Trip to Ta 'if

This weekend, we took a day trip to Ta 'if. Ta 'if is a city located on the slopes of the Sarawat Mountains near Mecca, about a three hour drive from Jeddah.

Almost as soon as we left the city and hit the highway, we came across signs determining which road must be taken by Muslims, and which by non-Muslims :

Non-Muslims are not permitted to drive through the holy city of Mecca, so we had to take the long way around. The non-Muslim road was narrow and the asphalt bumpy and cracked in quite a few places from the heat, making for a rather uncomfortable journey. We soon rode into the desert, which was nothing like the one in Dubai. No rolling dunes, no powdery, knee-deep golden sand, just a flat dusty landscape, with scraggly bushes and trees here and there. Even so, I thought it was interesting and charming in its own way. We encountered a number of Bedouin camps, which basically consisted of two-three rickety tents, often a truck parked to the side and sometimes a small herd of camels or sheep. At some point, we were lucky enough to witness a truly authentic Bedouin, dressed in traditional attire, shepherding his flock atop a camel.

After a couple of hours in the desert, we began ascending the mountain, which held an awesome surprise. Reaching the outskirts of Ta 'if, there were many cars parked on the side of the road and people gathered around looking at something behind the railings.We stopped to see what all the commotion was about, to be greeted by dozens of baboons. They seemed relatively tame and accustomed to the presence of people. Most were completely ignoring the crowd, focusing on the food that had been thrown out to them, removing each others ticks meticulously, or doing whatever it is primates do during their daily lives. Some, bolder than others, were reaching out and taking food right out of peoples' palms, or even leaping over the railing and walking amongst the delighted spectators.  In general, all of them looked as if they enjoyed the attention and the food, except for a few mother baboons, who were holding their tiny babies tight to their chests and half-hiding behind boulders.

                                                                                                                                                 

This guy seemed to be the boss. He was the biggest and all the other baboons kept a safe distance from him. If he had his eye on a piece of food not one of the others dared challenge him. He was pretty intimidating. However, all the other baboons were absolutely adorable, like these guys here:

This little one was a complete diva, jumping on the hoods of the cars and lapping up the attention: 

 The one thing that really got to me throughout the whole journey was the amount of litter everywhere. Both sides of the road, in the desert and on the mountain, were strewn with all sorts of rubbish: old tires, plastic bottles and bags, tin cans, construction site debris... I don't even know how half those things got there, seeing as it was literally the middle of nowhere. Saudis' lack of environmental consciousness is pretty scary. Just take a look at what was going on in the parking lot we stopped halfway up the mountain: 

Getting out of the car to gaze at the mountain scenery and stepping on a full diaper with cream coloured shoes isn't the best, I'll tell you that.

Anyhow, we finally reached Ta 'if. As a city, it's nothing spectacular, at least for European standards. However, it's cleaner and quieter than Jeddah, and manages to maintain a traditional feel to it, despite being a very modern resort city. At an altitude of about 2.000 meters , it's cooler as well, thus making it a great summer getaway from the larger cities, Riyadh and Jeddah. What made a great impression on me was the amount of amusement parks we encountered. We must have come across five or six within a few square kilometres. Maybe it's not so surprising though, considering that a resort city needs entertainment venues, and in Saudi Arabia every other type of fun is banned. 

  

Ta 'if is an agricultural area well known for its excellent grapes, roses and honey. It also boasts one of the last remaining truly authentic souks (marketplaces) in the Middle-East. Unfortunately, the souk is about 40 kilometres away from the city centre, so there was no time to visit it. We did do some shopping in an open-air fruit market, though,which had all sorts of lovely produce. In Jeddah getting fresh, good quality fruit is a bit difficult, since nothing is produced locally and everything must travel a long way to reach the consumer. 

One thing Ta 'if certainly seems to lack is ethnic and cultural diversity, judging by the absence of any other foreign faces and the way we were received by the locals.The waiters in the restaurant we had lunch and the salesmen at the fruit market were not only unable to communicate with us, due to their non-existent English, but also unwilling to do so.  The people we passed on the street also seemed baffled and annoyed by our appearance.The weirdest thing happened in the ladies room at the restaurant, though.When I opened the door there was already a woman inside by the sinks with a toddler. The minute she saw me, she snapped something very hostile-sounding at me in Arabic, covered her angry face hastily and rushed out the door dragging her child behind her. That didn't feel too great. I may have felt slightly uncomfortable at times in Jeddah, but no one has ever been openly hostile towards me. Oh well, you can't win them all.

All in all, I enjoyed Ta 'if. It's a nice weekend trip if you're in the area, the mountain air feels amazing and even the journey itself offers a unique experience. I mean, what are the chances of a troop of baboons flocking around your car in Europe?

