A reunion made in heaven

 A reunion made in heaven

 

 

One often reads articles about reunions that go sour, with the writers meeting up with old colleagues, some of who ranked among best friends in the days of yore, after donkeys years to find that everyone had changed for the worse.

 

There are graphic description of smart, youthful appearances and happy-go-lucky personalities of the friends they once knew in marked comparison to the disasters before them, who seem to be looking and behaving like they have landed from outer space.

 

Invariably, the writers suddenly discover they have nothing in common with the motley lot that form part of a much-awaited reunion, and end up wondering what they had ever seen in one another that had made them inseparable in the good old days. And they vow never to make the mistake of catching up again.

 

But in spite of such horror stories, reunions keep taking place. Perhaps, one doesn’t want to learn from other peoples’ mistakes, or maybe it is a case of wishful thinking on the parts of those, still wanting to try their luck with meeting up with old friends and acquaintances.

 

Aware of all the pitfalls that could well befall us, we had decided to organize a mini reunion one August, some ten years ago, of friends from the university that we were once very close to, some of whom hadn’t met one another for over 20 years. As it turned out, we found that we not only didn’t regret the reunion even for a minute, we actually lived to cherish the day.

 

The idea had dawned on us when Amna probably the craziest of us, who always spoke first and thought later showed up from the US after two decades and got in touch with me.

 

She was on a flying visit, but was due to arrive again in a couple of months for her brothers’ weddings, at which point she was willing to extend her stay if we could round up the gang. I promised to let her know by email, and then set to work.

 

With ten of us targeted for the reunion — the eleventh, Hanan, we had all lost contact with and had no clue where she was — and eight of us based in Karachi  it was admittedly not a marathon task to get in touch with most, although we had not exactly done a great job with keeping up over the years.

 

However, contacting Kamal, the only member of our group other than Amna who was not Karachi-based, proved to be a real challenge. He had been one of the founding members of our gang of ‘baloneys' as we used to call ourselves and had agreed to meet up whenever we would hold a reunion, although at that time we had planned on scheduling it just a few years later. Now, 20 years down the road, no one seemed to know where he was, although there was some talk of him being in Islamabad.

 

Then, suddenly one day we saw him on TV, as a reporter for CNN based in Afghanistan. The voice was unmistakable, although the beard was deceptive enough. From CNN to mutual friends in Abu Dhabi, everyone was tapped into to get hold of his contact until, almost like a telepathic response, he called up himself, after getting my number from a fellow-journalist.

 

So, it was decided that we would spend the day at the French Beach, at a friends hut, and catch up with everyones’ lives. It had been 23 years since any of us had seen Kamal, who had left after the first semester, and at least two decades since most had seen Zubair – the rough one in the group that included Rainie, Farhat and Amna.

 

Annie was another person that hardly any of us were in touch with, but although she eventually did not make it to the reunion, she did come over to meet some of the group members gathered at my place, prior to the picnic.

 

Having made arrangements for a friend’s van to collect us from my house, the eight of us excluding Zubair, who promised to meet us directly as his home is enroute to the beach, a fact that I kept concealed from the rest – as a surprise – clambered on to the van, some of us admittedly, with misgivings.

 

The three that were probably the most at ease in one another’s company were Waleed, Jawed (fondly called Chitta by all his friends, who has also made his mark as a model and TV actor) and Dadi (for some reason no one ever refers to him by his first name), as they had remained more-or-less in touch.

 

Waleed handled the wheels and in true truck-driver fashion – who would believe he has become a lawyer – took charge of the road, while Dadi and Chitta broke the ice by cracking jokes all the way.

 

By the time we arrived at the hut, we had definitely become relaxed except perhaps Kamal, who didn’t really know the three that had become the life of the drive, as they had joined the group after he had left the university.

 

However, the hut, if one dares to call it that, was exactly what was required to instantly soar everyone’s spirits, for the five-star layout of the place took the group completely by surprise.

