It is the season to fly away to greener lands and more pleasant weather. But for those of us staying in Jeddah or coming from other parts of the Kingdom to Jeddah we have to endure the boiling heat and drenching humidity. Thankfully, most of our activities are in air-conditioned places, namely shopping centers. An expatriate friend whose family is coming to visit him asked me where to take them other than shopping malls while also avoiding the outdoor heat and humidity.
Although Al-Balad is worth a go and Durrat Al-Arous is nice, they can become an unpleasant experience due to the weather. And the zoo is not something to brag about.
Museums? No.
Movies and plays? Tough luck.
Art exhibitions? A few.
Dubai is a city with similar weather if not worse in the summer. Yet it managed to build huge shopping and entertainment complexes that provide a variety of activities, including snow sports, as well as movie theaters and shows that appeal to different age groups and cultures. Why hasn’t anyone thought of doing the same here? I’m sure movie theaters featuring animated movies for families is not offensive to the conservatives in our society. And the age group that I think suffers the most from lack of activities suitable for them and social restrictions begin to be imposed on them is the older teens, especially girls who start being told “shame, you’re a young woman now, you can’t play and have fun anymore.” Bummer.
Meanwhile, we have to endure another frustrating aspect of the summer, traffic. With all the detours and road closures due to the construction and renovation projects going on in various locations of the city, traffic jams are a daily misery everywhere, especially in the evening. As if it is not enough to have your heart at your throat as you, or rather your driver, take the risk of maneuvering through bumpy streets among reckless motorists, but you also have to try to stay calm and patient while you’re stuck in traffic for hours. I try to look at the positive side and say to myself this will be over soon, hopefully, when the construction is over and we’ll have our parks, walkways and corniche with its new look.
What I don’t understand is why do most of the shopping malls close their doors during the afternoon from Dhuhr to Asr prayers? Since they are indoors and air conditioned there is no fear of the heat annoying the customers. It is inconvenient for those who prefer to finish their shopping or go out with their families during the day rather than to have to wait until later in the afternoon and in the evening when the streets and shops really get crowded. One is barely able to buy everything they need in a reasonable amount of time, especially with the closing of the stores for Maghreb and Isha prayer, which could take from 30 to 40 minutes. If the store is large enough, why not stop the selling but allow the customers to stay inside and allocate them a corner to do their prayers? Instead, minutes before the shops close, people scramble for a place to sit; otherwise they walk around aimlessly or stand until the shops reopen. The worse is at strip malls or downtown where the customers, mainly women, sit outside the stores on the sidewalks like beggars, waiting.
This insistence of cramming all the activities in the evening is another reason for the unbearable evening traffic and the abnormal phenomenon of people sleeping all day and staying up all night until the wee hours of the morning, even young children.
Jeddah does offer several options for its locals and visitors during the summer, such as the beach resorts, but it can do more and better. Some shopping malls do try to have shows and activities especially for children, as well as the entertainment and games parks, but at the end of the day you don’t feel you got your money’s worth.
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