Saudi Arabia - Yanbu Flower Festival Still Going On

We aren't going to the Yanbu Flower Festival this year, but I just wanted to remind everyone that it's still going on now through the end of March.  If you have never been before, it's definitely worth attending.  It's a very well organized event, and every year they change it up a bit.

The splashes of color all over are a happy treat for the soul.  Admission is free for everyone. Food and drinks are available for purchase, as well as souvenirs and gardening supplies.  Hotel prices in Yanbu are reasonable and there are many places to stay, even on the more crowded weekends.  There are only two weekends left - don't miss it. 

Yanbu Flowers Festival 2019 Scheduled

As usual, the dates for the 2019 annual Yanbu Flowers Festival are still murky at this point, but the event should be coming up soon.  The General Authority for Entertainment has put out the festival dates as running from Tuesday, March 14th through Saturday, April 8th, however other sites have differing information, starting as early as February 28 and ending March 30.  If I am able to confirm either way, I will let you know. 

The festival is free for all attendees and there are many nice places to stay in Yanbu.  Event timings are 4-11pm daily.  If you love flowers, you won't want to miss this colorful spectacle.  You can see my posts for lots more photos from some of the recent years festivals at these links:  Yanbu FF 2018 and Yanbu FF 2016.

A big "Thanks" to my friend and amazing photographer Abdullah Yahya for allowing me to share this beautiful photo for today's post from last years Flower Festival.  Stay tuned for more fantastic pics from around Saudi Arabia taken by Abdullah.  Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @ayaa1977

Our World - More Scenes from Produce Market

It's no secret that I'm fascinated with the fresh produce markets here in Saudi Arabia.  The sheer quantity and size of some of the produce is amazing, not to mention the variety and the amount of edible vegetables that I have never been exposed to before.

Aren't these old wooden handmade crates cool?  I wonder how long it takes to make one of these by hand?

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Scenes from Produce Market

Today, a slice of life from one of Saudi Arabia's typical outdoor fruit and vegetable markets...

Outside the Vegetable Market

You can see how old tarps and carpets are used to enclose and provide shade for this outdoor fresh produce market in Yanbu.  

Kabob Mashakel Tasty Treat for Dinner

We had this dish in a restaurant in Yanbu recently.  It almost looks like a pie when it's brought to the table, but once the thin bread envelope is cut into, it reveals the tasty treats inside.

We ordered two differnt kinds of this assorted kabob dish -  one chicken and one steak dish with kabob pieces of meat with vegetables.  The bread envelope can be torn apart into small pieces and used to grab the morsels within.  Super scrumptious!

Saudi Arabia Fresh Produce Market

One of my favorite haunts in Saudi Arabia are the fresh produce markets.  This one is in Yanbu.  It's a great and interesting activity during the cooler months, but once it gets hotter, I find them pretty miserable as they are all outdoor open air markets. 

These markets are so colorful and the prices for fresh produce are quite the bargain.  Prices are usually negotiable too. 

The quality is also usually quite good.  Since most of the items are sold in bulk, we'll often split. 
 what we buy with someone else, like my mother-in-law.

Our World - Yanbu Street Vendor

This is one of those lucky shots I took from a moving vehicle that I was just so happy with when I got it up on my laptop.  I just like everything about it.




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Walking to the Flower Festival

This typical Saudi family was on their way from the parking lot into the Yanbu Flower Festival.  The just over three week event was attended by an estimated one million people this year and was held in March.  The world's record for the largest flower carpet was broken by this year's amazing floral displays.  To see my photos on my post of the beautiful festival,  CLICK HERE.

Street Market Vendors

Many vendors in Saudi Arabia just sell their wares on the streets and sidewalks, without even a table to put the merchandise on.  Prices are usually negotiable.

The guy in the photo above was selling shoes out of the back of his pickup truck.  It was filled to the gills with shoes from China. 

In the photo below, I love the guy talking on his cell phone in his native garb. 

SkyWatch - Mosque and Minaret

The sun was behind the building in this shot and I loved the effect of the glow I achieved in this photo of the minaret.  The photo below is the same mosque and minaret and shows the crowd at the street market outside the mosque after the Friday prayers.

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Picnic in the Park

Many families gathered in the park outside the recent Yanbu Flower Festival to relax or picnic and enjoy the weather.  Many people bring large carpets to sit on for outdoor enjoyment.  

Our World - Street Market

This is a street market in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, where one can find almost anything one might need.  I'm not sure if the market is open just on weekends or if it operates daily.

I love seeing all these men checking out the clothing at this booth at the street market.  It's a sight I'm definitely not accustomed to seeing in the states.  And actually it's not really a booth - the clothing is being sold from out of the back of a pickup truck.

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Yanbu Pretty Building

A beautiful example of the traditional windows coverings called roshan in this part of Saudi Arabia.  This is in Yanbu on the Red Sea.

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.


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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.

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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.