Umrah with At-Taqwa Travel & Tours
I’m very grateful for being part of the At-Taqwa Travel & Tours for the current Umrah trip as part of Group 3 (9th December to 20th December). Apparently there are batches of 8 groups in total with the final group departing on 23rd December 2017. It has been a while since I actually stepped my foot in Jeddah, Medinah and Mecca. My last visit was back in the year 1998, together with my beloved family. Hence, it’s good to be back to the Holy land and I’m loving the service here at At-Taqwa Travel & Tours.
Allow me to share with you the journey from when I made the decision to fly for Umrah to my first few days in Medinah. It will be in a form of images and captions to show you the flow of things and why I would recommend future customers to At-Taqwa Travel & Tours for their next Umrah trip this coming February and March 2018. Do enjoy the images for your reference and don’t forget to spread the love around.
The Radiah session with the pilgrims from At-Taqwa a few weeks before umrah. This was to prep them for the Saie for umrah led by Ustaz Qahar.
The briefing session for the pilgrims at Al-Falah school two weeks before umrah for the pilgrims to be familiar and be prepared for the Umrah trip.
The management of At-Taqwa Travel & Tours and the officers for the Umrah December trip during the briefing
One of the appointed officers for At-Taqwa, Ustaz Khairul Nazif, also known as UKN.
The practical session of Umrah for the pilgrims at Sg. Kebun Sports Complex.
The pilgrims had a practice session, walking around seven times for Tawaf while being briefed on the dos and donts during Tawaf
All the customers of At-Taqwa were given a hand carry luggage. Inside the luggage, you will get a slipper bag (for entering the mosque), water bottle, power bank (useful), sling bag, neck pillow, luggage tag and not forgetting the passport cover. All the pilgrims were also given a special name tag so others will be able to identify.
The time where we have to do our finger print session before sending our passport for visa purposes. This is something new implemented by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The queue can get very long as they are only two people working there. I do hope they improve the manpower situation there.
For all those who fly to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, you will have to get an injection jab for influenza. This is a must!! This is at the vaccination centre near Times Square, behind the petrol station.
Thank you, Hitesh, the director of YMRM Galleria, for sponsoring some gamis and songkok 😀
For all the pilgrims, it is required for them to do advanced check-in the night before the flight. This is to make sure smooth journey for the passengers and they don’t have to worry to check in on the actual day itself.
We are allowed 30 kilo of weight for check-in. I reached around 19kilo so far, allowing space for some shopping during my visit to Jeddah, Medinah and Mecca.
Ustaz Abdus-Salam brought his own chilli, just in case. It was recommended by others to bring your own chilli sauce as the local ones (in Saudi) do not taste as good.
What a privilege for the pilgrims to be featured on RTB news before their flight
This was the first batch that flew. Well, it was only Fahmi from this group and his friends sent him off. The first batch flew off on 2nd December.
The first batch of pilgrims from At-Taqwa. They will be returning to Brunei Darussalam on the 13th December.
I belonged to Group 3 from 9th December to 20th December.
Thank you, sis, for sending me off the other day. Thanks for being so concerned of my well being and dropping my room to check on me. Don’t worry, my maggi days are over (for now). Day 67 and counting 😀
All the pilgrims on the flight to Jeddah will enjoy a much better facility on their flight because it’s the Dreamliner 787. Woohoo!!!
After 10 hours later, we have arrived at the International Airport of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
At-Taqwa is a step ahead of other travel agents because they prepared us sim-cards in Brunei Darussalam. This will make the passengers at ease so they can contact their loved ones upon arrival at the airport. A well thought gesture for their customers. Thumbs up!!
We were greeted by the At-Taqwa’s Managing Director at the airport. A man will a strong vision and he makes this happen. I’m happy for his new journey as an entrepreneur and also giving back to the community. May Allah bless you and your family!
The bus trip from Jeddah to Medinah took 6 hours. From the airport, we headed straight to Medinah and we were provided with refreshment on the way.
Every group will have their own Mutawif. A Mutawif is someone who will help to lead and guide us during our Umrah procession with the doas and such. The Mutawif also will help with logistics to make the trip of the pilgrims more smooth and convenient.
Upon arrival at Dar Al Taqwah Hotel, Medinah and making sure that all the room numbers are written on their luggage tags to make it convenient for the concierge to send the luggage straight to their rooms. We arrived around midnight.
Some of the pilgrims having breakfast at the hotel after Subuh prayers at Al-Masjid an-Nabawī
It was definitely great to be back at Al-Masjid an-Nabawī. I fell in love with this place on my first umrah trip decades ago. This will be my fifth time here. Alhamdulillah.
The umbrella outside being erected during the day, to shelter from the heat
The first batch of officers from At-Taqwa at one of the visiting sites near Mecca
They were fortunate to bump into Malaysian celebrity Adflin Shauki
I’m glad to have my friend Ak Nabil Pg Abdul Kadir to be on the same group as me. You might recognized him on my IG previously. I know this lad from toastmasters.
The books I bought and these only cost around BND 4
Pg Razi briefing Group 3 before the visit to makam Rasullullah
It was tricky to steal a shot inside. I still managed.
The view inside Al-Masjid an-Nabawī
The hotel we are staying is strategically located in front of Al-Masjid an-Nabawī. Very, very convenient.
The birds are aplenty nearby
It’s better to change money at Saudi than in Brunei. You will get more 😀
I might be eyeing on this jubah soon. A bit pricey but it has the quality,