The musings of a wanderer......

Month: May 2017

An Australian travel guide through Jeddah

I’m so happy to feature my blog’s second guest writer Emma!! I visited Jeddah way back in 2010- it was actually my first trip out of Riyadh my first time here and I’ve been wanting to go back so this blog has some great tips about what to see if Jeddah is on your Saudi travel list. Emma Lawson is a passionate writer, online article editor and a health enthusiast. In her spare time, she likes to do research, and write articles to create awareness regarding healthy lifestyles. You can catch her on Twitter @EmmahLawson

For an Australian traveler, Jeddah is a small goldmine of cultural and historical heritage, culinary surprises, and numerous sites of natural beauty. Home to around 4.3 million people, Jeddah sits on the sea-bound frontier of Saudi Arabia and it’s one of the most captivating cities in the region that is still largely unblemished by mass tourism. Ready to pack your bags and head to the Red Sea pearl for a fair share of holiday fun, thrills, and shopping sprees? You’d better arm yourself with Jeddah travel essentials, just to stay on the safe and well-entertained side of your Saudi adventure.

 

Visa Requirements

Getting a visa for Saudi Arabia isn’t easy, but the red tape and the waiting are definitely worth it. As a western tourist, you’ll need a letter of invitation from a Saudi Arabia national, and it’s also advisable to travel with a travel agency or with a group of at least four other people. You can file for a visa at the closest Saudi Arabian embassy in your country of origin, but be sure to submit the application well in advance, just to stay on the safe side of the travel itinerary. Tourist visas are available only to selected groups on a limited basis.

Due to the strict requirements of Saudi Arabia, women entering the Kingdom alone must be met by a sponsor (and have a letter of invitation) or male relative and have confirmed accommodation for the duration of their stay. Additionally, entry may be refused to any visitor judged as behaving indecently, according to Saudi Arabia law and tradition.

 

How to get there

The best way to get to Jeddah is by plane. Jeddah international airport is situated close to the city center, and Saudi Arabian Airways offers favorable deals for tourists arriving from Europe. A fun fact: tourists aren’t allowed to drink alcohol once the plane crosses over into Saudi Arabian airspace.

Upon landing in Jeddah, you should rent a car as there’s no official public transport in the city. If you can’t drive, your transport options will be limited to private vans, taxis, and your own two feet. Do not cycle or ride a motorbike in Jeddah: streets over here are dangerous and local laws don’t exactly favor two-wheeled transport on city streets.

 

Jeddah Attractions

Although foreigners are advised to keep a level head and stay out of locals’ hair, there are many fun things a western tourist can do in Jeddah.

• King Fahd’s Fountain

Known as the world’s tallest fountain, King Fahd’s Fountain was built back in 1985 with the help of funds donated by the King. The Jeddah fountain releases sprays of water as tall as 850 feet, which means there are as many as 16 tons of H2O up in the air at any point when the fountain is running. Located in the vicinity of Falastin Street, the fountain goes on at sundown and runs all through the night.

• Ta’if

If you can set aside the time and cash for a daytrip outside Jeddah, head to Ta’if. Situated on the slopes of the Sarawat Mountains, Ta’if is the center of the regional agricultural area known for pomegranate, grape, fig, rose and honey production. It’s home to Al Rudaf Natural Park, Shubra Palace museum, remains of a Turkish fort, rock-carving site, Al Hada nature reserve, and a small zoo where tourists can see baboons up close.

• Obhur

A snaking islet of the Red Sea in the northern part of Jeddah, Obhur penetrates inland for about 12 kilometers and is home to fancy houses, hotels, dive shops, and compounds. If you’re up for a jet-ski ride or just want to spend the afternoon sunbathing and sipping mocktails on the beach, Obhur is the place to go.

• Aquatic fun

If you’re into scuba diving, Jeddah will definitely win a spot in your heart. The Red Sea coast is brimming with amazing dive sites, complete with breath-taking coral reefs, warm turquoise sea water, schools of parrotfish and surgeonfish, and an odd dolphin.

• Al-Balad   

Situated in the heart of old Jeddah, Al-Balad is home to picturesque buildings made out of coral reefs brought over from the Red Sea. Here you’ll find the fish market and many traditional souks where you can get local merchandise and souvenirs at a decent price. The neighborhood is no longer in perfect shape, but it’s still well-worth visiting, especially if you’re into old buildings and first-hand encounters with the locals.