 

Sumptuous and plentiful food always being the most important ingredient of a successful picnic, the girls had taken the responsibility of arranging for the gastronomical needs of the entire group.

 

While gorging on the spread, we caught up on what had happened in each others lives and took photographs. Some of us had led more exciting lives than others, and as we slid into a comfortable banter possible only among old friends, sharing experiences and recounting fascinating anecdotes, the loud sound of an engine broke our tranquility.

 

My even louder squeal, when I rushed out and spotted Zubair brought everyone out, giving way to greater excitement and shock as we took stock of the one person from the group who had physically changed drastically over the years. Mercifully, though, we discovered him to be as crazy as ever.

 

Amidst tales of five happy marriages, and three unfortunate divorces, we bridged the years between us as we all took a stroll on the beach and also put the strength of poor, misguided camels to the test.

 

The return van journey back home was like a trip down memory lane for we sang and yes, Chitta even danced, all the way back, just as we used to on our field trips. It had been such a carefree, fun day that Farhat, always the quietest and most serious in the group, had to concede that she had never enjoyed herself so much.

 

But what is far more significant is that our reunion didn’t just end with a day of fun and frolic. It marked the beginning of successive get-togethers with our families, and it also became the turning point in the lives of two members of the group that were single.

 

Waleed and Rainie discovered each other after two decades at the picnic and clicked instantly. As a tribute to the reunion, the wedding date was fixed for the same time the following year – exactly one year after the event. It seems like some re-unions are made in heaven, after all.

Arbaeen in Iraq -- An exhilarating and excruciating experience

By Shanaz Ramzi

   The advent, or should I say departure, of Moharram will forever more make me nostalgic about my surreal experience last year during chehlum or arbaeen, at the annual pilgrimage from Najaf to Karbala, culminating at imam Husain’s roza, that I undertook for the first time. Arbaeen till this year, would normally attract eight times the number of people that perform Haj, and I was told that last year the number was even greater than usual. Now, of course thanks to covid-19 the world has changed – and who knows if Iraq will still welcome pilgrims to congregate in the phenomenal numbers it used to. All I can say is I am grateful for having had the opportunity, even if it was an experience that was as excruciating as it was exhilarating. 

   The trek is mostly undertaken by pilgrims all the way on foot, some even barefoot, although a few do opt to walk as much as they can and then take a public transport to cover the remaining portion. Depending on their energy, speed and health it takes anywhere from three to six days for pilgrims to complete the entire walk, and no words can do justice to that experience. It is not a matter of faith, for one finds people of all religions partaking in this amazing exercise – that at once unites, bonds, levels, impoverishes and enriches all – no matter where they hail from and what their belief. 

   Our team of six, comprising five ladies and one gentleman, had arrived at Najaf at night and checked in into a hotel, where we grabbed a few winks before getting up at 3 am to leave for hazrat Ali’s roza, the start of our journey. We left our suitcases behind to be picked up by Baron Hotel, Karbala, so that we had nothing but our knapsacks to carry while doing the trek on foot – which too began to weigh like a ton of bricks by the time we were done.

  After offering our fajr prayers we set off. From the roza to zero point, where the walk officially begins, is a distance of 9.1 km – marked by 182 poles, as every km has 20 poles. Little did we know then that these non-descript electric poles bearing these numbers were going to become our lifeline over the coming days, for every pole we would pass would give us hope of a destination coming closer, and encourage us to trudge on further, till we ultimately reached the final pole -- 1452.  

   While traversing the distance before reaching zero point, we kept noticing the number of people joining the procession from all sides, every step of the way, till finally from zero point onwards everyone was just walking in one direction. However, I was a little surprised that there didn’t seem to be as many people at the walk as I was expecting -- and when we later stopped for lunch, discovered why. 

