Glenn & Kelly's Saudi Adventure: Day 6

Today we continued our routine of working out at the Harbor Sports Club, hanging by the pool, and having lunch with Kyle. Afterwards we observed Kyle's data gathering process before heading back to get ready for the evening's activity: taking the bus to Jeddah, having dinner, and crusing the Al-Balad open air market.

We opted for the bus this time as I had had enough driving in Jeddah and night time posed new problems. The bus ride was very comfortable although I had to wince frequently as the bus driver of our very large and typcial bus honked, yelled and switched lanes of traffic so often and so close to other cars that I seriously doubted our ability to make it to Jeddah in one piece. But, we did. Upon arrival at the International Medical Center, we jumped into a cab and were off to eat. Or so we thought.

We were headed to dinner at the Yildizlar Restaurant . However, upon arrival the call to prayer began and the doors were closed. Thus we headed on foot to the beach where we observed many families praying and enjoying the King Faud water fountain and great sunset. King Fahd’s Fountain, also known as Jeddah’s Fountain, is the tallest water fountain in the world. It dominates the skyline of the city of Jeddah, the commercial capital of Saudi Arabia and the wealthiest city in the Middle East and western Asia, located on the coast of the Red Sea. The fountain was built in the 1980's and is listed in Guinness World Records as the highest water fountain in the world, with a reach of over one thousand feet. The salt-water fountain was donated to the City of Jeddah by the late King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz. See fountain video at http://youtu.be/ef--S5ypHwM

Jeddah Port with beach in foreground

King Faud Fountain

We then hopped into a cab (3 seconds after raising my hand to hail one) and headed back to the restaurant which was now open and ready for us. We entered the "family" entrance (since we had females in our party) and were seated promptly.

After a few language issues Kyle ordered up some appetizers, drinks, and main meals. Check out the menu at http://www.yildizlar.net/

Appetizers included many variations of Hommos, pita style bread, olives, grape leaves, etc.

Kelly got her coveted bowl of ice to chill her 7up while I enjoyed a biere (non-alcoholic of course). The main entres included lamb and chicken kabobs, Izmir kabob, Yildiz Grilled Chicken (garlic & hot sauce), and rice. See below:

Open table foursome

Tasty delights

Decisions, decisions....

Hot chick in Abaya

Cute couple

Older couple

A couple of interesting notes on eating out in Jeddah. First off we had to enter the "Family" entrance as noted above. All women are in Abayas. Most women (except ours) were covered with just "eye slits". Once in the restaurant, those couples and children were sequestered by movable walls so that know one could see in. Then the ladies, I presume, and remove their veils to eat and chat. Waiters handed menus through a slit to the man for ordering and receiving food, returning plates, and paying the bill. I'm told the reasoning is partly due to limiting the lust of men who might see the lady and protecting the women so that only her husband can enjoy her beauty. Also, there is no such thing as dating. In other words no man would ever take a lady out to eat prior to marriage. Men enter through the main entrance to avoid the site of a woman. Upon departure the next call to prayer occurred and the door was locked behind us. We were a bit early for dinner (5:30 pm) but we had a tight schedule.

Next we were back in a cab heading to the Al-Balad in Jeddah which is a bustling souq area, with a good balance of indoor and outdoor souq. Tough to take pictures here but I did sneak a few below where Kyle purchased some dates, Kelly looked at some gold, and we just walked and observed (see a video at (http://youtu.be/H8wtcqZNlVw).