abtravels

Farewell Prayer

Welcome to my last post on my Saudi Arabia journey. Wow we’ve seen, experienced and felt a lot haven’t we? Well now it’s time for a farewell and goodbye for the moment. If you’ve loved reading these posts please do share and leave your comments. I would be forever grateful for any donation you could make to keep this site going as well. But from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for reading and I hope we can stay in touch so please do subscribe!

Earlier in the day between breakfast and Friday prayers I had already packed up most of my luggage and was organised in a way that I had my travelling clothes out and already made space in the luggage for the last few things. So I wasn’t worried about being in a rush to get back and pack everything. With the tour company my pick up time was arranged for 10PM and evening prayers were scheduled at around 5:40PM if I recall so I still had plenty of time.

I entered Masjid an-Nabawi into the main prayer hall. Interestingly for the first time it wasn’t as busy as it typically is for prayers. I think it may have been because the air became cooler as it was scheduled to rain. 

I finished my full evening prayer including the non-obligatory raqats and my own personal dua or supplication at the end with my hands up actually took more time. I think this was one of those rare occasions in my life where beyond the Arabic supplications that is normal during a prayer, I was speaking in my mind in English, and from the heart. I meant every word.

I felt incredibly blessed and thankful not just for this trip but for everything thus far that has happened in my life. I think it was at this point that it dawned on me that everything had its place and its purpose. I came to be thankful that I’d had certain experiences in my life, that despite at the time, had caused what I felt great hardship, on the whole in the grander scheme of things, they made me stronger because they enabled me to fight my own demons in a way. So I was a little emotional coming to this realization in the mosque at this point. I realised how blessed and lucky I really am. 

The only things I asked for as such were for forgiveness and Jannat (heaven) for my dad/sister and protection for my mum, siblings and nephews. Beyond this I was giving thanks as I didn’t really need anything further in my life beyond what I already have.

Taibah Commercial Center

As I exited the mosque, I wondered if there were any final things that I should get for my family. One thought struck me then which was a bit silly but it would’ve been nice to get. I remember when I was young and my Dad performed Hajj. 

When he came back he had purchased one of those analogue alarm clocks that was shaped like a mosque and had the call to prayer as the alarm. As a child I regretfully smashed this to pieces in a fit of anger which angered and upset my mum. I can’t remember what I was angry about but I regretted it ever since as it’s no longer an item that is common given how everything has become digital. I wanted to try and find this to bring back home for my mum.

From the gate that I exited there was a commercial centre right in front. I think it was called Taiba Commercial Centre. The shopping mall was large, multiple floors, and quite busy. It was an active market with a lot of vendors selling dates, clothes, prayer mats, prayer beads and various items that I’ve seen before. I was on the first floor and I used Google translate to translate “Mosque shaped alarm clock with azan” so I could ask staff in the centre.

I found a housekeeper who directed me to a larger outlet towards one side of the center. When I got there I found someone behind the till and showed him my phone so he knew what I wanted. Without saying anything he walked to the side of the shop a little distance away and picked up a grey/silver digital clock that was rectangular and not mosque shaped. He played the alarm which was the call to prayer but it wasn’t really what I was after.

When I tried to shape a mosque using my fingers the assistant shook his head to imply no. I left soon after this but still explored a few other shops. They still sold the same things to be honest. On exiting the shopping mall I came across a small square just beside Masjid an-Nabawi where there was a Starbucks and money exchange services. 

I had one last Iced Latte. This was going to be my final liquid I would drink before my flight. I was meant to be picked up in a few hours so for the final time I made the walk back to my hotel.

I still got back to my room quite early so before I packed everything properly/securely for the last time I had a shower and brushed my teeth. After getting changed into my travelling clothes – jeans, tshirt and sweater – I just sat in my room listening to the Quran recitation on TV with the live view of Ka’bah for the last time. 

I know that what I was wearing probably seems a bit overkill with all the layers including a light jacket. However, my room was air conditioned, it was now the evening so it wasn’t hot, and also on planes I find generally cool so I tend to wear what I’m going to be comfortable wearing on the plane. This is rather than wearing more stuff at the airport before the flight.

As I went down to check out from the hotel I waited for the receptionist to make a call to a housekeeper so that they could check my room to then return the deposit of 200 riyal. This took a few minutes after which 200 riyals in cash was handed over. I’m not a big fan of this policy, giving a guest loads of money just as they’re leaving the country. I knew I’d have to find things to buy at the airport in order to spend the cash. 