   But, crowds aside, the walk is a sight to behold. After every few feet you find someone – it may be a child standing barefoot in the scorching heat, in the middle of the road from where the procession passes, offering ice-cold water on thaals that are bigger than them, or holding out tissues, or just spraying you with sprinklers to beat the heat; or an elderly female, offering hot goodies of every variety, or juices; or a young gentleman swiftly cutting large wedges of chilled watermelon and offering it to everyone. Huge dustbins are placed everywhere, so that no one has an excuse to litter the path, and volunteers are continuously and speedily emptying the bins. And all this with a smile on their faces! There are even volunteers who set up temporary kiosks to fix broken shoes, and some who offer their services for mending tires of broken wheel-chairs, strollers or luggage trolleys. Nothing less than angels in human guise they invariably appeared before you with the very thing you might have thought you needed, the moment you thought of it -- – be it cold water or tissue, etc.

   What’s more, after every few feet there is a mowkab where pilgrims can rest their tired feet, partake of meals, use washrooms, take a nap, wash clothes, and even get a massage done – all for free by volunteers who come from different parts of the world to offer this service every year. Some of them are temporary shelters set up just for these days, others are actual homes of Iraqis – their drawing rooms, lounges, gardens, and even garages -- that the residents transform into rest houses for the pilgrims to use. 

   Walking almost non-stop, we reached the Pakistani moqab 72, where we stopped for lunch and rest. It was here that we discovered why the throngs of people at the walk were relatively less than what I had expected – most people had already reached Karbala, and we were told that we had in fact, started our walk too late, so much so that even the volunteers who had been serving us lunch and cleaning the toilets, etc, at the moqab were packing up, so that they could take public transport while it was still available, to convey them to Karbala. Apparently, the target should be to reach Karbala latest the day before chehlum, ideally before asr, and not on chehlum day as we had planned, as roads get blocked and it takes very long to reach the roza and also since all volunteers want to be in Karbala for chehlum as well, there is little or no facilitation on the way two days prior – which was when we had started our walk! We had planned on averaging 25 km a day over three days, and now realized that would not be possible as we just had the next day to complete our walk.

   After much debate and discussion we decided that since there was no way we would make it in time for chehlum if we just continued with our original plan of walking all the way, we should traverse some distance the next day by cab, and then complete the remaining span on foot. More determined than ever to meet what we had set as our day’s target, we resumed our walk, stopping only for maghrib prayers at a moqab where the volunteers immediately tended to our needs. 

   After prayers we set off again. So charged were we that we hadn’t stopped to eat dinner at any of the moqabs earlier, thinking that all the goodies constantly offered on the way would suffice, but as soon as it had become dark, the volunteers, even those offering water, had begun to become few and far between, and we realized that most people had already packed up and started to make their way to Karbala themselves.  

   Famished, and stopping every now and then at a moqab to check if there was any food available, we had almost given up, when we found a huge kiosk with volunteers making fresh falafel sandwiches on a conveyor belt, rapidly churning out the most deliciously prepared falafels ever eaten! Rejuvinated, we walked on, looking for a moqab where we could crash for the night, but again, we discovered to our chagrin, that most had shut down! But miracles were not in short supply. When we reached pole 327 where moqab Karavan e hind was – which had also shut down – the caretaker took one look at us and said that though all the volunteers had left and his place was closed, there was one air-conditioned room which had just been vacated by his family so we could all sleep there, undisturbed by anyone! What’s more, the volunteers had cleaned all the bathrooms before going, and there were WCs to boot! Had we reached this moqab even a night earlier, there would have been no way that we would have found space even in their common area meant for all pilgrims, let alone this special room! So, as they say whatever happens, happens for the best! Having altogether walked 25.45 km that day, we all slept soundly till fajr. 

   Right after fajr, we resumed our walk again, getting delicious anda roti for breakfast from the few volunteers that were still around. We walked another 8.75 km till pole 502, and then took a taxi in which we crammed ourselves for a two-hour drive till pole 1087. We ate and rested at the moqab there, to avoid walking in the scorching sun, and then resumed our walk when it became a little cooler. Stopping just to offer our magrib prayers we trudged on till pole 1412 which was the last pole before Karbala border. From here the atmosphere became electric with a sea of energized people moving towards imam Hussain’s roza, another 6 km away. By the time we eventually made it to our hotel we had walked 32.5 km altogether just that day -- 60.2 km in two days! Every bone in my body was screaming in pain, but it was an experience I would not have missed for the world.

