A short stint in Saudi (and QR Doha Stopover)

[RooFlyer]

DOH-JED was originally a B787-9 but ended up another non QSuite, Starling EDIT: StarLINK! enabled bird. I had booked 3A again, but at CGK check-in, they said it was 'taken' but on board it wasn't. I choose 3A in case a QS bird is subbed in, then I'd get the rearwards-facing seat.

On Gulf sectors, they call Business 'First' - identical to Business, but with FC earn on QFF or PC. Lightly loaded, with quite a few pilgrims, or Hajis, in white robes.





Hauling out of DOH



Starlink is a bit slow ...





I was wondering if there might be bar service, at least for a while, but no. When I flew into and out of Tehran in 2017, the booze was on until top of descent going in, and seat belts off going out .

Encouraged to try the So Jennie non alcoholic pink sparkling. Champagne's not really my thing, so this certainly wasn't!



I asked for a half serve of the lamb machboos, but of course got the whole, large serving! Delicious, but I couldn't nearly do it justice.



Some lovely FAs on this sector. I forgot to mention the (lady) CSM on CGK-DOH; one of the best QR CSMs I can remember. Very engaging. I did my usual thing and produced some choccies (enough for each crew member) after they cleared the main meal service away and she was genuinely touched. I know the Gulf carriers can get some very chauvinistic pax locals.

 

[SydneySwan]

The Orchard at least is nice to see after arrival security.

View attachment 494434

But 800m to the train from the gate!

I don't mind the long walks at airports as it helps offset the overeating and meets my steps target. But if that is time that would otherwise be spent in AL Safwa then it is a different matter!

 

[Pvcmenace]

You are lucky it has stayed as an F ticket, my upcoming flight DOH to RUH has been subbed with an ex CX 777 with F cabin. My 1a has been changed to 11a and downgraded to J

 

[jase05]

You are lucky it has stayed as an F ticket, my upcoming flight DOH to RUH has been subbed with an ex CX 777 with F cabin. My 1a has been changed to 11a and downgraded to J

I would say you are very unlucky. Have done plenty of those short ME F flights on QR and never once been downgraded. The odd couple of aircraft substitutes but weirdly on the last 3 occasions we have had a substitute it’s been TO a QSuite fitted aircraft

 

[RooFlyer]

Arriving into Jeddah to a hazy late afternoon



And some freeway traffic. I was aware of this - one of the reasons I didn't want to drive out of Jeddah, but chose the train to Madinah.







At the terminal, bit of a walk, then a train to the main part of the station (wasn't expecting that). It was really fast! I overtook a plane load of pax from Kyrgyzstan, with the gents having 'Kyrgystan' on their backs, like a sporting team, and wearing their Ak-kalpak hats.

Arrival security, then immigration. No queue to speak of (thanks to my overtaking manoeuvre before) then a close examination of passport, a bit of tapping on the computer, fingerprints, a passport stamp! then through. Actual visa not required to be shown.

Collect bags, green lane, no-one enquired about my medicine permit. I had to exchange some money, as my Wise card doesn't do Saudi Ryals. coughpy exchange rate but oh well. I was staying at the Clarion Airport Hotel, and it provides a shuttle. Took a few e-mails to find out where it left from, and the schedule, but the schedule was hourly. I let them know of my airplane arrival time, and of the shuttle I expcted to take - 7pm.

After the money exchange, I followed some basic signage to 'busses' along the crowed terminal then down a level via a lift and then a sign saying 'shuttle busses' at an exit door. It was 6:50pm, so I had good timing to get the shuttle. Lots of taxi touts.

Then the wheels fell off. In front of me was a very large bay full of coaches, taking pilgrims and people doing 'umrah' - the voluntary, lesser pilgrimage to Mecca. There was no marked area for 'hotel shuttles' but there was a Radisson minibus close by and I asked the driver who said for 'Clarion' "here, 10 minutes", so that was good.

7pm came and went. It was dark by now, but still hot and the place was full of coaches, coming and going and parking, with engines on and diesel fuming. Not very pleasant.







The Kyrgyies had caught up with me



I tried to ask a couple of guys where were mustering pax into coaches, but they just brushed me aside. Not having voice service with my Kolet Saudi eSim, I sent e-mails to the 2 addresses I had for the hotel asking what was up. I even opened up my Telstra SIM ($10) to call the hotel, but the calls failed. Fortunately, I then was able to collar a guy who spoke good English and asked him to call the hotel. He did, but they didn't answer. But he knew the driver (!) and called him direct. "10 minutes". They guy that helped me was one of the 'controllers' for the coach pick-ups - JedCo. The bus wasn't there after 20 mins, so my mate called again. Eventually the minibus called and the guy showed me a pic of myself off my web site (??!) and asked if it was me. Um, yes. So after a 85 min hot and bothersome wait amongst the coaches, I was on my way to the hotel.

