Today was a very early start, but I actually made it up in time for breakfast for the first time in a while. We departed the hotel for a drive along the Red Sea coast to a resort where there was a yacht ready to take us out for a pleasure boating morning. The weather here in Jeddah is amazing—about 75-85 degrees with sun everyday. The ride on the boat was great, with food and drinks being served. We were relegated to boating in a bay area, instead of the open Red Sea because of time constraints, but it was still beautiful. They had jet skis ready for us to use, and we boated to a swimming area for a nice swim in the sea. The weather and the very blue water made the morning great. You can see some scenes from our morning below. The first one is a view of us being ferried out to our boat.
Here is a view of the open Red Sea, just beyond our reach!
Also, here are a bunch of us swimming in the sea.
Here is a shot of us relaxing after a nice swim.
After our morning of boating we headed back to the hotel and did a quick checkout, load-up, and trip to the airport to fly from Jeddah to Riyadh. We had a nice flight to the Saudi capital, and then we took a bus to our amazing hotel. We are staying at the Al Faisaliah Hotel. This is one of the landmark buildings in Riyadh, and you can see it on their website here. And, the inside of the hotel didn’t disappoint. The room has to be the best one I have ever stayed in, with a deluxe feel to everything. The picture below of the bathroom doesn’t even do it justice.
The room is controlled by panels like this one around the room. This control screen opens and closes the curtains!
This will be a great two nights here. I ordered room service for dinner: a fancy hamburger with fruit juice and cheesecake with ice cream.
It is time to turn in for the evening. As I write this I know my class is having their final afternoon of school of 2008. I know they are having a good time, but I look forward to getting back to them in January.
And, finally, as some extra information, here is a view of the airport terminal in Jeddah where all the flights arrive for the Hajj. The Hajj is the yearly time when Muslims make the journey to Mecca and Medina. This terminal is HUGE to handle the massive amount of people that fly into Jeddah, and then take busses to the two mosques.
Here is a view of the open Red Sea, just beyond our reach!
Also, here are a bunch of us swimming in the sea.
Here is a shot of us relaxing after a nice swim.
After our morning of boating we headed back to the hotel and did a quick checkout, load-up, and trip to the airport to fly from Jeddah to Riyadh. We had a nice flight to the Saudi capital, and then we took a bus to our amazing hotel. We are staying at the Al Faisaliah Hotel. This is one of the landmark buildings in Riyadh, and you can see it on their website here. And, the inside of the hotel didn’t disappoint. The room has to be the best one I have ever stayed in, with a deluxe feel to everything. The picture below of the bathroom doesn’t even do it justice.
The room is controlled by panels like this one around the room. This control screen opens and closes the curtains!
This will be a great two nights here. I ordered room service for dinner: a fancy hamburger with fruit juice and cheesecake with ice cream.
It is time to turn in for the evening. As I write this I know my class is having their final afternoon of school of 2008. I know they are having a good time, but I look forward to getting back to them in January.
And, finally, as some extra information, here is a view of the airport terminal in Jeddah where all the flights arrive for the Hajj. The Hajj is the yearly time when Muslims make the journey to Mecca and Medina. This terminal is HUGE to handle the massive amount of people that fly into Jeddah, and then take busses to the two mosques.
5 comments:
Hi, Mark,
It really looks as if this trip is a wonderful experience. I especially enjoyed seeing you on a camel. And the thobe/sneaker combination was especially smart looking! I am certain you'll be hitting the gym upon returning home.. the food looks incredible. I am glad that you and the other participants are being well taken care of. Lots to learn from your blog. keep writing!
Hi Mr. Heiden,
We had a good time at the holiday party, but we missed you. Did you push all the buttons on the control panel (multiple times)? Could you have found vegetarian food if you would have wanted it? Did you fall off the jet ski? I'm looking forward to your return!!
Connor
Merhaba Mark - I'm really enjoying following along on your journey through your postings and pictures. I especially liked the Fulla pictures. Have you bought one yet?
Lorelei Clark
Thurgood Marshall High School
Houston, Texas
Dear Mr. H,
you're so lucky you got to go on the red sea. Also the bathrooms look very nice. I can't wait until CHRISTMAS!!! Everyone was thrilled that you gave everyone three books just for Christmas. Our party was GREAT!!! Plus we got paddle ball for a gift in the party bags. Everyone in the class misses you and wishes that you were here!!!
Dear Mr.Heiden
How was the water of the red sea?
Christian
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