Dead Camel and Dhab Lizard, Guava and Zam-Zam - Umrah Pilgrimage Part 25

I cannot remember who the manufacturer is... but someone should buy the ice cream making machine (it is the same Italian-made machine in all the shops) and bring it to Malaysia! The smoothness of the ice cream is miraculous. Each scoop brought me closer to the Divine Presence. Ya Huuu!



Camel balls and Camel ding-dongs. Well, they are made from camel anyway. Quite nice.



A Camel lost his heart somewhere. Very good if you suffer from asthma. Not very good for the dead camel. How does it taste like? It tastes like rubber. Chew a balloon and the taste is similar.



And this is the famous Dhab (desert lizard). It did not come cheap so some of the boys chipped in to buy it. Even before the pilgrimage, Ariffin was singing praise of this Arabian delicacy, so obviously I was very tempted. I had some and this was what I told him later, "Bro, it doesn't taste like chicken at all. If I was to imagine how lizard meat would taste like, then this is exactly how it tastes like!" But to be fair, Dhab is eaten mainly because it is said to have medicinal properties.

From this into the stew pot.

And into a small bottle. Dhab oil is normally purchased by men for their medicinal properties. I am sure you understand.

It is not all dead animals we ate in Mecca. I ate lots of fruits too. I became especially fond of a small version of our Guava fruit. It is soft, green-yellowy and is sweet and savoury. Just writing this now makes me drool. I ate baskets of it when I was in the Holy City.



Arjuna is the sort of fellow who can charm the hind leg of a donkey. We were at this shop earlier, and to gain his goodwill, Arjuna allowed the salesman to go through his photo album in his Blackberry. The guy was actually from Myanmar. He was disappointed that Arjuna had zero naughty hottie pictures but we parted as friends. Later during lunch we passed by the shop again. It was closed and the salesman was having his enormous mound of briani rice and grilled chicken. He saw us and immediately called and opened the shutters. Arjuna, being the gentleman, did not take much coaxing to join him for lunch. I love Mecca.



To show you that I DID NOT spend my entire time in Mecca just satisfying my physical appetite, I did visit the Masjidil Haram a couple of times to fulfill a different sort of appetite. And of course, when you are there, you must drink some of the Zam-Zam water, the blessed water from the well originating from the time of the Prophet... and even longer before that. How does it taste like? Well, err... like water, but a little heavy. I don't know how else to describe it. If you are nearby my office, drop by. I still have a large container of the stuff.

Thank God it's Friday, sunshine. And thank you for dropping in.

Pax Taufiqa.