Jeddah: multi-culti on the red sea

Jeddah is Saudi Arabias trading port and a melting pot of ethnicities, endlessly long along the red sea.
We arrived on Thursday evening, the beginning of the moslem weekend knowing that this would be tough.
On an empty lot next to the sea, families picknicked all night with ice cream vans cruising between them joined by the classical Saudi "cruisers" in their loud cars after 1am and going through to 7am when the first families starting arriving again.
Forget sleeping!
We fled into the old town in the morning, famous for the shutters in front of the windows so that women can look out into the streets without being seen!
We discovered deserted streets.
It was Friday!
And then, around midday, a switch was flipped, and the streets filled with markets and stands with the freshest fruits and vegetables imaginable.Meer informatie