Convoy draws curious locals in China
HUI CHUAN (Gansu Province): Wherever the Kembara Inspirasi Haji (KIH) expedition convoy, which consists of two four-wheeldrive vehicles, parked or drove through Yunan, Sichuan and Gansu in China, they attracted the attention of the local communities.
Some motorists even parked their vehicles and approached the eight participants.
The curious locals sometimes studied the stickers on KIH vehicles, as well as a map, which included logos of the convoy’s sponsors.
The map shows the route of the expedition, which would take them to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
The presence of the Malaysians attracted the locals as foreigners were rarely seen in their villages and towns.
During their 16,000km expedition, the participants experienced difficulty communicating with locals due to the language barrier.
So far, the convoy has travelled more than 6,000km across Thailand, Laos as well as China’s Yunan, Sichuan and Gansu provinces.
They will be in China for another nine days.
Project director Khir Ariffin said the response from the local community in China, including non-Muslims, showed they were interested to know more about the expedition.
The convoy’s next destination is Lanzhou, which is one of the main towns along the Silk Route.
Once there, the expedition will visit the Muslim community, as well as a floating mosque and the 649-year-old Xiguan Mosque. Bernama