The need of the hour -- Water Conservation and Rainwater Harvesting

The need of the hour -- Water Conservation and Rainwater Harvesting

by Shanaz Ramzi

   After seeing the havoc wreaked by the recent rains in Lahore and keeping in mind that there is no effective drainage system in Karachi, one can only cringe at the thought of what lies in store for this beleaguered city once the predicted rainfall hits the metropolis this month, or thereabouts. Together with the devastation it will cause, is the glaring realization that as a nation we are complicit in criminally wasting water when there is not enough even for consumption. According to a report by United Nations Development Programme, in another seven years Pakistan is likely to run dry. How can we live with such apathy in the face of this terrifying knowledge? It is time we collectively did something to change the situation and our future, instead of waiting for the government to bail us out (excuse the pun) of our predicament.

   Since there is little doubt that the issue of water scarcity needs to be dealt with on war footing, as also rightly emphasised recently by the Chief Justice of Pakistan, there are several aspects that need immediate consideration. While large storage capacity in the form of dams and barrages is essential, both to harness rain water effectively, and to avoid devastation from flooding, it in any case needs to be dealt with in coordination with conservation in the usage of water, replenishment of aquifers, and rain water harvesting (RWH), since water is in any case in short supply. Considering that water demand is constantly on the rise owing to exponential population increase, there is constant degradation of water quality, rise in cost of supply and maintenance infrastructure, and minimal ground water recharging with depletion of water levels, it is shocking that no step has been taken to date to at least harvest rain water.

  If collectively, we make a conscious decision this time round, though, to do rain water harvesting if nothing else, we could easily minimise our losses – by avoiding the havoc of flash flooding -- and use the impending rainfall to our advantage, both in the suburbs and in the main city where rain run-off could be used for plantation and soil regeneration, among other things. Even with low rainfall, rain water harvesting can lead to saving substantial quantities that can be used for drinking as well as for non-potable use such as domestic, indoor plantation and agriculture and also aquifer replenishment. Studies show that 30-45 per cent of water usage is for washing, gardening, vehicle washing and in affluent areas up to 20 per cent is used for flushing WCs, and this usage can easily be met through RWH.

   To deal with water scarcity, in many countries it is mandatory to collect rainwater, especially in all new developments. For example, in Central American countries storage tanks have to be provided to store minimum 400 l of rainwater per square metre of roof area. In Pakistan, as indeed in other parts of the world, RWH can be taken up through either storing water from building roofs, or diverting rain water in order to avoid flash floods.

How can rain water be stored?

   Directing water from roofs into tanks or cisterns could provide substantial quantity of water for non-potable use as well as cause reduction in roof runoffs thus mitigating the quantum of flash floods. If precautions are taken and water is treated it can also be used for drinking, thus lowering the stress on piped water supply.

   All that needs to be done is to connect the drainage pipe from the roof to a drum below – if the pipe drains out into a cemented portion of the house – where the water can collect. The drum, in turn should have a pipe connected to it that drains the collected water into an aquifer pit dug in the garden or if there is no garden, then into a tank made for the purpose in a concrete portion of the house, or directly into a pit, if it drains into the garden.

How to make an aquifer pit:

   According to retired architect and conservationist, Yasmeen Lari, aquifer pits 1 to 2m wide, 2-3 m depth are sufficient to meet storage requirements of houses with 100 sq m roof. To store potable water, the base should have a layer of boulders 5-20 cm in size, gravel 5-10 mm, and coarse sand on top 1.5-2mm graded. This will allow filtration of rainwater. For smaller roofs, the pits could be filled with brick bats. Fine mesh should be placed on top to avoid leaves, insects, sand and other impurities from falling in.

