.

It is day one and I am up early. The fact that I am about to make the journey of my life is just starting to sink in. I have taken a shower and put on the two pieces of plain white cloth, as is mandatory for all those performing Hajj, the annual pilgrimage made by Muslims to the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. It is strange, because I have seen many of my friends and family go and come back from Mecca, yet I have never really thought about how I would feel when I would go. I guess I never really expected to go so soon! The rituals of Hajj start before you actually leave home. This includes showering, seeking forgiveness from all you know, returning any money owed and writing your will. The latter was the most surreal. After bidding farewell to my sister and her husband at the airport, I met up with the rest of the Al Jazeera team travelling to Saudi Arabia to cover Hajj this year. Faith and brotherhood While waiting for our aircraft to depart, I looked around and realised that our tea...