The temperature in Riyadh is nearly the same mark on thermometer as Bahrain but their humidity is almost zero. Wow, what a difference. The drive out of Riyadh is quite beautiful, the city is perched on the edge of a plateau and when you travel west in the direction of Jeddah the gradual descent takes you down through another unique change in terrain. The landscape for the next several hundred kilometers is sculpted with Mesas and Buttes rising from the orange sandy plain. Today's
965 kilometer (600 miles) journey was the longest distance I would travel in a single day of the entire road adventure. On this leg of the trip I witnessed a variety of different terrain, from that just described to dark sandy hills with a one mile wide stripe of beige sand cutting through the center. a white sand flat with almost no vegetation, no hills, but some hardy camels & goats. Then, I moved through red sandy terrain with much more vegetation which gradually became hills which eventually became mountains as I approached Taif and Mecca. Sounds boring but the diversity was quite interesting.
As I approached Mecca I had completely forgotten about the diversion for non-Muslims. There is only one highway sign and it stretches over the roadway, if you miss it then hopefully a check point would stop you or a religious incident might ensue. The "Christian Bypass" as it is known, was quite a diversion. I went from a beautiful 6 lane divided highway to a 2 lane roadway with no shoulder and hundreds of 18-wheelers competing for position. I quickly lost GSM coverage and the 85 minute diversion, which dropped me into the small village of Bahrah, was still a considerable distance from Jeddah.Since I still had a few hours of sunlight remaining, once I arrived in the city I began a circuitous route to try and
quickly photograph some of roundabout art on display at each junction. Jeddah has the largest traffic circles (roundabouts) I have ever seen. They are typically made up of 4 or 5 concentric lanes with enormous and quite unique "larger than life" art work & sculptures in the center. The corniche area along the Red Sea on the city's western edge is also well maintained and very active with beach areas, shopping, restaurants, beach-side Mosques and many street vendors.
quickly photograph some of roundabout art on display at each junction. Jeddah has the largest traffic circles (roundabouts) I have ever seen. They are typically made up of 4 or 5 concentric lanes with enormous and quite unique "larger than life" art work & sculptures in the center. The corniche area along the Red Sea on the city's western edge is also well maintained and very active with beach areas, shopping, restaurants, beach-side Mosques and many street vendors.
As I rushed out of my hotel to photograph the Red Sea sunset, I came upon two school teachers (who had just administered their final exams that day) having tea on the beach. They invited me to join and we chatted for about 45 minutes. They were both from near Abha in the Assir region where I would be traveling the day after. They described the challenges of teaching students today (boys only, of course) and how they enjoyed their 3 month summer break. Neither were married (late 20s/early 30s) but feared this might be the summer their families would demand they get serious about finding a suitable bride. I had dinner with Arman Sarang, my Sabre colleague in Jeddah and called it an early night.
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