hauteboy

Earlier this year I noticed that United had filed fare sale to several Middle East destinations, from Houston to Kuwait, Dubai, Jeddah, etc fares were showing in the $700-$750 range. Not knowing if the fare would stick around I quickly booked an IAH-FRA-JED r/t over Memorial Day, hoping to get a transit visa to Saudi Arabia. When granted, they allow 72 hrs transit. However I had booked a 100+ hr stop in Jeddah, requiring a flight to a third country anyway. I was looking at going to either Eritrea or Sudan. Luckily the conditions of the fare stated that if a visa was denied I would get a full fare refund (not clear if they would count the change fee or not?). I had heard recent reports of transit visas being granted and I held out hope that I would be able to obtain the visa. Saudi Arabia, Yemen (at the time) and Maldives were the only countries I had not yet visited in Asia.

(http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...a-jl-rj-j.html, http://upgrd.com/matthew/how-to-obta...nsit-visa.html)

At the time I booked the flight, I had not finalized my travel plans for March trip with a travel buddy, We eventually ended up visiting Yemen, Djibouti, Somaliland, Ethiopia, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda (see trip report http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...land-more.html). We had hoped to include Eritrea and/or Saudi on that trip, but flights from Asmara are limited or at horrible times and just couldn't make it work with the dates my friend had available.

I was still unsure about visiting Eritrea vs Sudan.. I was even contemplating going for both after I heard that it was possible to pre-arrange a visa on arrival for Khartoum... expensive but would save weeks of waiting on a visa. After my Yemen trip, I sent off my passport to the Eritrea embassy in Washington DC. I had heard horror stories about visas not being granted, taking a long time, etc. I paid the extra $10 expedite fee ($50 total) and in two weeks received my visa back. Good, so now I had my visa for the third country.

Next was getting the transit visa for Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has moved to an online application (https://enjazit.com.sa/Enjaz/PersonServices) where you fill out the online information, submit a photo and pay the online application fee ($10.50). The photo requirements are pretty strict... under 20kb and I kept having to change the quality setting on jpg to finally get an image that fit. The application also requested sponsor number and name... I just put in n/a or all 1's and it seemed to accept it. The next challenge was the credit card payment... it kept failing to go through and it took calling Chase and staying on the line with them while I processed the payment for it to finally go through.

I then sent off the output of the online application along with the Saudi Visa application and proposed airline itinerary to the consulate in Houston. The website had mentioned that transit visas were free so I did not send along any addditional payment.. a week later I noticed that my tracking numbers had gone active, I get the passport back only to find no visa... they had written 'where is the payment' on my form. My flight was supposed to leave in 10 days so I was a bit panicked, they hadn't officially denied it. I decided to drive to Houston to the consulate and try to arrange the visa face to face. After about a three hour drive from Austin with traffic I arrived at the consulate off Westheimer about 9:30AM but the visa window was not yet open. By 10:00 I had asked about my visa application, they said that transit visas were not free... that I needed to submit yet another payment via the online application. They also said they do not issue transit visas to any airline other than Saudi (eek!) but the official was able to make an exception (whew). I ran off to a nearby Starbucks to use wifi and pay the fee (this time didn't have problems with the credit card) then back to the consulate. When I returned to the consulate they said (inshallah) the visa would be ready by 2PM! I kicked around Houston for a few hours before returning to the consulate just after 2PM. The visa was still not ready but after a half hour wait I got my passport back with the elusive Saudi transit visa!

Next the trick was arranging the flights from Jeddah to Asmara. Lufthansa flies that route but does not have 5th freedom flights. Eritrean airlines flies the route but is not possible to book online (well actually I found out later zuji.com.sg can do it). I had been in contact with a travel agent in Asmara to see about arranging a car and driver. I also found out that it would be Eritrean Independence Day the day I planned to arrive... that might pose problems as tourists need a permit to travel outside the capital of Asmara. I'd hoped the travel agent cound pre-arrange the tourist permit. I wired them money for the plane ticket and they were able to issue my JED-ASM flight on Eritrean Airlines for $367... half of what I had paid to fly from Houston to Jeddah! So now I was set, flights, visas and tour. The inconvenient flight times to Asmara meant I would have a 15-hr and 18-hr overnight stop in Jeddah on the outbound and inbound. I booked the Sheraton Jeddah hotel on points for my first night.

chicagodesi

looking forward to this TR, lets see some pics!

ironmanjt

Are. You. Kidding. Me.