One thing I did whilst waiting for my pick up taxi was to go to a shop next door to the hotel which sold small boxes of dates and prayer beads. I quickly grabbed one of the date boxes which was a small circular box with dates that had some almond nuts mixed in to make it kind of a desert. On reflection though, I should have avoided this as all the dates were kind of frozen stuck together!

My taxi arrived precisely at 10. The driver whatsapped me a picture of the car which was in fact a white minivan. As the driver started packing my luggage he asked how many people as I think he was expecting a small family, but I just said it’s just me which he was fine with. 

We set off and for a final time I understood the challenges of driving in Madinah. It’s like dodging bullets. No one seems to indicate, the amount of times he had to break and unexpectedly swerve was astonishing. But drivers just take it in their stride. You can’t drive very fast so the chances of having a crash are somewhat limited but still entirely possible.

During the taxi journey which took about 30 minutes to Madinah airport, I started to hear thunder and it began to rain moderately. This was expected as I had received a text message to my Zain sim card a few hours earlier from the Saudi civil defence department. After translating the message it read that there would be heavy rain later today. I guess as it doesn’t rain very frequently they send these messages. 

Rain in Makkah/Madinah is considered a blessing as it’s pretty rare. However, when the message said heavy rain, I was expecting it to be like thunderstorms and absolute pouring down. There were thunderstorms but the rain itself, well this was like a Tuesday in London during summer. It wasn’t heavy in my opinion! 

It was beautiful however because the roads did temporarily empty out. I looked around and it felt a bit deserted by other people and seeing the roads and mosques whilst driving, I just for a brief moment realised how beautiful the city actually is despite sometimes the chaos. It was nice, indeed a blessing!

Madinah Airport – Buying ZamZam water

We arrived and stopped right outside the airport besides the Hajj gate. From speaking to my Umrah guide earlier in the trip as well as doing some research on Google, you can buy a 5 gallon bottle of ZamZam water at the airport to take as additional baggage if you have an Umrah visa. 

I therefore looked for this counter and one of the reasons why I came a little earlier than I normally would for a flight. My initial queue up point was not the right one as it was for wrapping any luggage. But as standard, there were limited signs and perhaps there were but I can’t see very well so I just joined a queue of people without really knowing what the queue was for.

I asked an Arab elderly man who was standing besides me in the queue “ZamZam water?” but he replied “Arabic” which I think meant he only spoke arabic. But I thought hey am I not partially speaking Arabic as I thought ZamZam is Arabic. I left the queue when I got closer and could read the sign in English which said luggage wrapping, so I knew I was at the wrong place. 

Soon after an airport housekeeper or security guard with a lanyard walked past me and I quickly stepped in front to stop him so I could ask for the ZamZam water sale point. He pointed behind him and from what I could see was a small queue and 2 counters in a hut-like building. 

As I walked up I could see into the back of the building sort of like a warehouse. There were stacks and stacks of white boxes, all the same size with some forklifts moving them around. I thought ok, this must be it I reckon.

The 3 counters (one was not active) were arranged such that you pay at the first one and then move along to collect at the second. You show your passport and then pay SAR12,50 in cash only by the way – no card payments. 

I paid with 22.5 riyals to get rid of some loose change and get a 10 riyal note back instead of coins. I still have the 10 riyals by the way which isn’t any use to me so if you ever want it, just ask (and maybe buy me a Karak chai?).

I collected the box which had a barcode on it and that clearly said ZamZam water. It was pretty easy and quick to be fair but this was about 11PM at night so may have just been the time. My flight was at 03:10 early morning so I was really early.

Stepping into Madinah airport, on first impressions it looked very chaotic with people walking all over the place in every direction. However the departure/check in desks to drop off your baggage are literally straight in front of the entrance and the first thing you’ll see walking through the doors are the screens with departure/flight times/information. 

So to be fair it’s actually a very easy airport to navigate and doesn’t require a long trek to get from one side of the airport to the other – like Dublin for example!

As I arrived quite early the bag drop had not yet opened for my flight. I initially asked around to understand where I needed to go as I was unsure and this staff member who was Bengali gave me some initial instructions. 

These are assistant services at the airport and he replied he would come back to find me when the bag drops open and then stay/assist me throughout until my flight. 

