Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — With the Eid Al-Fitr holidays drawing to a close, the expatriate community has ben busy in wrapping up and returning to their places of work. Many of them had seized the occasion to travel to different cities in the Kingdom to meet with friends and relatives, as well as to visit tourist destinations such as Abha and Taif.

Most of airlines operating between Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam have no seats available in economy class for another couple of days.

Huge crowds of passengers thronged the bus stations of Saudi Arabian Public Transport Company (SAPTCO) in Jeddah and other parts of the Kingdom.

Several road mishaps were recorded on highways connecting major cities. Besides the Saudi Red Crescent, major hospitals such as the Buraidah General Hospital deployed exclusive teams on highways to provide treatment to the injured.

Meanwhile, a significant number of expatriates across the Kingdom took advantage of the opportunity to rest and refresh prior to returning to work.

Bachelors living in Saudi Arabia, who are spending Eid holidays away from their families, joined their friends in various cities inside the Kingdom.

Celebrating the Eid with friends and family makes a difference. Those who miss the family and the warmth of being at home celebrated with close friends and colleagues.

Mohammed Imran Ahmed, hailing from Uttarakhand in India, said the highlight of his celebration was the telephone calls to loved ones back home to convey Eid greetings.

Ahmed has not celebrated Eid with his wife and children for the last six years.

Echoing the same sentiments, Mohammed Saleem, a Pakistani expatriate, told Saudi Gazette that home captures the true Eid spirit. "Being at home is different, it will never be the same without family and friends," he said.

Some workaholics commented that celebrating Eid a day or two was fairly enough as they were bored with long holiday.

"For me one day is enough. Where would I go during the remaining day," ask Rokun, a Bangladeshi national.

Non-Muslim expatriates also enjoyed the long Eid break.

Longtime resident and prominent Philippine community worker, Alex Blello, said, "I have lived most part of my life in Saudi Arabia and I enjoy Eid holidays; often I travel back home to the Philippines during the holiday."

Some families who had opted to spend their holidays in Saudi Arabia because of skyrocketing airfare instead traveled within the Kingdom.

The entertainment of children is always a priority for families during the Eid holidays.

Those who live in Jeddah and Riyadh chose various destinations like Taif and Abha while some took the opportunity to travel to the holy city of Madinah to pray at the Prophet's Mosque.

According to sources there was a significant drop in expatriate holidaymakers in tourist places as many families have left the Kingdom for good.