From Taif Back to Jeddah

 

This is Taif from the restaurant on the 30th floor.

 

 

This is in the mall which is attached to the grandfather's hotel in Taif.  It is an ice skating rink!  In the background is Albaik, Moe's favorite fast food restaurant.  That was how he knew how to get to the skating rink--it is close to Albaik!!

 

This is part of the seating at the food court.  Some of the tables are out in the open and then there are these behind a curtain.  These are for women who cover their whole faces so that they can take the covering off and eat.  They pull the curtain so that no men can see them.

 

 

This is a Subway in Taif where we got our lunch.  (Moe is wearing his Kentucky shirt)  We have to wear an abaya anytime we are out in public.  Before I go out of our hotel room I have to put it on.  I can take it off at Moe's uncle's house or at his office but other than that, we have to have them on.  Jeddah is a little more liberal than the rest of Saudi Arabia.  Mark said "Jeddah is the California of Saudi Arabia."  Taif and Riyadh are much more strict.  We didn't go to the mall last night because it was equivalent to their Friday night and Moe said that we would probably see religious police there so they didn't want to go.  We did drive through several check points on the way to Taif and back.  They didn't ever stop us but we have to have our passports with us at all times.

 

This is a highway sign in Taif.

 

 

This is a herd of camels that we saw on the way back to Jeddah today.  There is a man on a camel herding them in the back on the left.  We saw a lot more camels today.  We even saw a few white ones and one black one.