   If the tank is being used to store water for domestic consumption, a tap could be installed, and the water could be used directly to water the garden or for washing cars. For other domestic use, such as for flush systems, a separate pipe would have to be installed. In cases where houses or even buildings are still under construction it is imperative that these tanks be created from the very beginning and are part of the floor plan, as they are the need of the hour.

   Storing rain water serves a dual purpose, as mentioned earlier, for aside from conservation it also helps prevent flash floods. As the urban areas get more and more built up, in addition to the run off from roofs, the runoffs from pavements and hard surfaces keeps increasing. Our storm water system has proved dismally inadequate in most of our cities, and the Karachi nullahs, once built to carry rain water are either blocked, built upon, or full of trash. Even if they could be cleared they would hardly be able to carry the enormous quantity of water flowing from roofs, pavements and other hard surfaces. The destruction caused by these flash floods affects stability of structures and grinds life to a halt, as witnessed most recently in Lahore, and what’s more, poses a threat to human life.

   Hence, the run off from pavements must be harvested as well. In order to avoid flooding, street water must not be allowed to enter the drainage system. Instead, catchment areas should be created so that rather than have the water drain off from one’s property on to the streets, and eventually into drains, or be pumped out, as is usually the case, it works the other way around, and the water is trapped in collection devices such as storage tanks, deep V-shaped trenches, disused pits and tube wells. Lari recommends that the trench should ideally be 1m wide, 1.5 m deep and 10-15 m long for roof area 200 sq m. Of course, all these containers should be covered to avoid contamination from human, animal and other environmental pollutants, not to mention for safety reasons.

   In order to take this up on war footing, not only individual homes but multi-storey buildings, government offices and residential buildings, courts, stadiums, parks and hotels should all get involved.  The government needs to identify and mark on maps open spaces, parks and green areas where pits/tanks could be dug; lowest point where water collects in each area and its disposal in trenches tube wells, old tanks, pits, etc. Slits should be made in curbs to direct street water into landscaped areas, while ponds could be created to serve as wetlands in parks. It must be made mandatory for hotels and residential and office buildings to build rain-water storage tanks for their own use. Similarly, it must be made mandatory for new developments to be equipped with RWH mechanisms, particularly storage tanks, to relieve the stress on piped water supply systems.

   Together we can make a difference. There are many other ways of conserving water too, but that would call for a separate article. At the moment, if we just concentrate on rain-water harvesting, which is the need of the hour, we could perhaps save ourselves from the predicament we always find ourselves in during the monsoon season, and even turn it to our advantage.  

Published in February's Newsline

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My article published in Newsline last month on the ban on Indian films

A thoroughly disappointing experience

Roasters has been around for a while now and though it has never been my favourite joint, primarily because I have always found its service slow, I have never had reason to complain about its food -- until my last visit this month. The deterioration in its food quality was shocking -- the food was largely cold and tasteless -- and the service was even more pathetic than I remembered it. When I complained to the waiter about the cold food, instead of doing something about it, he merely stared at me as if he couldn't believe what he had heard. Not only were the entrees cold, even the molten lava cake, which is always served straight out of the oven when it is at its gooey best, was cold and hard. And the waiters not only wore a nonchalant demeanour they were amused by our complaints, which was very irritating. I normally refrain from using any platform to air just negative views and whenever I review a restaurant I always present both its positive and negative sides, if any, but this time I have been so upset by their attitude that I have not been able to resist making my disgust public!

