City skyline at night with illuminated high-rise buildings reflecting on dark water.

Here’s the itinerary: Our main destination was India, but the journey was made even more exciting with two extended layovers in Jeddah—13 hours on the way there and 16 hours on the way back. While it wasn’t a huge amount of time, it was just enough to sprinkle a little extra adventure into our travels, savor new sights, flavors, and experiences, adding a vibrant layer to the trip.

Inbound: The First 13 Dulles-Jeddah

Minimalist geometric light installation creating angular shapes in darkness.

We arrived just as the sun was going down, first order of business was Visas so we could actually leave the airport, we were told by a passing attendant $10 👀. It was $110 USD for Visa on arrival lol, major cost point was mandatory medical insurance, but it lasts for a year so we might come back who knows. Pro Tip having a friend that speaks Arabic will definitely you get around easier and helped assist with some of the picture shenanigans that ensued.(more on that later)


After being approved, we needed a fresh set of clothes and some food to refocus on the new country we were in! We took an Uber to the Red Sea Mall, and it truly captures your eye from the inside and out, with the craziest lights and decor it felt like a fancy hotel or museum. There were plenty of familiar restaurants and clothing stores that you'd see at mall in the US just with adjusted prices.(1USD->3.5 SAR) We picked out something simple from Zara, they finally reasonable prices haha. We had our meal at Mado, a Turkish café, where we savored some delicious food. Afterward, we wandered through the city, soaking in the sights and atmosphere.

Art installation featuring cars mounted on white walls with colorful carnival lights in background.
City skyline with tall buildings reflected in dark waters at night.
Architectural scale model of a modern commercial development with landscaped grounds.
Long exposure shot of blurred lights creating abstract patterns on a street at night.
Modern bathroom interior with white marble countertops and minimalist design features.
Mirror reflection in a modern interior space with geometric lighting elements.
A plate of chicken wings and french fries served on a decorative blue and white patterned dish at a restaurant.
Yellow vintage car mounted vertically on white wall as urban art installation.
Futuristic display featuring a suspended black sphere with geometric lighting patterns.
Close-up of a craft cocktail in a crystal glass with frothy top and citrus garnish.
Holiday light display with glowing seasonal decorations between palm trees at night.
Geometric light installation featuring intersecting angular lines against a dark background.
Urban waterfront skyline at night with orange-tinted sky and illuminated buildings reflecting on water.
A plate of stuffed grape leaves served with lemon slices in a restaurant setting.
A clay pot of rich tomato-based stew served in a restaurant with bread basket on the side.

Overall the first leg was a really chill , we even threw a frisbee around on the beach! The highlight of this first half was the all the unique monuments(flying carpet & car monuments) and one epic LED building that had crazy set of revolving patterns.


Where was our true destination you ask? Check out the story from India, it was crazy.


Outbound: The last 16 Hyderabad-Jeddah

Tall white minaret against dark blue night sky with bright moon.

The last 16hrs were probably the hardest energy wise, as we had pulled an all-nighter during our last night in India and had to board a flight at 11am. No sleep was had, and my travel partner was zombified as we scrambled to find security and get checked in for the first flight. Don’t get me wrong, we were both tired but I was determined to not miss any of our flights back to the Jeddah or the States. I say that but we spent way too long at the gift shop before our flight, the airline called me and was running after us to get on the flight. 🤣

Now we’re back in Jeddah but with a plan! We landed right around Sunset and headed to the floating Mosque that had one of the best views.(its that blueish purple shot at the top ⬆️) We attended one of the prayers where I was taught some basic prayers and more about Jeddah’s religious culture and Islamic practices. The area we were in was the Jeddah Yacht Club (JYC) right next to the F1 Track, they're racing there for Round 5 in April! (I'm a Hamilton Fan 👀) The area is similar to the Tidal basin in Washington DC but with restaurants surrounding the water and boats flowing in and of the center. Truly a  beautiful spot to walk and watch the sunset and feel the breeze. We ended up eating at this Sushi fusion restaurant that had amazing outdoor seating. I don't think I have any pictures from that 😆

Coffee drink and pastry served on wooden table with napkin holder.
Looking up between two white buildings towards deep blue night sky with visible star.
Illuminated mosque minaret photographed from below against night sky in Middle Eastern architecture.
Illuminated narrow alley between traditional buildings at night with reflective floor.
Utility vehicle parked on cobblestone street under string lights in historic district at night.
Urban street art graffiti in pink and yellow with 'Jeddah' text on a wall.
Colorful nighttime reflection of buildings and lights on water with vibrant red light streak.
White minaret tower of a mosque against clear blue sky with visible moon.
Illuminated olive tree in circular planter creating ambient atmosphere at night.
Illuminated white mosque with minaret reflecting on calm water during sunset in Middle Eastern architecture.

With the sun fully set, there were plenty of other areas to explore, we ended up visiting an amusement park with and ice rink. We rode almost everything in the Park but I’m not gonna lie the spinning and dropping was getting to me. Plus one of their super-fast roller coasters banged our heads around in the shoulder restraints, fun but painful. 😅


One popular spot that we will definitely need to go back to is Old Jeddah, the market area is that of a Bazaar. Unfortunately it was pretty much closed with only a few shops compared to the hundreds that we saw in and around the area. With so many shops and corridors to turn down, during the day I could imagine how easy it'd be to get lost.


Since it was pretty dark it was time to get into long exposure mode as flash and high ISO won’t save you from noisy images at night. So, there I was with my 26mm lens setting up my mini tripod to capture some shots, body practically on the ground trying to line up these shots. We even had the police come up at least 3 separate times to check on us , but luckily my boy helped me navigate that language barrier. They primarily were worried about me having a drone, but I traveled real light gear wise for this trip and I also don't have a drone. 😆


Our very last stop in Jeddah was the Baab Makkah Jeddah Gate, the path that leads to the holy city, it was incredibly difficult to find given how large it was. But it resembles that of a castle like structure, which served as an entrance to Old Jeddah to as pilgrims started their spiritual journey.  After some additional research they also have a larger gate that spans over a highway that we didn't get to see. To accompany us in our adventures a street cat was admiring us up close and personal which was super cute.

Ancient stone gateway with three arches illuminated at night under moonlit sky.

After we wrapped up at the gate it was time to head to the airport so we ordered an Uber and were on our way home. I've met some cool Uber drivers, but Abe you take the cake for sure. This was more than just an Uber, between the friendly conversation, life stories, and food suggestions followed by a pitstop to order us AlBaik. We all ended up exchanging contact information to reconnect in the future when we visit again! After that detour he dropped us off and we headed into a slammed airport as if it was 8am. Luckily, we didn’t have to recheck our bags as we were transferring from Hyderabad, but it was definitely a waiting game until boarding time. Between the double security checkpoint, getting kicked out because it was too early, just to reenter it was a bit of a rough morning for our flight out but we made it back in one piece just in time for the Holidays and the New Year. 1000% would recommend.

Looking for More?

Check out the posts below for more