JEDDAH: Two Saudi youths walked from Jeddah to Makkah on Thursday seeking to raise awareness that smoking kills. They started their journey from Al-Ruhaili gasoline station on Makkah Road and walked a distance of 60 kilometers in 13 hours.
Rasheed Abul'ula, 20, said he was inspired by the holy season of Haj and planned to trek to Makkah.
“People used to walk to Makkah in the old days, and I wanted to prove that if we have the determination and will to undertake this arduous journey, we can have the determination to give up smoking,” he said.
Abul'ula, who is a student at King Abdulaziz University (KAU), broached the idea with the university’s management. They liked it so much that one of the officials of the university decided to join him in his trek.
The university staffer, Saeed Al-Ghamdi, 22, said he had never taken part in any such adventure but now he felt it was the right time and cause to join it.
“I was very optimistic and excited about this trip, which is a prelude to similar future trips,” he said.
Both young men were accompanied by an ambulance and had cell phones ready for any emergency. They were carrying bags filled with necessary medical equipment, food and water. They were both walking by the side of the main Makkah Road.
“We have talked about every thing,” Al-Ghamdi said adding that by the end of the trip they had run out of any subject to discuss. “I’m not going to talk to Saeed for months after this trip because we have exhausted all subjects,” Abul’ula said jokingly.
Both Abul’ula and Al-Ghamdi managed to reach Makkah around 6 a.m. yesterday. They stopped at the Grand Mosque.
“The first thing we did after reaching Makkah was that we bowed to Allah in the Grand Mosque,” Abul'ula said adding that after praying they wanted to sleep for hours. He said that the trip went without any problems or obstacles.
“We had to take short breaks every now and then to regain our stamina,” he said adding that both of them went through an extensive training before undertaking the trip.
Abdullah Muharji, head of the student's affairs at KAU, said that the university had initiated the (Youth Without Smoking) program five years ago. “The two young men carried that message along their trip in an effort to spread awareness among the people,” he said.
