Al Baik
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In the previous two diaries about flights, it was mentioned that the flight from Beijing to Mauritius chose to transfer in Jeddah and stay for three nights on the way. Therefore, this article will talk about the strategy of Jeddah.
Overview:
Jeddah is the second largest city and the largest port in Saudi Arabia, located on the coast of the Red Sea. Its positioning is somewhat similar to Shanghai in China, and it is considered the most open city in Saudi Arabia. Jeddah is 70 and 400 kilometers away from the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina respectively, and is connected by high-speed rail. During the annual Hajj, Jeddah has also become a must-go. If you want to travel, you must avoid this period. During this period, non-pilgrims cannot enter from Jeddah.
Climate:
The latitude here is similar to that of Hainan. Jeddah is by the sea, the climate is hot and humid, and winter is the best season. Even in winter, it is hot during the day, and locals usually go out at sunset or at night.
Transportation:
For tourists, the most important thing is transportation. Public transportation here can be basically ignored, and travel depends on taxis or car rentals. There are many black taxi drivers soliciting customers in the airport lobby. We chose to rent a car and ordered an Avis car from Ctrip, which cost about 300 yuan a day including insurance. If you want to take a taxi here, I recommend using Uber, because I didn't buy a local mobile phone card, and the local taxi-hailing apps could not receive the verification code and could not register. The taxi price is less than twice that of Beijing.
Jeddah Road is very wide, with few overpasses, and there is a U-turn every few sections on the left side of the main road. The speed limit in the city is generally 80 or 100, and the fastest speed on the highway is 140. Some of the speed limit signs here are normal numbers, and some are local Saudi numbers. Friends who want to drive by themselves must memorize all the numbers. The locals drive wildly and fast. If you let the car behind catch up in the fast lane, they will follow very closely.
The cost of driving here is very low. Most of the parking lots here are free, and you rarely see any in the city. The oil price is pleasant, equivalent to more than 4 yuan per liter, and there is no toll on the highway. The roads in Jeddah are relatively smooth during the day, but traffic jams are prone to occur at night. Before coming here, I always thought that Saudi Arabia was full of luxury cars, but the actual situation was surprising. The cars here are very old, and many cars are not repaired after being crashed, and they look very broken. There are cars from all countries, but fewer European cars, and there are quite a lot of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cars. The cars here are divided into two extremes, most of which are small cars suitable for transportation, and a small number of American large SUVs and pickup trucks.
Friends who want to rent a car at the airport should pay attention. The route from Google Maps to the car return point here is not quite right. If you want to find it right, you still have to look at the road signs to find the car rental return.
Food:
There are many restaurants here, mainly Middle Eastern food and fast food. The formal restaurants open later, usually at 1 pm or later. In general, it is quite different from Chinese food, but you can try more. Here are the main ones we have eaten:
1. Arabic kebab, you can see the long big meat skewers barbecued in many stores along the street, but we can't name the barbecue, so we finally chose a buffet, the price is moderate, 66sar per person without drinks, and the taste is not bad.
2. Seafood. You can try some seafood here, but don't hold too high hopes. We haven't seen live fish in seafood restaurants, fish markets or supermarkets. It's obviously along the coast, and seafood is frozen, with a single cooking method, mainly grilling. The price of seafood is similar to that in China. For that seafood meal, I ordered a two-pound grilled fish, half a pound of small squid, a salad, a pot of fried rice and a pot of pasta, which cost more than 400 yuan.
3. Fried chicken. There are many fast food restaurants here, and the most popular one is the national fried chicken restaurant al baik. There are many stores in the city, scenic spots and airports. The taste is not outstanding, maybe it's just cheap, and the price of fried chicken is similar to that in China.
4. Other snacks, breakfast naan, candied dates, etc.
Attractions:
Non-Muslims are not allowed to enter the surrounding Mecca, so we won't discuss it here. There are some attractions worth seeing in Jeddah:
1. The Sea Mosque, which is not very far from the airport. We came during the day, and it is said that the night view is better. In fact, it's not bad during the day, there are not many people, and you can also see the particularly clear water of the Red Sea. The mosque is not big, just take a few photos and check in.
2. Jeddah sign, a coastal trail, there is a Jeddah sign suitable for taking photos, and there is a small mosque next to it, which is very nice to take pictures.
3. King's Fountain, this is a must-see attraction in Jeddah and the highest fountain in the world. You must watch the sunset here. The fountain also starts to spray at sunset. This is not only a check-in place for tourists, but also a good place for locals to take a walk and rest at night.
4. Balad Old City, a world cultural heritage, feels much worse than the ancient city of Kashgar in China. Many buildings are under construction. It is more lively at night, but there is a lot of traffic, so we came during the day. The people in the old city are very friendly to the Chinese, shouting hello to us, Chinese and so on. You can sit down here and drink a cup of local coffee and try the local burrito breakfast.
Shopping:
There are many shopping malls here, all of which are large in area. The more famous one is the Red Sea Shopping Center. The shopping mall has supermarkets, luxury stores, and many fast food restaurants on the top floor. The prices of many things in the supermarket are lower than those in China, and vegetables and fruits are more expensive.
To sum up, the tourism here is mainly to check in some landscapes and experience the local customs and culture. You can easily visit Jeddah in two days. It is suitable for this kind of transit trip. If you go to Saudi Arabia alone, you should add the surrounding cities (Medina, AlUla, etc.) to make it worthwhile. Finally, here are some travel suggestions.
