Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Along the Road from Jeddah to Yanbu


During our recent road trip from Jeddah to Yanbu for the annual Yanbu Flowers and Gardens Festival (CLICK HERE to see photos of the amazing event), we were treated to some very typical Saudi visual sights along the way.  The drive from Jeddah to Yanbu should take about three and a half hours, but sometimes it takes us as long as eight hours because we like to stop at the interesting sights along the way!

On this trip, desert vendors were out selling their wares in full force - and as it was the height of watermelon season, we saw many watermelon vendors setting up shop on the sides of the highway.


Some of the desert vendors have some pretty sweet set ups for their time out in the heat. Some had erected nearby tents for respite from the sun or to take a nap - some tents are even equipped with air conditioners!  A few had a grill where they could heat up water for tea or even barbecue their lunch if they were so inclined.  Almost all desert vendors are sure to bring along their carpets so they are more comfortable all those hours on the desert floor.  CLICK HERE to see more photos of the watermelon season in Saudi Arabia.




We also saw lots of sheep grazing in the rain fed patches of green, being tended to by shepherds.  Sheep are raised in Saudi Arabia to provide lamb, the most preferred meat for Muslim holidays.





Other desert vendors sold pottery or other items.  My husband likes to haggle with them about their asking prices - a talent he acquired growing up in Jeddah at a time when haggling was commonplace.


Then we started seeing the camel crossing signs.  I have to tell you, in all our drives along this road, this time we saw more camels along the freeway than any other time before.  I was in camel heaven!














We even saw a large herd of the more rare white camels.  It was pretty exciting to see so many white camels all at once like that.  And the baby camels were so cute!





 




I've heard some people say that the drive between Jeddah and Yanbu is boring and there's nothing to see.  I totally disagree!

12 comments:

  1. Hello, those poteries are not from Saudi Arabia. Those are from Morroco.

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  2. No botox! I love driving out of the towns here when we get the (rare) chance.

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  3. The watermelons that you show in your pictures don't look like the ones in the United States. How do they taste? I love the pictures of the camels. I have to agree with you, the drive looks very interesting.

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  4. Boring only if you're not looking! Love your photos, and I think I'd have fun on that road. It is amazing sometimes to see what other people see while you yourself are missing it totally. My husband always sees very different things than I do. Your post reminds me of making road trips in Ghana, West Africa, where you find the most fascinating things going on by the side of the road -- vendors selling headpans full of snails the size of small dogs; the most garish, gaudy stuffed furniture fit for a pretend king; and of course the many signs like "Repent Hair Salon" and "Don't Mind Your Wife Chop Bar." Not boring, if you look!

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  5. Adorable camels! And those watermelons look delicious.

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  6. Wonderful photos, must have been a great trip.

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  7. Hello, what a wonderful road trip! I love the sheep and camel. The baby camel are adorable. The pottery is pretty! Thanks for sharing, great post. Have a happy weekend!

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  8. Those baby camels are just adorable. They remind me a little of baby moose - all legs!

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  9. Wow! I have never heard of white camels before. Wonderful photos!

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  10. Saudi is one of those places that mostly read about not because i heard a lot about it because i personally wanted to see the culture and the people out there. At last, i planned a trip not only Saudi ut some other places also. You have increased my curiosity to know the place very much through this article. I booked my tickets as well making use of Tajawal Offersavailable. Hope my journey to this place goes awesome. Waiting to Saudi.

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  11. Photographs is worth eye catching. Its seem you have lot of fun. After seeing all these pics and content i will definitely plan trip to Saudi. I come across many websites which provide offers on flight booking.

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