Family drives from S’pore to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage, journey took 4 months

Family took 4 months to drive from Singapore to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage

A family in Singapore has recently made headlines for embarking on a road trip, which spanned over four months, from Singapore to Saudi Arabia.

Mr Fadli Abdullah, accompanied by his wife, son, and mother-in-law, travelled over 28,000km before finally reaching their Mecca destination for their pilgrimage on Wednesday (31 Oct).

“Many do not know that we are able to travel to Saudi Arabia from Singapore by land,” Mr Fadli told Berita Harian.

He said that he wanted to prove that the route was feasible to complete, although he acknowledged that a lot of planning had to be done prior to the trip.

The journey set him back over S$40,000, including visa applications and permit costs across borders — about eight times more than the cost of four economy flight tickets.

The 47-year-old has documented their unconventional journey on their Facebook page, 3G Family Adventure — a nod to the three generations of family members embarking on the trip.

Travelled across 11 countries before reaching Saudi Arabia

Their 129-day journey saw the family braving through eleven countries across Southeast, East, and Central Asia before reaching Saudi Arabia.

Utilising a camper van, Mr Fadli and his family set off on the trip on 23 June this year.

Upon exiting Singapore’s borders, the group drove through Malaysia, Thailand, Laos and China before reaching Central Asia.

They then entered the mountainous routes of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan prior to setting foot in the Middle East.

Then came the sand-filled journey across the desert dunes in Iran and the United Arab Emirates before eventually reaching Saudi Arabia, over four months after leaving Singapore.

Afterwards, the family proceeded to complete their pilgrimage in Mecca, before heading over to Medina.

“After all that we have overcome during the trip, I have finally completed my pilgrimage with my wife, son, and mother-in-law despite doubters who did not think we’d able to complete the journey with my van,” Mr Fadli said.

Experienced many difficulties throughout the trip

As one may expect, travelling 28,000km was no easy feat.

Mr Fadli experienced an array of difficulties in his four-month-long journey.

Firstly, there was the 28-day period across China. Being one of the biggest countries in the world, it does not come as a surprise that the family spent nearly a month driving across it.

From the day he entered its border through Laos, Mr Fadli shared that he had to drive about 500km daily without rest. To put things into perspective, Mr Fadli explained that the distance he drove daily was equivalent to driving to and from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore.

They also experienced high altitudes which took the challenge up another notch.

“On the 18th till the 20th day [of the trip], we experienced high altitudes in Tibet. The altitudes were between 4,000 to 5,000km so I felt very tired,” he said.

Additionally, he shared that they drove with a cracked windshield since their stop in Kazakhstan.

“It got even worse in Iran when a stone from a truck flew and hit the windshield,” he stated. “From there, it was a race against time to get to where we needed to go before the crack worsened and we ended up not being able to drive.”

They eventually fixed their windshield in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Had ‘VIP’ treatment in many places

Mr Fadli also shared that the family received special treatment from many locals across the countries they had visited.

As a traveller endeavouring to complete his pilgrimage, many Muslims they met treated them very kindly. Some even invited them into their homes for a meal and showed them around their hometowns.

One Abu-Dhabi-based Singaporean group even sponsored their accommodation in the city voluntarily, Mr Fadli shared.

Chose to travel by land to visit China & to foster family bond

When asked why he chose to travel by land despite the shorter 11-hour flight to Saudi Arabia, Mr Fadli said: “My wife is from China. Hence, this is a good opportunity to show her how Islam was spread to China using the Great Silk Road.”

He added that he had intended for the family to embark on a holy trip together to strengthen their familial bonds.

“I want my son to see the various Muslim people across the world,” Mr Fadli said. “I hope that he will be able to learn more about Islam during our trip as I will be teaching him along the way.”

Also read: S’porean man cycles through 7 Asian countries, shares his epic adventure on Instagram

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Featured image adapted from 3G Family Adventure on Facebook and Facebook.