During Hajj

Below are some small tips that we would like to share during Hajj. However, please note that the below experience is based on our experience with Air1Travel and Malaysian Airlines. People from other travel agent or other flight might have different schedule or experience.

In Jeddah

  1. Wait in the arrival room (2nd floor). In our case, we waited for almost 2 hours before we are allowed to go to the immigration floor (1st floor). Don't forget to fill in some papers for immigration.
  2. Go to immigration (1st floor). You can't go to immigration floor alone, it has to be in group. Stay close with the group from the same flight.
  3. Go to baggage claim. Once you are outside the main building, some people will ask you whether you want them to take your baggage with them, be careful. Keep your baggage with you closely.
  4. Exit from the main building from designated exits, go to Information Desk outside. Tell them you are from Japan (regardless what your nationality is), ask them where you should go in order to get bus. If you have the document you got from your travel agent, present that to them. It's easier.
  5. Go to the place designated by the Information Desk to get your bus. You will most probably be grouped in one bus with people from same nationality. We were grouped with other Indonesian group from different travel agent.
  6. Once you're in the bus, you're inshaAllah safe and they will take you to your maktab in Mekkah. The bus driver will ask for a tip, give them 5 real (appx. 150 yen).

TIPS:

  1. Having small changes of SAR (Real) is very useful. The bus driver will ask you for a tip once you got on the bus.
  2. If you don't speak Arabic, print out the document from the travel agent. Very useful because a lot of them doesn't speak English.

In Mekkah

  1. The bus from Jeddah will take you to your Maktab. Don't forget to ask them to give you a rubber bracelet. This rubber bracelet has information such as number of your Maktab, their URL, etc.
  2. Go to your hotel. People from your Maktab will take you to it, don't worry.
  3. Once you arrive in your hotel, you are free to do whatever you want (e.g. go to Haram, etc)

Sorry to say that this is the end of your one-person-adventure ;-). Once you enter the core Hajj ceremony, you will move around together with your group.

In Muzdalifah

  1. You will stay 1 night here and pick up stones for jumrah.

TIPS:

  1. There are a lot of slopes. Find a place that is not in one line with toilet. When there is leakage in toilet and the water flows down the slope, you will be safe!
  2. There are a lot of small stones in the ground, so having mattress below your sleeping bag will help a lot in reducing the pain in the back (and you can keep your sleeping bag clean too!).

In Minna

  1. This is where you do jumrah.

TIPS:

  1. Jumrah in 1st floor (ground floor) is very crowded. Be careful. 5th floor is relatively empty.
  2. If possible, better not to go after Maghreb, because the wind is very strong.
  3. Bring your isotonic drink. Sometime when there are a lot of people it's difficult to find a place to drink.
  4. Some of the people prefer to go to Mekkah on first day of jumrah. This is very tiring, and most of the people I know arrived back in Minna tent at around 3 AM! They got lost, driven by bad taxi drivers to different place, etc. Hence, if you don't have the strength (and patience), forget it.

In Madinnah

We stayed only for 1 day here, so there was not much to tell. We visited:

  1. Prophet Muhammad's mosque
  2. Ubud hill
  3. Quba mosque
  4. Mosque that has 2 kiblat.
  5. Date market

TIPS:

  1. They provide 3 hour tour to visit historical places and mosques around Madinnah, which I found very useful. Ask them to drop you in date market on your way back.
  2. Bring snacks / instant food. You will arrive very early in the morning in Madinnah and most likely to be hungry.
  3. Before you leave Madinnah for Jeddah, bring food with you as well, because the food in Jeddah airport is quite expensive (even more expensive compared to Japan). E.g. 1 cup of coffee small size is around 500 yen.
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