• Shopping malls

If you’re short on ideas what to do in Jeddah, head to a local restaurant or a shopping mall. For a delectable local treat, try Shawarma Shakir or Albaik, or indulge your palate by a refreshing drink over at Juice World. As for shopping, you’ll find it hard to grow bored with local offer of jewelry and clothes, and you can also find designer brands for a real bargain.

 
Special considerations

Last but not the least, there are certain lifestyle and cultural rules you’ll need to obey during your visit to Jeddah. If you’re a woman, you’ll have to keep your hair and clothes covered so that your skin doesn’t show in public. You’re not required to cover your face, though, but you’ll have to stay away from the steering wheel during your stay in the city – and much of Saudi Arabia, for that matter. There is no official law that bans women from driving, but religious beliefs prohibit it, with Saudi clerics arguing that female drivers “undermine social values”. On top of that, ladies under 30 must be accompanied by their husband, brother, or father out in public. Islam is the only religion and while you’re not required to take part in daily prayer, you should abandon all hope of finding a religious facility other than a mosque. It may also be a good idea to stay away from alcohol during your visit to Jeddah as spirits are illegal and can’t be purchased in stores and consumed at hotels, on boats, or in vehicles.

Ready to pack your bags and head to Jeddah? Follow the guidelines above and you’re bound to have the time of your life. Bon voyage!

Tribute to My Mom…..

In honour of Mother’s Day being this weekend I thought I’d write a tribute to my mom and write about a few of the things I’ve learned from her over the years.  Since I was young I’ve had more of a friendship with my mom than the typical parent child relationship. My friends would often comment how they wished they could be so open with their own mothers. She instilled in me an openness and an honesty to a point where I never felt like I had to hide things or couldn’t be open with my thoughts and feelings. This hugely spilled over into my relationships with others also. Those of you who know me know that I tend to be an open book- I’ve never really put much worry into whether people might judge my decisions or not. So I’ve always chosen to be open because I long ago stopped trying to live for other peoples expectations.

My mom taught me that nothing was out of my reach. And reach I have. Across the globe I’ve stretched my legs and opened my heart to a world of opportunities I could not have dreamed up as a child. And she has faithfully supported every one of them, even when they might not have been her first choice for me. She has been my cheerleader. Always in my corner. Always ready to take my side against whomever perpetrated a wrong against me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She taught me to have an artistic eye. She is an artist,  a trait I sadly did not inherit. But I did inherit an eye and appreciation for the arts. My only artistic outlet is a love of photography. Playing with lights, shadows and reflections in my pictures. I’ve always loved how the world looks through the lens of a camera.

My mom taught me to be bold. Not just with decisions but with colours and accessories. She herself sports a hair colour that is a fiery orange hue and I’m surprised that she has yet to colour it purple after her most favourite colour. I too have a love of bold colours. Hot pink and emerald green would be my two top contenders and I’ve got a pretty distinct assortment of funky rings and earrings and bracelets that I’ve collected from my travels to jazz up an otherwise mainstream sense of style.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She taught me to have empathy for humanity. That the world was wide and vast, as are the people in it. She always had pictures of adopted children she was supporting clipped up on our fridge long before I knew exactly where Cambodia or Bangladesh were on a map. She taught me that people are interconnected regardless of the distance between them. She taught me to view the world in a global view and not just in terms of those who look like me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So mom here’s to you for instilling in me so many lessons that allowed me to spread my wings and truly see the world and for standing behind every crazy decision I’ve ever made. And for continuing to support those same crazy decisions of the future……..Love you mama xxx

Dubrovnik Croatia

If you watch that popular TV show called Game of Thrones then you probably know that part of it is filmed on location in the medieval city of Dubrovnik Croatia. I’ve never seen it, but the city is chalk full of Game of Thrones tours if that happens to be your thing. Last week I returned from a trip to Croatia spending my time in Dubrovnik and Split. Originally I had wanted to visit Luxor Egypt as this has been on my travel bucket list for a long time, but the security situation isn’t ideal right now so the next place I really wanted to go was Croatia. For the first week of this trip I had a travel partner from back home, a guy I met about a month before I returned to Saudi this last time. He hasn’t traveled much but was keen to travel so when I left I told him if he ever wanted to tag along on an adventure with me he was more than welcome. We ended up being great travel partners. He’s low key and went along easily with my shenanigans, so we had a lot of fun. Also he follows directions really well and never let on that he was getting annoyed or tired of being directed to take photos for me (of me.) Don’t get too excited though Mom and start buying wedding gifts- we’re just really good friends.

