All over Mekah

Check out the view from the top. This was taken from the second floor of Masjidil Haram. Can't hide the cranes from the back. All along that back road construction is going on full swing for new hotels.

Isn't it such a beautiful sight!

This is Nadiah and me taken after Maghrib prayers ...

Najihah and me ...

Ah this is a nice one. That's my sis in law and my friend Siti Zubaidah...

I like this one. Bob and me after Isyak. The mosque is really beautiful at night. All lit up, bet you can see it from space. See all the people ...its busy like this 24/7

The busy shops around Mekah. They sell all kinds of wares. However be wary when shopping because the retailers tend to be a bit pushy. For example, they will force you to take a size or colour they want to sell not what you want to buy. When you don't make the purchase they get upset!

But you can find almost everything ... sejadah, clothes, pots and pans, kettles ...

I take Ali with me during Maghrib until Isyak. Its air conditioned upstairs, more roomy and comfortable. Also many of the mothers bring their kids. He enjoyed playing with the other kids, especially the girls! He even stopped looking for his mama as he was so caught up with his new found admirers

Right infront of our hotel some pigeons and the kids were all excited about feeding them. But they are not as mild as the ones in Perth where they feed from your hand

We didn't take the kids whenever we did out Umrah but we did take them to do tawaf sunat. At least to give them some experience of what it feels like. Ali slept in his carrier after the 4th round!

More pictures

These are some pictures which we took all over the place during our Umah trip. Have enlarged it following the request of Miss Anis. When I look at the pictures makes me miss being there so much. Even with the chaos and hustle and bustle of Mekah, there is a certain feel when there. Not sure how to explain it but if you have been there you will know what I mean.


This picture was taken just outside our hotel on the way to the mosque. Too bad can't see the mosque ... too much light

This is Najihah at Jabar Rahmah. This is where Nabi Adam found Hawa and they say if you climb to the top, those looking for their "jodoh" can write their names up there. Insyaallah, there is someone for you.

This was taken at Hudaibiyah, the camel farm. I think I posted this earlier but its for Anis. It was so hot, we just went out took picture and sat on the bus again

A picture of my mom in law and sis in law, Ali, Najihah and me at Gua Hiraq

Food in Saudi

Any trip would not be the same without good food rite? And of course we had our fair share of good food there such as this ....

Or what is left of it lah! Lamb and chicken. Very nice .... there were two types of rice. Briani like...There are different ways of cooking the lamb either underground or grilled. We had it grilled and it was not so good it seems. A bit on the tough side. But we were filled up so maybe another trip.

They served it with roti naan and these really delicious samosa's! But how can we eat so much rice and have bread too. So we didn't eat the bread. We also didn't have any dessert although the dessert bar looked really enticing.

See how we hungry we were, we all grabbed and ate so fast!

The men had their own tray which I must say is much too huge. The women, there were five or six of us, couldn't finish our share. We kept on piling our rice into their tray.

In this lower picture, we were waiting anxiously for the food. We left the mosque after isyak and waited at the hotel before we went for dinner so by the time we are it was like 10.30pm. And we were all sooo sleepy.

Oh ya! Forgot to start with where this is! Bob has a friend in Mekah and he took us to this restaurant where they serve you on a "talam" (tray). The Sunnah says it is encouraged to eat together to build ties ...mengeratkan silaturahim. I forgot the name of the restaurant but it is still in the tanah haram area, about 15 minutes from the mosque.

Also, not all restaurants have dining areas for women and family. Most restaurants cater to the men only so if you feel like eating out, your husband has to take away lah. Even some of the fast food restaurants have separate lines for men and women to queue.

This was taken on our journey into Mekah. On the way to Mekah from Medina, we stopped at this restaurant where we ate from the tary too. The difference between this restaurant and the one in Mekah is that they served us fried fish.

The fish was really crispy but the bone of the fish was blue! I wonder why ....

They had tables of course but we opted to sit on the floor as it was more comfy and convenient with Ali running all over the place.

No vege is served but instead onions (raw) and green chilli which is really hot. Must be a different species from ours here in Malaysia. The rice is really soft and fluffy. I must say it was a good meal .... out in the dessert.

Another thing you must always have when in Mekah or Medina, the ice cream. The soft serve is especially good. It has numerous flavours and is RM2 for cup or cone. There is also gourmet ice cream MOvenpick. Sedap and creamy!!!! Yummy .....

Ziarah

In many ways you become a tourist when you for your umrah or Haj but of course the Arabs don't think about how to make facilities and amenities more tourist friendly cause say what you want, you have to go there anyway! Hmmm ... thought to ponder.



During our trip we manage to get quite a bit of the historical sights such as Gua Hiraq and Bukit Uhud etc. We even got to see camels and Najihah even went up on one of them, willingly too!



This was taken in Hudaibiyah just out of Mekah. We had the chance to drink camel's milk and some of the others even brought bottles home. I didn't try it. Didn't feel like it but they say it doesn't taste like anything different. Still! A lot of history behind camel's milk. It was what our good prophet relied on alone when he was in the desert for days on end. Did you know that camels store food in their humps that is how they survive in the heat and the barren land.