The Baron, Karbala -- A review

   On our recent visit to Karbala we stayed at the newly opened five-star hotel, The Baron. The Baron is the only five-star hotel in Karbala, and I can predict that it will start a new trend here to cater to the needs of those pilgrims who don't like to sacrifice their comfort no matter where they are, and in a matter of years there will be many such hotels, just like they have sprouted up in Mecca.
   However, for the time being no hotel comes close to The Baron in terms of the sheer luxury and facilities it offers. I have to say my only regret was we couldn't stay there longer, for our trip was too short and most of it was spent visiting shrines with little time to really enjoy its many comforts. However, having said that, I must admit that it was a great relief when we would come back exhausted from our pilgrimage at night, to find a luxuriously cosy bed, hot shower and clean towels waiting for us. The fact that there is a shuttle service to and from the hotel every half hour ferrying hotel guests back and forth from the pilgrimage site, is another great boon, especially when you are exhausted and not in the mood for a minimum 15-minute walk.
   With five restaurants overlooking their sprawling lawns and catering to cuisines ranging from Pakistani to Lebanese and from fast-food to Persian and Italian, and one within the hotel building where buffet breakfast is served, the hotel is not only providing an option to travellers for high-end boarding and lodging but also for dining that is a cut above the rest in the city. Not surprisingly, the restaurants have already become popular with drop-in clients.
   With modern rooms complete with free wifi and all necessary toiletries, not to mention the all-essential and often missing amenity of a kettle and tea bags and coffee satches; spacious, elegant lounges; gym and indoor swimming-pool facilities -- of course with separate hours for males and females -- The Baron seems to be on the right track. It also has a hamam and sauna facilities that is not in operation yet, but will hopefully be soon.
   But that is not to say that there are no teething problems in this five-month old hotel. The service needs to be improved and more waiters who understand English need to be hired so that they can understand what their guests want from them. And I wish someone would explain to the chef that a cheese omelette doesn't mean sprinkling cheese on top of the egg, rather than inside it. Housekeeping too needs to have a manager overseeing it, to ensure that used towels, bathmats, etc are replaced.
   In the larger scheme of things though, these are trivial matters that time and experience should be able to sort out.

Review of Priori eye serum

Okay, so I have been using this amazing product that I simply have to write about. I don't like to review anything unless I have experienced it first-hand, and since I have been using this serum for two weeks now, I feel quite confident endorsing it.  The beauty product I refer to is a smoothing eye serum, from the Priori range which specialises in anti-aging.

I must admit dabbing it lightly around the eyes every morning after a shower, just before moisturising the rest of my face, and every night when preparing for bed, I was not quite sure what I had expected would happen. Have my crows feet disappear, perhaps? Or if not disappear then at least not progress any more? Well, in all honesty, I don't think that either happened in these two weeks. However, one thing has certainly happened -- the shadows  under my eyes have practically disappeared. Anyone who knows me will vouch for the fact that my shadows were so deep that I looked like someone had given me two black eyes. Not only that, the skin around the eyes stays soft, smooth and supple through the day, though I hardly dab a miniscule amount on it in the morning. I'm  going to see if it's prolonged use does any other wonders, but so far so good. Give it a try, guys!

My travelogue published in Social Diary

My published travel piece on my recent visit to the northern areas of Pakistan

A spiritual experience within a physical exercise -- part 1

They say that only those perform Haj who are privileged to be invited by Him to His house. There is no dearth of stories of people who reach Mecca and yet are not able to perform this rigorous physical and spiritual ritual; that thought alone was enough to fill me with trepidation and dread when I finally embarked last month on this journey along with my husband. What if I fall ill, and can't do it? What if there's an accident? What if...

And so much did happen this Haj -- so many disasters that put paid to the plans and good intentions of the huge number of pilgrims, as they embarked on what turned out to be their last journey. But, mercifully, God was more than kind to both of us. I couldn't have asked for more. Not only did we manage to fulfil all our obligations in complete health and with relative ease, but we also became such great friends with some Pakistanis settled in different parts of the world that it made the entire experience a lot of fun.

