First day in Jeddah

We began our first full day in Jeddah with a desert safari. These four-wheel drives were waiting for us at the front of the hotel.

After a short drive into the desert, our friendly driver, Amin, stopped and parked next to the other cars.

Apparently, fully aired tires are not conducive to driving on sand dunes.

As they were letting out the air in the tires, we were given these turbans to cover our heads.

"Fasten your seatbelt, please," said Amin. One by one the cars went ahead, and then off we went into the desert!

The drivers rode the dunes like a pro. It felt as though we were in a roller coaster; we were rocked left to right and up and down. Needless to say, we had a lot of fun! The four wheel drives did an excellent job climbing the steep dunes, but sometimes, they needed a little help. "What happens when there are no free cars to pull the wheels out?" I asked. Amin replied, "Then we cry. Hahaha."

We finally made it to the top of the hill, where we were given the opportunity to take photo ops and grab a cold drink. The sand was scorching hot, and the heat was pretty intense. We gradually made our way into the car and headed back into the city.

After a much needed shower (those pesky sand grains don't mix well with sweat), we made our way into the historical center. Ayman, Claire's friend, joined us with his delightful family. He brought his uncle, who gave us a run-down of the city. The wooden covering in all the windows are called stara, a panel that is designed to allow views inside-out but not the other way around.

This building right at the center had been visited by many Saudi dignitaries.

The stairs were designed to accommodate camels, which lugged groceries up to the kitchen on the 4th floor.

We enjoyed the cool breeze as we listend to the evening prayers ringing throughout the city. Right here, Anthony Bourdain once ate dinner in his show "No Reservations."

Ayman's uncle then took us to the souk for some shopping. Along the way, the ladies got some help with hijab wrapping. What usually takes us minutes to put on (and countless efforts to keep them on), Ayman's sisters fixed in a matter of seconds and stayed put for much longer.

Our final stop in the center was a bakery once owned by Ayman's grandfather. Despite the city's long history, today's Saudis still retain fresh memories of the old center. We were grateful to be given such a personal, informative tour of the city and were also delighted to speak with local Saudis. They were so friendly and warm to us! Back at the hotel, Saad delivered his promise to give us a taste of al-Baiq, the infamous fried chicken shop. Despite having stuffed our faces silly (a recurring theme during the trip, unfortunately), it didn't feel at all heavy or greasy because it tasted like 100% chicken.

I, along with several others, stayed put to drink fresh squeezed juices, enjoy the cool breeze, smoke shisha, and watch "Arab Idol" by the pool. At some point amidst it all, there was one particular moment when I felt like I was a million miles away from DC.