kaaba from above

Seen here is the Kaaba, the most sacred site for Muslims located in the holy city of Mecca. From wikipedia: "Muslims do not worship the Kaaba or its contents; the Kaaba is simply a focal point for prayer". Muslims all over the world face the qiblah (the direction towards the kaaba in Mecca) during prayer which they do five times a day. Every year during the Hajj pilgrimage, millions of Muslims gather in this holy site and walk in a counter clockwise direction around the Kaaba while they say their prayers. This practice is also done during the Umrah (a shorter pilgrimage) but it is not as dramatic as during the Hajj. Performing the Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam. A muslim must perform the Hajj at least once in his lifetime. This is a very expensive trip so it's no wonder that most of the pilgrims are old people. I have met Hajjis from different parts of the world: Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sudan, Nigeria, Sweden, Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, France. So many times I have been on an Umrah or Hajj flight (it's the kind of flights that the company usually gets) yet after so many times, I still get goosebumps when the Hajjis start to chant “Labbayka Allaahumma labbayk, labbayka laa shareeka laka labbayk. Inna al-hamd wa’l-ni’mata laka wa’l-mulk, laa shareeka lak (Here I am, O Allaah, here I am. Here I am, You have no partner, here I am. Verily all praise and blessings are Yours, and all sovereignty, You have no partner). You can feel the intensity of their emotions, some even cry out of happiness for having at last come all the way from where they come from to fulfill a religious rite that will cleanse them somehow from all sin.

hotel breakfast

We get free breakfast from the hotel in the capital city. However, because i forgot to bring an abaya with me on this particular day, I couldnt go down to the breakfast buffet to eat. I called the guest services number to borrow an abaya but they dont have one available for me. Then I told them if I can have the breakfast delivered up to my room...after a few minutes, and a few more explaining to two different people from different departments, the guest service officer finally said yes and had this breakfast of omelet and bread delivered to me. It was nice of them. ^^

naia

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport is named after a former Philippine senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino who was assasinated at the tarmac just after he stepped off the plane on his return from exile in the united states. In 2011, the airport became one of the busiest airport in Asia in terms of passenger traffic. Manila has played an important role in globalization. Manila, with it's natural harbor, served a major part of the trade between the Philippines and Mexico. Goods from China and the rest of Asia were transported to the west at that time. This kind of galleon trading was one of the best revenue generating activities of the spanish government then. Manila with it's strategic location (the Philippines is part of asia but not quite? as it is sort of isolated from mainland asia geographically) still plays a major role in trade and commerce. So im not surprised that the today's airport (NAIA) is one of asia's busiest.

accommodation

In a hotel in Manila, i took a shot of my tiny teddy bear in bed. I only ever use one side of the bed and in the morning when i wake up, only one side is crumpled, half of the bed would look like its been newly made. This teddy bear was given to me by a friend and have brought it with me during layovers (its a traveler) except for this one time last week (i went to Kuala Lumpur). The reason for leaving it at base is because i have left this teddy bear twice in the hotel. First i left it in Manila and gladly I got it back within a week after my roommate went on a flight there and claimed it from the lost and found personnel. The second time i left it was in Dhaka in bangladesh. I asked one of the crew who went on a flight there that same day i left to claim it from lost and found but she told me that they said they hadnt found anything. i thought i lost my teddy. i got a flight again to dhaka a month later and stayed at the same hotel. i called the reception and asked about my teddy bear and if they had found it. I gave them the day i left it and my room number then. about 5 minutes later, i got a knock on the door. when i opened it, a guy from lost and found handed me my teddy bear back and a logbook to sign. i was so happy with this! i was told that if youve left something in dhaka, you shouldnt hope to find it again cos you never will see it again. but they were wrong, the hotel and it's personnel have credibility (for me at least). ^^ i got my teddy back and vowed to never lose it again. he has stopped travelling for a while but i think i might bring him with me again to kuala lumpur next week.

jeddah, a view from the top

Jeddah is not all desert as seen here. It has a beautiful coastline, right here is the red sea. in the bible, moses led the israelites out of egypt to the promised land. to get to the promised land theyll need to cross the red sea. when the israelites got to the red sea, moses raised his staff and parted the sea so the israelites can cross. the egyptians were pursuing them however when they got to the red sea, yahweh put the sea back and drowned the soldiers. this story seemed amazing to me and i felt glad and lucky to have seen and even bathe in the red sea.

downtown area

i live in a place were there is very short distance from the land to the sea and the land to the mountains. the first time i saw jeddah from above (when i first arrived here a year and a half ago) my first thought was "this place is so flat". i have never seen something like this before, it looked like a road map laid on a very big table from above. in cebu, the flat lands or plains dont stretch out as large as here.

the three crazy algerians

it never snows in my country. this photo was taken in february when the mountains of algeria were covered with so much snow. it looked so beautiful from above. youd think that if you jumped off the plane and land on those mountains, you would still be alive, as if youre just jumping unto a soft white blanket.

these three hajjis called themselves the three crazy algerians. one of them, talked all the way from jeddah until we got to algeria. he just had so many things to say to his friend. one had bought a thawb from jeddah and changed into it in the middle of the flight.

at the end of the flight, one of the three crazy algerians gave me an orange. it's a big one, i couldnt grab most of it with one hand. it was so nice of him. i appreciate such gestures. may God bless the three of you wherever you are now. ^^

adobo and monggos

two of my favorite dishes. i think that these two dishes should always go together. the best part is these two are very simple to make and one could hardly make a mistake. and ill tell you how to make this. adobo: what youll need - chicken/pork; pineapple chunks in a can; soy sauce; vinegar; garlic; onions; peppercorns; bay leaves and boiled eggs (optional) *directions* get some chicken(or pork if its available in your country) and let it sit in pineapple juice for at least 15 minutes. sautee garlic and onions in a pot then add the chicken with the juice and the pineapple chunks. put some soy sauce, mix and cover for a few minutes (you may also put the hardboiled eggs at this point) then add the vinegar, peppercorns and bay leaves. let simmer for a few minutes. monggos: what youll need - mung beans, garlic, onions, tomato, salt, chili *directions* cook the mung beans in water in a pan sautee garlic, onions, tomato, and chili and add it to the pot of mung beans continue cooking and add salt to taste. let simmer for a few minutes and then it's done!