Road trip to Taif.

This weekend with family and a few friends I visited Taif. Matter of fact the we went to Al-Shafa 20 Km. east of Taif and on the top of the mountain. It was 9 degrees Celsius (48 F), however at the height and with the moisture level I must say the feel like temps were in the lower 40s or upper 30s. I was happy to bring out my jacket and put it on. It was a fun experience, which reminded me of the drive from Raton, NM to Colorado Spring, CO but without greenery. Unfortunately ill prepared I left my camera in camera bag in the trunk of the car. However a photo capture on the way out this morning shows the beauty of fog covering the peak.

Here is a video of us coming down from the mountain. I want everyone to notice one small thing in the video, due to the atmospheric condition usually in the evening and night time Saudi government installed street lights even though there are no cities or towns on the steep drive down the mountain.

Saudi Arabian Princess on the TODAY show

This is a great interview with one of the princesses in Saudi Arabia. She discusses the veil, the headdress and clothing worn by some of the women there.

Quick Videos from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - Streets, Schools and Shopping

I found this cute little video of a school program. It is from Talal International School in Jeddah,Saudi Arabia. I can imagine Rayesa dancing like this. Oh, how she loves to be on stage performing!



Here is a video that someone took while driving through the university (King Abdul Aziz University). The orange colored buildings is the housing for the teachers there. Hmmmm.....maybe in the future I could be a professor here?


Here is a short video about shopping.


This is Tahlia Street, a fancy shopping area in Jeddah. It has many high end shopping stores such as Burberry, Pierre Cardin and more. The Saudi City Compound is on this street. There are also some schools close to this streeet. It is known as a "posh" area of town. I think I like it! The palm trees will make me feel like I am vacationing in Florida!



This is a supermarket. This one is the Saudi City Compound. A compound is like a gated neighborhood. You can only go there if you live there or are invited.


*update* Now that we are in Jeddah, I have not visited any of the places above! However, I have shopped and rode on Thalia Street. It is very nice, as pictured in the photo's! I went to the GAP, though!