According to the 21 May 1958 issue of the Arabian Sun and Flare—published exactly 60 years ago this week!—if you were living in Dhahran at the time and wanted to visit Half Moon Bay 14 or so miles (23 kilometers) to the south by taxi, a one-way ride there would have cost you 12 SAR (2.67 USD at 1958 exchange rates, 23.18 USD today). In the event you wanted to return to camp—and we’re guessing you probably would have—a round-trip ticket would have set you back another 10 SAR for a total fare of 22 SAR (4.89 USD at 1958 exchange rates, 42.45 USD today).
Again according to the Sun and Flare, that round-trip fare would have included one hour of waiting time while you picnicked on the Bay’s golden sandy beaches or frolicked in its sapphire blue/emerald green waters. If an hour proved not enough time for you to have all the fun you set out to enjoy, it would have cost you 1 SAR for every additional 10 minutes of waiting time.
It’s been a few years since I last took a taxi ride in the Kingdom, but, based on what I remember, and taking into account the rate of inflation over the past six decades, those rates from 1958 aren’t that much different from what a person might expect to pay today for comparable service. (I invite readers with access to current taxi rates in Dhahran to fact check me on this.)
Whatever the taxi fare might have been back then, it was worth every penny and more—and no doubt still is today. There are so many wonderful things to do at Half Moon Bay, one loses count trying to describe them all. There’s picnicking and swimming, of course. And sunbathing. And scuba-diving and skin-diving and snorkeling. Don’t forget about fishing for grouper, or sailing a boat, or water skiing. Did I mention sail-boarding or paddle-boarding, or canoeing or kayaking? There’s even sand biking—something I’ve yet to try. And, of course, there are jet skis and ATVs for those seeking motorized adventure. And, and, and…the list goes on and on.
The wonders of Half Moon Bay are amply portrayed in the accompanying photos submitted by AXP readers.
by William Kochinski by Michael Omer (Sunset) by Bill Davidson (1984-1991) by Bert Seal (1956) by Bert Seal (2009 KSA Reunion) by T. F. Walters (Sun and Flare)