We've been very busy getting ready for Christmas here. We were lucky enough to have a friend lend us a tree and Abby and I spent a day making popcorn garland for it. We have worked on some salt dough ornaments and other decorations to A new friend here also gave us some porceline handmade ornaments that have been added and I was able to find some lights, so the tree looks pretty good if I must say so :)
We were also able to go to a Christmas party at the Cove, which is a compound for westerners in Yanbu. Santa even made an appearnace so Abby was super excited! They had wonderful food and a band - so felt a little more like home for a few hours.
Last weekend we took a shopping trip to Jeddah. Jeddah is about a 2-3 hour drive from Yanbu through the desert and is one of Saudi Arabia's largest cities. The city has about 3 million people living there and is more westernized than Yanbu. There are more American restaurants, such as Chilis, Applebees, Fudruckers, KFC and we even found the Cheesecake Factory and Hardees! We stayed at the Jeddah Hilton and really only shopped at 1 mall, The Red Sea Mall. 3 stories of pure shopping bliss!!
Prices are somewhat higher in Jeddah, but the mall has alot of high end stores as well (Pierre Cardan, Tiffany's, Burberry, Coach etc.) We spent some money, but we had expected to. Chuck bought me a new Guess purse along with some bling bling to match. I also hit up a couple clothing stores and bought 3 new outfits, but surprisingly no shoes, which is unusual for me!
We also were able to knock out alot of Santa's shopping duties for Abby as there were toy stores galore! The mall also boasts an amusement park which took up about 3 hours of our time 1 evening but she had a blast!
Some tips, however, if traveling to Jeddah. TRAFFIC is CRAZY! and that is the nicest thing I can say about it. New York has nothing on this town! We actually parked our car and took taxis to and from the shopping centers. We did venture to downtown Jeddah one evening. At the end of a 20 minute cab ride I was literally on the floor board holding onto Abby, eyes closed and praying. Signs, lanes and stop lights are only suggestions, and I have to say, no one really heeds them. At one point, cars were on the sidewalk with horns blasting. Not for the faint of heart!
Stay at a hotel close to where you want to travel. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to and from one place to another and always be aware of prayer times. Try and duck in a restaurant or coffee shop during prayer times since they will keep serving throughout the prayer. Be ready to spend and I mean spend. Shopping is more than double what most things cost in Yanbu, and about double what you might pay in the US. The makeup I typically wear in the US runs roughly $30 USD / bottle. In Jeddah they were asking around $55 USD.
Also be ready for some late nights. The stores really get going around 8:00pm after the last prayer. You have never seen so much black! Oh and if you experience an arrest, it's nothing like the US. While we were there 2 men were in an altercation and one was arrested. The police put him in a vehicle, no restraints and didn't even lock the vehicle! The man was getting in and out of the vehicle and continued to yell. In the US he would have been down on the ground and restrained for sure!
All in all though, the city is gorgeous! We stayed right on the Red Sea and had a beautiful view of the beach. Loved the area and the archeticture is amazing. Really breathtaking! If you have a chance have to go to the automall as well closest I've ever been to a lamborghini. :)
Oh and one last thing. Have to say the salon at the Hilton was great! I got a very good hair cut and they gave Abby a manicure and pedicure while waiting. She was in heaven!
Time to get ready for Ho Ho! Presents are hid throughout the house and we're awaiting his arrival in just 2 short days. Have to work out a menu for Christmas Eve Dinner. Prime Rib and Ham are out so we may be onto Chicken or Fish :)
Merry Christmas everyone!!!