This was taken just out of Mekah. You can see Gua Hiraq at the back. That is where the Quran was first sent to our good prophet through the Angel Jibrail. It was very hot here. That is my mom in law, sis in law, Najihah and Ali. Nadiah didn't make it as she was down with a fever. She was put for two days! Poor thing...

This was in Medinah -- Bukit Uhud. A war was fought here but the Muslims lost as there was no unity among them the story goes. This was also where Hamzah's heart was eaten by that woman, forgot her name lah.

From Medinah to Mekah, we stopped at a restaurant along the highway and they served us this rice pilaf kinda dish with chicken and fried fish. It was really delicious. The rice was soft and fluffy. They serve it with onions as salad and big green chillies which is really HOT!

Actually we did a lot of eating there. I put on some around my waist too! More pictures to come ...

Umrah -- First Stop: Medinah

Alhamdulillah our umrah was rewarding and fulfilling. Our Umrah trip was a 12 day package. We left on March 29 and returned safely home on April 9. Technically it is a 10 day trip as travelling time is included in the 12 day package. We arrived in Jeddah about 8pm and went directly on the bus for a 5 hour bus ride to Medinah.


Checking in at the airport. We went with Andalusia. A very big and reputable travel agency but in my humble opinion, the next time we go (insyaallah) we would opt for a different agency!

The kids were really tired as it was night in Malaysia. We were all jet lagged too so we slept all the way. We couldn't even see much of Jeddah as it was night. We stopped to pray maghrib and isyak then we ate dinner on the bus and fell asleep.

Next thing we knew we were in Medinah and it was time to go for subuh. The first sight of the Nabawi Mosque is indeeda sight to behold! Only after the subuh prayers could I really take a good look at Medinah city and it is beautiful. I don't remember it at all from my trip there some many moons ago.

It is clean, organised, modern and very elegant I must say. The buildings are tall and sprawling. They have a lot of space so I figured that is why they have the luxury of being able to build that way. It reminds me a lot of Putrajaya.


The hotel we stayed at was a five to ten minute walk to the mosque. We can also see the Hilton from there. We stayed at there for three nights and did some sightseeing as well. It was also our first opportunity to shop in Saudi Arabia. The gold and jewellery shops will surely catch your eye even after subuh prayers they are already open and flickering in the morning light.

This is us preparing to leave Medinah and head to Mekah. We had to adorn our "ihram" here. The children were really excited about seeing Mekah. I don't think they completely knew what to expect the Kaabah to be like as they have only watched on TV and seen in books.

This was taken before one of the prayer times at Medinah. Oh ya! The weather was really nice too. Not too hot although sunny. Infact a bit chilly at times. During subuh it gets a little to the bone. Even the crowd was not very big so we didn't always have to fight for space like in Mekah.

We brought the maid too and she wanted as many pictures as I could take as kenangan. I think she was the happiest of all. Hahaha...

The Trip of A Lifetime

I will be going for a trip on Sunday. A trip I have been waiting for quite some time now. No, its not Paris. Better than that. Will be going to do my umrah, insyaallah. Best part is, the whole family will be going. Yes, even little Ali.

Am really looking forward to this trip as I have wanted to go for quite some time now. The last time I almost could go but didn't. Bob went in 2007 but I was carrying Ali, I was 7 months already I think, so I stayed home. Was so sad then.

This time, God has opened his heart and Bob agreed that we all go. Alhamdulillah. It will be for 12 days. We will be back, insyaallah, on April 9. The girls will be missing school. It will be an out of classroom experience which I hope they will remember. They are so lucky to be able to go at such a young age. Oh ya! Taking the maid too. She is so happy to get to go.

I have put aside some clothing to bring along already but still have some last minute things to buy. I have to think for four people now including me and that can be quite taxing. I am trying my level best to relax as I really don't want to be stressed out.

I am not sure what to expect when there and what it will be like with the kids, but I plan to keep the mind as open as possible and not create expectations for myself. I have received advice from my friends and also my mom. Thank you all, I appreciate the kind thoughts. As one of my good friends just said, "Go with zero expectations and come back with immesuarable spiritual satisfaction." God willing ...

I have been there before also to do the umrah but as I was telling my friends, I was young then and did not fully appreciate the experience. This time I feel I am mentally and emotionally prepared and I know what my purpose is. When I went in 1992 I was still so young and naive and not at all as I am now. I didn't fully understand the reason for our being and our existence. Age does these things to you I guess.

I really feel now is the best time for me to go. Maybe it would be best to do it alone some of you may argue and not with the children. The thing is I can't bear to leave them for so long and I want them to experience it. To be aware of spiritual essence at an early age.That is my wish and desire but I can only plan, the rest is up to the All Mighthy. But as my alma mater goes: Do your best and God will do the rest. AMIN