There is something about the sea that is so majestic yet so playful. Every time I'm in a city that sits right on the shorelines of a sea, there is a change in my demeanor; a relaxing calmness almost always takes over me. I don't even have to be residing right on the shores, I could be a couple of miles away from the water but the attitude that overcomes me is one of ultimate sublimity. It reminds me of that Malibu commercial, which takes place in a Jamaican traffic jam. Unlike every other traffic jam in the world where passengers are honking and crying out loud, this one consists of all the passengers exiting their cars and heading over to the Malibu truck, which has become a makeshift bar. That's how I feel whenever I'm in an ocean city; it doesn't matter that there are traffic jams, humidity, broken roads, or anything else that had it not been for the proximity of the sea, I would find supremely annoying. The best cities that are on the water are in the third world, and everything worrisome or bothersome that comes with a third world city is forgotten once the open waters are seen and felt. The bride of the Red Sea is the best example of this phenomenon; Jeddah is one of the many cities that sits right on the water and despite her many shortcomings, she shines like a vessel of joyful, unadulterated pleasures.
