JEDDAH, 15 June 2005 — Summer is steaming into Jeddah with temperatures already rising into the mid-40s centigrade. The sultry heat, which shortens tempers and creates booming business for the air-conditioning repair men as ancient units fail under the strain, has hit the city a month early.
The incipient signs of the long hot summer are all around. Streets are relatively free of pedestrian traffic during the heat of the day, the use of car horns is more frequent and tempers fray in cars where the air-conditioning has failed or cannot cope. A rash of hopeful ice-water sellers risk their lives for SR1 a bottle received on the trot from motorists at traffic signals.
Even the street cats are less obvious, seeking shade under the foul smelling garbage dumpsters by late morning rather than foraging for scraps the whole day. A large proportion of those that are to be seen have a batch of scrofulous kittens in tow, entirely unaware of the coming summer hardships.
School exams end today and the exodus from the Kingdom is about to begin. Travel agents report that flights to Egypt and Dubai are overbooked already. Malaysia and the Far Fast, increasingly popular holiday destinations for Saudis, are living up to their promise with flights approaching fully booked.
Cairo, an ever popular destination with holidaymakers, has been given extra flights. Normally two per week each with Saudia and Egyptian Airlines, between June 20 and July 30, Saudia plans to lay on two extra flights per week and Egyptian Airlines one per week.
Running counter to the trend, flights to Europe and America have shown no increase in bookings. Since British Airways withdrew its service earlier this year and thus reduced seat capacity on the Europe route, some increase in bookings on the remaining airlines might have been expected. There has, however, been a slight seasonal surge in flights to the US.
Even with the exodus of Saudis, the Jeddah Festival, coincidentally timed for the heat of summer, is advertising in order to attract an influx of shoppers to the city, tempting them with offers of low priced merchandise.
With temperatures too high for daytime outdoor activities, the city takes on a new nocturnal character through the hot months. Daytime torpor contrasts sharply with night-time activity. Shopping becomes the main activity, most of it done out at night. Late into the night, the streets are thronged with traffic as shoppers cruise the malls which respond with advertising campaigns offering huge discounts to those brave enough to venture out.
Even though Jeddah, a city of about two and a half million, is beside the Red Sea, public beaches are few and very small and quickly become packed with families. The crowded Al-Hamra beach, with its packs of roving mini dune buggies, weaving at speed through the crowds, is a popular spot.
Private beaches strung out along the coast north of Obhur Creek offer an expensive alternative for families wanting to simply be beside the sea. This is the time of year when the north Corniche bursts into life. Amusement parks offer entertainment for children and families until late at night and the sidewalks are packed with groups of young men and families picnicking beside the sea.
Sweat and shopping; summer is here.
