ke Bangkok dan mengembara ke Vientiane di Laos, dari mana mereka menyeberang ke Kunming di China dan mengembara ke Xi’an dan seterusnya ke Khorgos, di mana mereka memasuki Kazakhstan.
Di sana perjalanan darat terpaksa ditamatkan apabila mereka menghadapi masalah dalam mendapatkan visa ke Turkmenistan dan Syria.
Dalam masa 30 hari, mereka melawat tujuh negara, menaiki 10 kereta api, tiga bas dan dua kapal terbang.
Bekerja sendiri dan menjalankan permulaan media, mereka terus bekerja semasa perjalanan mereka, yang mereka anggarkan menelan belanja kira-kira $4,300 secara keseluruhan.
Ketika perjalanan berlangsung pada Ramadan, kedua-duanya tetap berpuasa sambil menikmati budaya pelbagai masyarakat Islam yang mereka temui dalam perjalanan.
“Kami berkhemah di dalam salji dalam suhu negatif dan mendaki 15 km semasa salji turun hanya untuk merasai mata air panas Altyn Arashan semasa berpuasa di Kyrgyzstan. Kami menyukai setiap bahagian dalam perjalanan ini kerana ia memberi kami peluang untuk menghabiskan lebih banyak masa berkualiti bersama dan mempelajari banyak perkara baharu,” kata Farhan.
“Kami juga bersyukur kerana berpeluang merasai keindahan Ramadan di negara lain. Kami mengalami budaya berbeza, seperti berbuka puasa bersama penduduk tempatan, Tarawih di masjid berbeza di beberapa negara, dan banyak lagi tradisi Ramadan.”
Minggu lalu mereka tiba di Madinah, dari mana mereka pergi ke Makkah untuk menyelesaikan ibadah haji.
Ia adalah bahagian terbaik dalam perjalanan mereka kerana dapat merasai umrah bersama, kata Mokhali, ketika mereka berkemas untuk pulang pada Sabtu, sejurus sebelum akhir bulan puasa.
“Kami akan menyambut hari raya di Malaysia,” katanya. “Kami akan pulang ke Malaysia esok. Kami belum merasai Ramadan di negara kami tahun ini.”
AN, 28.3.2025
Malaysian couple completes Ramadan fasting journey through Asia to perform Umrah
KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian backpackers who traveled through seven countries to reach Saudi Arabia for Umrah have completed their 30-day Ramadan journey, fasting with Muslim communities they visited along the way.
Farhan Mokhali, 28, and Ainaa Fakhira, 27, started their journey from Padang Besar, a town bordering Thailand in the northern part of the Malaysian state of Perlis.
“The inspiration and idea solely came from Ainaa. She is the one who has always dreamed of being a backpacker and traveling around the world since she was a teenager,” Mokhali told Arab News.
“After several years of postponing the dream, in 2025 she decided to pursue it because she didn’t want to wait any longer.”
From Hatyai on the other side of the border, they reached Bangkok and traveled to Vientiane in Laos, from where they crossed to Kunming in China and traveled to Xi’an and further to Khorgos, where they entered Kazakhstan.
There the land journey had to end when they faced problems in obtaining visas to Turkmenistan and Syria.
Within 30 days, they visited seven countries, taking 10 trains, three buses and two aeroplanes.
Self-employed and running a media startup, they kept on working during their travel, which they estimate cost them about $4,300 in total.
While the journey took place during Ramadan, both kept on fasting as they experienced the cultures of various Muslim communities that they met on their way.
“We camped in the snow in negative temperatures and hiked 15 km during snowfall just to experience the Altyn Arashan hot springs while fasting in Kyrgyzstan. We loved every part of this journey since it gave us the chance to spend more quality time together and learn a lot of new things,” Mokhali said.
“We are also thankful to have had the opportunity to experience the beauty of Ramadan in other countries. We experienced different cultures, like iftar with the locals, Taraweeh at different mosques in several countries, and many more Ramadan traditions.”
Last week they reached Madinah, from where they traveled to Makkah to complete their pilgrimage.
It was the best part of their journey because they could experience Umrah together, Mokhali said, as they packed to return home on Saturday, right before the end of the fasting month.
“We are going to celebrate Eid in Malaysia,” he added. “We are going back to Malaysia tomorrow. We haven’t experienced Ramadan in our country this year yet.”
AN, 28.3.2025