I took a seat near the entrance for about half an hour. I regularly checked the flight information until soon after it said that counters 14-16 were open. I made my way to the counters which weren’t very far, they were just in front of me to the left. There was already a moderate queue to the counters so I had to go all the way to the back which was fine as I was really early for my flight.

It was about a 20 minute – half an hour walk until I got to the front of the line by which point the assistant had found me again and rejoined me. I noticed at this point that all the check in/boarding clerks were all veiled women to which I felt some anxiousness and was like “oh man” in my head. I was grateful for the assistant at that point to help me communicate. 

Once I got to the front I handed my phone which I had checked in using the Wizz Air App. I also gave my passport. I then placed my hold luggage which by the way still had plenty of room for extra gifts and souvenirs on reflection. I placed the ZamZam water box on the belt as well which at this point the clerk asked for my Umrah visa. I had this printed out which I handed over to her.

Boarding

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.

Key Takeaways

My entire journey lasted ten days and whilst I am so glad I went and experienced this for the first time, I became so exhausted and was really glad to be back home by the end of it. Take that how you wish but I think of it in a blessed way because it made me realise and appreciate what I have in my life. You have to kind of live in a very minimalist way when visiting Makkah/Madinah that it sort of makes you appreciate what you do have, in terms of your health, family, country, and your spirit.

What I mean by the last point is that it did really awaken me a bit more spiritually to see the blessings and beauty within the world. I found some of my most peaceful moments were when I was by myself in my hotel room or the hotel prayer room in Makkah and I was praying and speaking to Allah/God. The Umrah itself yes it was very spiritual but key moments for me was when I was with myself and God. I really found this spiritually awakening and calming in a way. The act of praying and the meditation that it involves just to slow the rush of the world was beneficial in my journey in a way I’ve never experienced before. One thing also is that whenever I prayed before, I’m not saying it was rushed but I was more in autopilot without giving a lot of thought into what I was saying. But being able to kind of breathe during prayer in order to slow yourself down and just to enjoy the calmness of it was incredibly insightful for. It was like something switched, because I had been praying a little before but I never really felt this way. Something for me had switched and I now find prayer very beneficial personally that I now pray 5 times a day and give thanks for what I have in my life.

Solo Travel/Umrah – Recommended!

I did my entire trip by myself as a solo traveller as I have done with my holidays so far. This has pros and cons during Umrah I would say. Pros are that as described it can be more spiritual. You won’t be forced to adhere to someone else’s timeline and it gives you a bit of freedom. 

The cons however is that if you go by yourself not having done the pilgrimage before it can get very confusing or perhaps you may miss doing certain things in a proper way. For example my visit to the Uhud mountains, whilst still enjoyable, could have been better had I gone with someone who had been before and knew where to go specifically. 

One other thing which is a regret and that I didn’t manage to do was visit Al-Baqi cemetery next to Masjid an-Nabawi to pay respects to the companions and wives of the prophet (PBUH). The reason being is that visiting times were very short and they were either very early in the morning or a short window after evening prayers. Going with someone I think I might have been a bit more disciplined and better planned in order to visit these sights and do these religious rituals.

My personal takeaway is that, if you can go with someone who’s gone before, especially if you go for the first time. However, I would suggest going by yourself again at some point so you can reap the benefits of being closer to the spiritual side of things. 

I wasn’t alone in doing the Umrah alone. When I was at Madinah airport I met a brother who was from Leicester who had done the Umrah for the first time by himself. So it’s not really unusual, and men and women I might add can do it by themselves and I would recommend this if you have the opportunity. 

For the first time, try and go with someone else who has gone before. I think another benefit that I experienced going by myself was that it gave me some insights about the changes I need to perhaps make in my personal life to lead a better life as a muslim. 

I don’t mean necessarily like praying 5 times a day, reading nafl prayer etc, but I mean situational/life shifts. For example, becoming more independent I feel would support my soul and my spiritual endeavors. I think being in solitude has great benefits physically and mentally/spiritually/emotionally. This gave me the incentive to make a life move and shift in my life to move forward I guess into the next stage of myself and personal growth.

Ziyarat Tour Package

You could always do a Ziyarat tour package, which is a tour guide that will take you by taxi to all the sacred places and historical sites in either Makkah/Madinah. On reflection I should have booked this instead of trying to plan everything myself. 

