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Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Journey of a lifetime
All set for smooth Haj
InterContinental hires new chef
RIYADH: SHARIF M. TAHA arab news staff
All ministries and government departments have joined hands to provide maximum facilities to the guests of God to perform Haj with ease and comfort. Over three million pilgrims from abroad and from within the Kingdom will be performing Haj this year. Over one million polio vaccines have been administered to Haj pilgrims from countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Nigeria, according to Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah. He said that those from the African belt were also given polio doses as a precautionary measure. The national strategic committee for Haj has also put in place facilities for water supply. The Shuaiba-4 desalination plant would supply an additional 240,000 cubic meters of water to Jeddah. However, Haj season in Saudi Arabia is not only a concern of government departments, but also a season in which popular and voluntary organizations actively take part to show their humanitarian side and solidarity with communal needs, on the one hand, and to make it a problem-free event, on the other. Members of the Mobile Scout Center, an affiliate of the General Presidency of Youth Welfare, began to receive pilgrims at a bus reception center in Makkah, and distributed to them bags containing sunshade, prayer mats, rosary, and guidance booklets. Head of the scout center in Mina Bandar Al-Abaidi said they were coordinating with the Saudi Electricity Company to implement
this campaign for the third consecutive year in the framework of social responsibility to serve the guests of Allah. He said some 50 members participated in distributing bags to the pilgrims and, in this context, appreciated the role and facilities provided by the public relations department of the Saudi Electricity Company (Western sector) to the scout center. In a related development, the Saudi Arabian Scouts Association (SASA) in Makkah and the holy sites has increased the number of printed maps for Mina and Arafat to more than 1 million copies. The maps contain detailed information on these two holy sites, including inlets and outlets of Jamrat Bridge; service locations
such as security, fire, traffic, and the Red Crescent; and medical and religious guidance centers. The maps are meant to help pilgrims move easily and smoothly in the holy sites. Head of guidance maps at the holy sites Walid Khalid Filipman said they were keen to produce high-quality maps. SASA produced 487 shots for Mina using the “Google Earth” search engine, and another 638 shots for Arafat, he said. The number of maps has been increased gradually over time, starting with 100,000 copies earlier and now raised to more than a million due to growing demand, he pointed out. In Najran region, meanwhile, Tarahum, the committee that looks
after the affairs of prisoners, exconvicts and their families, organizes on Tuesday a Haj trip to the holy sites in Makkah. Twelve men and women prisoners and families will benefit from the trip, member of the committee Aisha bint Yahya Al-Hakami said. Four of the prisoners were earlier set free after they had spent long periods in prison on different cases. They are accompanied in the trip by their wives and mothers, she said. The trip comes to demonstrate the committee’s keenness to restore the spiritual values in the hearts of the freed prisoners and help them integrate quickly into the society, she pointed out. In other developments, the National Water Company, represented by its business unit in Makkah and Taif, has
Two Egyptian pilgrims pray as other pilgrims circumambulate the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque on Monday. (Reuters) begun to pump waters into public water networks and toilets feeding Mina in preparation to receive pilgrims in the coming days. Main water valves have been opened from the strategic tanks to feed water networks, the head of Makkah and Taif unit, Abdullah bin Ahmed Hasainain, was quoted by the Saudi Press Agency as saying. In regards to telecom services in the holy sites, Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) has increased its network capacity in the holy cites to accommodate more than 5 million calls at a time, so as to facilitate local and international calls. The company has added more than 150 mobile and fixed towers to its existing towers to ensure quality and sustained services for the pilgrims, a Mobily official was quoted as saying.
Executive Chef Gavin Wilcock. Alkhobar: Arab News
InterContinental Alkhobar announces the appointment of new Executive Chef Gavin Wilcock. Wilcock brings with him 20 years of valuable experience in luxury hotels and restaurants, including his recent assignment as executive chef at Crowne Plaza Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Commenting on his extensive experience, Chef Wilcock said: “Food is my passion, and after spending over 20 years working in kitchens in various parts of the world, that passion has not diminished. If anything, I feel I am even more dedicated and passionate about the culinary world than ever before. The food I create is a combination of my years spent in 5-star hotels and function centers before moving to some of Sydney’s best restaurants.” Wilcock received professional training from teachers, chefs and mentors in the culinary industry, which in turn encouraged him to persevere and experiment with a myriad of gastronomic flavors, using
the finest and freshest ingredients available and never ceasing to strive for perfection. Wilcock has spent a number of years working on 5-star cruise ships, such as the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and large multi-site 4- and 5-star hotels, namely the Lasseters Hotel Casino and Alice Springs Convention Center, Esplanade Hotel, Ayers Rock Resort, and finally Crowne Plaza Port Moresby. Such experience has made him confident to work under pressure. Wilcock was awarded “Best Banqueting in Western Australia” two years in a row — 2006 and 2007 — by the Australian Hotels Association. Wilcock worked in operations during the preparation stage of the Australian Olympics in 2000, where he was the manager dining facilities at the Stadium Australia (Jan-July 1999) and executive precinct chef at Spotless Services Limited (Dec. 1997-Jan. 1999). Chef Wilcock joined the InterContinental Alkhobar on Oct. 1 and is looking forward to enhancing his experience to include the rich culinary world of the Middle East.
Office 25 deals with high-income pilgrims
Hussain Abdul Lateef, whose company deals with Indian and Pakistani pilgrims. Jeddah: Abdul rahman Rasheed
The services of the Tawafa Organization for South Asian Pilgrims have expanded to handle the flow of half a million pilgrims annually. Hussain Abdul Lateef Mahmoud, manager of Field Office 25 said his office is responsible to provide service to high-income pilgrims. A streamlined service linking pilgrims to an office, a supervisor and a coordinator allows faster communication and a more effective service,” he said. The office coordinates with the Jeddah’s Pilgrims City and receives the pilgrims at the airport, serving a meal to them upon arrival before taking them to their accommodations. “The services provided are based on an official contract between the establishment and head of the Haj mission,” Hussein said, adding that pilgrims arrive in their accommodation in Makkah where contracted companies supply them with meals and other services. An official escort the group of pilgrims to the Grand Mosque then they coordinate for taking the pilgrims to Madinah. The new services include a constant check on the buildings rented by the office’s group of pilgrims. “We have provided a group of technicians and plumbers to work in the buildings
Hussain Abdul Lateef distributes gifts among pilgrims
under our supervision.” “We provided a guidance office, an information center, SIM cards, wheelchairs for the elderly and will, Allah blessing, founded a small First Aid center in Arafat which would be a service provided by the Ministry of Health with volunteers working in it,” he said.
Year after year the services of the South Asian Pilgrims Organization are improved. “Now we deal with about half a million pilgrims. They are divided into groups with each one linked to an office, a supervisor and a coordinator, which allows faster communication,” Hussein Abdul Lateef said.