Long Silent Time To Remember (3)

We prepared to fly to Jeddah soon after my arrival to Tokyo. It was really busy time because I had to prepare also school transfer for my children, since they were about to leave "Shinonome Elementary School" and "Fukagawa V Junior High School" and to be back to Indonesia in the beginning of December. Mas Rahman and I talked to Neta and Fesa that they both should be ready to live without us soon after we board the plane to Jeddah. Neta was about to cry. She is a very responsible and mature child. Fesa was also about to cry, only that her nature is different. She wanted to show us that everything would be fine with her, even without us.

People, all over the world, with different backgrounds, were there. Moslem at Maqam Ibrahim (Station Ibrahim) in Masjidil Haram.

I was lucky because I should have flew on November 6 from Tokyo. But then I wrote Reda Kenawy, person from Air 1 Travel who managed our hajj journey that it would be difficult for me to fly on November 6 from Tokyo because I would still have to organize international symposium by November 6. He said it would be fine to move my flight to the last flight on November 9, 2010. "This is hajj for busy people," he said. Then it was time for us to fly from Narita to Hongkong, then to Abu Dhabi, where we prepared for ihram during our journey.

By His love they came. With their loves people did efforts to come. People around Hajural Aswad.

Airplane was flying over the Sea of Arab. I flew over the ocean. It has been hundred times for me to go by plane and visited more than 16 countries I have ever visited. But it was so different. My tears dropped. It was just three days before when I was still in a conference, with colleagues, but I was at that time having another journey.

Labbaika Allahumma Labbaik. This is me to come for you.

The cabin crew announced our position when we were about to take miqad and to start ihram. My tears dropped. I have never expected to go for hajj this year. Our government told us that we would only be able to go for hajj in 2016. The invitation from the Almighty came earlier: He invited us together with Japanese group. Labbaika Allahumma labbaik. This is me, God. I came for you. I came only for you . . . .

Post-scriptum: All pictures here were my shoots, taken by Nikon D-90. It was announced that we can not take pictures inside Masjidil Haram. But it was so easy and so lucky for me to bring big camera and take pictures. I took the pictures with all my tears.