Hj. Ahmad: PERJALANAN UMRAH 19 - MEMBANTU EKONOMI KOTA MECCA AND AN EPISODE TO BE REMEMBERED

Alhamdulillah, saya percaya bahawa antara kota-kota terkemuka di dunia, maka kota Mecca lah yang merupakan a city that never sleeps or perhaps a Holy City that will always be wide awake. Subhanallah. Suatu suasana kesibukan yang tiada henti dapat dilihat di kota ini di mana jutaan umat Islam berpusu-pusu mengunjungi kota suci ini dan Masjidil Harem untuk beribadah dan menunaikan Ibadah Umrah dan Haji (pada waktu musim Haji).

Di samping itu juga, terdapat pelbagai kemudahan yang disediakan oleh Kerajaan Saudi Arabia termasuklah kompleks membeli-belah yang menyediakan pelbagai perkhidmatan seperti restoran makanan yang sudah semestinya Halal, gedung-gedung pakaian Muslimin dan Muslimah, barangan keperluan Ibadah Umrah/Haji, peralatan elektronik dan aksesori yang berkaitan dan pelbagai kemudahan yang lain lagi.

Selain daripada itu, para jemaah yang mungkin kurang gemar mengunjungi kompleks membeli belah ini dan hanya sekadar untuk mencari keperluan makanan, maka bolehlah mengunjungi gerai-gerai diluar kompleks membeli belah yang dibuka seawal waktu usai solat subuh dan ditutup selewat pukul 1 pagi.

Alhamdulillah, segalanya dipermudahkan untuk para tetamuNya disini. Orang cakap tak kenal maka tak cinta, maka kenalilah Allah SWT maka anda akan mencintaiNya seluruh jiwa dan raga...insyaallah...Allahuakhbar...

Albraj Al Baik Shopping Mall: Mak, Kak Mah dan Kak Naha yang sempat mengabadikan kenangan di hadapan kompleks membeli belah yang terbesar di Mecca ini usai solat Zohor di Masjidil Harem. Dikatakan juga, menjadi lokasi membeli belah favourite YBhg Dato' Siti Nurhaliza.....

Sekitar suasana di dalam kompleks Albraj Al Baik Shopping Mall. Terdapat 3 tingkat + satu tingkat (tidak digunakan) di kompleks membeli belah ini yang dipenuhi dengan pelbagai tawaran perkhidmatan dan barangan. Mashaallah...

Jika di lihat di dalam foto ini, terdapat kapal di tingkat 3 iaitu sebuah gerai menjual ice cream. Jemaah kami tidak sempat mencuba namun hanya sempat membeli air Mineral. There was a very funny episode (and still am) happened to Kak Mah in the Holy Land of Mecca. In fact it was like a viral episode among most of the Umrah pilgrims.

The funny episode went like this; None of the Umrah pilgrims were told that the mineral water stocked up in our mini bars inside our hotel rooms were to be charged. I have been to several international hotel (and so did Kak Mah and Kak Naha) and this was to be the first encounter of the first kind (on the charges). Generally, mineral waters placed inside the mini bar would be of complimentary by the hotel management. But Hilton Hotel of Mecca apparently had a different set of management style.

..and so Kak Mah, among other Umrah pilgrims, consumed the charged mineral water (without having a single clue that they will be charged for that item later on) and let to know later on by our mutawif that the hotel management will be charging them for the consumables. Mecca, at that time, was very hot and dusty with the temperature of more than 35 degrees Celsius. So I can't blame on the lack of refrain among Umrah pilgrims from consuming the said mineral water.

Soon after, Kak Mah and I went for a shopping frenzy to find the exact mineral water to replace the consumed ones. Searching high and low (different level of shopping complexes) in 2 shopping complexes. One adjacent to Hilton Hotel and another one was in Albraj Al Baik Shopping Mall and being blessed by Allah SWT to find it on the latter location, which was at the WONDERGELO, located on the 3rd floor of Albraj Al Baik Shopping Mall. So how did we find it? Yes via indicators. What were our indicators? Eateries, tables, visitors on the eateries. Yes we browse through via our eyes on the restaurant tables and voila, found the exact mineral water on the food table sat by other visitors!!! Impression that the source must be very near and Alhamdulillah we managed to find it; the Wondergelo. It was a 30 minutes of search frenzy. Kak Mah and I

It turned out to be a lot cheaper than the one charged by the Hilton hotel. Pardon me, but I believed that Kak Mah bought 6 bottles of mineral water amounting to SAR 10. we then left there with a belly full of laughter...and definitely an episode to be remembered. Alhamdulillah...:)

So bagi mana-mana bakal jemaah yang akan mengerjakan Ibadah Umrah mereka dan berhajat untuk tinggal di Hotel Hilton ini, maka jika mengalami 'episod' yang sama, boleh lah mencari gerai aiskrim WONDERGELO di tingkat 3, Albraj Al Baik Shopping Mall, berhadapan dengan Masjidil Harem (Pintu King Aziz)...Insyaallah

Wondergelo

Air Mineral pencetus shopping frenzy

Di Albraj Al Baik Shopping Mall pun ada Starbucks. Curious jugak...

Beg tangan yang turut di jual di Albraj Al Baik Shopping Mall. Bila tanya SAR85 (da habis tawar)

Kedai pakiaan Muslimah dewasa dan kanak-kanak di shopping complex adjacent to Hilton Hotel

Shopping complex adjacent to Hilton Hotel

Shopping complex adjacent to Hilton Hotel; pelbagai tawaran barangan disediakan

Shopping complex adjacent to Hilton Hotel; along the pathway to Al-Etlalah Restaurant

Shopping complex adjacent to Hilton Hotel; garments for the gentlemen

Shopping complex adjacent to Hilton Hotel; and of course for the ladies. I came to now that the Muslimah dress costed around SAR 350-SAR450 (before you practice your bargaining power)

Shopping complex adjacent to Hilton Hotel; Another Muslimah Boutique

Shopping complex adjacent to Hilton Hotel; mostly of Islamic genre

Shopping complex adjacent to Hilton Hotel; Ground level. This restaurant tends to attract multitudes of pilgrims. Why? Have yet to taste the food..:)

Shopping complex adjacent to Hilton Hotel; another eatery seems very popular among pilgrims and locals

Shopping complex adjacent to Hilton Hotel; Kak Mah brought me to this shop lots to have a look at the Thobes, but perhaps the price was not right as I have been told, you can get cheaper than that on the street.....

Alhamdulillah, to my astonishment, Kak Mah surprised me by introducing me with the services offered by this male garment's store. Why? This shop caters tailor-made clothes including Djuba and Thobes, and that guy that you see in this picture is Kak Mah's friend, Muhammad, (believed to be putting a bit more weight before this) that has helped me with the 'measurement' and with the assistance of Kak Mah. Alhamdulillah....That uncle (in blue-white shirt) is the owner of the store and he is very friendly although cannot commune in English nor Malaysia's language. With the help of Muhammad and Kak Mah, I managed to land myself a very beautiful tailored-made Djuba....Subhanallah.....Alhamdulillah...

The said Beautiful Djuba. Subhanallah...Alhamdulillah