The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has long been one of the most difficult countries to visit as a tourist, with foreigners generally only being allowed in for business or religious pilgrimage. In the words of King Abdul Aziz bin Saud in 1930, "my Kingdom will survive only insofar as it remains a country difficult to access, where the foreigner will have no other aim, with his task fulfilled, but to get out." Well, that all changed in late 2019 when Saudi Arabia began providing tourist visas, e-visas, and visa-free entry for many countries, including the
USA.
I should also explain that I had never, ever, intended to visit Saudi Arabia, mainly for ideological reasons, though that might seem hypocritical to some as I hold a USA passport. Still, I ended up applying for and receiving my visa to Saudi Arabia quite quickly via the government's tourism website. So in January 2020, I boarded a flight from New York City to Jeddah, where I'd spend the next three nights recovering from jetlag, catching up on work, eating fried junk food, and preparing for my onward trip through
Somaliland,
Somalia,
Djibouti, and
Ethiopia.
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Al Rahma Mosque, Jeddah
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| Fried junk food, a GCC favorite :) |
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| Jeddah |
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| Clouds fying over the Arabian desert |
I wasn't sure what to expect from Saudi Arabia, but I did choose Jeddah because it's supposed to be a progressive city and easy to fly into internationally. I imagined a staunchly conservative kingdom of opulence, with an oppressive religious atmosphere and strict gender separation. And, of course, with abundant fried fast-food chains. Surprisingly, Saudi Arabia felt much scrappier and less conservative than I expected, though there was an abundance of fried chicken everywhere. Also, the daily schedule revolves around prayer, so most businesses are closed during the day but are open all night long, which reminded me of "midnight madness" grocery shopping at Price Chopper in my college days.
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| Jeddah |
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Jeddah
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Jeddah
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| Trash cats of Jeddah |
Jeddah also has a lovely old town, where beautiful limestone and coral buildings are closely packed together with dazzling splashes of blue painted balconies and windows. At first glance, it seemed that most buildings were derelict, but there were signs of renovation, so hopefully, this historic part of town won't yet be replaced by highrise hotel chains and fast food joints. I had come down to this part of town to soak up some of the historic atmosphere, but really I was in search of a fridge magnet, and there was a surprising lack of tourist shops in the rest of the city. Here, I did find one little shop selling postcards and assorted tchotchkes, including a few sad magnets, which I reluctantly bought out of fear I'd not find more elsewhere.
Also, there are a lot of cats in Jeddah. I mean lots of cats, everywhere, living in the trash dumps, hiding under cars, and around every street corner. Cats. Spindly, rickety, frail-looking little critters with bent tails and tiny heads, all begging for food and human companionship. Naturally, I started carrying bits of food to feed them, as well as photograph them. I love taking photos of cats, not in a cute way like most people do, but instead to document the gritty cruelness that few people see under their furry veneer of cuteness. And these trash cats of Jeddah were photography gold!
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| Jeddah |
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| Jeddah |
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| Trash cats, Jeddah |
There's also a lovely waterfront in Jeddah, nicely manicured and pleasant to walk. Unfortunately, most of the city is exceptionally pedestrian-unfriendly, and no matter what GoogleMaps says, crossing an eight-lane highway without stoplights or crosswalks is just not a good idea. I even took Ubers a few times just to cross the road; otherwise, there would have been no way to get across at all. But along the corniche, I was able to walk freely and comfortably, with a bit of a sea breeze to boot. As the afternoon progressed, more and more people crowded onto the coast, not to swim, but to throw a blanket on the sand and watch the sunset with their children, parents, friends, and Filipina housekeepers. It was far more family-friendly than I was expecting for Saudi Arabia, and I was surprised to see so many women outside, talking and socializing in public, rather than being locked behind doors and walls as I'd been expecting. I guess I've probably spent too much time in
Afghanistan, where social customs and traditions really are much more conservative than even here in Saudi Arabia.
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| Jeddah |
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| Jeddah |
Before coming to Jeddah, I'd heard horror stories from other travelers about Saudi Arabia, and it does seem to be a country that elicits polarizing reactions. Some people seem to love it; many people seem to hate it and are happy to tell you why it's an awful place that should be avoided at all costs. I'll admit, I also had my own biases about the country, primarily rooted in my dislike of religious fundamentalism and state-sponsoring of terrorism, but walking around Jeddah, it was surprisingly easy to forget about all that. I didn't get any nasty looks, nobody said anything to me, and I didn't feel threatened or uncomfortable even once. Sure, it's a profoundly conservative country that has just begun to open up to tourism, and I saw just one tiny part of it, but that was my experience. I'm not necessarily racing to go back; after all, it's a big world out there, and there are lots of places I haven't seen yet, but I certainly wouldn't discourage anybody from visiting in the future either. If nothing else, it's a great place to photograph cats and grab some fried chicken!
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| Grilled chicken shwarma, Jeddah |
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| MBS, Jeddah |
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