Yanbu Pearl Sculpture

Another sculpture in Yanbu, this time of a pearl inside a seashell. Many of the sculptures in Yanbu have nautical themes.  

SkyWatch Yanbu Historic Area

This is a lovely building located in the historical district of Yanbu.  Many of the buildings in this area are crumbling, but there is an effort to revitalize and restore some of the buildings here.  This building houses handmade crafts.  Not far from here is the crumbling ruins of a house that was occupied by Lawrence of Arabia back in the early 1900s.


To  visit MORE friendly skies around the world, fly on over to SKYWATCH  where you’ll find beautiful skies posted by bloggers all over the world.

Saudi Arabia Dallah and Cheenko

The hammered bronze pot is called a Dallah, with its long spout and gracious shape.  The green, yellow and white pot is called Cheenko and is called this apparently because this type of homegood comes from China.  Both are very typical in Saudi Arabia.  

Yanbu White Sculpture

This unusual sculpture is located near the Red Sea in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia.  I love both shots and especially the sculpture's shadow in the photo below.

Saudia Arabia Outdoor Seating

Traditional old-time Saudi seating consists of cushions on the floor around the perimeter of a room, or couches arranged in the same way.  The top photo here shows the typical traditional outdoor seating, which is elevated off the ground by wooden frames for chairs or couches. Many restaurants in Saudi Arabia offer this type of outdoor seating which is popular during the cooler months. 

Here's another less expensive version of the seating in the first photo.  You'll see things like this in public residential areas.  The last photo show how old hand-me-down indoor couches are often used  outside shops or buildings.

Be sure to visit OUR WORLD TUESDAY, where family-friendly bloggers share a unique glimpse into what life is like all around our ever-amazing planet.

Pretty Red Sea Coastline of Yanbu

This looks like it could be almost anywhere - but it's in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, along the coast of the Red Sea.

Yanbu Buildings

I guess there's not really anything special about these buildings in Yanbu.  I think I just like the composition with the two palm trees as well as the splashes of colors in this pic - green, red, and yellow.  

Saudi Arabia Elevator Sign

Love this sign near the elevator of a hotel in Yanbu...

SkyWatch - Yanbu's Blue Tower

I'm not sure if this is a lighthouse or possibly a Coast Guard tower, but it is a prominent sight near the historical area of the port city of Yanbu.  At any rate, it is quite striking and beautiful.  I took the shots in these photos from different vantage points.

To  visit MORE friendly skies around the world, fly on over to SKYWATCH  where you’ll find beautiful skies posted by bloggers all over the world.

Yanbu Over Styled Architecture

There is just so much going on here - from the traditional wooden roshan window coverings - to the multiple window sized arches above that seem to be crying out for actual windows - to the cut out pointed shaped details above and below the roshan - to the extremely strange and definitely unique cement design above the entry gate at the center below - I just have no words, no idea, no clue what to say this whole image.  

Saudi Arabia Door

Like many people, I am fascinated and drawn to doors.  Here in Saudi Arabia, there is an endless supply of fascinating doors that are each beautiful in their own way.  Besides the unique paint colors of yellow-orange, red, and pink on this metal door, I love the spray painting on the wall of both sides of the door, the chipped away cement to the right of the door, and the black plaid fabric laying on the right as well.   I'm just totally intrigued with this image.

Our World: Yanbu Flower Festival

These are two of my favorite photos from this year's Yanbu Flowers and Gardens Festival. It's a colorful floral extravaganza that will be ending on March 25th.  Hours are 4-11pm daily.  If you haven't been yet, this weekend is your last chance!

Be sure to visit OUR WORLD TUESDAY, where family-friendly bloggers share a unique glimpse into what life is like all around our ever-amazing planet.

Saudi Arabia Teapot

I saw this unusual teapot being used as decor in a restaurant in Yanbu.  It's definitely seen better days, but the shape and the elaborate designs on the pot I thought were really unique.  I don't know how old it is or what it's made of (the darker metal is most likely copper because of the patina).  The spout and the handle are rather strange shapes.  There is also another identical pot right behind this one, so I'm guessing that they were used as serving vessels at this restaurant at some point in time.

Jeddah Lighted Buildings

At night, many cities around the world transform and with flattering lighting techniques, they almost seem to become magical in some way.  Jeddah is no exception.   Lighting makes such a huge difference.  Don't you agree?

