Posts
*with pics*
I suppose I am getting this off to a late start, since I am on the last day of my last location on this survey, but Saudi Arabia will drive you to find anyway possible to entertain yourself. Unfortunately, the internet connection in my hotel (which blocks me from accessing any questionable websites or ones that discuss women's rights) is letting me upload pics about as slow as smoke signals, so I'll have to wait til I get home, and I'll put some up asap.
Burj Al Arab, Dubai
I spent my first two weeks in the Middle East between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, getting acclimatized to weather (110 degrees) and the customs of the Muslim people. Dubai is a fairly international city as you can imagine, so it wasn't nearly as intense as everyday life in Saudi Arabia. You only hear the music play out of the mosques a couple of times a day in Dubai and life doesn't seem to miss a beat during prayer hours. One of the first things you notice is the gold signs pointing to Mecca in every building, hotel room, restaurant, even my hotel gym had one near a weight bench...However muslim it may feel, Dubai is still 90% immigrants and 60% of those are from India. The idea of the United Arab Emirates local is almost non-existent in two cities that were basically built out of the desert in the last 10 years. You can still order alcohol in restaurants and nightclubs sound off until the wee hours of the night. It is definitely a city designed for business and tourism alike.
However, its neighbor to the west, Saudi Arabia is unlike any country in the world and a definite "trip" to experience. I boarded my Saudi Arabian Airways flight to Jeddah at 10pm. My visas were checked several times, I listened to a nice soothing prayer over the loud speaker, and we were on our way. Saudi Arabian Airways has 3 rows in the back of the plane designated for a "prayer room" surrounded by a curtain...I was hoping to get away with a nap in there, but I thought better of it. Instead, I stared at the video monitor in front of me, which had a little arrow pointing which direction off the plane Mecca was at all times...Thanks Saudi Arabian Airways!
Upon my arrival at King Abdulaziz International Airport, I was pulled aside at passport services and asked to show my Passport and Visa to group of different customs agents, who asked me where I was coming from possibly 150 times. An hour later, I had my bag and was heading into the city
Mosque, Musandam
Jeddah is the second largest city in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, after it's capital Riyahd. It is considered the "cosmopolitan center" of Saudi Arabia, where you are free from attacks of the religious police and some pools and beaches have areas where women can bare their shoulders. How 21st century. Jeddah is also the prinicipal gateway to Mecca, which is about 10 miles outside of the city center. Millions of people make the Haj to Mecca, a birthright trip, and every year the Saudi government deals with the issue of immigrants staying illegally. Saudi Arabia is an immensely wealthy country with free healthcare and schooling. It is primarily better off economically then the majority of its neighbors. Interestingly enough, the government built a road curving around Mecca since non-muslims are forbidden from entering. Stretched above the highway sit long, green signs that state "muslims" and "non-muslims" so you can continue to travel accordingly. I suppose it is similar to the fork at I-95 and I-495 to Providence but with larger consequences for veering to the wrong direction. The only westerners rumored to have entered are characters such as Thiesger and Richard Burton, who travelled with the Bedouin tribes through the empty quarter for years, wrote novels based on their experiences and were allowed to convert and visit the holy land of Mecca.
Port town, Oman
Jeddah is the arabic word for "grandmother" and was given that name as the tomb of Eve is said to be buried here (widely considered to be the grandmother of humanity). The city recieved prominence in the 600's AD when muslim pilgrims started arriving to find Mecca. Today, it is considered a major trading port due to it's location on the Red Sea and a tourist destination for diving around the coral reefs and sunken ship exploration.
Al Balad Coral Houses, Old Town Jeddah
On my first day in Jeddah, I hailed a cab outside of the hotel and headed off to the mall to collect some prices. Almost immediately, distinguishing the differences in Saudi and the past muslim areas I had been in, was obvious. Five times a day, music blares from the mosques around the city and immediately everything shuts down. Shopkeepers usher you out of their stores and the metal grates go down. The whole city's life ceases to exist for the next 20 minutes while everyone prays. All stores then close from 1pm-5pm every single day as an imposed religious law. Thus making work impossible to be done in the Kingdom. I don't really understand how the Saudi residents get anything done. The other complaint is it is a city full of cab drivers trying to take you for every cent they can get out of you. This is to be expected in most places around the world, especially as an American. However, the amount of time I spend with hired drivers starts to drive you nuts when you have to argue with every single one over the price of a fare...especially when they, all of a sudden, forget how to speak the english they knew 15 mins ago.
As far as sights go, Jeddah boasts the tallest water fountain in the world, measuring in at over 350 meteres. There is also a great market/old town to wander around. Other than that...no alcohol...enough said.
Tomorrow, I am heading out back to the USA, via Amman, Jordan and into NYC.
2 observations of my time in the Middle East-
1. As much as the mosque music and prayer times can be a nuisance for work, if you can find the time to stop and listen, it is a beautiful experience. It's serene and calm and invokes a definite feeling of mystery to a westerner.
...with the possible exception of the one that goes off at 4am outside my hotel window.
2. "It is illegal to serve a muslim alcohol." In the UAE, alcohol is legal in hotels and to be served out of these dark warehouses if you have a permit. But the law states "it is illegal to serve a muslim alcohol." Shouldn't he just not want alcohol if he takes his religion that seriously? I don't get that one yet.
Pics coming in a few days when I get home...
