The author only once experienced the Hajj at "first hand" so to speak, although as a non-Muslim he was not allowed to enter Mecca.
The occasion was the early 1990s when doing some work for a Saudia Airlines related to the catering requirements for, on that occasion, some 1.75 million hajji, as the pilgrims are called.
My journey to Saudi Arabia was circuitous for business purposes – UK to Turkey - Istanbul, then to Ankara, then back to Istanbul before finally taking a flight to Jeddah on Saudia.""I was the only non-Hajji on board (I think) and my recollection is that it could at best be described as "organised chaos".
Most of the hajji were Turkish and could not speak Arabic, while most of the cabin crew could not speak Turkish. Conversations were conducted between them in German, French, English and a form of sign language which was created instantly.
Many of the male hajji decided to change into the Ihram whilst on board the plane, which meant they had to divest themselves of their "ordinary" clothing. They found this impossible to do in the toilets. This resulted in many of them undressing in the aisles and trying to wrap their Ihram around their body. Anyone familiar with 747s will know that taking off a jacket or pullover is difficult, even when no-one else is beside you in the aisle – so changing completely in a crowded aisle takes incredible skill. As half the flight was comprised of female pilgrims (wives, daughters etc) and most of the flight crew were female, the gyrations of the men whilst trying to maintain their modesty would have graced the best of slapstick comedy movies.
Prior to getting into Ihram these rudimentary garments have to be extracted from bags and cases which started off in overhead lockers and then finished up on laps, seat backs and even balanced on people's heads.
Now, I have said that the flight was from Istanbul to Jeddah. The distance between Jeddah and Mecca is a matter of a few miles, and when flying from Istanbul in a direct line you are, in effect, flying straight at Mecca.
Whilst we were parked on the apron at Istanbul some of the hajji had decided to pray, which involves prostrating the body on the ground, or the floor of the aeroplane - and you must do so in the direction of Mecca. It was at that point that arguments between the hajji themselves became heated. Which direction was Mecca? It took the skills of at least four flight attendants to cool that encounter – although the flight take off was delayed from by the queue of hajji wishing to prostrate themselves near the fire exits and pray through the side of the plane.
Once in the air, despite the whole fuselage becoming a male changing room, there were also those wishing to pray. On the ground they had prayed to the side of the plane, which, as I have pointed out, was now flying straight towards Mecca. Some insisted on praying out of the side of the plane again, and this angered those who had even the most rudimentary directional skills – if you are flying towards Mecca then it is to the front of the plane.
In stepped the cabin crew again, and another potential problem was at least partially solved but chaos still reigned, as the steward and stewardesses had decided to serve a meal.
Airline catering is a wonderful thing (I think not) but the engineering of airline catering is a masterpiece of design. The trolleys which are full of food just fit into the holes in the galley area where they are stored. And they only just fit in between the rows of seats, with hardly any room to spare.
So we have a plane full of people, many standing in the aisles away from their seats doing all manner of things, whilst some very patient crew try and manoeuvre a trolley laden with food and drinks to serve their customers.
The chaos was almost complete when we hit turbulence over the Mediterranean Sea. It was close enough to the coastline of Israel to have some people thinking it was another Arab-Israeli conflict, and someone was shooting at us – while the remainder were blaming the Greeks, as the Island of Cyprus lay to the other side of the plane.
Cabin crew who had been struggling to get the trolley partially down an aisle now had to try and get it back to its station. People had to try and get back to their seats, after repacking bags and manoeuvring them back into lockers…
But at last, the arrival at Jeddah actually came, surprisingly quickly in the end, and some 400 or so very happy people alighted, about to take part in what must be the largest annual gathering and exodus of people anywhere in the world.
Nature teaches me, and that's what I write about. My first great lesson from nature was in the summer of '88 while on a weekend motorcycle trip with my new husband, Leonard. We visited Brownville and Auburn Nebraska, known for Indian Caves, local theatre and antique shops.
We stayed in a small locally owned motel adjacent to Rotary Park,
which was a gift from the local Rotary Club. It has a small
wandering lake surrounded by grass, trees, park benches and
ducks. We walked out to the park with journals in hand to have
quiet time to write and relax. I took a park bench near the
water's edge. Although
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Niagara Falls has certainly grown over the last thirty years. When I was a kid, I remember that it was Niagara Falls itself as the only real attraction here. This natural wonder of the world consists of two main falls; the semi-circular shaped Horseshoe Falls where daredevils in buckets have thrown themselves off and the smaller American Falls to the left of it.
The Floral Clock,
Maid of the Mist boat rides that take visitors up close to the
falls were already there as well as the cable gondola over the
whirlpool just minutes up north but that was about it. The
Minolta Tower was also there but the
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This is Paris and it is raining, which is as it should be. Paris rain is not as the rain of other cities. It is softer, benevolent. It caresses, rather than soaks.
First let us nail a lie. Parisians are haughty, stand-offish, have no time for people who do not speak perfect French. This may have been true when Jacques Tati starred in M Hulot's Holiday and the Beatles
were appearing in Paris as a support group for the main star Johnny Halliday. It might have been true then. It is certainly not true now. Parisians are not stand-offish. Certainly not
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Whilst much of England and Wales has been battered by torrential rains causing wave upon wave of flooding, Scotland - not normally renowned for great weather - has completely escaped the severe downpours and has been enjoying a notably drier summer than its Southern counterparts.
Each year between July and September, Edinburgh plays host to the largest arts festival in the world, drawing crowds from all over the world to indulge in an eclectic collection of culture, music, films, books and comedy on show across various venues within the city. Commonly referred to as the Edinburgh Festival, the event is
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One of the most used departure ports for cruise ships in the Caribbean is San Juan in Puerto Rico. We decided to arrive a day early to San Juan in order to see some sights before our cruise ship departure.
San Juan, known as 'La Ciudad Amurallada' (the
walled city), was founded in 1521 and is the oldest city under
the US flag. During the 16th century, the Spanish used it as a
point of departure for expeditions to the New World.
Fortifications in the Old San Juan section of the city repulsed
numerous attacks from the English and the Dutch during those
years. Today, Old San Juan is a
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