This is gonna be epic!

BostonFlyer1624

Looking forward to this TR. Not many that feature this part of the world.

hauteboy

Sorry have been on my way back from Jeddah the past 30 hrs or so with a dead laptop... will post tomorrow.

Dieuwer

I always wonder how people can a) afford these expensive trip, and b) where they get the time to do so.

smit0847

I wonder the exact same thing - I assume they work extremely hard when they do work.

vecta

From memory reading some of hauteboys TR's he quite often goes to out of the way places and stays and cheap hotels, so maybe that allows some of the more expensive parts of the trip to be justified.

It's all relative.

Can't wait for this report to get going!

tsastor

That's what we have Flyertalk for.

That's a harder one, especially if you have adapted to the American work/vacation culture.

farbster

Not sure about this poster or where he's staying, but some people do stay at inexpensive places for cash.

I imagine the time away from work/family is often the struggle that people have, not as much the money...

ironmanjt

a) Flyertalk helps, and there are cheaper options for hotels, etc

b) Remember many posters here aren't Americans with the associated 10 days of PTO. Many are also self-employed, do them in conjunction with work trip, etc.

Dieuwer

Seems like the US is at the bottom of the pack again: "USA lags behind others in paid vacation, holidays"

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...idays/2327043/

hauteboy

I keep my eye out for good fares like this.. $750 r/t to Middle East is pretty good deal.. especially mileage-earning (LH flights have already credited to my Miles and More account). Other trips I will use FF miles earned on trips like this (Yemen trip was booked on FF miles).

For time off I get 6 weeks a year (4 weeks vacation, 1 week Xmas, 80 hours PBA.. my boss will let me use ~1 week for travel), definitely unusual for US companies though.

oneworld82

I get 15 days of PTO in the US... by working o ncertain holidays I can get 19 useful days to travel... ~4 weeks...

hauteboy

May 22, 2013
Flight: Houston, TX (IAH) to Frankfurt, Germany (FRA); United 777; economy
May 23, 2013
Flight: Frankfurt, Germany (FRA) to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (JED); Lufthansa A330; economy
Hotel: Sheraton Jeddah, Award 10k/night
The first challenge was getting to Houston. As it was Memorial Day weekend flights AUS-IAH were showing $300 r/t or more.. not worth it IMHO for a 2-3 hr drive each way. My flight to Frankfurt didn't leave until 6:30PM so I was able to get in a half day at work before leaving after lunch around 1PM. As I was on the way out of town I realized I'd forgotten my Diners Club and United Club lounge access cards! I had packed very lightly and quickly, only bringing my daypack with 5-6 days worth of clothes, my laptop and new phone.

The drive to Houston airport only took 2.5 hrs even with traffic and by the time I parked and made it through security to the lounge it was just past 4PM. I had plenty of time so had a shower in the United Club and was able to get them to print out a temporary membership card.

The flight left on time. I was a bit worried about my connection in FRA.. only showing an hour which can be short as there are some long/complicated connections from USA flights. I watched a few movies, 'Bullet to the Head', 'Broken City' and part of 'Guilt Trip' before trying to get some sleep. I had also forgotten to bring my melatonin which I usually use to combat jetlag.

United IAH-FRA

Luckily the flight was uneventful and we landed 30 minutes early in Frankfurt. It was a few minutes taxi to the Z terminal and luckily we deplaned via jetbridge. From there it was a good long walk/train to the B terminal. Luckily with the early arrival I still had a few minutes to pop into the Lufthansa Business lounge. They luckily accepted the temporary UA Gold membership card. I had time to grab a drink and a bite before heading back to the gate.

