brought back memories of my 1997 Hajj when the fire raged & burnt down 30000+ tents. It was a sad night for many & emotionally disturbing for those who watched.
As far as camera thingy is concerned, the bengali pm was there in the diplomatic protocol taking snaps of the victims like it was a picnic. Anyway.
Why so many connections?
Saudia (airlines) flies direct from JFK to Jeddah and Jeddah to Karachi. Ask your travel agent...it may be a little more money but I think it will be well worth it.
My dad isn’t too keen on Saudia airlines. He flew with them last time he went for Hajj. Granted, that was over 20 years ago but swore never again.
Anyway, none of these airlines fly from here (Saudia, Royal Jordanian, etc.). So we have to catch a connecting flight anyway. Rather than flying to the States, we’re flying to London instead … will spend a few days there and then onto Jordan and then Jeddah. I don’t mind flying to Jordan. Should be fun. 
From there, we will fly to Karachi and then back to London directly … I think. I’m not sure if we’re stopping in Jordan on the way back.
awww.. saudia is excellent on its intl routes… but ya.. no direct flight.. 
yup yup.. it will be via jordan too on teh way back.. more shopping
woww MASHALLAH all of you are so lucky and so blessed :k: mashallah
may Allah swt accept your prayers
Re: Performing Hajj
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by MehnazQ: *
Has anybody gone to perform Hajj in the past 10 years? I want to know what it is like ... mainly, what are the facilities like considering there will be a billion people there? I hope it's clean.
Also, what happens if you have a camera on you? I know we can't take pictures while on Hajj but if we are travelling to other places as well (Pakistan), then will the Saudis say anything if we have a camera on us or will they take it away?
Last question, are there any provisions for elderly people who are in a wheelchair?
I would like for you all to share your experiences if you can ... particularly the ladies. :)
[/QUOTE]
Havent had a chance to read all replies so sorry if anything gets repeated
I went to Hajj in 2002 and the facilities were generally excellent- the kaaba area is all AC and marbled floors and underground coolers. It all depends on what package you go for - if you are going with family then its definately better to pay extra and get better accom. If you are going with a group, you could end up sharing a room with others (unless you tell them you dont want to).
My experience of cameras is that if the police (called Shortee) see your camera, they will confiscate the film (and prob the cam). Ive been to Mecca a few times and have to say the police can be rough (we saw them beating a arab guy in a wheelchair once). Have to say that they are very good with non-local people though.
Provision for old/disabled people: In Mecca you can hire wheelchairs and or pay some guys to carry the old person round the kaaba - Im sure this is very expensive as it takes 4 guys to do it. Safa/Marwa can be done in a wheelchair easily as they have a special route.
Other info: It is busy but the main thing is just relax and dont get stressed - just take it in your stride. Muzdalifa is a bit hard as you have to camp outside all night so make so you get up as early as poss as the queues for the toilets at fajr are literally a mile long. When leaving Mina just make sure you can identify your camp properly cos if you get lost they all look the same (I got lost for 10 hours and it was scary cos no one can help). There will be a map nearby so just have a look to see where you are in relation to other landmarks so you know how to get back should you get lost. Stoning seems hard but if you relax and take your time and dont panic, you will be fine. Take vaseline for the blisters!!
Apart from that - it is a journey of a lifetime with amazing reward from Allah which is unlike anything you will ever do so have a good time and remember me in your duas!!!
A month's tour by road. The most Xciting part about my trip for Hajj, was the dark trip during the night thru UAE & Saudi. There was absolutely no light pollution, & it was tranquil & serene.
The roads was absolutely perfect for racing too :D
^^ ahh the road trip from UAE to Saudi is really amazing... went twice for Umrah and loved it.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by M: *
Are you allowed go perform Hajj 2 years in a row? I thought they had a set time period between allowing people to go.
I may also be going for the first time, but its not confirmed yet.
[/QUOTE]
I know of several people who perform Hajj every year, it all depends on whether the quota for the country you are applying from has been filled or not.
This is more of a question towards British passport holders living in other countries.
Did you run into problems getting a visa? Saudi embassy refuses to issue us visa stamps until we get Canadian passports eventhough we have Canadian citizenship. Talk about being unnecessarily difficult!!! It's either that or get a visa through the Saudi embassy in the UK.
Other people are saying this shouldn't be an issue though, yet we are being told otherwise. Does anybody have any experience with this?
I cannot tell you about Visa issues but I can giv eyou a few tips about Hajj in itself.
Khwateen is right, Taking pictures can be demanding due to rush and unnecessary security precautions. I dont know which hotel you plan to stay, toilets shouldnt be a problem there. Not even inside haram. Only problem are the long queues.
I will second Neely that Kaaba area is very comfortable. Though for Tawaf you would be better off doing it from an upper level, first floor or the roof. It will be longer this way but right beside the kaaba there is incredible amount of pushing, pick pocketing (ahh those sudanese) and stuff, you will have to be on guard all the time.
Muzdalfa camping is one of the most taxing phase because of long washroom queues, chillier weather and insects etc but thats the spirit of Hajj.
I performed Hajj with my sister and we were lost after a campfire in Mina. We had to run off to near by mountains and lost the link of our group. If you are doing it with some group, DO NOT sleep in the buss right before mina because they give you tips what to do in such cases. Sadly we both slept and lost our group, luggage and etc.
Arafat used to be very hard because of scorching heat but they have made it a bit easiter by using those soothing showers all over the place. Once again, avoid lots of rush near the mountain because of reasons mentioned above.
Because of that campfire and our subsequent sepration from our group, My sister and I were considered lost and could not contact our family in Khobar for five to six days. They feared the worst till then.
May you have a great fulfilling experience because I certainly had the best time. Just remember that Saudi Govt has to play host for millions of pilgrims every year and there are few unpleasant incidents every time so dont let those incidents ruin a truly memorable experience for you and your family.