Waad Academy

Waad Academy just opened its doors this past fall to welcome students.  I recently had the chance to tour this impressive state of the art facility located in the Obhur area of the city.  

This new school offers a brand new concept in education here in Jeddah, focusing on turning out well-rounded individuals by feeding the mind, heart and body.  So in addition to academic achievement, Waad’s philosophy incorporates spiritual and physical well-being as well. 

This academy has succeeded in creating a nurturing learning environment, using modern technology, creative designs, and delicious colors which sets it apart from other local schools.  

The main building houses the administrative team, the beautiful and spacious auditorium which accommodates 1000, and the cheerful lunchroom. 

Shooting off from the main building are brilliantly designed wings which provide separate boys and girls campuses, which will eventually serve students from KG2 through Grade 8.  

There is also a beautiful modern library – which is "oh-so-much-more" than just a library.  

One unique and creative feature of the school are its mega slides, which certainly help to make learning more fun at the academy.  

The school's sporting and recreation facilities are extraordinary, including themed outdoor play areas, gymnasiums offering an assortment of indoor activities and sports, basketball and tennis courts, plus a soccer field, running tracks, swimming pool, and a rock climbing wall.

A host of extracurricular activities and a wide variety of after-school programs are also available to students.  There is even a wonderful nursery on site for the children of teachers and administrators.

Waad Academy encourages the involvement of parents in the child’s education and progress and also invites the entire community to participate in planned social and sporting events.    

The attention to detail makes it obvious that years of thought and planning went into the making of this institution.   The future of education in Saudi Arabia is here and now at Waad Academy. 

To learn more about Waad Academy, CLICK HERE.  

The Entertainer

I used The Entertainer when we lived in the states and I was so delighted to discover that it is now a worldwide product that is available here in the Middle East as well.  Editions available in Saudi Arabia include Jeddah and Riyadh and the Eastern Province.  The book quickly pays for itself and offers brilliant discounts at a wide variety of restaurants and activities.   

For sports, pleasure and leisure, you can go diving in the Red Sea, live it up by ice skating or paintball, or try your hand at ceramics.  Select from an assortment of informal dining restaurants, cafes, or family eateries, or relish a special night out at one of The Entertainer's featured fine dining restaurants.    You can save on haircuts, beauty services, and day spas, or appreciate savings on an immense array of other services and products in your area or even when you travel. Plan your next getaway and choose from dozens of superb hotels all over the Middle East, Asia, or Africa. 

Still have doubts?  Check out The Entertainer's FREE TRIAL OFFER!  You won’t be sorry.

The Entertainer is an easy to use discount coupon book - now available in an even more convenient mobile format - that offers buy-one-get-one-free opportunities at many restaurants, hotels, and other types of businesses.  It is now available at a pre-sale 20% discount for the 2014 edition IF YOU ORDER BEFORE DECEMBER 5th. 

Find out more and discover why so many people LOVE The Entertainer!  Hurry and get yours today!

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Microlighting in Jeddah

A group of my friends recently enjoyed microlighting along the Red Sea coastline. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to go along, but they all had a fabulous time, soaring into the sky, feeling the wind against their faces, and soaking up the amazing views of the city of Jeddah and the Red Sea from up there.

Here is a short video called "Microlighting Over Jeddah" from their excursion. You can really get the feel for the experience itself by watching it. Because of the size of the group, the individual flights were shortened to about 10-13 minutes each.

Microlighting in Jeddah has been around for over a decade now. And guess what? Women are not barred from participating in this delightful adventure! This is one outdoor activity, though, that is definitely not for those with a fear of heights or a fear of flying.

Jeddah is the perfect place for ultralight aircraft because of several factors – the weather is consistently warm, the land is flat along the sea coastline and there are relatively low winds.

There are many companies that produce their own version of an ultralight aircraft, but basically it is like a hang glider with an engine similar to a lawn mower engine. Micrlight aircraft accommodate one or two persons, are inexpensive to own, and are mostly used for joyriding. The earliest versions of ultralight aircraft used to be called “flying clotheslines” because they were completely open.

Knowing the take-off weight is extremely important to have a successful flight, with careful consideration given to the weight of the aircraft itself and the one or two people who will be taking flight. The flying altitudes over Jeddah are about 500-700 feet.

Microlighting expeditions can be arranged in Jeddah through the Jeddah Aviation Club and take off is at the Western Region Aviation School, which is off of Al Malek Road, directly across the street from the Red Sea Mall’s Gate #2. The cost is about 200-250 SR per hour, with special negotiable deals for groups. But of course, with groups, the flying time is shorter in order to accommodate everyone. A trained and qualified pilot accompanies each flight.

