Hashtag Magazine 1 | Page 78

I spent my summer in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia together with my family. Jeddah is the gateway to the holy city of Mecca, the bastion of Islam and in my four months of stay, I can definitely say that the culture and traditions are way different from my Filipino culture, having to adjust a little bit .Vendors selling around balad .Different Angles of Balad In terms of the weather, summer in Jeddah is extremely hot. You will not see non air-conditioned rooms, or one gets expired due to the effects of extreme weather. There could be some unusual events such as sand storms. With regards to my favorite spots in Jeddah, thumbs-up to Balad, Jeddah’s center for shopping, eating and banking. Balad is Divisoria’s version in Jeddah. You get to hear vendors announcing ,“Everything here is in Ten Riyals”. There are jewelry shops that can truly bust your budget. The food is something else. Al- baik chicken is truly recommendable. Most of the foreigner, especially Filipinos swear this is the food that we should have when hunger pangs caught up in you anywhere in Jeddah. The chicken is served hot in the box with bread, fries and garlic sauce. Best tourist place in Jeddah is the King Fahd fountain, it is the tallest fountain in the world. Life in Jeddah is very different from many cities for some apparent reasons. Aside from their cultures and traditions, Jeddah has many historical buildings with traditional designs, and has lots of buildings near the beach. Jeddah has been called the Bride of the Red Sea, because it is located in the coast of the red sea. It has very nice beaches where people can spend a very good time and relax. It is not boring to learn different cultures and traditions, hence it is an exciting way because you’ll get a chance to know and learn City of Jeddah about different cultures of many countries. It’s a challenge to deal and meet different types of people, most Saudis I’ve met in Jeddah are hospitable. I can say that knowing Muslims culture, religion and traditions is a treasured one. Photos and text by Vienna Czarneth Perol Layout by Neil Dominic De Luna 78