It was to be a day trip put on by the hospital's Social Club.
We met at the hospital where two mini buses picked us up for the trip to
Taif, a small city on the edge of the
Sarawat Mountains. This mountain range runs up the coast just inland of the Red Sea coastal plain. Taif is about a two & half hour drive from Jeddah and sits at an elevation of about 6000 ft above sea level. It is reputed to be the summer capital of Saudi Arabia as many members of the government & Royal family spend some time there during the hot summer months, due to its more "temperate" climate, brought about by elevation. "Temperate" however is a relative term. In Taif summer temperatures range in the 30's C instead of the 40's C that much of the country experiences. However there is very little humidity compared to Jeddah.
Taif apparently is known to have sheltered Mohammed for a short time as well as being a stronghold during the period of Ottoman rule. Today there is very little evidence of the old walled city being left. Finally Taif is only a short distance from Mecca, so it also becomes a destination to visit for those visiting the Holy city. Unfortunately Mecca is out of bounds for non Muslims so it is not possible to visit ourselves.
To get to Taif one has to leave Jeddah on a road to Mecca. As can be seen on the red demarcation on the road sign the road splits, as non Muslims cannot exit where the "red" is marked (as it goes to Mecca).
We stop for a "nature break" at this road side area - yes even doughnuts here, although no "Timmies".
However we understand "Timmies" will be opening in locations in the UAE next door to Saudi Arabia soon!
This is symbolic of driving in this part of the world! General road markers (such as lane markers, stop & yield signs, etc) are deemed as only "guidlines". Speed limits are also open to debate although occasionally one does see some individuals pulled over - however how they are treated does vary between local and expat, and which nationality the expat is hailing from.
Being Holy country one does see a number of small mosques scattered in the countryside.
The Sarawat Mountains looming ahead.
An excellent road up into the mountains - rocky, raw, no vegetation here.
Although road signs in the big cities are bilingual (Arabic & English - Quebec take note) in the smaller or out of the way places Arabic predominates - good to have a guide. These directions would not be helpful if we were driving on our own. Clearly we have arrived in Taif, at about 6000 ft above sea level and the coastal plain.
The well known Taif Souk was closed when we arrived, being Friday their holy day, although this large fruit & vegetable market was open. Although much of the country is arid the area around Taif has many farms & orchards, courtesy of modern irrigation.
The box of corn was inexpensive although not sweet like Ontario corn. The prices for fruit & vegetables were great as this was essentially a farmer's market.
These kids were very friendly - people in this region more relaxed than big city folk, often the same the world over.
An outside portion of this large fruit & vegetable market. Hard to believe all the farms nearby when one looks at the hot, dry, scrubby hillside behind.
Taking a break while waiting for the others to finish their food shopping.
Being Saudi Arabia one expects to see the odd camel, the proverbial "ship of the desert".
It is interesting that the genome of the camel has been analyzed, and being a mammal, approximately sixty percent of the genome is the same as a human! This one is decked out for the tourists, but hey we are tourists today.
These thorny trees are common in this desert region, with the thorns apparently to protect the tree from being eaten. These thorns are quite sharp. However apparently camels do find a way.
Joy decides to go for a ride. The ride is more jerky than that of a horse.
Getting off a camel is interesting - it kneels first .............................
After kneeling it then brings its back legs down, then you get off.
Aside from camels there are other mammals that are indigenous to the region, some that may surprise the general viewer. Baboons for example, which are African and Arabian Old World monkeys. They can be quite large, growing up to forty kg. They are omnivorous, can be aggressive, eating both meat & plants. They live in groups, or families. The males can have large harems of females which they guard jealously, as raiding does take place.
This male baboon is watching his group.
Closer up view (telephoto, as getting closer he would likely move away). Clearly a male.
A female out strutting - the rear is the give away.
A group of baboons enjoying the view on the edge of the Sarawat mountains.
A closer view, the male in the middle being quite large.
Hopefully not from the same family. This is the edge of the Sarawat Mountain Range. A very arid rocky landscape. The humidity at the lower elevations can be seen.
The trip going down the mountain highway was a lot more "exciting" than coming up as our driver, having picked up local habits, drove fairly quickley - I kept wondering when the brakes would start to over heat, as it was hot outside, the curves tight and the drop offs steep! Sports car country?
We finally get down to the coastal plain and see this herd of camels by the roadside. There are no fences, so what is a "deer crossing" at home has a different meaning here.
We have "white outs" with blowing snow at home - here you may appreciate that this is blowing sand. Streaks of sand can be seen on the road surface.
We have arrived back in
Jeddah. This is close to the commercial harbor with the Old Town behind the newer buildings that can be seen.
Nearly "home". A long day but another opportunity to explore this part of the Magic Kingdom.
In a couple of weeks we will be heading out for a short summer trip, escaping some of the heat in this part of the world, and to explore somewhere quite different.
Stay tuned.
