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
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