About Marcus Chen

How I Ended Up in Jeddah

In early 2022, my consulting firm asked if anyone wanted to take a three-year assignment in Saudi Arabia. Most of my colleagues politely declined. I said yes without really thinking it through. I'd traveled extensively in Asia and Europe, but the Middle East was a blank spot on my personal map. Maybe that's why I was curious.

My first month in Jeddah was disorienting. The heat was brutal. The cultural differences were significant. And every travel resource I found repeated the same generic advice: visit Al-Balad, see the fountain, respect local customs. None of it told me where to actually eat, how to meet people, or what the city felt like beneath its surface.

So I started exploring on my own. I got lost in Al-Balad for hours. I accidentally walked into the fish market at 5 AM and ended up having breakfast with fishermen. I struck up conversations with taxi drivers, shopkeepers, and the Saudi colleagues who slowly became friends. Each experience taught me something the guidebooks never mentioned.

Why I Created This Guide

By my second year, friends and colleagues started asking me for recommendations. "Where should my visiting parents go?" "What's that coffee shop you mentioned?" "How do I actually experience the city and not just the tourist highlights?"

I realized I'd accumulated knowledge that could genuinely help people. Not the sanitized tourism-board version of Jeddah, but the real city. The one where the best shawarma comes from a cart with no name. Where the most beautiful mosque views require waking up before dawn. Where getting lost in the old town leads to better stories than any planned itinerary.

This website is my attempt to share what I learned. Everything here comes from personal experience. I've been to every place I recommend, often multiple times. I've made the mistakes so you don't have to. And I try to be honest about what's genuinely worth your time and what's overhyped.

My Travel Philosophy

I believe the best travel experiences come from genuine curiosity, not checklists. I'd rather have one meaningful conversation with a local than visit ten famous monuments. I think getting lost is often more valuable than having a perfect plan. And I believe every city has hidden depths that reveal themselves only to those willing to look beyond the obvious.

Jeddah rewarded this approach more than any city I've lived in. It's not immediately charming in the way that Paris or Tokyo can be. It requires patience and openness. But once you understand it, once you learn its rhythms and find your places within it, there's a warmth and authenticity that's hard to find elsewhere.

Beyond the Guide

When I'm not writing about Jeddah, I work as a management consultant specializing in market entry strategy for the Middle East. I hold an MBA from INSEAD and previously worked in Singapore and London. I speak conversational Arabic (badly), Mandarin (better), and English (native).

My assignment in Jeddah officially ended in late 2024, but I've stayed on. The city that was supposed to be a temporary posting became home. I'm not sure how long I'll remain here, but as long as I do, I'll keep exploring and sharing what I find.

If you have questions about Jeddah, suggestions for places I should check out, or just want to say hello, I'd love to hear from you. You can reach me through the contact page or find me on social media. I try to respond to everyone eventually, though it sometimes takes a few days.