Tall Building & Ferris Wheel

Sorry I don't know anything about this lovely high rise building in Jeddah.  The ferris wheel next door is one of many seen around the city.  Family amusement parks are everywhere. 

Dunkin' Donuts in Arabic

One thing I get a kick out of here in Saudi Arabia is seeing the Arabic version of well known business logos. 

Popular Saudi King

King Abdullah has been a very popular, respected, fair and beloved king of Saudi Arabia.   He is 88 years old now and became the 6th king of Saudi Arabia in 2005.  For the ten years prior to that, he was in fact the de facto ruler of the kingdom when he assumed the position after ruling King Fahd (his half brother) suffered a debilitating stroke.  He has served his country all his life and his first official public appointment was as Mayor of Makkah in 1961.  An official title of the king is "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques."

While the rest of the world may view social progress in the kingdom as extraordinarily slow, King Abdullah is known as a champion of women's rights.  I have been quite amazed at the progress just in the short time I have lived here since 2007.  Despite health concerns and amid false reports of his death, the king persists in his goal to give women the opportunities they have long been denied in this society. 

King Abdullah's photo can be seen in this country everywhere - on buildings, businesses, billboards, and vehicles. 

Jeddah Orchid Hotel

This is the Jeddah Orchid Hotel on Madinah Road in Jeddah. 

Gorgeous Necklace

Jewelry shops abound here in Jeddah.  The gold souks are amazing, but there are plenty of costume jewelry shops too.  Saudi women dress to the nines for weddings and a necklace like the one shown here is very typical of the type of jewelry that might be worn to such an event.  Sorry I wasn't able to check the price of this beauty, as the shop was closed for prayers at the time. 

"Australia" - CDP Theme Day

City Daily Photo is an online community of photo bloggers from around the world, sharing the wonders of their area of the world pictorially with others.  Each month there are different themes that CDP members can participate in.  This month's theme is "Australia Day," so even though I don't live in Australia, we CPD members are invited to post about the land down under. 

The above photo was taken at an animal park outside of Sydney in 1988 when I was in the travel business.  I have been lucky enough to have visited Australia three times.  I absolutely adore Australia.  I also enjoy taking amusing photos!

Please visit the CDP portal to view other participants' entries for today's theme day about Australia. 

SkyWatch: Cloudy End of Day

Sorry if I'm boring you with my rooftop sunset photos.  I'm not often out at sunset (due to prayer time), and since we moved to this new building we're in and I have rooftop access, I've taken to enjoying the sunsets from my perch on the roof. 



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.