EDIT @JohnM and me in Kyrgyzstan with the hats a few years ago!

 

[RooFlyer]

At the hotel, the guy at reception was vaguely apologetic - apparently I had e-mailed 'reservations' about my arrival time, not the hotel. "Reservations" were the mob who sent out the info on the shuttle busses, and the 'you are expected ...' e-mail, so . I didn't bother pointing out that the shuttle is supposed to be hourly, not 'on demand'.

Good manners are essential here so I kept my cool and he gave me a 'executive suite' on the side of the triangular hotel not facing the busy road out the front. It ended up being nice and quite except for the aircon which seemed to be powered by a small jet engine. No worries, it did the job and I turned it to auto for the night.







View the next morning

 

[RooFlyer]

An easy day planned today, to get into the swing of things, but a good sleep last night saw me wishing I'd planned to do more. As I mentioned above, I take the slow way these days - usually one, sometimes 2 nights for a long haul destination and day flights only where I can help it. Slower, but I arrive much better, rather than being zonked for a couple of days with greater jet lag at the destination.

Last night the guy said breakfast would cost me. I challenged that, gently, as when I have stayed at Clarion on points previously, breakfast was included. He said he would check - as did I, but then I couldn't see it as a listed benefit for Choice Hotels and he wasn't there this morning, so I let it go; on re-checking I think its just a benefit in Scandinavia. I made do with the fruit that was in my room when I arrived.

A Careem to the World Heritage Al Balad district - Old Jeddah. From Wikipedia:

Al-Balad was founded in the 7th century and historically served as the centre of Jeddah. Al-Balad's defensive walls were torn down in the 1940s. In the 1970s and 1980s, when Jeddah began to become wealthier due to the oil boom, many Jeddawis moved north, away from Al-Balad, as it reminded them of less prosperous times.

Traditional Hijazi houses are characterized by their wooden Roshan windows and wooden Mushrabiyas.

Rawashin & Mashrabiya

Visit Jeddah, the gateway to the sea, invites you with historic charm, modern spirit, and a unique mix of culture, tradition, and coastal beauty.

www.visitsaudi.com

I visited in 1994 and found it an intriguing maze of alleyways and dead ends . I recall asking if it was safe and was told "if you dropped your wallet there, it would be there tomorrow for you to pick up".



Arriving there today, it was obvious that the Saudi tourism push had moved in. Workers and fluro jackets everywhere; all the streets had been repaved with stone blocks and golf carts were taking workers around. The Saudi Prince 'MBS' had ordered a few years ago the renovation of about 56 of the historic houses. At there moment there is a mix of restored places, with shiny new wooden latticework and doors etc, and the old, run down places, with supports inside to hold them up (literally). I'm glad I was able to see it again before it totally renovated and 'glossed over'.

The old:







Note the prop inside, holding things up



Many of the buildings are as crooked as this one

 

[RooFlyer]

And the new





This is the Bayt Nassif Museum, a restored 19th Century mansion at Souq Al Awi

 

[RooFlyer]

I had a good wander around; there was the textile souq, the 'pots and pans' one, but the one I really wanted to visit was the gold souq, where I was on my prior visit and picked up a nice gold ring with the Saudi motif on it. I recall the prices then were the gold price/oz + a very small mark-up.

The souq has been modernised into a street but the stuff is much the same. Mostly 21ct, but I didn't bother asking about prices!! Unlike last time, the shop owners didn't have a problem with you taking pictures; there were about 20 or more shops, side by side selling gold jewellery.

Now, why wouldn't you like to pick something up for that special someone in your life?

 

[RooFlyer]

Next thing I wanted to see was Jeddah's Corniche - the coastal strip that runs for many kilometres. There is massive development going on here now, and obviously for the past 10 years or so. I remember it as a 'fun' part of Jeddah, with some weird and wonderful sculptures belying the sombre reputation of Saudi Arabia in the '90s.

First stop was the Alhamra Corniche, opposite an island occupied by a royal palace and the King Fahad fountain.



