Just how different are Jeddah & the Eastern coast?

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Its very strict riles here in saudi.
Are u malr or female

asasas wrote:

Its very strict riles here in saudi.
Are u malr or female

I'm male. And yes, I'm aware of that. I'd just like to know in what ways these cities are more laid-back, as I've heard that's the case.

Hey!

Well, I've only lived in Khobar for 9 months and this coming weekend I'll be in Jeddah, so maybe I could be more helpful then. I haven't been to Qatar, but I've been to Bahrain...

I haven't witnessed the super conservative KSA of lore. Yes, I've had the Fashion Police tell me to cover my head, but *shrug* I know I don't have to by law. In fact, that's probably the primary "liberal" feature of Khobar and Jeddah I've heard, that even though it's lawful for an expat woman to not cover her head, she's not going to get harassed if she refrains, whereas, supposedly, elsewhere she'll get stalked and maybe even assaulted. Every woman, except for doctors, must wear a black abaya in public, but expats can get away with more colorful, glitzy ones in Khobar and Jeddah. Apparently.

Maybe I'm lucky or God's shielding my dumb azz. I have managed to do everything I was cautioned I couldn't do, or heard from the horse's mouth that it had done it. I can only say that everyone who has been to Riyadh and other areas have declared that Khobar/Dammam and Jeddah are much more liberal than the entire country. What I've heard coming out of Jeddah makes it sound like another country, so I'm excited for the coming weekend.

Also, I should point out that it's very probable that the things I hear about Jeddah are confined to compounds, embassies/consulates and private estates/beaches. *shrug*

Yes you are definitely right..jeddah and east coast are much more liberal than other areas. Khobar IST pretty westernised you find many foreigners about ..and if your in a compound can live as you lke like within reason..its not as bad here as people make out

lol at the irony of liberty falling on a veil. - is there anything else that could be discussed?

sarcasm sarcasm !

Thanks for everyone who has answered so far, I really appreciate your insight! Would be interested in hearing more experiences/opinions as well. 

Jeddah is more "liberal" than many other parts of the country mainly because of the proximity of Makkah and Madinah.  Millions Hajj of viisitors visits these cities, and the majority of pilgrims spend all of their time in Saudi in Makkah and/or Madinah.  In Jeddah, you usually can find someone who will help you communicate.  Shops, hospitals, restaurants, and many (but not all!) taxi drivers provide services in both English and Arabic.  In Jeddah, women can go shopping without head scarves, although it's a good idea to wear or carry one, in case someone tells you to put one on.

Jeddah is certainly a little more liberal than the central region e.g. Riyadh. The religious police are less in evidence. Western women do not generally wear headscarves though they do wear abayas when out. That said, it's important to respect the local customs if one wants to live here. On the other side of the coin, if a woman is dressed according to local custom she is arguably safer out on her own than an unaccompanied lady in a Western city.

In Jeddah there are also private beaches with entry fees where the wearing of abayas is forbidden inside, and single men are not allowed. There are some differences but it is still fairly conservative.

To say  that Jeddah and Khobar are the most liberal places in Saudi Arabia may be true, but that is like saying they are the least rainy parts of North Wales.

I personally found almost no difference whatsoever between either of them and Riyadh to be honest, but with Riyadh sometimes appearing more liberal as there is the large diplomatic quarter and i think considerably more westerners in Riyadh.

Having said that if you have the choice between Khobar and jeddah, go for Khobar, the climate is far better and Bahrain is far closer. Just my opinion.

Good evening ..have to disagree. Riyadh is much stricter in many aspects .unless you're in compounds
But yes khobar much nicer than Jeddah less crowded and yes better climate

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. For me as far as non-compound or DQ life goes there is virtually no difference whatsoever. Like I said the least rainy part of North Wales.

Add to that the fact that there are a lot more expats in Riyadh than Jeddah, so I saw far more multinational pretty faces in RIyadh. Then of course there is the DQ which is effectively a giant compound. Works out as a better, more laid back place for westerners, IMHO.

Definitely agree about East coast living being better than West. Not just a much nicer climate but also you forgot to mention that Jeddah is a giant overcrowded highly polluted motorway virtually devoid of parks or beaches (except miles out of town or for rich people) and of course East coast is closer to Bahrain.

For me it gets worse the further west you go. I didn't find Riyadh any stricter in any way than Jeddah in the three months I was there earlier this year, quite the opposite in fact.

But then I am male so that maybe makes a difference.