SCENES FROM THE RED SEA

 

DEALING WITH THE HEAT IN SAUDI ARABIA

 

NEW WATERPARK UNDER CONSTRUCTION NORTH OF JEDDAH

WORKERS GETTING OUT THE HOT SUN UNDER A FLATBED

CAMELS SEEKING REFUGE IN THE SHADE OF A PALM TREE

STREET CLEANER TAKES A BREAK ON THE CURB IN THE SHADE

ENJOYED THIS POST? 

SIGN UP FOR FUTURE POSTS DELIVERED RIGHT TO YOUR EMAIL BOX.

LINKING TO - MOSAIC MONDAYS

SOUVENIRS

ALL SEASONS

Kids Entertainment Area at Mall

This area at the Mall of Arabia in Jeddah offers lots of fun activities for kids.  KidZania allows kids to assume the roles of various careers, like pilots, bankers, etc. The kids can earn wages and then use that to make purchases.  Billy Beez is an indoor amusement park with a variety of rides and physical activities like trampoline, tunnels, and slides.  

Life on Jeddah's Corniche

Today's post is just a couple of shots of slices of life on Jeddah's Corniche, along the Red Sea coastline.

Move Over, Fulla! Hayati Girl's in Town!

Back in 2003, a modestly dressed doll named Fulla hit the marketplace here in the Middle East.  Fulla was introduced as an alternative to the Barbie doll, being about the same size as Barbie.  Fulla had dark eyes and hair and was heralded as Barbie's more traditional, more moral, more religious cousin.  Fulla wore the hijab (scarf) on her head, and in Saudi Arabia, she wore an abaya (the black cloak women wear).  In other markets, Fulla dressed modestly.  Well, at first she did anyway. 

After a while I noticed Fulla dolls were available without the hijab, even wearing knee length skirts and short sleeve tops. This may have just been that the dolls for other markets outside KSA had made their way to the kingdom.  Interestingly enough, unlike Barbie, who is completely naked when her clothes are removed, Fulla has undergarments painted on to her plastic body.  I remember when I first moved to Saudi Arabia in 2007, there was actually a ban on the sales of Barbie dolls and her image here.  But over the years the ban was lifted and now Barbie is readily available.  Strangely enough, nowadays Fulla has become more and more difficult to find here.  

But there is a new kid in town ... Hayati Girl!

Hayati Girl seems to be fashioned after the American Girl dolls and are of a similar size.  Hayati Girl wears the hijab and also dresses modestly.  I think her face is very similar to the American Girl dolls.

Hayati Girl dolls are priced in the stores here at 200sr, which is about $53 US.  But I saw the Hayati Girl Prayer set (same one as above and below) selling online for 282sr, which converts to $75 US.  It looks like these prices are right in line with the cost of the American Girl dolls, which average $60 US.   

Our World: Jeddah Waterfront Park Giant Chess Set

Jeddah's new and improved waterfront sports a variety of welcome additions, including this giant sized chess set in a park setting.  It is located near the long walking bridge that takes strollers over the busy Corniche Road along the Red Sea coast.  I am delighted seeing families enjoying the attractive outdoor recreation areas and the cooler weather and sea breezes of the winter months.

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.

Our World: Dr. Seuss Style in Jeddah

Saudi Arabia is a very family-oriented place, full of entertainment facilities that cater to children. Among these are water parks and amusement centers.  I've never been inside the walls of the business featured in today's post, but I enjoy the Dr. Seuss styled wall, lampposts, and roof.



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.

Jeddah Outdoor Activities Area

I'm seeing more and more public outdoor areas where people can walk and exercise out in the open around the city. These aren't really what I would call parks.  Many of these outdoor activities areas are popping up on the traffic islands on wide boulevards of the city.  It's still a bit warm for me here, but with winter around the corner I'm sure I'll be seeing more and more people out enjoying the weather.  

Resort Like Living - in the Compound

One of the draws for many workers from other countries is the lifestyle offered here in Saudi Arabia. Many expats live in compounds, which are walled-in communities where life is quite different from outside its wall.  Women do not have to wear the abaya inside the compound walls and in some compounds, women can even drive.  