Again, where I was here in the early 1990s, the rule was no photographing 'anything you might want to bomb during a war' - such as government buildings, bridges, palaces etc. Colleague and I were walking towards the shoreline, much the same position as here:



But then it was a scrubby park. I had my 35mm camera in a backpack and thought - ah, I can hide behind that big shrub and take a pic of the palace. So I was walking past the shrub, surreptitiously taking my camera out of my backpack, only to come across a soldier with a rather large gun. Ah - salaam alaikum, a smile and we backed off. He knew exactly what were were doing but fortunately smiled and waved us away. No such problems today. The palace



Unfortunately the fountain (in the centre here) was not operating



But there were still a few things you couldn't do in the park



Behind the park is the Ritz Carlton, which would have great views over the palace

 

[RooFlyer]

It was pretty warm and I was felling just a little seedy, so I took a Careem back to the hotel. Fortunately I perked up after an hour or so and couldn't waste the rest of the day so headed back out to the north Corniche, to see if those sculptures were still around.

In the car, there was an indication that they might be.



The shoreline has been developed into nice parks and jetties where the locals can come to cool off in the sea breeze. And in some cafes ...











Cycle paths and ?jogging track?



Tim's!



Thing I find odd about these places is that all the signage is only in English ...

 

[RooFlyer]

Then I found them - and the one I most wanted to find if it was still there. This one is called 'Accident! Crazy Speed'. 1994 and today -





A bit of wear and tear after the crash











Later, I found this web site about Jedah's sculptures. When I return in a few days I might look more up.

Sculptures of Jeddah

www.sculpturesofjeddah.com

 

[Pushka]

That fountain looks amazing at night time. In 2023 there were signs in stores that they wouldn't take US credit cards. Still there?

 

[RooFlyer]

That fountain looks amazing at night time. In 2023 there were signs in stores that they wouldn't take US credit cards. Still there?

Not that I’ve noticed, but I haven’t been in too many stores. Certainly the Hotel takes everything from AMEX to Apple Pay.

 

[RooFlyer]

Taking Careems (like Uber) around town has been a good experience. Only one guy was younger and could speak English, the rest no, but we could have a bit of a conversation using Google translate & speaker. My saying that I was in Jeddah 32 years ago provoked some interesting reactions.

One thing about the driving though. You 'appreciate' the fine art of driving with a cigarette paper's width between vehicles, front and sides, when doing a narrow u-turn, 2 abreast, while the driver is scrolling videos on his phone. The driver's side brake got a work-out.

Back to the hotel. Picking to stay at the Clarion airport was, in retrospect, a mistake. I was seduced by being able to use some of my Choice Hotel points (bought very cheaply) and the shuttle from/to the airport. Of course the first shuttle sucked; breakfast wasn't free with my points stay, as I was expecting (it is only in Scandinavia I realised) and for dinner, there was nothing around, so I had to eat at the hotel, which was a pretty basic buffet for about A$50.

 

[RooFlyer]

This morning, I succeeded in cramming my carry-on gym bag and its contents into my checked bag (which always carries my pillow, which takes up a bit of space). I got the shuttle to the airport (7 mins, worked well) to catch the Haramain High Speed train to Madinah.

https://sar.hhr.sa/home#

The station at the airport serves Jeddah downtown and Mecca, and also King Abdullah Economic City and Madinah. Its pretty obviously laid out, with clear signs in English.

I had pre-booked a business class seat and was able to use the business lounge before boarding was called. Up 2 escalators, on the right.





Pastries and water available











There were 5 business carriages, a buffet car and about 12 economy cars. Business was very lightly loaded. Unfortunately, in my carriage it included a local sitting adjacent to me who was playing things on his phone incredibly loudly - shouty stuff; and another guy was doing the nasal snort thing customary in certain parts of the world. Fortunately video guy switched off once we got going



Seats not as good as I thought they may be. USB A and C power at each seat.



The scenery was very monotonous.













So I thought I'd watch a movie



Maybe not!



Business class got a meal, which was quite nice (it was a midday departure)



Most of the journey at abt 300 km/hr. Total trip time 1hr 45 mins.

 

[RooFlyer]

Backing up. At Jeddah airport, between Arrivals and the rail station (and where you go down from Arrivals to the bus station) is a large aquarium.

How do you go about cleaning your aquarium?

 

[RooFlyer]

Arrival in Madinah.



Gotta love a place built near a volcano!



The rail station. Both Jeddah and here (and I expect, Mecca) are designed to deal with the vast numbers who will visit during the Haj. Again, all signs in English and clear. On the train, announcements in Arabic and clear English.





A Careem into town with a very friendly driver. One thing about the Careems though. They do seem to take a long time to be accepted. I wonder if my not being a local is detectable and many decline?



