For the first time ever, Tok Bah and Tok Ma in Pasir Mas got the opportunity to go on an Umrah pilgrimage in Mecca. We drove to Kelantan to see them off. En route, we got to see a herd of elephants, pale and monolithic, at about three a.m. along the Grik-Jeli highway over the mountains. They must have just crossed the road as their butts were to us. No, we did not stop the car to take photos.
The entire party
Tok Bah and Tok Ma would join a group of pilgrims from Terengganu and be escorted by Ain’s cousin and her husband in their journey. Many came from Pondok Lubuk Tapah and other places to see them off at the Kota Bharu airport.
Ain, Tok Bah and Tok Ma
Yes, Ain shed tears at the airport.
Two generations of cousins
Irfan should get to know his cousins a bit more. Though I think his extraordinary height (and his somewhat introverted demeanour around unfamiliar people) might make them nervous around him.
Group photo
All of us before they left.
Group photo plus Irfan
All of us plus Irfan before they left.
After they departed, we headed back to Pondok Lubuk Tapah to get our gear and then begin our drive to…
may the umrah be fruitful and safe.
dah balik dah ke?
Yeah. They’ve come back.