Good Karma on the Red Sea

SCORPION FISH - Photo Credit: MANSOUR FAIRAQ

Since I wrote about my snorkeling adventure out on the Red Sea last month, I have since been out snorkeling two more times.

EXPLORING THE RED SEA - Photo Credit:  TRINA EPSOM

A couple of weeks ago before sunrise my husband and I went out on a boat with our niece’s husband Mohammed and his brother Sultan, so I consider them family, even though in this culture, we are not. The first two spots that we anchored at were fishing spots. We all tried our luck but the fish just didn’t seem to be biting that day.

AMAZING COLORS OF THE RED SEA - Photo Credit: TRINA EPSOM

The third place we went to was a coral reef where I could go snorkeling. The reef was absolutely enormous. While Adnan stayed on the boat hoping to catch some fish, I went into the nice cool turquoise waters to snorkel with Mohammed and Sultan.

CORAL and CLOWNFISH - Photo Credit: TRINA EPSOM

I watched in amazement through my goggles as Sultan swam several meters down to the sea floor and brought up a gigantic sea turtle, just like Crush in Finding Nemo! It was so cool to see him rising to the surface, almost as if in a dance with this splendid creature. Adnan helped him get the sea turtle on to the boat, and then we continued snorkeling. After a while the waves started getting really strong, so I told the guys that I was going to back to the boat, but they still wanted to keep on exploring the sea.

CLOWNFISH SCHOOL IS IN SESSION - Photo Credit: TRINA EPSOM

The shell of the sea turtle had to be about 3 feet long by about 2.5 feet wide. Adnan had set up some big coolers around him to contain him on the boat. I watched the turtle in wonder for a while as Adnan continued in his vain attempt to catch some fish. When I asked what we were going to do with the turtle, Adnan told me that he thought the guys might be planning to kill it for its meat. I was devastated upon hearing this and set about trying to talk Adnan into letting him go.

GIANT SEA TURTLE - Photo Credit:  SUSIE OF ARABIA

Almost two hours had passed and Adnan and I were becoming concerned because we could not see the two brothers snorkeling in the sea. We didn’t have binoculars with us and there was no apparent response at all when we honked the horn of the boat several times. Adnan still hadn’t caught any fish, and I was feeling rather anxious about the possible fate of the huge sea turtle we had board with us. At last Adnan lifted the gentle giant up and tossed him back into the sea. No more than five minutes later, we finally caught a glimpse of the two snorkelers. They had gone around the entire massive reef!

RED SEA SPOTTED STINGRAY - Photo Credit:  MANSOUR FAIRAQ

Feeling much more at ease now that we knew the brothers were all right, Adnan dropped his line back into the sea and within seconds pulled up a nice plump more-than-a-foot-long fish - his first catch of the day! We were astonished when he caught another identical fish as soon as he put his line back into the sea again. All I could say to Adnan was “Good Karma!” The guys were fine when they learned that the turtle was safely back in his watery home, and I got to drive the boat most of the way back to our starting point, which is rather ironic since as a woman I’m not allowed to drive a car here in Saudi Arabia…

CLAM CLOSE-UP - Photo Credit:  TRINA EPSOM

Most of the photos in this post were taken on the third snorkeling trip I went on a week ago. They were taken by two scuba divers in the group – and seeing their beautiful photos has really got me thinking about taking scuba lessons ... hmmmm.

TONS OF FISH!  Photo Credit:  TRINA EPSOM

Click on any photo in this post for an enlarged view.

Finding Nemo: Snorkeling in the Red Sea

After living in Saudi Arabia for 4 years, I finally got an opportunity to go out on a boat to the beautiful coral reefs of the Red Sea and go snorkeling. The Red Sea is considered one of the best places in the world to snorkel, and it did not disappoint. I’ve been fortunate to have snorkeled in many places around the globe when I was younger and in the travel business – the Great Barrier Reef, Hawaii, the Caribbean, Mexico, Fiji, Tahiti, to name a few – but I hadn’t been snorkeling in many years. And now at age 60, I wondered if I had the stamina for it.

