Hajj, A Journey of a Lifetime: An Insiders Look
Feb 14, 2016, 10:07 am
#152
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: London, UK.
Programs: SQ LPPS, A3 *G, BA Silver aiming for Bronze
Posts: 1,506
Thanks for posting such an excellent and insightful report. I enjoyed every line of it. Of course I've heard of people going on Hajj before, now I understand much more of what it's like and why.
Feb 14, 2016, 1:41 pm
#153
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Moscow, Russia
Programs: AR, LA, A3, UT, 6R, U6, PS, SU, and many more
Posts: 136
What an amazing report.
My flatmate also did the Hajj trip recently, and he told me very deep and amazing things. For me, as a non-Muslim, it seems interesting, but from a religious/spiritual point of view should be much more intense. He went on his own (pretty easy actually), and just bought an ordinary flight to Jeddah from Moscow via IST.
Visa (done in Russia) was really fast, and he wasn't even asked for an invitation letter. It stated there "Tourism", so he didn't went through the Hajj terminal, but rather on the standard one. There he met his uncle so they spent the following 10 days together.
Something interesting is that his uncle had, before himself, paid all his 5 children (not to his daughters though) for doing the Hajj pilgrimage, before he could do it himself. He did it now, with over 70 years. Each trip was about 8 years of savings!
Admirable report, and nice you could also invite your wife there.
Cheers,
Eielef @MOW
My flatmate also did the Hajj trip recently, and he told me very deep and amazing things. For me, as a non-Muslim, it seems interesting, but from a religious/spiritual point of view should be much more intense. He went on his own (pretty easy actually), and just bought an ordinary flight to Jeddah from Moscow via IST.
Visa (done in Russia) was really fast, and he wasn't even asked for an invitation letter. It stated there "Tourism", so he didn't went through the Hajj terminal, but rather on the standard one. There he met his uncle so they spent the following 10 days together.
Something interesting is that his uncle had, before himself, paid all his 5 children (not to his daughters though) for doing the Hajj pilgrimage, before he could do it himself. He did it now, with over 70 years. Each trip was about 8 years of savings!
Admirable report, and nice you could also invite your wife there.
Cheers,
Eielef @MOW
Sep 12, 2016, 5:33 pm
#156
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 1999
Programs: FB Silver going for Gold
Posts: 21,800
Thanks for the report. My barber (Iraqi refugee) went in 2015 (so a year after you) paid by a benefactor. He enjoyed it for the spiritual and religious experience but didn't care for the treatment of some pilgrims by the Saudis (something I've read in the media).
Sep 13, 2016, 8:45 pm
#160
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: AA EXP >3 Million miles,HH Lifetime Diamond
Posts: 2,887
Beautifully written and a joy to read. Learned a lot as others have said, pictures were wonderful and your spirit and spirituality really shown through in every post.