Indonesian Pilgrims to Mecca by Motorcycle, 11,000 Kilometers Away

TheIndonesia.co - Biker Lilik Gunawan is determined to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca by riding a motorcycle along with his team. Today, Lilik Gunawan met with the Deputy Chairman of Indonesia's People's Consultative Assembly, Hidayat Nur Wahid, asking for support and prayers so that he can achieve his goal of going on a pilgrimage this year.

"In my opinion, this activity has a positive side that is good for the nation, namely, it can introduce Indonesia to many citizens of the world about Indonesia," said Hidayat Nur Wahid (HNW) in Jakarta, Monday, May 23, 2022.

Lilik must have stopped by and stayed for a while in towns or villages along the way to Mecca. At least, Lilik must cross 9 countries and cover more than 11,000 kilometers.

"There will be interactions there, which will then be used as an opportunity to introduce Indonesia," he said when receiving Lilik's visit in his office at Nusantara III Building, 9th Floor, Parliament Building Complex, Senayan, Jakarta.

HNW admired Lilik's spirit of worship so much that he had the determination to travel overland, of course, with various difficult terrains, difficulties, and obstacles experienced during his journey across many countries. According to HNW, overland trips for Hajj are indeed carried out by many Muslims from various countries, especially around Saudi Arabia.

In Indonesia, there are only a few, considering the distance and the level of difficulty. HNW hopes that Lilik and his team's journey can be achieved this year so he can pray for the nation and country to be better after being hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"If you manage to enter Saudi Arabia and then perform the pilgrimage, I entrust my prayers for the nation, state and people of Indonesia to always be protected by Allah SWT. Hopefully, this nation can soon be free from difficulties, especially from the COVID-19 pandemic and Indonesia can rise again," he said.

Umrah in 2019

During the meeting, Lilik told of having an adventure to Saudi Arabia riding a motorcycle with his 4-year-old son in 2019. They traveled overland by motorbike from Jambi to Saudi Arabia for eight months to perform Umrah.

"From that success, we plan to repeat it for the pilgrimage. This time, I will do it with a team of about 17 motorcycles," he said.

Lilik said that if the visa had settled, he and his entourage would immediately depart from Jakarta to Mecca next week. "That's why we went to Mr. HNW at the people's building to ask for support and prayers," he said.