Al Saraya Grand Mecca

... and homes that gave a lot of character to the area, to make way for the Hiltons and Intercontinentals. I suppose with an ever increasing number of pilgrims that this change was inevitable.

Walking outside the Haram is blinding as the sun reflects off the white tiling, so walking into the masjid itself is like a cooling balm to the eyes. You remove your shoes before entering, and inside it is open, airy, air-conditioned, with red carpets, cool tiles ...

... the side of the road for some beautiful fresh fruit - Taif is well known for this - tried a 'desert pear' (delicious thing that grows on a cactus-like plant, full of seeds, but with a mango-like texture almost... Delicious! We then continued along the road, stopping again for a camel ride! These beautiful animals were decorated in headdresss, and roses (what Taif is most well known for in the springtime.) Finally, we checked out of the hotel, and headed out to a lovely restaurant for ...

... breakfast at the beach, so we stopped at a small restaurant that specializes in Indian omlette parathas and picked up a sack taking along our own carafes of hot chai. The beaches in Saudi are generally quite dirty with trash, although they were better this year than they have been in the past. There were quite a few people -- families -- there even though it was about 6 am. And I actually did get to drive in Saudi, as there were a couple of guys ...

... to rest.

We did stop at a rest area for the sunset prayers, which gave a nice break. We stopped at one of the larger chains -- Sapco. So there's a gas station, small playground, a mosque, a grocery store, a restaurant, and often small shops selling cassette tapes of religious lectures and music or small gift items and outdoor paraphenalia (like flower pots, water coolers, these funky riding toys for kids in the shape of birds ...

... airport tax domestik daerah Jakarta pp.-Pembuatan Paspor-Surat Mahram bagi wanita yang tanpa muhrim (Rp 150.000/0rang).-Fiskal, airport tax dan perlengkapan Rp 1.450.000.-Cargo-Kursi Roda-Tour Leader. Hotel : Paket 7 Hari:-Mekkah:Hotel Hilton,-Medinah:Hotel Hilton,-Jedddah:Hotel Intercontinental. Paket 9 Hari:-Mekkah:Hotel Hilton.-Medinah:Hotel Hilton,-Jeddah:Hotel Intercontinental. Profile Hotel ...

... such a different land. This coupled with the fact that credit cards and traveler's checks are not accepted in Arabia, and that the currency exchange was closed, conspired to knot my stomach very badly. I had been studying Arabic with the Pimsleur language discs for a few months, so I could make myself understood at least. This was good since the prefered language in Saudi is not English, even though it is on many signs and billboards.

The ride to Mecca, via the ...

Amazing to be here! This is the first and original mosque to have ever been built. We believe it to have been ordered of Abraham to be built at this location by God. This is the culmination of a lot of anticipation in every Muslimīs life!

... are a newly wed at that time (we were married on April 2006, and this voyage start on June 2006), because if either me or my husband getting romantic it could undo our niyat, and we have to go back to Bir Ali to do the preparation all over again. The journey was as exciting as it was exhausting.

... Alhamdulillah, dengan pengalaman menunaikan umrah sebelum ini, anak-anak yang kecik pun excited sangat bila sampai di Madinah dan tak sabar-sabar untuk menziarah maqam Rasulullah, kaum keluarga baginda, para sahabat serta beribadat di Masjid Nabawi. Kami juga berharap dapat kembali ke tempat-tempat bersejarah yang membawa makna didalam perkembangan Islam. Kami merebut peluang mengikut kemampuan dan keupayaan kami untuk beribadat dan sentiasa cuba untuk berada ...

... mereka berusaha untuk melakukan itu.. Jadinya, tau sendiri, kan! Kedua belah pihat dilatih lagi untuk bersabar. Yang satu karena merasa fasilitasnya tidak memadai, lainnya karena tingkah dan keluh kesah tamu bawaannya. Masyarakat kita terkenal paling sugih, karena paling banyak pergi melakukan perjalanan ini tiap tahunnya. Tetapi pemerintah masih belum memberikan pelajaran tentang bagaimana melakukan sesuatu ...