I'm staying at the Pullman Zam Zam, a few minutes walk from the Prophet's mosque.



I checked in about 2:25pm (official check in 4pm) and had to wait about 15 mins for the room to be ready, but it was worth it. Upgraded to the top floor, a 'Haram View' room. Now 'haram' means 'forbidden' ... I knew it would have a view of the mosque and the name comes from the formal name of the mosque: Madinah Haram, or Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (the Prophet's Mosque)

But what a view! (The glass is slightly tinted with reflective film.)



A great room - spacious with desk, air con works well

 

[RooFlyer]

Some more of the mosque from my room. The mosque itself is surrounded by a vast plaza, with shade provided by umbrellas. The Prophet himself is said to be buried beneath the green dome.



The umbrella things are in fact collapsible like an umbrella - three are in closed mode in the pic below.





Quickly out for a walk to have a look at the mosque courtyard. A bit about Madinah from Wikipedia:

Medina is generally considered to be the "cradle of Islamic culture and civilization". The city is considered to be the second-holiest of three key cities in Islamic tradition, with Mecca and Jerusalem serving as the holiest and third-holiest cities respectively. Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (lit. 'The Prophet's Mosque') is of exceptional importance in Islam and serves as burial site of the prophet Muhammad, by whom the mosque was built in 622 CE (first year of the Hijrah). Observant Muslims usually visit his tomb, or rawḍah, at least once in their lifetime during a pilgrimage known as Ziyarat, although this is not obligatory. The original name of the city before the advent of Islam was Yathrib (Arabic: يَثْرِب), and it is referred to by this name in Chapter 33 (Al-Aḥzāb, lit. 'The Confederates') of the Quran. It was renamed to Madīnat an-Nabī (lit. 'City of the Prophet' or 'The Prophet's City') after and later to al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (lit. 'The Enlightened City') before being simplified and shortened to its modern name, Madinah (lit. 'The City'), from which the English-language spelling of "Medina" is derived. Saudi road signage uses Madinah and al-Madinah al-Munawwarah interchangeably.

The city existed for over 1,500 years before Muhammad's migration from Mecca, known as the Hijrah. Medina was the capital of a rapidly increasing Muslim caliphate under Muhammad's leadership, serving as its base of operations and as the cradle of Islam, where Muhammad's ummah (lit. 'nation')—composed of Medinan citizens (Ansar) as well as those who immigrated with Muhammad (Muhajirun), who were collectively known as the Sahabah—gained huge influence. Medina is home to three prominent mosques, namely al-Masjid an-Nabawi, Quba Mosque, and Masjid al-Qiblatayn, with the Quba Mosque being the oldest in Islam. A larger portion of the Qur'an was revealed in Medina in contrast to the earlier Meccan surahs.

Madinah was closed to non Muslims until 2021-23 as restrictions were eased. Previously, if you drove up the highway like we did in 1994, you were directed to leave the highway onto a ring-road. Now, you can enter and visit historic sites, but the Prophet's mosque is still prohibited to non Muslims ... and this is where I stuffed up. I checked what you could visit in Madinah via the web and the mosque was a def no, however somehow I thought that the plaza was OK. But its not. Before I left the hotel, I asked the concierge if photos of the courtyard was OK and he said yes. I guess he thought I was a pilgrim ...

So, blissfully unaware, I went through one of the gates for a walk around the plaza. No sign on the gate about prohibition to enter for non Muslims.



Looking back to the hotel









Team Kazakhstan

 

[RooFlyer]

After about 15 mins I left to see if I could visit the Al-Baqi Cemetery, next door. From my hotel room:



Wikipedia:

Al-Baqi is reportedly founded by Prophet Muhammad and serves as the burial place for many of his relatives and companions, establishing it as one of the two holiest cemeteries in Islamic tradition. Monuments and mosques built on or near al-Baqīʿ were demolished under the Emirate of Diriyah in 1806. After their reconstruction, they were again demolished in 1926 under the Sultanate of Nejd, in accordance with their Wahhabi interpretation of Islamic law regarding idolatry. These demolitions were condemned across the Islamic world, but the Saudi government has rejected calls for reconstruction.

I was not able to enter by people at the gate so I went back to the mosque court yard. By this time the call to prayer was happening, and people were streaming through the gates and heading towards the mosque proper. I continued my walk across the plaza when a security guy - in cammo - stopped me and asked if I was Muslim. No. "You are not allowed! You must leave." Oh, cough. I bolted. Turns out that the plaza is considered part of the mosque.