Unfortunately I was informed that this was a standard KSA visa and not a specific Umrah visa. Because of this the ZamZam water is not allowed by default. I started to panic at this point as the ZamZam water was the only thing my mum made a request for so I really wanted to take this home. I tried to make a pitch that I had come for Umrah so I assumed this was the right visa but I kind of heard her say that this wasn’t an Umrah visa but just a standard KSA visa which doesn’t allow the zamzam water.
It was at this point my assistant intervened with the lady. I’m not sure what was discussed but very quickly a barcode sticker was placed on the box after which the assistant said all good, you can take this. I was confused as I had just been told it was not allowed. The assistant explained that this was now additional baggage but again I was confused as I hadn’t paid anything. I asked the assistant what he did and he coyly said he knew the lady so managed to sort it out.
I’m not sure exactly what happened but just accepted whatever it was. After a short walk the assistant took me to a trolley which was full of the same boxes so I assumed I just placed it on top. Before doing so however, I borrowed a pen from another passenger so I could write my name on all sides of the box so I could spot which one was mine. I also made a big asterix on all sides just to make things easier for me to spot my box.
After this I placed the box on the trolley. I kind of just thought ok well let me just do this and hope for the best but in all honesty I still had doubts in my head that this was going to work and whether I could collect this at Gatwick.
After this it was time for me to enter through the gates into the check in area so this is where my assistant and I would part ways. Before doing so however he requested a tip which was fair enough and was expected. As I still had quite a lot of riyals in my wallet I just handed over about 60 riyals.
Was this a lot? Well here’s the thing, I’m not going to be able to use the money back in England so I would rather spend it or give it away. I do this on every trip. I normally go outside to find a homeless person to give any remaining money I have whenever I’m due to leave for European trips. I gave a homeless guy 80 Euro’s once, It didn’t bother me at all.
Once we parted and I made my way to the security point I still had a lot of riyals to spend, leftover from the remaining deposit from the hotel. I went to a travel store and purchased some Dubai chocolates (which finished in a day when I got home by the way!) an Arabic plaque with a small prayer written on it and a Jeddah fridge magnet.
The shop did have a much better selection of fridge magnets so I’m not sure why I got a little obsessed earlier in my trip. All of this was a bit pricey to be honest as it came out to SAR 101. But like I said, I didn’t care as it was “spend it or lose it”. This used up most of the cash I still had.
The woman at the counter who was unveiled and wearing a burka was really lovely and sweet. She made a small effort to make a short conversation and ask how I am. She had a beautiful smile and I guess it was just refreshing to make a small conversation socially with someone even for 30 seconds.
That was pretty much it. After this it was just sitting at the gate and thinking through in my head what a journey this had been. I don’t really use a phone and I’m the type of person that is just as happy to keep myself occupied with my own thoughts.
So as I come to finish this journal/blog, these are some key learnings and takeaways I’ve learnt/experienced in this remarkable journey as well as my final thoughts.
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