Welcome to my new blog! As this has been set up toward the end of my Saudi stint, you'll see retrospective posts that start from the beginning of 2013. This trip is the first post.
At the time, our company gave us a week off owing to some Kuwaiti National holidays. Since we only had 4 days on this occasion, we decided to stay in Saudi - but go somewhere nicer
We touched down in quite warm temperatures of 30+ deg. After navigating through the total chaos that is King Abdulaziz Airport, we embarked on some interesting and fun sightseeing. We started by visiting old Jeddah, the 'Balad' district and wandering through the mazy markets and relaxing by the old outdoor cafes.
The following day we visited the ancient settlements of Taif, a historic Bedouin stronghold during the First Saudi State. Here we looked around some antiquities and visited a 'Dawiniyah' - an outdoor cafe/resting place in the hills. On Sunday we returned to Jeddah and witnessed a traditional Saudi antiques auction with some beautiful pieces. As this was the last day, we treated ourselves to an expensive meal in the Sofitel hotel.
And that was that! Just a couple of photos attached.
More to follow...
Andrew
