November 29, 2007 - Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Marge: "Have you been up all night eating cheese?"
Homer: [slurred] "I think I’m blind… "
~ The Simpsons

Jeddah temperature high: 93 degrees F
Hood River temperature high: 45 degrees F

Our daily existence in Saudi Arabia is proving to be gluttonous. Today we were engaged in activities for 9 hours. Of those 9 hours, 5 hours were spent eating. The average meal is 5 courses, with the maximum dinner servings weighting in at 12 courses.

Once again, the 1,000 Things To See Before You Die book came through with a great suggestion. The majority of the 200 years buildings in Old Jeddah are made of harvested coral from the Red Sea reefs. We began our exploration at the 106 room Nassif House Cultural Center and then continued through the complicated, winding streets defined by Roshan Architecture. In traditional Roshan, wooden bay window are built outside of the coral stone walls, allowing air to cool at night, keeps the air cool during the day, while warm air escapes through wooden tubes located near the ceiling.

Old Jeddah is also defined by its 800 year old souk (market), which has flourished as a Silk Road trade market selling frankincense, mere, cardamom, coffee pots, gold, and silver. Today, many merchants are no longer native Saudi Arabian citizens; instead they originate from places such as Pakistan. In addition, their goods include western-style soccer shirts and Nike shoes.

We ended the day with a traditional Hijazi Folkloric Night including dancing with swords, fishnets, and orange head cloths. Throughout Saudi Arabian history, nomadic tribes had fought each other for land and power. Traditionally, the Hijazi dance prepared warriors for battle; however, after unification under King Saud in 1932, the dance became a demonstration of national peace by blending poetry with singing, drumming, and magical movements.

Of course, we ended the thrilling evening with… more food. Most of our meals in Saudi Arabia have been served in courses. Tonight… buffet!! This was good since we were able to choose the amount of food to top our plates. The group joke today: “Thank God for the buffet.”