Saudi Arabia > The Flight to Jeddah

I repack my luggage for the flight to Jeddah. At breakfast, we finish off the last bits of food. We have to return the rental car with a full tank. Last night, we saw plenty of gas stations along the route. However, this morning Google indicates that most are closed. It is Friday, the holy day for Muslims. We select the nearest gas station. Fortunately, it is open. We fill the car up and drive on to the airport. At the car check, the dent is immediately noticed. Do we have a police report? We point to the digital case number and the Yelo colleague who recorded everything yesterday. The colleague is called. Everything turns out to be fine. With the previous rental car, we got money back because we caused no damage. This time, we get nothing back. Probably not because of the damage, but because last time it was our first booking with Yelo—a kind of welcome bonus. A little later, we are brought to the airport building. Check-in goes smoothly. We again have seats in row 30, just behind business class. At the hand luggage control, my bottles of water are not allowed. On previous flights, this was not a problem. When we arrive at the gate, there are still two hours to wait before departure. We order coffee. At boarding, a bus is ready to take us to the aircraft stairs just twenty meters further on. Around 11:30, flight SV 1645 takes off from Abha airport towards Jeddah. A flight just over one hour. On board, we receive a drink and a cup of tea. Even before the cups are collected, the pilot initiates the landing. Jeddah has a large airport. Many pilgrims for the Hajj to Mecca use this airport. The holy city of Mecca is less than eighty kilometers away. The luggage is already on the belt when we arrive. We are one of the few with checked baggage. The other passengers only have hand luggage. In the arrivals hall, we follow the signs to car rental. Our attention is drawn to an enormous round aquarium.

Saudi Arabia - A huge aquarium in the arrivals hall of Jeddah Airport

The glass colossus spans multiple floors. This is the largest aquarium at an international airport. The car rental signs stop. Where do we need to go? A taxi driver, who would have preferred to drive us himself, points to the elevator. “You have to go to the ground floor,” he says. At the Yelo car rental desk, a surprise awaits. “Have you had an accident?” asks the employee. We confirm this. “Then I cannot give you a car!” It turns out our previous case is still open due to the accident. With an open case, no new contract can be made. It may take up to two weeks, the employee says. He indicates that we can request a refund for this rental. We have no choice but to rent a car further down at Budgetcars. The price is comparable, but now we can only drive 300 kilometers per day. We don’t expect to exceed this in Jeddah. A little later, we drive out of the parking garage in a Mazda. The traffic in Jeddah looks more structured than in Abha. This is largely because the roads have multiple lanes and a divider separating oncoming traffic. Faster drivers can overtake more easily here. There also seem to be more traffic lights at the major intersections. The car’s fuel tank is almost empty. We must return the car Sunday with the same level. Many gas stations are closed here as well because it is Friday. Fortunately, we quickly find an open gas station. We have no idea how far we plan to drive. We just fill the tank. Nearby, we order a sandwich for lunch. Then we go to explore the city. First, we look for the Al Rahma Mosque. This mosque is built above the seawater of the Red Sea, so it appears to float at high tide. This also gives the mosque its nickname: ‘The Floating Mosque.’ The mosque lies just behind the Formula 1 circuit. Construction is ongoing everywhere at the circuit, and many roads are closed. We try several routes to get to the mosque, but in vain. It seems all roads leading to the mosque are closed due to the work. We give up. We park the car at the Red Sea Mall, one of the largest shopping centers in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia - The Island Mosque on the Red Sea in Jeddah

Inside, it is nice and cool. Compared to Abha, it is much warmer in Jeddah. Today it is 36 degrees Celsius. However, the coast here is much more humid than other parts of Saudi Arabia, making the heat unpleasantly clammy. In the huge mall, we don’t notice this. We pass mainly expensive brand shops and Western chains. The prices are also steep. A scoop of ice cream costs the equivalent of seven euros. In the mall, relatively many women walk without face coverings. We had not seen this before. Jeddah is clearly a more Western city. More expats work here too. From the mall, we continue to the Corniche, the long boulevard along the coast. We stop several times for photos. Near the Al Hamra district is the world’s tallest fountain. The fountain is off. Bystanders say it will be active at six o’clock. That is still an hour’s wait. We buy drinks at a kiosk and sit on a bench. On the grassy strip behind us, more and more people arrive for picnics. Families sit on blankets in the grass. Others stroll along the boulevard while the sun sets.

Saudi Arabia - At over 300 meters high this is the tallest fountain in the world

A little before six, the fountain starts. A powerful jet of seawater shoots more than three hundred meters into the air. From the boulevard, it looks like a giant fire hose. Our hotel is in the northern part of the city. Traffic on the boulevard is at a standstill. We try to reach the city’s main artery by side streets. In about half an hour, we arrive at our hotel. Jeddah is a sprawling city. The old historic city lies about twenty kilometers further south. Parking spaces in front of the hotel are taken. We enter the parking garage. It is a tight garage. We barely manage the turn with our new rental car. The Lotaz Hotel is a luxury hotel. We have two rooms on the third floor. This takes some getting used to since we have mostly stayed in apartments so far. We decide not to go out by car for dinner. We walk to a side street with some restaurants. They all seem closed. Is this because it is Friday or because prayers are still ongoing? A man at a shop next to a restaurant confirms the latter. We wait a while until the restaurant reopens. As soon as the lights are on again, we order chicken with rice and sit on the rug. Here hangs an aerial night photo of the Hajj in Mecca. A beautiful picture. One of the staff asks where we come from today. He is from Afghanistan. From that country, we had not yet met anyone.