This one has a different du'a for each circumambulation around the Ka'abah, and for each length of the walk between Safa and Marwa for the sa'iy. That's nice to have, I guess. But then I can't imagine in the rush or people moving around the Ka'abah that it would be easy to stop and read from a book. Luckily they include a short version, "if one cannot remember" these longer du'a, the book says. I'll spend lots of waking flight time on these du'a. Even if I cannot memorize them, I can get the gist of what is said, and comes as close to it or use the "shorter" versions when I am there.
Then in the package are what I would call last-minute instruction sheets. These do not appear to be specific to this hajj; rather there seems to be some standard information with dates adjusted for this year. By that I mean it says everything according to the hijri calendar, 7th day of Zul- Hijjah we will go to Mina, etc. There is still no address for the hotels, but a local phone number. There is also information about processing customs at Jeddah, meeting the tour guide, and information that says "the group" will proceed to Makkah—which means the first will have to wait for the last person, which is the beginning of feeling like you are a group. They even include suggestions to "get to know" your fellow travelers.
I still had no idea what were the exact dates I would be in Makkah and when I would then go on to Madinah. Once the hajj is over I will be meeting local friends, and I wanted to tell them these details. There is also no map. For those who process left-brain, a visual map showing the location of the hotel relative to the Haram mosque would have been really helpful. Instead it instructs us to find a particular door out of the Haram and then turn right. Our hotel is 300 meters from there. But we already knew this from their advertisements.
If you look at the many, many photos of the haram mosque, which accommodates almost two million people, then you will see that such instructions are of limited value; because if for whatever reason you do not find that door, then you might be left to circle around the entire structure just to find your hotel, for which they suggest you take one of the hotel business cards, as if they don't have that information. If you think I could just go online with the name of the hotel-well, I tried that. Instead I get directed to this tour company and a few others, because clearly this is part of their package.
I mean, I could be staying at the Makkah Hilton, you know. Fortunately, I am not, because the online search shows hotels that are so large, I think I would just go out of my mind for some peace. This hotel is only about 15 floors high and pretty narrow, relative to what I've seen. That means, I would expect, a modicum of calm in the lobby, at breakfast and dinner (which are part of the tour package). I will have to make my own arrangements for lunch. I hope my room is on one of the higher floors, less traffic, and the elevators are the same from the 4th and the 14th floors. My room is shared with two other women. I hope for camaraderie and reprieve after the arduous task of jostling with millions of enthusiastic pilgrims at the Haram.
Still, that is what this trip is for, right? That sense of awe brought about with millions of people adjusting themselves towards the same purpose, worshiping the same God in the same way and doing it altogether, at the same time. I can't wait.
Meanwhile still a few last-minute details and mock packing before I go. Even as I plan and plan, I remember the line from the Qur'an: (hu)man plans and Allah plans; and Allah is the Best of Planners. Labayk, here I am oh Lord.
November 5, 2010—The Devil is in the Details
Today is my last official day for completing local business before departure. I've balanced my checkbook and paid all of my bills except the ones that are automatically paid (which is about the same as being paid, when the checking account from which they are drawn has been balanced).
I've taken out cash for travel with the knowledge that using ATMs abroad is always a great way to get the best rates. Yep that's right. The U.S. always considers its own currency to have slightly greater value than the local money changers and banks. They consider their own currency to have the greater value. So I lived in Indonesia for a year and a half without ever getting a local bank account. At this point the ubiquitous ATM is one way to access your own resources in the local currency. I love that.
The only drawback is the international transaction fee. It was five dollars when I was in Indonesia, so I had to hit the ATM machines that offered the maximum withdrawal amounts. Keep in mind a family of five could survive on less than 300 USD per month, so some of the machines would dispense as little as 50 dollars US maximum, and from that I still paid the five dollar transaction fee. Better to go to the places where the ATM machines dispensed something closer to my U.S. limit.
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