I think it’s definitely worth doing especially if you can get a guide that can give you tours of the places. This is something I intend to pay for on my next trip. For example, had I had this for visiting Uhud Mountain, this would have been much more fulfilling and proper as someone who is knowledgeable can give you an excursion to the right place. So something to consider.

One thing that anyone planning to do Umrah is that an Umrah visa costs around £185 whereas a standard KSA visa costs around £35 which is a bit dumb to be honest considering that it would be cheaper in most cases to paying the additional baggage fee to get the ZamZam water rather than pay the Umrah visa. So something to keep in mind.

Connecting with Others

I think if you do go for a longer duration of time say for more than a week, having someone to go with can be a bit more fulfilling as you can where appropriate and possible socialise and speak to others. This was for me one of the things which kind of bugged me when I was there and a bit after. 

The buffet breakfasts were the only part of my day where I spoke to others in a casual way which I love. It was incredibly diverse with brothers from every place of the Earth. I love speaking to people, hearing their stories and I love other people’s company that way. 

Makkah/Madinah, I accept they might not be places for social activities and that after an extended period can feel a bit lonely. There is a common saying that Arab men are unsociable and rude. I don’t really think they are to be frank as you have to look in the context of where you are. 

Makkah and Madinah are very crowded places with thousands of people at any one time. Managing this, I can’t imagine it’s very easy and you do have to operate in a way that everything needs to be a quick turnaround. So they’re not rude but they’re just doing the best that they can in the situation. And on this, I think in the context of everything the Grand Mosque and Masjid an-Nabawi are in fact very well managed and run by the Saudi authorities despite the chaosness of everything.

My only fail/disappointment

Rawdah was one of my most disappointing parts of my journey. It was not a garden of paradise in reality and I felt it could have been better managed not only by myself but by the authorities themselves. 

It was so chaotic and it didn’t feel very peaceful if I’m being honest. Again though, you have to look at it in context. 50,000 to 100.0000 muslims in the prophet’s mosque at any one time, with a number of these people wanting to visit a small area whilst there. That’s an incredibly difficult task to manage as an authority. 

So in the context of it, they’re doing the best they can. And it’s really up to the permit holder to do their part to manage the visit as best they can for themselves. Learning some conversational Arabic I think is really key and something I really should have dedicated more time to in the preparation of this journey. I will be aiming to do this the next time I go.

I think this is another lesson I learnt. Stop putting the blame on other people and situations. You have to adapt to what’s happening on the outside. I think a lot of people blame governments or others for why this isn’t working in their lives, which I completely understand. But I think at some point we have to take a bit of ownership and responsibility of just working with what you have to make the best of it. 

If you suffer from dry skin, prepare for this in the KSA due to the climate.  I did have to visit a pharmacy towards the end of the trip to buy a cream but the one provided was more for a type of fungal infection rather than the normal cream I use at home. It still worked and provided some relief but the medicine/treatments can get a bit pricey. 

So if you suffer from dry skin, prepare beforehand and take whatever you need with you. For most UK airports now (there are some exceptions so please check) you are now allowed 2L of liquids so there’s no issue with shampoo bottles, creams, drinks etc so don’t worry about this.

Both cities are more active at night than in the mornings and afternoons. They’re cities that never sleep so be prepared for this. Whilst Uber was very cheap and common in the KSA, Google Maps on the other hand was quite useless to be honest. I use Google Maps quite a lot when traveling within Europe but for the KSA it was frequently unusable. The directions and ETA’s were not accurate so be prepared if you use Google Maps and either ask for directions or just use a taxi/local transport which accepts contactless.

Artificial Intelligence

And finally, as AI is now blowing up globally, I took advantage of this daily during my trip. As I was travelling by myself and still had a fair few questions about religious rituals or otherwise, Copilot was the easiest means for me to ask questions and get, I hope, accurate answers without access to a knowledgeable person like an Imam for example. 

For example some of the prayers that it provided me were in my opinion beautiful pieces of poetry, not exclusively islamic prayers. This was so helpful and I don’t think I’d have been able to do this Umrah journey without it. I will include some of my chats below just for reference.

Thank you and Blessings to You, dear reader

This was a beautiful trip which I got a lot more out of than I really thought I would. I just want to end by saying thank you to you, dear reader for whatever part you may have played in my life. I’m so thankful and will remain grateful so thank you.

Please help me to make this blog bigger and help others to see new ways of seeing this beautiful world. Please check out my book reviews! And please keep sharing, commenting! Thank you so much!