I am sitting in the Jeddah airport after spending a day here wandering around the old town. I have been to other parts of Saudi (Khobar, Riyadh), but Jeddah seems to be a bit different than the rest. It feels a bit more open and relaxed… Not so restrictive.
It was an interesting experience to fly in at the beggining of Hajj, the yearly Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. Most people in the plane were flying to Jeddah for the Hajj and half way through the flight they all changed in the traditional pilgrims’ ihram clothes. The last half hour of the flight was quite eery since most people started praying together quite loudly.
The old town of Jeddah has a huge souq where you can get lost for hours. The buildings are very interesting with their old wooden balconies and windows. It’s a shame you can’t just go around taking photos in Saudi Arabia…