1. Although Saudi Arabia has no requirements for foreigners to dress, women are better off wearing long pants and long sleeves to respect local customs;
2. Strictly prohibit alcohol, even alcoholic beverages, and do not bring non-halal food into the country;
3. International credit cards are very convenient, and you can bring a small amount of US dollars to exchange for Saudi currency at the airport;
4. The local security is very good and friendly to Chinese people.
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In the previous two flight diaries, it was mentioned that the flight from Beijing to Mauritius chose to transfer in Jeddah and stay for three nights. So this article is about Jeddah's strategy. General: Jeddah is the second largest city in Saudi Arabia, the largest port, located on the shore of the Red Sea. The positioning is a bit similar to Shanghai in China, which is the most open city in Saudi Arabia. Jeddah is 70 and 400 kilometers away from the two holy cities, Mecca and Medina, respectively, and has a high-speed rail connection. Jeddah is also a must-have during the annual hajj. If you want to travel, you must avoid this period of time, during which non-Hajj passengers cannot enter from Jeddah. Climate: The latitude here is similar to Hainan, Jeddah is facing the sea, the climate is hot and humid, winter is the best season. Even in winter, the day is relatively hot, and locals generally go out at sunset or at night. Transportation: The most important thing for tourists is traffic. Public transportation here can basically be ignored, travel by taxi or car rental. There are many black car drivers in the airport lobby soliciting customers. We chose to rent a car, and the avis car booked from Trip.com counted insurance for about 300 days. If you take a taxi here, it is recommended to use uber, because you don't buy a local mobile phone card, and the local car-calling software can't receive the verification code and cannot register. The taxi price is less than twice that of Beijing. Jeddah Road is very wide, there are few overpasses, and there will be a turn-over on the leftmost side of the main road. The city is fast and the speed limit is 80 or 100, and the speed limit is the fastest 140. There are normal numbers for the speed limit cards here, and some are local Saudi numbers. Those who want to drive by themselves must remember the writing of all the numbers. The locals drive very wild and drive fast. If you let the back car on the fast lane, they will be very close. The cost of driving here is very low. Most of the parking lots here are not charged, and the city rarely sees charges. The oil price is pleasant, more than 4 yuan a liter, and there is no toll for the high speed. Jeda City has a smooth road during the day and easy traffic jams at night. Before I came, I always felt that Saudi luxury cars were everywhere, but the actual situation was shocked. The car here is very long, many cars are not repaired, and it looks very broken. There are all national cars, there are fewer European cars, and there are quite a lot of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cars. The car here is divided into two extremes, most of them are suitable for small cars, a small number of large American SUVs and pickups. Those who want to rent a car at the airport should pay attention to the route of Google Maps navigation to the return point is not right. If you want to find the right one, you still have to look at the road sign to find car rental return. Food: There are many restaurants here, mainly Middle Eastern meals and fast food. Serious restaurants open late, usually at 1 pm or later. In general, there is a big gap with Chinese food, but you can try more. Mainly introduce a few kinds of food we have eaten: 1. Arab barbecue, many shops along the street can see the kind of long skewers barbecue, but we can't call the name of the barbecue, and finally chose a self-service, the price is moderate, 66sar one person does not include drinks, the taste is not bad. 2. Seafood, seafood here can be tasted, don't have too much hope. Whether it is a seafood restaurant, a fish market or a supermarket, we have never seen live fish. Obviously, on the coast, seafood is frozen, and the practice is single, mainly grilled. Seafood prices are similar to domestic ones. That seafood meal ordered a two-jin grilled fish, half a pound of small salmon, a salad, a pot of fried rice and a pot of pasta, more than 400 yuan. 3. Fried chicken, there are many fast food here, the most popular is the national fried chicken restaurant al baik, there are many stores in the city, attractions, airports. The taste is not outstanding, it may be cheap, similar to the domestic price fried chicken. 4. Other snacks, breakfast scones, dates, etc. Attractions: The surrounding Mecca is not allowed to enter because non-Muslims are not allowed to enter, so there is no discussion here. There are some attractions worth seeing in Jeddah: 1. The sea mosque is not very far from the airport. We came during the day and it is said that the night view is better. In fact, the daytime is not bad, there are no people, and you can see the particularly clear Red Sea sea. The mosque is not big, that is, take a few photos and punch in. 2.Jeddah sign, on the coastal trail, there is a Jeddah logo suitable for taking pictures, and there is a small mosque on the side, which is very nice to take pictures. 3. The King's Fountain, this is a must-see attraction in Jeddah, is the highest fountain in the world. Be sure to watch the sunset here, the fountain also starts spraying at sunset, this is not only a punch-in place for tourists, but also a good place for locals to take a walk and rest at night. 4. The old city of Balade, the world cultural heritage, feels a lot worse than the ancient city of Kashgar in China. Many buildings are being repaired. It is lively at night, but it is very traffic jam, so we come during the day. The people in the old city are very friendly to the Chinese, shouting hello to us, Chinese and the like. You can sit down here and have a local coffee and taste the local burrito breakfast. Shopping: There are many shopping centers here, the area is large, and the more famous is the Red Sea Shopping Center. The shopping center has a supermarket, a luxury store, and there are many fast food restaurants on the top floor. Many things in the supermarket are lower than in China, and vegetables and fruits are more expensive. To sum up, the tourism here is mainly to punch in some landscapes and experience the local customs. If you are in Jeddah, you can easily finish shopping in two days. Suitable for this kind of transit travel, if you run to Saudi Arabia alone, you still have to add the surrounding cities (Medina, El Ola, etc.) to be worth coming. Finally, give a few travel suggestions. 1. Although Saudi Arabia has no requirements for foreigners to wear clothes, women are best to wear long pants and long sleeves to respect local customs; 2. Strict prohibition, even if it is an alcoholic drink, do not bring non-halal food into the country; 3. International credit cards are very convenient, you can bring a small amount of dollars at the airport for sand coins; The local security is very good and friendly to the Chinese.