Our group consisted of at least 20 mostly expats from various countries, like South Africa, Scotland, Lebanon, Iceland, Yemen, and others. Part of the group opted to go scuba diving while the rest of us snorkeled. The entire day trip, operated by a very professional outfit called Desert Sea Divers and which included a hot lunch of biriyani, cold drinks, snacks, and the rental of my snorkeling equipment cost a total of 225 Saudi Riyals, or about $56 US. We set out early in the morning on one of Desert Sea Divers lovely and well maintained boats. Everyone on the boat had to don the requisite orange life vests as we passed through the inlet to the Coast Guard checkpoint that led to the deep blue Red Sea. The women were also able to then remove our abayas and scarves and feel the delightful wind through our hair. Since this group consisted of expats, the gender segregation thing and the abaya thing once we were out in the open waters of the Red Sea were not a concern.

The weather in Jeddah in mid-April was warm and hit a high that day of about 35C. The anticipation was building during the 90 minute boat ride out to the reefs where we would be exploring the wonders of the Red Sea. Along the way, the captain slowed down in one spot where there were dozens of playful dolphins swimming alongside our boat. The astounding creatures put on quite a magnificent show for us, happily leaping out of the water through the air. We all felt sheer delight at seeing these handsome creatures. I was told that we were lucky and that this was a good omen for our trip since dolphins sightings like that don’t always happen that often.

We arrived at the first of three reefs we visited that day, and everyone busied themselves in preparation for entering the glimmering turquoise waters. I was really anxious to get into the water by that point. I jumped in and the seawater felt great. The temperature was just right. But boy, I have to say that the Red Sea is extremely salty!

The snorkeling was absolutely amazing. The colors in the coral reefs ranged from purples to blues and greens and reds and oranges and yellows. There were large areas where the reefs were extremely close to the surface. We were careful not to touch them. The fish were equally as colorful in stripes, dots, two tones, shiny metallics, and half and half. The clownfish we saw, like the ones made famous in the animated movie Finding Nemo, were bright orange, with white and black accents, but like many fish we saw, they appeared to have a mesmerizing neon glow to them. Many of the smaller fish traveled in regimented schools. We also were bedazzled by the sheer numbers of the glittering transparent purple neon jellyfish.

We spent about an hour at the first site before moving on to the second spot, not too far away. I carefully reapplied sunscreen before going into the water again, but unfortunately I forgot about my lower legs which were exposed and I suffered a bad sunburn on them. A few of us daredevils jumped into the water from the top deck. I should have held my nose – I swallowed a big mouthful of the salty seawater and it went up my nose too. The snorkeling here was just as spectacular as the first place. We broke for lunch and enjoyed chatting with each other. It was really a fantastic and diverse group of adventurous people, most of them in the kingdom for work and determined to make the most of their time in Saudi Arabia.

The third reef we explored was called Marble Gardens and was the largest and most outstanding reef of all. One sea creature that we hovered over in wonder looked like a foot long sea cucumber with a snakeskin pattern on its body and a spectacularly crowned head. It was also cool to see the scuba divers below us getting a closer look at the reefs further below us.

With the day nearing its end, we headed back in late afternoon. As we got closer to our port, we were entertained by some Saudi hotdogs on jet skis, who dangerously crisscrossed our boat at high rates of speed and shot into the air like rockets. At least one guy flipped over and he wound up in the water with his jet ski on its side. I wonder how frequently that happens and how many of these guys are injured (or worse) each year.

It was a full day jam-packed with fun, excitement, great people, and incredible sights. I was totally exhausted and slept like a baby last night. The pain I am feeling today on my sunburned legs was well worth the wonderful time I had. I’m already signed up for next month’s outing!

Further Information:

Desert Sea Divers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

To learn more about why coral reefs are so darn colorful, this National Geographic article is a fascinating and informative read.

It's Not "Lady-Like!"

A
n investigation is underway regarding a shocking and controversial sporting competition that was held recently here in Jeddah. Shocking? Yes - because the event was for females (for shame!) and the event organizers failed to obtain prior approval from the Ministry of Education. Which begs the question: Are male sporting events subject to the same restrictions? Somehow I doubt it. Female sports here in Saudi Arabia are practically non-existent because girls’ athletics are frowned upon by religious clerics and many old-fashioned Saudi men as being “unlady-like,” among other ridiculous reasons.

The illegal and contentious sporting event – thought to be the first of its kind in the Kingdom - was held on December 8th at Effat University and included competition in such unlady-like sports such as swimming, basketball, and badminton for some 200 young high school women representing six different Jeddah girls’ schools.

In the aftermath of the tournament, a member of the Board of Directors of one of the participating schools claims they had received more than 60 “anonymous” complaints about girls participating in sports.

