Umroh Experience

UMROH

On this occasion, I wanted to share my Umrah experience together with my parents  from our visit to Medina and Mecca in December 2018. I’m a student of 3rd  Senior High School Bandung, Indonesia, with my Mom and Dad  traveled from the Indonesia. I hope this travel experience will help others ecpecially my friends who have never gone there to manage their umroh later on. I hope I can  inform others about certain things from my experience. Let me start by saying my Umrah was very fulfilling, rewarding, and emotional. We are very happy we went as it was an overall wonderful experience.
My parents and I traveled via Emirates Airlines although it was little bit more expensive than Saudia Airlines. But  it was no choice for us due to the limited time we have. The nice thing in the plane was the larger bathroom on the right side of the plane which gives you more space than a usual cramped airplane toilet. We planned to go to Medina first so we connected from Jeddah. I didn’t care much for the Jeddah airport, because I think it needs improvement. Use the handycap stall in the restroom for a western style toilet. When we arrived in Medina, that airport was simply stunning. We got the Bus provided by the travel agent we rent to the Medina  Hilton hotel. The Medina Hilton is more of a 4 star hotel than a 5 star. Rooms were clean, but dated. The breakfast buffet was superb, but crowded. Our hotel was just a very short walk to the mosque in Medina, which is ideal. You need to be close, as it makes the experience much easier.

 I spent three nights in Medina and I found many things amazing  happened there. For example, when I did pray in front of " Roudoh" as the tom of the apostle, the people were so crowded, but I'm sure that they have the same objective, that is to persue  God's blessings.

In terms of shoping there,
I learned that it was  hardly anyone accepts credit card in Medina (just the hotels for the most part). So be sure to take cash.
If you want to shop in the markets, the prices get cheaper as you move farther away from the Mosque. All the shops are selling the same items for the most part, so walk 2-3 streets away for a better deal.

The travel agent officer took us to Masjid Quba, Masjid Qiblatain, and Mount Uhud and was able to explain each one to us in Urdu. Mount Uhud has a small bazaar with very cheap goods. There are plenty of drivers on the streets, just talk to them.
After that we took a Saptco bus to Mecca. The bus are nice inside and very clean. The seats are spacious and they offer you a small snack box with water, juice, crackers, and a few other items. They even serve you tea. There is a small bathroom on board and it has running water. But the water tends to run out and the pressure is very low. Don’t count on that. The bus stoped for the Meeqot was about 20 minutes into the journey. This is the best place to use the restroom if necessary. The journey took us 5 hours.

After arriving in Mecca, I went to  my hotel, the Conrad Makkah. The hotel was stunning in every way, a true 5 star. The rooms were spectacular, very spacious, and very clean. The breakfast was delicious. The service was over the top. I cannot say enough about this hotel. It is  very close to the Haram Mosque.
We started our Umrah about 4pm. During the Umrah, the tawaaf, and all non-prayer times, the men and women are mixed together. I pray with my mom and the only times I separated from my dad was for prayer, and we decided a meeting spot just after prayer each time. During our Umrah, we had to stop for Maghrib and Isha, which extended the entire process for us. I would suggest doing Umrah just after Fajr or after Isha if possible, so you don’t need to stop for regular prayers in between. It will allow you to focus on just the Umrah, and will be less tiring. We completed the Umrah about 9:30 pm. May Allah accept my Umrah and duaas, Aameen..

My travel agent officer took us to Arafat, Mina, the mountains from a distance, and showed us around the areas for Hajj. He did a nice job explaining it to us in Urdu and I arranged for him to take us to Jeddah for the next day. Inside the hotel, the service was amazing as you would expect in a hotel. My father had warned me about avoiding doing negative things, and ofcourse  I didn’t expect it.

From Mecca, we went to Turkey, it is a very nice country I have known  as an additional place offered by travel agent. We went to religious places there. Frankly speaking I felt speechless when we saw so may things as the legacy of the prophet  Muhammad.
We spend three nights there. After visiting Bursa, Sultan Ahmed mosque, Topkapi museum, etc. in Turkey, finally we had to prepare our luggages for preparing going back to Indonesia.

I hope this our experience can help others who have questions, and helps guide you with your Umrah. Umrah can easily be booked on your own city, and even no need to get a package and over pay for it. May Allah  bless you all by guiding you to do Umrah one day. Thanks for reading.