We met up in Frankfurt and flew into Dubrovnik together. As I’ve mentioned the only way I’m comfortable traveling is medicated, buzzed or exhausted. If I’m sleeping on a flight then I’m not focused on dying which makes it pleasant for myself and whoever I’m traveling with. The previous day I worked a 12 hour shift, came home, showered and took a red eye flight to Frankfurt. I had a 4hour layover so we hit the Lufthansa lounge and got me some wine. Wine + severe lack of sleep were a perfect combo as I didn’t really wake up until we were approaching the airport. Dubrovnik airport is small. Like it makes the tiny airport of my home town look impressive. I had booked us into an Airbnb in the Old Town and the owner sent her husband to come collect us which was super helpful. Dubrovnik is made up of the Old Town and then newer modern bits. The Old Town is built along the water and is basically a walled city, and the newer sections span up and outwards to the hill above it. The first view of the Old Town driving from the airport leaves a lasting impression. It looks medieval and magical and you can hardly wait to start exploring.

Dubrovnik is a photographers dream come true. Pretty much every way you turn your head is a postcard worthy picture. The best views of the entire city are by walking the old walls, from Fort Lovrijenac, or viewed from the hill overlooking the city by way of the cable car. The terracotta roofs offer a perfect contrast to the deep blue of the Adriatic Sea. I took a ton of photos from these locations. Walking the walls of the Old Town requires good walking shoes as it’s steep in sections and bring a hat and water for hot days as there’s little in the way of shade. Dubrovnik is a tourist destination the year round. We were there in the shoulder season when only a few cruise ships were docking and it was still extremely crowded in the Old Town some afternoons. I read that during peak season 10,000 tourists are dropped in Old Town although they are looking at decreasing it to 8000. Personally, I hate traveling during peak months because I find other tourists annoying so I’m willing to risk maybe no so great weather in exchange for me not having a full fledged melt down when someone runs over my toes with a baby stroller for the tenth time that day, or when a large tour group cuts the line.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We used Dubrovnik as a base for us to travel from. We spent only a couple days actually exploring it and then did a couple morning trips to the south of Dubrovnik and fit in two day trips to neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to Montenegro, all of which I will fill you in on upcoming blogs. I will also tell you a 7th grade explanation of the Croatian War of which I’m no expert but you should have a basic understanding of prior to visiting the region. Over half of the building in Dubrovnik were damaged in the conflict of the early 1990’s, many in the Old Town. You can assess the damage when you walk the old city walls- the buildings that were damaged all have shiny new roofs. This is one of those places where history and war are intertwined and this war happened not so very long ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We spend an entire day just exploring the Old Town. Wandering the streets and alleyways to see where they led. Stopping into churches and Old Buildings and grabbing an afternoon glass of wine. I had no idea prior to going to Croatia that it had such a huge wine culture. Trust me- Croatia has many good wines. I drank enough of them to be sure of that much. And really good oysters and seafood. And you know what pairs well with oysters and seafood. Yep chilled Croatian wine of course. There are two bars on the cliffs overlooking the sea just outside of the city walls- I would highly recommend getting a table at one of them and watching the sunset. You won’t be disappointed. The morning of our last day after my travel partner had left to catch his early morning flight I got up around sunrise and wandered the Old Town taking photos. The streets were pretty much empty save for street cleaners, early morning delivery men, locals walking their dogs, and the odd traveler who had the same idea as me. It was a really nice way to end my time in Dubrovnik- outside, alone with my thoughts and my camera watching the sun peak through the buildings in the Old Town.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you’re pressed for time you could probably explore the Old Town of Dubrovnik in a day. I’ve long ago given up on traveling fast and furious and trying to pack as much in as possible though. For me, spending a week there and allowing for day trips, and afternoons naps, and time to write and sip wine suited me just perfectly. June, July and August are peak tourist time so plan your trip to Croatia accordingly!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As for me I’ve got a bunch of blog posts in the works. I’m looking forward to telling you about the rest of my time in Croatia and then planning on writing a series of posts about Pops and my time on the Camino de Santiago this past fall. I’m going to Geneva Switzerland for a long weekend near the end of the month and then I’ve got some vacation time in June that I haven’t quite narrowed down where I’m wanting to go. Georgia (the country) is high on the list as is Ethiopia so I’ll keep you posted. I’ve been mostly laying low since I got back from Croatia. My social life had been pretty hectic the last couple months so I’m a little emotionally burnt out and am being more selective about what I’m getting up to. I’ve also been getting a lot of emails from nurses who are interested in working in Saudi so I’m the process of writing a post to answer some of the most common questions I get asked. So that’s all for me. Hope ya’ll are well and thanks for stopping by.

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