So here's a diary of sorts that I maintained while at Haj:

14th sept - we left in the morning as we had to report three hours early for our noon flight. Flight was delayed a little, and we waited in the business class lounge till boarding. We met up with Sadiqa, the first member of what was to late become our motley group, and for whom my husband had agreed to pose as a mehram (a Saudi requirement that a male relative must accompany a young woman on pilgrimage) as she was travelling by herself.  When we reached Dubai, we said our prayers and did our niyats as guided by the maulana accompanying us. Our connecting flight was an Airbus A 380 - a massive aircraft . We lucked out as we got superb seats -- bulk head. Our luck didn't end there;when we landed in Jeddah the three of us were taken in a bus carrying pilgrims that had signed up for the executive package, to the VIP lounge where we sat in an air-conditioned environ and partook of tea, water and snacks and could use clean toilets. Hence, we never experienced the long and tiring wait in the heat at the airport that we had been warned about by all our friends. What's more, while there, we were asked to identify our bags in the luggage area, and discovered that in our absence everyone had been made to forcefully take polio drops even though they had certification of having taken the same prior to departure -- so we missed this discomfort as well! 
Next, we were transported in a freezing, air-conditioned bus and reached the hotel only to find Lady Luck was really smiling down on us -- we had been upgraded to Fairmont hotel although initially we had been told we would be in Swissotel. Not that the latter was of a lower standard, but the advantage of Fairmont was that the wifi worked there whereas it didn't in Swissotel -- as Sadiqa learnt to her chagrin. Our bathroom had a shower as well as a tub -- which I discovered most rooms didn't have and which turned out be a boon for soaking our tired feet -- and we also had a room with a view -- overlooking the haram -- so we could plant ourselves in front of the window and offer our prayers in direct view, something that women frequently didn't get to do even if they were in the haram, as they would mostly be relegated to an area that just overlooked a wall.
  As by the time we had all checked in it was around 2.30 am our moallim decided that we should do umra the following morning since there wasn't enough time to perform all the rites before fajr prayers. It turned out to be a wise decision as we were all tired and it would probably have been pushing ourselves too much had we stuck to our original plan of doing umrah in the night.

So the next day, which was also my birthday, we had an early breakfast and left for performing umrah. Just as I got a call from a friend wishing me happy birthday I came in full view of the Khana Kaaba so that instead of concentrating on making my wishes I was left with my attention divided! We performed umrah as a group and though it was very hot it was not overly crowded and we performed it with relative ease. I stayed on at the haram to offer my Zohar prayers but got place outside, as the women's section had got full by then. Exhausted, we mustered enough strength to go to the huge store, Bin Dawood, located in the Clock Tower where our hotel was also situated, to pick up a few things. After soaking our feet in the tub, we went off to have lunch at the food court - shawarma and fresh juices. Then showered and slept for a while.

We got up in time to offer our Asr prayers but again got space only outside the hotel in the walkway leading to the haram. Although it was my birthday we were so tired that we decided to just go for the buffet dinner at the hotel, which was part of our package. Pilgrims booked with other tour operators but staying at the Clock Tower also had their dinners at our hotel so my friend Rainie who was there also joined us. After dinner our tour operators had arranged for a Dua at the top-most level of the haram so we attended it and then came back and slept. 

On the 16th we went for ziarat of gaar e soar, gaar e Hira and the graveyard where Rasool Allah's family including his uncle Hazrat Abu Talib, and his son Qasim and others are buried. Although a gated cemetery where only special people were allowed to enter, the walls had openings through which we could see the desolate graves within, and offer our fatehas.
We came back and went for lunch at the hotel's high end restaurant with Rainie, and Sadiqa who had by then become our adopted daughter -- my husband had discovered at Dubai airport that she was the same age as our daughter, had two kids like our daughter, and had been married as long as she had, so had promptly shed all his inhibitions and begun to tease her relentlessly to which she would respond with due spunk -- to celebrate my birthday. After lunch we went for tawaaf where two other ladies, Marzia and Shehla who we had become friendly with -- both from Australia -- joined us. We managed to not only do tawaaf for everyone but also give bosa to the kaaba. Offered asr prayers in the haram. Also both times did our tawwaf within maqam e ibrahim and also touched it this day and saw the qadam. Sadiqa and I stayed back to say our Duas and sat in the tawwaf area to do it till we were shooed away. Came back to hotel, showered and sat on Facebook and then offered Namaz in room from where there is a clear view of the Kaaba. Ate dinner at hotel and went with moallim for ziarat.