In answer to the proverbial “million dollar” question – “what is it like in Saudi Arabia?” — I can now provide an informed answer. But first, what was it like flying to Jeddah? And why Jeddah as opposed to the capital of Riyadh?
Here’s the answer to the last part, and it isn’t because we were prescient in our decision. Visiting Riyadh is akin to Dubai — the center of business with innumerable high rises. The decision to visit Jeddah certainly did involve better routes using AA miles. That means, flight one via American to Atlanta, flight 2 via Etihad to Abu Dhabi, and flight 3 from Abu Dhabi to Jeddah on Etihad. We left Los Angeles Friday morning and arrived in Jeddah Saturday night (local time). Business class seats the entire way for 70,000 miles each and a total of $90. Total travel time: 28 hours. Yes, there’s faster routes, but certainly not for what we paid.
But the choice was also about what we wanted to experience during our stay. The fact that Jeddah had no Iranian attacks (as opposed to Riyadh) was pure happenstance. For geography, the distance between the two is roughly 600 miles. Jeddah is on the Red Sea in the south of Saudi Arabia. It is much like other large cities in the UAE and elsewhere in the Middle East — sprawling, modern, bustling, full of American brands — but dustier than other locales experienced.
The trip was long but totally uneventful. Meaning, the flights all departed on time, the security lines were swift, and, best of all, we checked our bags in Los Angeles and next saw them in Jeddah.
Breakfast view of the Red Sea
We used Uber extensively to get around Jeddah, which operates extremely well, arrives within 5 minutes, and is very reasonably priced. As has become a familiar pattern, the first day is used to get the “lay of the land,” adjust to a significant time change and decide a schedule.
I have said this repeatedly: hotel concierges are invaluable. We have had some incredible tour guides introduced to us by the hotels and the one we had in Madinah was no exception. A side note — the first one suggested was declined as the price was prohibitive. But I can’t imagine we would have been any more pleased had we not gone with the second guide suggested.
Below, following the “dress modestly” instructions — in the 90 degree temperature!
Madinah is the third largest city in Saudi Arabia, with a population of roughly 2 million. The journey by high-speed train (very modern and easy to navigate) is less than 2 hours. Another side note here: our Uber driver who took us to the train station offered to park and escort us up to the departure area. Unsolicited. An 18-year-old studying cybersecurity. His future looks good indeed. When we arrived in Madinah, Dr. Rolla Jalloun was waiting for us at the station and off we went in her very comfortable car touring the city.
Our wonderful guide, Dr. Rolla Jalloun
Women weren’t permitted to drive in the country until 2017. But she learned when she studied in the U.S. for a number of years, earning a Ph.D. in nutrition and an additional degree in another field. The country gives out many scholarships to study abroad and it sounded like virtually everyone in her family has advanced degrees. Did I mention she was based merely 30 minutes from our home when she studied at Cal State Northridge? She knows Los Angeles well, having spent considerable time there along with her husband (a professor) and their 2 eldest children.
I asked her how long it took her to become a guide and it was just a year and a half. She knew a great deal about the history of Saudi Arabia from her childhood studies.
Our timing here coincides with the Hadj, when many Muslims from both inside Saudi Arabia and various countries abroad make the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. Under normal circumstances, the crowds would have been massive but recent events clearly took their toll. Just when the country had recovered from people staying away during Covid, now it is the violence and uncertainty in the Gulf countries having a profound effect. The irony is how completely safe it is in most all of Saudi Arabia.
Below/right: that’s an interesting way to transport filled water bottles. They must be cold!
The photo below is in the Prophet Mosque Museum. It shows the three holiest sites in Islam, which are (right to left): The Prophet Mosque in Madinah (Medina) where we were; Mecca — the center of it all; and Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem (I thought that looked familiar!).
We walked and viewed the central part of Madinah, learning how the mosque has evolved over the years to become this enormous space. Unique to the appearance are the huge umbrellas that open and close simultaneously, akin to synchronized swimming. The cost of each one is said to be $1 million. Given the heat (no one ventures outside in the summer months when temperatures can reach 50+ degrees Celsius (130F!) or more, so those umbrellas are crucial. It was a mere 90 or so on the day we visited.
Different views of the umbrellas — crucial for keeping the heat out
We saw a few more of the mosques (there are 2,200 in all in Madinah alone), and then settled in for a late lunch and learned more about the culture, the arranged marriages (not so common among her children’s generation), women wearing business suits in Riyadh instead of traditional garb (purely their choice now), and many other changes in the country.
Masjid Quba below — a different mosque visited
We headed back to the train for the return ride to Jeddah and the end to a fascinating and enlightening day. Next stop: Bahrain.
Below, two different meals. Rice is the mainstay here. I could live on Fattoush salad (greens, pomegranate, tomatoes, cucumber, and crispy bread. Yum).
