SO FAR YET SO NEAR

From Zulkefli Salleh

MECCA, Nov 15 (Bernama) -- Although Malaysian haj pilgrims comprise mostly
of not so highly-educated senior citizens and this year's haj may be their first
to experience life a thousand miles away from home, they still feel at ease
and safe to perform their religious duty in the Holy Land.

Except for one or two cases of homesickness and difficulty in adapting,
most of the Malaysian haj pilgrims seem cheerful, all thanks to advanced
information and communication technology.

For one, they can still catch developments on the home front via Radio
Television Malaysia's RTM1 and RTM2 channels through satellite feed provided at
more than ten hotels rented by Tabung Haji (Malaysian Pilgrims Fund).

Furthemore, with most of them having a personal mobile phone in their
pocket, home is just a call away.

The pilgrims need not stand in long queues outside public telephone booths
as their predecessors did just to make a call to their longing children and
grandchildren back home.

Apart from local telecommunication companies (telcos) pre-paid facilities
and Malaysian telcos low rates roaming services, the pilgrims can also use the
I-Talk service provided by Telekom Malaysia, Malaysia's Number One provider of
information communication technologies, from their hotel room.

Thus, to see Malaysian pilgrims being engaged and talking happily on their
phones at the hotel lobby, outside the Grand Mosque or along sidewalks, is
a common sight.

And if that is not enough, the Malaysian hospitality showed by Tabung
Haji's staff and the catering services which offer none other than Malaysian
dishes, also help the pilgrims to feel at home.

To the pilgrim's surprise, the local traders can even converse in Malay,
and thus make the process of bargaining for souvenirs such as headgears, prayer
mats, head scarves and robes, a lot easier.
-- BERNAMA