All this commotion comes at the heels of another report out of Iran where a Muslim cleric condemned women’s sports and forbade Iranian females from participating in the Asian Games. He was quoted as saying that women’s sports are a product of the West’s “dirty” culture and should be shunned. I want to know, exactly what is “dirty” about women’s sports?

This is 2010, almost 2011. It is common knowledge in this day and age that regular exercise promotes good health, weight control, and a sense of well-being. Yet for the girls and women of the kingdom, these facts don’t matter and aren’t considered important.

Last year I wrote about how the government cracked down on women’s gyms across Saudi Arabia, closing down countless women’s facilities if they were not properly licensed and if they were not affiliated with a hospital, while there are no such restrictions placed on men’s gyms. The closing of these facilities drove up membership costs and made it impossible for many Saudi women to be able to afford going to a gym. And it’s already hard enough for women to try to exercise in this country as it is. Women here are forbidden from swimming (well they can, if they are fully covered), riding bicycles (too provocative as it reveals the female's behind), or playing sports in public. Saudi Arabia has been long criticized for denying Saudi women from particpating in the Olympics and other sporting events.

Physical Education classes in girls’ schools are a very low priority. You won’t believe some of the ludicrous reasons given for why girls shouldn’t be allowed to participate in sports or exercise in school: The female hymen might break during exercise so the girl wouldn’t be considered a virgin anymore. “Good girls” would never disrobe outside their own home, not even to change into gym clothes at school. If girls did disrobe in front of other girls at school, they might get turned on and have nasty thoughts that they may want to act upon. I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried!

All this craziness aside, women’s obesity is becoming a major health crisis here in Saudi Arabia, evident in the dramatic increases in diabetes, hypertension, depression, and other weight-related health issues. For the most part, women here lead a very sedentary lifestyle – many don’t even do any physical household chores because they have maids.

This antiquated mindset of restricting women from exercise and sports places Saudi Arabia way behind the times in promoting women’s health and well-being.

Riding Horses in Arabia

A  lthough there are many things that women cannot do here in Saudi Arabia, horseback riding is not one of them. Private equestrian centers are places where women are free to take off their abayas and uncover their hair. I would imagine that this is not something that most Saudi women take advantage of because there are men workers all around, but it is more an activity that Western women and their children might likely do. Actually there is a passage in the Q'uran that specifically directs Muslims to teach children how to swim, shoot a bow and arrow, and ride a horse. Whether or not all Muslims follow this directive is unclear. A couple of days ago, my son Adam took his first horseback riding lesson at an equestrian ranch not far from our home. Amidst all the frenzied development taking place here in Jeddah, there remain pockets of desert and relatively underdeveloped areas. Our district of the city is a fast paced growth area, but not too far from where we live are vast desert expanses. We veered off the freeway exit through a stretch of winding road lined with hundreds of junk yards containing wrecked cars.

We arrived at the privately owned Trio Ranch at 8:30am while the temperatures were still quite comfortable. It was established in 1989 by an Italian businesswoman and caters mostly to young people. The 22-hectare sports complex is a large dusty facility which doesn't offer much shade, but has a comfortable clubhouse serving refreshments, several arenas where horses are trained and lessons are conducted, plus facilities for other sports including golf and tennis. Trio Ranch is fully staffed. All in all, there had to be at least fifty well cared for horses. There is even a swimming pool for the horses when the temperatures get too hot that the horses walk down into to cool off.

The ranch offers annual memberships which allow for reduced rate riding lessons. An annual membership is 1000 riyals ($250 US) which brings the rate for a half hour group lesson down to as low as 55 riyals (which is less than $13 US). Non-members are charged 150 riyals for a private lesson (less than $40 US). If you just want to ride a pony without any instruction, you can do that too.

Adam hadn't really ever ridden a horse before, and I must say, he was a natural. Just watching him riding around the arena, he looked like he had been doing it for years. I could see by the big smile on his face that he was thoroughly enjoying himself. But even though he's in pretty good shape from playing rugby, he's been complaining about how sore his back and thighs are from riding for the past couple of days. We're going to have to get Adam some riding boots and proper pants too.

There are several other places in Jeddah where people can ride horses. From what I've read, a large equestrian center is being constructed in a more central location of the city. Who knows, maybe one of these days, I'll even try it myself!