Trust During Prayer Times

One phenomenon that continues to amaze me in Saudi Arabia is featured in this post.  The five daily prayer times require that businesses close for a half hour to an hour for each prayer.  This make no economic sense whatsoever, and I'm not aware of any other country in the world that closes for prayers.  

Shopkeepers will commonly leave merchandise out in the open, close up shop and go to pray.  No one steals or messes with stuff that is left out like this.  I cannot imagine this happening in the US.

SkyWatch: Yanbu Flower Festival

Don't miss the final days of the Yanbu Flower Festival, which will end on March 25.  Fabulous floral gardens and lots of fun for the family.  Open daily 4-11pm.  For more photos and information about the festival, CLICK HERE.

To  visit MORE friendly skies around the world, fly on over to SKYWATCH  where you’ll find beautiful skies posted by bloggers all over the world.

Saudi Arabia Yanbu Flower Festival

Yanbu Flower Festival is going on now for another 10 days, ending on March 25th.  It's one of the best festivals in Saudi Arabia, well organized, well managed, and well run.  Open Daily from 4pm-11pm.  Lots of fun for everyone!  See more photos from this year's event by clicking HERE.  

Saudi Arabia - No Camel No Run

So camels won't run off from the herd, often their front legs will be tied together with rope, as you see here in this photo.  I've also seen camels with one of their front legs bent and tied up for other purposes like training and managing them, as I explained in this previous post.  

Our World: Saudi Arabia Watermelon Season

It's watermelon season here in Saudi Arabia.  On our recent weekend trip to Yanbu to attend the Flower Festival, we spied lots of watermelons for sale everywhere - in small town markets and many vendors in the desert along the highway.  The market above is in the town of Rabigh.

We bought a big sweet juicy watermelon from this distinguished looking vendor in Rabigh for 15 riyals.  Prices can be negotiable, which my husband is good at doing.

The above photo is of a watermelon field off the highway between Jeddah and Yanbu.  We saw many fields like this one.  The vendor tending to this field told us that he doesn't water the crops - he only relies on rainwater.  This was amazing to me, since there is not much rain in our area of Saudi Arabia, but apparently it is enough to grow big juicy watermelons.  The trash all around was disturbing...

This roadside vendor stacked his melons and sold them in sets of 2 or 3.  You can see that several are cut up and can be sampled before buying.  He looks pretty comfortable and relaxed on his red carpet.

The roadside vendors usually have drinking water and many of them have a fire for tea.  This guy also has a stool to sit on in case his feet go to sleep when he sits on the ground for too long, as mine do!

This desert vendor has his fire on the right and a nice tent where he can nap.  In the background to the left, you can see his field where he grows his melons.




Be sure to visit OUR WORLD TUESDAY, where family-friendly bloggers share a unique glimpse into what life is like all around our ever-amazing planet.

Saudi Arabia's Dromedary Camel

This camel was resting in the shade of a bush in the desert.  Yes, that's camel poop in the lower left corner of the top photo - pretty small for such a large animal, don't ya think?  That scar on the camel's hip is actually a branding mark indicating its owner.

Camels are well suited for desert survival.  Its long legs keep its body farther from the hot desert sand, keeping it cooler.  The soles of the camel's feet have a thick built in pad like the sole of a shoe which allows the camel to walk on the hot desert sand and rocks without feeling the heat at all.  Camel's eyes have lustrously long thick eyelashes which give protection from the sun and blowing sand.

Even the camel's nostrils and ears are designed to keep sand out while at the same time allowing for optimum function.  Its tough hide is covered with hair and tufts of hair in some places, providing protection from the hot sun and sandstorms.  And of course everyone knows that the dromedary camel's hump is made up of fat, which can be converted into energy for the animal when needed.  This unique capability allows the camel to survive in the desert for several days at a time without food or water.

Saudi Arabia Fish Market Auction

This is a scene from the daily fish market auction in a small town north of Jeddah called Dhaban.  Jeddah also has a fish market auction early every morning.  We arrived late, just for the last half hour or so of the auction.  I was with my husband and a friend of mine, Vicki.  We were the only women in sight at the market.  It was fun and interesting

Saudi Arabia Incense Burners

I love finding souvenirs from here that I can take back to the US as gifts for friends and family.  These incense burners are available in abundance now at Danube Supermarkets.  These ceramic souvenirs come in several different sizes.  The female versions come in different dress and colors.  They are also pretty reasonably priced.  I think they are really cute and I love how the male version is short and stocky while the female towers over him.