Ta’if (Arabic الطائف aṭ-Ṭā’if) is a city in the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia at an elevation of 1,879 m (6,165 ft) on the slopes of the Sarawat Mountains (Al-Sarawat Mountains). It has a population of 521,273 (2004 census). Each summer the Saudi Government moves from the heat of Riyadh to Ta'if. The city is the centre of an agricultural area known for its grapes, roses and honey. (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taif)
I spent the last day of our Eid holiday in Taif with my fellow photographers and friends from Spectrum.
We left Jeddah at around 5am; drove for two and a half hours through the desert and rocky mountains. Before 8am, we're already enjoying the cool breeze of this mountain resort.
I'll let my photos tell the rest of my story. Enjoy!
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| Breakfast at the park |
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| Ramada Hotel - Al Hada |
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| The Farm Boy infront of Ramada Hotel |
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| Flowers abound in this mountain resort |
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| Hibiscus blooms beautifully under the scorching desert sun |
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| Fruit vendor arranging red plums and other locally-grown fruits |
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| Most of these fruits are grown locally or in nearby villages |
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| Newly-harvested pomegranates |
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| There are also rose farms in Taif that produces Rose Waters and Rose Perfumes |
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| Another variety of imported and local fruits on display by the side of the road |
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| Ramada Hotel as viewed from the zigzag road |
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| This Saudi guy is brave enough to sit on the edge of the cliff overlooking the seemingly never-ending twist and turns of the zigzag road. (I still get nauseated every time I look at this photo) |
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| Spectrum on board a train going up to the water park |
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| Local teenage boys who were also on-board the train we rode |
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| a view from inside the cable car cabin as we ascend back to the top |
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| local guys aboard cable car |
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| We took a short coffee break to let our nerves relax from the nerve-racking cable car ride (I realized most of us are afraid of heights, but we all had fun teasing each other inside the cable car cabin) |
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| Camel-for-hire sitting comfortably amidst his 21st century competitors |
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| A view of the zigzag road from the cable car cabin on our way down |
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| the small, beige structure at the top of the mountain is the Ramada Hotel where one starts his descent via the cable car |
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| The Water Park - with multiple water slides, boomerang slide, and a Wave Pool |
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| This photo was taken as we board our cars to find our way back to Jeddah |
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| The summer sun's last peek of the day - how gorgeous, eh? |
Here are a few useful websites / blogsites about Taif:
http://www.alhada.8k.com/taif.html
http://americanbedu.com/2008/09/05/taif-saudi-arabia-summer-resorts-city/