Life of Leisure on the Red Sea

Jeddah is often referred to as the Bride of the Red Sea and is one of its largest seaports. There is abundant and thriving sea life and coral reefs alive with colorful fish, octopus, sea turtles, crabs, and many other sea creatures. The Corniche runs along Jeddah's Red Sea coastline, stretching along for nearly 100 kilometers. A main highlight of the Corniche is the King Fahd Water Spring, a famous Jeddah landmark dominating the city's skyline, believed to be the world's tallest fountain. Its spray's height reaches over 1000 feet straight up into the air. It is a quite spectacular sight, especially when viewed at night as its water plume is lit up by floodlights, attracting visitors as a must-see sightseeing stop.

The Corniche area is sprinkled with luxury worldwide chain hotels. It is home to several mosques, including the gorgeous Floating Mosque, which at high tide actually appears to float in the Red Sea. The Corniche boardwalk is home to dozens of artistic sculptures, which are all part of the world's largest open air museum located throughout the entire city of Jeddah.

Life along the Red Sea has a lot to offer. There are many resorts available, ranging in price from the very reasonable with bare minimum, older accommodations to the extremely expensive, offering posh accoutrements and a wide variety of amenities, and many in between. Most places are available for anyone and everyone who can afford to pay, where Islamic laws and Saudi cultural observances are adhered to. And some are private beach clubs which cater to foreign clientele, require annual memberships, and where Western ways are allowed, such as women not having to cover.

Some of the lodging available rivals those of the finest resorts in the world, with luxurious bedding, fine comfortable furniture, and clean modern facilities. Pristine beaches, swimming pools straight out of paradise itself, and well-planned lush landscaping complete the total package. Offerings such as boat tours and rides, jet ski rentals, scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing expeditions, and other water sports provide male guests with plenty of activities. I say male guests because, aside from the boat rides, women do not generally participate in those other water activities. If they did, they would have to be properly attired - covered from head to toe in loose fitting clothing so as to not show off the female form. To me, and maybe to most women here, that just doesn't sound very appealing. My guess is that many husbands would disapprove of their wives participating in such activities anyway even if the women wore Islamically acceptable gear.

Last weekend we spent a couple of days of one of these resorts. My brother-in-law went spear fishing, catching lots of fresh fish which we ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner. He cleaned them, added spices and lemon, then wrapped them up in foil and cooked them for about half an hour on the grill we brought. We brought the grill with us and it was placed out on the large balcony. The fish was fabulous. I actually prefer my fish this way rather than baked in the heavy sauces like my husband's family usually makes.

The two bedroom unit we occupied also had a living room, a small kitchen, and two bathrooms. One bedroom had a king bed and the other was furnished with twin beds. The beds were clean and comfortable, however no towels or shower curtains were provided at all. The rattan chairs in the living room could stand to be replaced, but the couch was actually not bad. There were individual AC units in each room which worked well and there was also a regular sized TV which was not the best but adequate. The kitchen had minimal supplies, including an old toaster oven, a few plates and some silverware. Luckily we brought things with us so we weren't in bad shape there. The unit was tiled throughout and when we first got into the room, there were four men mopping the whole place and making sure everything was in order.

The pool below our balcony was occupied by various children 24 hours a day while we were there. Mothers, most of them dressed in abayas and veils and a few dressed Islamically casual in colors, watched from chairs along the side of the pool. In the general pool area was a coffee shack, a snack stand, and a little hut that sold water toys and such. Other veiled women sat on the balconies for hours on end. Bicycles were available for rent and a small open garden area with seating overlooked the inlet.

Two large covered docks jutted out on either side of the property, equipped with tables and chairs where families could enjoy a picnic. All sorts of boats and jet skis constantly drove by, providing some entertainment for those seated on the docks.

When we chartered a boat for a 30 minute ride up and down the inlet, it was just the five of us on board. We passed many other boats loaded with families, many of the women dressed in black abayas and veils, out enjoying the warm day, cooling off in the ocean breezes.

I told my husband that I thought it was a shame that those women will never be able to enjoy feeling the wind blowing through their hair, something I have always enjoyed. By the way, I did not wear my abaya on the boat ride. I dressed modestly and wore a bright colorful scarf over my hair.

During the short trip, we passed many other resorts and huge mansions and stunning villas, along with dozens and dozens of various sized boats and yachts. At one point, a group of maybe half a dozen young jet skiers kept circling around our boat, shooting their jet skis straight into the air for at least six feet or so. Then they would pop back up from the water and do it again. Their antics definitely made our boat ride more enjoyable and exciting.

So far I have only visited four of the many resorts in this area north of Jeddah. I hope to be able to stay at more, especially that intriguing looking one with the
thatch huts!