Tomorrow is a big day on the Muslim calendar, the festival of Eid, so my friend But and his family are all gathering at the family home in Krabi province. But one person will be missing when they tuck into a meal of barbecued lamb and enjoy the day together. Granny is still in Saudi Arabia on her pilgrimage to Mecca.
Tonight I watched the events at Mecca on television and, once again, I was struck by what an adventure this old lady from a small village in Thailand has embarked on. The logistics of this annual meeting are staggering: three million people, accommodated in 440,000 tents and all following the same daily programme. Can you imagine what it takes just to get the food and drink organised to cater for all? And what about toilet facilities and bathrooms? It's mind-boggling.
Apparently, the number of pilgrims this year has been limited by the Saudi authorities, a difficult thing to do bearing in mind that it is the aim of all Muslims to get to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. How they do it is place a limit on the number of visitors from any one country, based on the number of Muslims living in that country. As a result, the biggest contingent comes from Indonesia.
The group from Thailand, a heavily Buddhist country, is probably not that big, but I was glad to learn that the various nationalities all stay together. At least Granny will be able to chat away in Thai and be understood. I dare say she won't be taking her daily stroll out into the countryside. Imagine trying to track down your tent in that vast canvas city!
I wonder how she is coping. Do they get Thai food there? Is it very hot? Do they have to walk everywhere or is there transport for the elderly? There has been no word from her and the family will only discover how it went when she arrives back home in a week or so. I am sure that I would feel out of my depth in such an enormous crowd, so I can only imagine what it has been like for her.
I spoke to But today and I asked him if the family was worried about her getting lost or feeling lonely. "No," he said emphatically, " She has tour guide."
Although he appears unconcerned, I know that there will be a collective sigh of relief from the family when Granny shuffles out of the customs hall at Phuket Airport. Her trip of a lifetime will be over and she will have many tales to tell. However, I am sure she will be thrilled to be back in her little house in a Phang Nga village. After all, there's just no place like home.
Tonight I watched the events at Mecca on television and, once again, I was struck by what an adventure this old lady from a small village in Thailand has embarked on. The logistics of this annual meeting are staggering: three million people, accommodated in 440,000 tents and all following the same daily programme. Can you imagine what it takes just to get the food and drink organised to cater for all? And what about toilet facilities and bathrooms? It's mind-boggling.
Apparently, the number of pilgrims this year has been limited by the Saudi authorities, a difficult thing to do bearing in mind that it is the aim of all Muslims to get to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. How they do it is place a limit on the number of visitors from any one country, based on the number of Muslims living in that country. As a result, the biggest contingent comes from Indonesia.The group from Thailand, a heavily Buddhist country, is probably not that big, but I was glad to learn that the various nationalities all stay together. At least Granny will be able to chat away in Thai and be understood. I dare say she won't be taking her daily stroll out into the countryside. Imagine trying to track down your tent in that vast canvas city!
I wonder how she is coping. Do they get Thai food there? Is it very hot? Do they have to walk everywhere or is there transport for the elderly? There has been no word from her and the family will only discover how it went when she arrives back home in a week or so. I am sure that I would feel out of my depth in such an enormous crowd, so I can only imagine what it has been like for her.
I spoke to But today and I asked him if the family was worried about her getting lost or feeling lonely. "No," he said emphatically, " She has tour guide."Although he appears unconcerned, I know that there will be a collective sigh of relief from the family when Granny shuffles out of the customs hall at Phuket Airport. Her trip of a lifetime will be over and she will have many tales to tell. However, I am sure she will be thrilled to be back in her little house in a Phang Nga village. After all, there's just no place like home.
UPDATE: Granny arrived back on January 15 and all the family traipsed out to the airport to greet her. She reported that she had "the best time of her life" and would go back "any time". She was in great health and high spirits. And to think that we worried that she would be out of her depth in Saudi Arabia! Now she is back in her village in Phang Nga, no doubt regaling the locals with stories from the desert land.
