These days Jeddah’s winter season has made residents and visitors from other cities forget about the usual scorching heat, as well as the latest rains that have left their mark in the form of puddles of water and mud and uprooted trees, signboards and billboards.

On Wednesday afternoon,  the Corniche was packed with big and small vehicles for many kilometers. Saudi families could be seen having picnics or strolling along the shore. Men chatted with their wives and elder children while the younger ones enjoyed swings and slides.

The Corniche was comparatively clean, even lacking the donkeys, camels and desert bikes that some find an annoyance.

Ahmad Abdul Salam, a 35-year-old Yemeni, was busy fishing. His answers were hasty, as if he didn't want his serenity to be disturbed.

On the other hand, Muhammad Abbasi, a 46-year-old Yemeni who was nearby with a fishing line, was happy to talk about the fish he was catching. Off the Corniche, he said, a fisherman can catch sijan, gaas, bayad and shahour.

Abbasi says he fishes for about four hours every day, enough to feed his family. Besides, this time is ideal for him and his friends to catch up on camaraderie and gossip.

Ejaz Raja, a Pakistani who usually visits the Corniche on the weekends, decided to come with his family on Wednesday to enjoy the cool, pleasant weather. Raja, who works at a local food company, said he has spent 25 years in different parts of the Kingdom but he loves Jeddah the most.

Abbasi said he has seen Jeddah’s Corniche go through a lot of changes, but pointed out that it lacked enough toilets and areas for women seeking privacy.