Makkah Intercontinental Mecca

... all the different languages and chants, the sense of being part of a global community.

Once you finish the Sa'y you have basically finished Umrah, so after filling up on some cool water we left the masjid. By now it was closing on 10 am. We walked around a bit at the shops that are left, and my hubby and fil stopped in a barbershop to get a haircut (the final rite of pilgrimmage). We took a taxi back to where we had left our car and headed back for Jeddah.

... before hitting the road back to Riyadh to arrive back very late Friday night.

Absolutely amazing, and well worth the money spent! And guess what guys? I'm heading to Beirut with a group of friends in a few weeks' time!!! (I'm not going to have saved a cent by the end of this the way I'm going!!! :p)

Tune in next time for more Middle-eastern adventures!

Kat

Ps check out my facebook page for pics and videos of the trip! (Can't get the uploader on here to work now!)

... was pretty much confined to the dates market, the gold souq (I wanted to sell some rings) and an enormous open-air market called the Heraj. Some areas sell used clothing, used furniture, used appliances, and other areas of it have new, but all are ready and waiting for haggling, at which I am terrible. I generally just select what I want, point it out to my husband, then leave and let him deal with the money end of it. The sad part of ...

... Thankfully my kids were all sleeping so I didn't have to refuse to let them go on the playground, the equipment in which is usually half broken down or scalding hot. Metal playground equipment may not be the ideal choice for a country with this climate.

After sunset we headed out again, and into the sandstorms. It was dark, but we could feel the car being buffeted and hear the gritty blasts of wind as it blew sand all around the car.

... Umroh Eksklusif : - Paket 7 hari : Doeble USD 2.500-USD 2.700-Triple USD 2.400-USD 2.600. - Paket 9 hari : Doeble USD 2.900-USD 3.100-Triple USD 2.800-USD 3.000. Transportasi selama di Arab Saudi By GMC. Pesawat Garuda Indonesia/Saudi Air. Jadwal Perjalanan : - Paket 7 hari : Jakarta-Jedah-Madinah, Madinah, Madinah-Mekkah, Mekkah, Mekkah-Jedah, Jedah-Jakarta. - Paket 9 hari : Jakarta-Jedah-Madinah ...

... cat cages. Every few miles there were bridges crossing over the freeway and police and/or military officers waiting in the shade. The driver always slowed down so they could see the occupants of the car and they always let us pass, unmolested. For all the talk I had heard about the Saudis and overzealous security officers, none of it was a problem on this trip. Our driver could not slow down below about 150 km per hour, no matter how many times we said; "Shwai-ai", I ...

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!

We arrived in Mecca at almost midnight, probably around 11 pm. The journey from Medina to Mecca is almost as long as the journey from Jeddah to Medina, cause Mecca is not that far from Jeddah. All through the journey to Mecca, my mum constantly remind me not to get too close to my husband, altough ...

... dengan makhluk Allah yang terbaik, insan yang paling tinggi darjatnya. Tempat tinggal, makan dan minum alhamdulillah baik dan lokasi pun betul-betul depan gate masjid. 7 hari di Madinah, kami bertolak ke Makkah. Lepas berhenti di miqat untuk buat niat (kami berazam dan berniat untuk buat Haji Qiran) rombongan kami menuju ke Aziziyah, bandar kecik di antara Mina dan Makkah. Saya dan anak-anak berkongsi bilik dengan satu keluarga pakistani yang jugak turut bawak anak-anak ...

... cuma birunya laut n setitik hitam ditengah2nya, mungkin kapal yang besar hanya saja karena dari kejauhan terlihat sangat kecil. Aq jadi berpikir, bagaimana Tuhan mengatur alam semesta ini ya? ratusan juta orang Dia ciptakan! Bila sangat besar alam ini dia ciptakan, dan Dia menganggap kecil, sebesar apa Dia? Sungguh benar2 Maha Besar, pastinya! Selama perjalanan, naluri buang hajat tak tertahankan. Toilet ...