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Flying the Hajj

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Don't bring a ham sandwich in your lunchbox!
 
All depends on where you will be based for the duration.

Bring vitamin C, ehcinecea and anything else that helps stop a cold from coming on.Everyone usually ends up getting "Hajj Cough" which lasts for about 3-4 weeks.

Immodium is another safe item to bring, plan on some quality "reading time" in the john.
 
Make sure your fire extinguishers are charged. Heard a story of a few "cooking fires" being set.
 
Stop by Walmart and grab a copy of the movie "Gordy" out of the $5 DVD bin.

That toupee he wears will keep them in stitches for hours :D
 
Most of the Hajj flights come into Jeddah at first and then near the end there is a big movement of pilgrims from Jeddah/Makkah to Medina. At the very end the pilgrims leave from Medina but mostly Jeddah. The actual Hajj is only 5 days long but the air travel starts weeks before and lasts for a week or two afterwards.

Jeddah is fairly efficient at low volumes of air traffic but they really get swamped during the Hajj. You will be dealing with air carriers from every part of the world and their original languages are everything but English. I give the controllers credit, they do a pretty decent job of keeping things safe.

They are under a lot of pressure and will occasionally be short with pilots if an error occurs. Best thing to do if there is a misunderstanding or a missed clearance is just apologize for the confusion and let it drop. The controllers don't have the time to be filing paperwork for minor violations. I hear it too many times where a western guy starts to argue with them and they end up filing violations for fairly minor stuff. (3 times just last week while I was flying).

Medina is a non-radar environment, so at the peak of the move you can plan on getting stacked for the approach. The weather during the night is fine and usually CAVOK. During the day, you will get extensive heating, moderate turbulence over the mountains, dust devils, and occasionally wind shear warnings. Saudia does not allow their FO's to land in Medina.

If you stay at THE hotel in Medina, there is only one for non-muslims, there is absolutely nothing to do. Medina is a restricted city and only muslims are allowed inside the city limits. The hotel is pretty nice, but again, NOTHING to do. They just got WIFI but it is a little pricey.

Jeddah has a lot of really nice 5 star hotels. You can go out to discover the old traditional shopping area (The Souk). The corniche (waterfront) is pretty decent experience, camel rides, lots of noise and people. If you have a few days off during the Hajj itself, there are western beaches to the north (Obhur). The girls can wear bikinis and relax a bit.

Don't believe all the hype about being dangerous. Keep an eye open like you would in any big stange city and you should be fine. If you are out walking with any of the girls from the crew, just use common sense and be respectful to their culture. Don't hold hands and no public displays of affection. The girls will have to wear the Abaya (black cloak/gown) but they don't have to cover their hair. Guys can wear shorts but usually you don't see people wearing them cut above the knee. Anything higher than the knee and they will think you are gay.

The people are friendly and will probably be curious and even ask you questions. They are just trying to be friendly. The shop keepers need to be bargained with, if you don't bargain they will just think you are stupid. You can usually get them to come down 25-30%. They aren't like the ones in Egypt trying to rip you off. I find them to be pretty honest as a whole.

Be prepared to see extremes of wealth and poverty. People driving Hummers and Lambourginis while others work for $100 a month cleaning streets and watering flowers. Tipping is not the normal thing here. I still give 10-15% at a restaurant and I slip the hotel staff 5 Saudi Riyals ($1.33 USD) for just about everything. They will love you for it.

Hope that helps, I am sitting reserve and could have probably written a book. It is a very good experience to see another culture and I hope you enjoy it.
 

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