Many compounds have resort-like swimming pool areas, exercise classes, tennis courts, bowling alleys, golf courses, restaurants, beauty salons, theaters, and grocery stores. They also offer easier access to transportation and a variety of events to keep residents as busy as they want to be.  

Yes, That's an Airplane in a Mall @ Kidzania!

Mall of Arabia in Jeddah is now home to the fairly new kid's interactive play place called Kidzania.  It's where children can pretend to work in a variety of real-life grown-up careers, like banking, grocer, pilot, hairstylist, and more.  When we lived in South Florida, we had a similar role-playing establishment that I took my son to a few times, and he loved it.  Kids have the chance to earn money for doing a job and they can also choose to spend their money on various activities or food.  

You can check out one mom's experience at Kidzania in Jeddah by CLICKING HERE.  Kidzania offers special packages for parties, school field trips, and other events.  For more information about Kidzania, CLICK HERE. 

Our World: Picnickers on Red Sea

Jeddah's coastline along the Red Sea stretches for miles and miles.  While there are some areas that offer seating and picnicking facilities, for the most part, public facilities for people to enjoy the great outdoors here in Jeddah are few and far between.

So people end up bringing carpets and placing them next to their parked cars so they can sit in the shade.  Other people bring their own folding chairs and even charcoal grills.  During the weekends the Corniche Road which runs along the Red Sea is crowded with cars and people.

 

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.

Our World: Swinging in Jeddah

Earlier this year, I wrote about an incident that involved women swinging on swings in Saudi Arabia being advised by religious policemen that they shouldn't swing in public because it opens them up for harassment.  So it makes me happy when I see Saudi women enjoying themselves, doing things like swinging, despite the fear of being harassed by the religious police or other men.

 

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: Playground

This is a small portion of a huge playground area near Waba Crater.  There was even a grassy area to play on.  I love the space alien theme. 

Jeddah: Mechanical Bull

A mechanical bull is not something one might expect to see in a place like Saudi Arabia.  But this one exists in the Iceland Mall on the corner of Sultan and Batterjee Streets.  I've never seen it in operation though...

SkyWatch: Jeddah Compound Grounds

Gated communites, or compounds as they are called here in Jeddah, are very popular living choices for expat workers. Women can drive within larger compounds and they don't have to wear the abaya (black cloak) when they are within the compound grounds. Life can feel more "normal" for the compound's foreign residents because of these capabilities.





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.

SkyWatch: Jeddah Compound Living

Many expats who come to Saudi Arabia to work prefer to live in gated and guarded communities called compounds.  Many compounds offer recreational facilities and activities, shops, and restaurants within their walls.  In Jeddah, there is a shortage for this type of housing and most compounds have very long waiting lists to get in. Because of all the extra amenities they offer, this housing comes at a premium cost.  Many expats negotiate to have housing included in their work contracts. 

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.

Night Life

We don't go out that much at night, but when we do, I'm always amazed at the lively nightlife on the streets.  There are of course no nightclubs here as alcohol is illegal, so there is not much for young men to do but hang out in the streets.  This shot was taken outside a phone service shop. 

Jeddah IKEA Store Kids' Area

I love IKEA.  The one here in Jeddah has an area for children to occupy themselves with child-friendly accommodations and video viewing. 

Fakieh Aquarium Mural on Corniche

The Corniche running along Jeddah's Red Sea coastline has a brand new attraction - the long awaited Fakieh Aquarium.  The grand opening was held on January 21 with a large crowd in attendance.  The aquarium houses over "7,000 marine animals of 200 species in 155 tanks and can accommodate 400 visitors" at one time.  The large mural above appears on an outer wall of the facility. 

For more information, please click HERE. 

Getting Groomed

There is so much new construction going on all over Jeddah. In the northeast area of the city, new roads and buildings are being built at an unbelievably rapid pace. I noticed that very close to the freeway are mobile homes where many of the foreign laborers are being housed. I snapped this photo as we were zooming by and was surprised when I got it back home and up on my computer that I had captured this image of some foreign workers relaxing on their day off. The laundry is drying on the clothesline, and one man is giving another a beard trim. I love capturing slices of life like this.