The flight to Jeddah was on an Airbus A330. There were a mix of passengers.. pilgrims on Umrah, businessmen, Saudi locals. Watched a few more movies, 'Django Unchained' and 'Parker' again before attempting some sleep. I woke up just as we were flying across the Nile valley. Quite a dramatic difference between the stark desert on either side and the irrigated green fields of the valley. Dinner was beef stroganoff.

Lufthansa FRA-JED


Nile Valley

We arrived ontime into Jeddah just as it was starting to get dark. We landed to the north, doing a curve around the huge King Fahd's fountain, which shoots water nearly 1000 feet high. Finally we land and deplane via bus and I was in Saudi Arabia! The challenge now was to actually get through immigration.. I had heard it can take an hour or more to get stamped in. Jeddah has two terminals, South terminal is for Saudia flights, North terminal is for all other international airlines. There are also two terminals used only during Hajj season to process the huge arrival of pilgrims.

King Fahd's fountain, Jeddah

When I entered the terminal it was unclear which line I should stand in. Most were labeled 'Umrah' or GCC residents. I just picked the business visa line behind some other westerners. The line moved slowly, nearly 30 minutes pass before I reach the front of the line. I finally get up to the official, say Salaam Aleikum and present my passport with visa. He looks at it, then points around the corner and says something I don't catch... I thought I must have been in the wrong line so I went around the corner to a different line.

Same thing.. after 30 minutes get to the front of the line only to be waved away again, this time they just said 'computer office'. They didn't say what they wanted there or anything. I went to the office, nobody there. There was a desk next to it though and asked them, showed them my visa and passport and they told me to go sit down. After another 30 minutes my passport is still sitting on the desk and it appears they haven't done anything.. I get up and ask again about transit visa. The guy there then tries to take me through the transit desk and I said no no... I have a visa, I have a hotel reservation, my flight isn't until tomorrow morning (~13 hrs).

Finally they tell me to get back in line again! Well third time is a charm right? Another 30 minute wait. All the clocks in the arrival hall appear to be broken.. making an interminable wait seem like no time at all. Finally I get up to the front and present my passport and flight itinerary for yet a third time. Again they tell me computer office, number.. yet what number? I said no they told me to come here. Luckily this time the guy at the office was nearby and he told the immigration official I didn't need anything. This time, success! They took my fingerprints and photo and stamped me in, finally over 2.5 hrs after arriving I am official.

Luckily I only had carryon bags and exited out to the arrivals area. There are banks to the right as you come out, and was able to get some cash out from the ATM. It is now nearly 10PM and my flight departs the next morning at 10AM. Next was surviving the calls for taxi, taxi. I had read that 40-50SAR ($13) would be good rate to town (and the Sheraton was closer to the airport). Most drivers started out at 100SAR ($26.67) but one finally came down to 80 ($21.33).. I'm sure I still way overpaid. As it was he got lost on the way to the Sheraton... all I knew it was near the Hilton on the Corniche road.

Finally we reach the hotel, though on the back side. I just tell the driver to drop me off there and I walked through the pool area to get to the reception. I finally made Starwood Gold this year and was surprised to get a huge upgrade to a 7-room lavish suite. Feeling like an oil sheikh I checked out all the rooms and nearly managed to get lost in them.






Sheraton Jeddah

I wanted to get out and see some of the town. Most places in Saudi Arabia stay open late (2AM) as during the day is hot and people come out at night instead. It was nearly 11PM as I set out walking from the hotel. Within a couple blocks were McDonalds, Starbucks, Baskin Robbins and Burger King. The only difference from America being that there were separate entrances for men and women/families. I walked up the Corniche road a bit more, grabbing a schwarma-like sandwich (there was a huge line for the place and it smelled great) and a fruit juice.








I then headed back to the hotel to get a little sleep. Where I discovered that the laptop power adapter I had bought in Somaliland a few months previously had died... leaving me with just my phone for Internet access. I also woke up at 3AM unable to go back to sleep. Normally I take melatonin on trips and it knocks me right out.