Ishabil.com

 My name is Ikbal, and this the life story of  unforgettable three-day journey through the diverse landscape of Saudi Arabia’s South: a trip covering over 1600 kilometers by road, scaling the heights of Abha, and sailing to the remote Farasan Islands. An unexpected break from work led to a call from my colleague, Dr. Ijas, proposing a spontaneous trip. We debated between the cool heights of Abha and the remote Farasan Islands (50 km off the Jizan coast). Realizing they were on a similar route, and having enough time, we decided to tackle both! Quickly gathering our friends Rafi and Ansari, we finalized the itinerary and set off the next morning. Day 1: From the Coast to the Cool Peaks (Jeddah to Abha to Jizan) We started at 6:00 AM in Dr. Ijas’s car. The Jeddah-Jizan highway stretched before us, and as the sun rose, we sped past the city limits. The Oasis of Watermelons For a long stretch, the roadsides were lined with vast  watermelon farm...

A trip undertaken to fulfill my mother's long-cherished dream of riding a train for the first time. The journey expanded into a beautiful two-day family tour of Ernakulam (Kochi) and Alappuzha (Alleppey). Day 1: The Rail Ride and Kochi's Heights 🚄 Train to Aluva The six of us—my mother, wife, children, and myself—left home early, taking an auto-rickshaw to Parappanangadi Railway Station. We had booked tickets on the  Kannur-Alappuzha Express  train, scheduled for 7:10 AM. The train arrived on time, but after a short wait for another train to pass, our journey began. For my mother, who had never stepped onto a train before, and my youngest, a nine-month-old baby, the experience was thrilling. We sped past lush green paddy fields, crossed bridges over rivers, and watched towns flash by. We enjoyed the homemade breakfast we brought along right on the train. The train arrived about half an hour late at  Aluva Station  around 1...

 My name is Ikbal, and this my life story of a road trip undertaken for a poignant purpose: to visit the family of our late colleague from Jeddah, Kamal Pasha, in Tamil Nadu, which then turned into an incredible cross-state adventure. The initial plan involved a large group of colleagues, but it eventually came down to four of us: Shihab, Rasheedkka, Naushad, and myself. Day 1: The Road to Melur and the Windmill Kingdom The Journey Begins Rasheedkka and I arrived early in Perinthalmanna, where Naushad soon met us in his brand-new Swift car. After picking up Shihab just before Mannarkkad, we had breakfast and started our journey towards our primary destination:  Melur , near Madurai. We quickly crossed Palakkad town. Although the initial stretch through the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border was beautiful, the road condition in the Palakkad area was poor. However, the moment we crossed into Tamil Nadu, the roads transformed into smooth, wide h...