Jeddah's Corniche

Yesterday, I decided to take a stroll along the shore road, Jeddah's Corniche. The better part of the coast is inaccessible to the public, blocked off by the towering walls of the King's summer palace, which leaves about 3 kilometres of beach for the masses to enjoy.

It was quite crowded yesterday, as it was Friday, the last day of the weekend. Many local families were picnicking under the kiosks provided, on the stretches of lawn here and there, or even right on the concrete in front of the water. Saudis have the uncanny ability to picnic literally everywhere. I've seen families sprawled out on rugs in the middle of vacant lots, having a meal right next to piles of rubble and garbage. I've seen men taking their tea on the side of the road, the exhaust fumes from Jeddah's horrific traffic perhaps adding flavour to their cups. I've even seen a woman exit McDonald's with her children, lay down a mat and start chowing down on Big Macs right in the restaurant's parking lot. So, yeah, Saudis really seem to enjoy their meals al fresco, surroundings notwithstanding.

The Corniche though, is a very pleasant place to picnic, having recently been redesigned in order to provide the best for Jeddah's citizens. With a lovely view of the sea, adults and children engage each in their own activities. Men and women alike sit on rugs, chatting, having tea or smoking shisha, eating or even napping. Many had set up small grills and were barbecuing, causing the smell of cooking meat to mingle wonderfully with the salty air. The children were kept very busy as well. Some were wading in the shallows, pants rolled up, shrieking in delight every time the tiny waves splashed them (swimming is not permitted). A group of boys had set up a makeshift football field with empty soda bottles serving as goalposts, as boys all over the world do, and were having what seemed like a very intense game. There are also playgrounds all along the Corniche, where many children were swinging, sliding, climbing, running, and generally making the most out of the Corniche's new facilities.
 Everyone seemed to be having a very enjoyable time, and, to be honest, I felt a little out of place, as there were no other expats to be seen. Nobody spared me a glance though, at least not until I got my camera out, which caused a few wary looks my ways. Even so, by being as discreet as possible, I managed to get a few decent shots, even of people. Here are some of them:

A man strolls along the shore gazing thoughtfully at the water. Nothing like a walk by the sea to clear your mind.

A mother and her son walk toward the floating mosque at prayer time.

I really enjoy observing how the locals, with all their unique beliefs and customs, interact with each other.  I found myself wondering what these people's relationship is. Not that I would ever dream of asking...

After grabbing a cup of  Costa coffee from across the street, it's time to relax and get some sun. Those hands aren't going to tan themselves.

At kiosks like this you will find anything your heart desires, from refreshments and floaties, to carpets and tea kettles.

There are several mosques along the Corniche. I don't know anything about the first two mosques, but the one right above is Jeddah's Floating Mosque, also known as the White Mosque of Jeddah. It's a real architectural beauty and it's probably the number one attraction for Jeddah's very limited tourists.

Fitting Room Mystery Solved

After an extended holiday in Athens, I have traded in my winter coat for an abaya once again, and returned to the Kingdom, ready to get back to blogging. The first post of the new year, brings what may be the explanation to one of the first things that struck me as incredibly odd in Saudi Arabia.

A few posts back I mentioned that most stores in malls don't have fitting rooms. Instead, the clothes must be bought, taken to the bathroom and tried on there. This is an arrangement I have not encountered anywhere else in the world, so I assumed it is the product of some Saudi belief. Saudis are very preoccupied with concepts like modesty, decency, etc, something very understandable, since they strive to live in accordance with Islamic law (Sharia). I was recently told by several people that there is a very concrete reason for the absence of changing rooms.
Apparently, a number of years ago, it was something of a trend for young (unwed) couples to meet up secretly in malls, the man concealing his identity under an abaya and a veil, so it would seem they were just two girls out shopping. These couples would often proceed to the then existing fitting rooms, where they would engage in acts of sexual nature. It seems that this scandalous, and indeed, very haraam* behaviour, became a frequent phenomenon. After a few of these incidents, it was decided that the root of this evil were the changing rooms, as they provided a space with enough privacy for the sinful act of premarital lovemaking. Lo and behold, they were removed from practically every clothing store.
I must stress the fact that this is just something I heard, so I can't be sure that it's the actual truth. It seems bizarre, but very plausible at the same time. After all, anything is possible in a place where sex is considered an extremely taboo subject and sexuality is, consequently, widely oppressed.

That's all for now, just a little fun fact until I can readjust to life in Saudi and start posting regularly. Also, I just added a subscribe field, so if you'd like to follow Hellenic Hijab, all you have to do is submit your e-mail address in the space provided on the top of the sidebar, and you will receive a notification every time a new post is published :)



*Haraam - sinful, a term used to refer to anything that displeases God (Allah) .