(2) Saudi Arabian Railways (SAR) and Haramain High Speed Trains and Train Stations.
What I did not like …
Nothing significant, but I wish something could be done about the:
(1) Amount of food wastage
(2) Amount of garbage being generated
Location in the World map …
Some interesting tidbits about Saudi Arabia …
Fifth largest nation in Asia and the largest in the Middle-East.
Islam’s two holiest cities are in Saudi Arabia. Mecca/Makkah and Medina/Madinah.
“Al Saud” is the Royal Family.
Saudi Arabia has more oil than any other nation in the World.
Saudi Arabia is considered as the birthplace of Islam.
Riyadh supposedly has the World’s largest Camel Market. Arabian camels or “one-hump camels” offer a source of milk, food, leather Etc. Most of the camels sold at the market are destined for slaughterhouses.
King Fahd Airport (DMM) in Dammam is supposed to be the World’s largest, in terms of area.
2/3rd of Saudi Arabian people are less than 35 years old!
Rub-Al Khali (“Empty Quarter”) is the largest continuous sand desert in the World. It measures around 650,000 Sq.Km. Some sand dunes reach a staggering 200+ meters in height.
Jeddah Tower, if completed (That is a big “If”), will be the tallest skyscraper in the World.
Saudi Arabia, despite being a desert mostly, faces the irony of having to import sand from other countries, for construction, since desert sand is not good for construction.
The Saudi Arabian flag holds a unique distinction among national flags as it never flies at half-mast, even during periods of mourning. Lowering the flag is considered a blasphemous act and goes against the deep reverence the country holds for its national symbol.
Largest City: Riyadh (8M people)
Capital: Riyadh
Population: 37M
Language: Arabic
GDP: 1 Trillion US$
Ethnicity: (Roughly) 60% Arabs (40% Immigrants)
Religion: 95%+% Muslims (Islam)
Currency: Saudi Arabian Riyal (SAR) (1 USD == 3.75 SAR) (1 SAR== 22.10 INR)
National Animal: Arabian Camel
My Experiences
My initial impressions:
(1) Wasn’t expecting to see Air Hostesses in the Saudia flight. Maybe not Saudi citizens. Saw several lady passengers with their heads not covered. Maybe they change once in Riyadh? Nope. A few of them went as is, once they reached Riyadh airport. Noticed an area in the plane set aside for Namaz, with 2 folded carpets available for use.
(2) Rub Al Khali (“Empty Quarter”) was amazing. Huge, desolate and never-ending. I think we flew 2-3hrs over it.
Rub Al Khali (“Empty Quarter”): The largest contiguous sand desert in the World. 650000 Sq.Km. Huge sand dunes in some areas (200m+ it seems!). If you zoom in, you can notice roads. That should be some drive. Some of the desert formations are so unique …
I am mesmerized by Empty Quarter 🙂 Look at that road …
King Khalid International Airport’s Terminal 4. This is a relatively new terminal. KKIA has a separate Royal Terminal it seems.
The 99 storeys tall Kingdom Tower, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.Kingdom Center has a swanky mall at the base. Since “Swanky” has zero connection with me, did not waste time here 🙂Sky Bridge offers excellent views of Riyadh. Thought about night time visit as well, but will probably skip it due to the bad experience at Burj Khalifa in 2019 (4th visit to “At The Top” (Observation Deck) was a night one and due to dusty glass, did not enjoy the views as much). Riyadh is a very spread out city. 2000 Sq.Km. LA is around 1300 Sq.Km and NY around 800 Sq.Km.The Sky Bridge has a curve (You can note in the exterior view of the building as well). One has to take 2 elevators. 1st to 77th floor and then another to the 99th.Hah … Reminds me of the Water Tanks in Kuwait. Near Al Madi Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.National Museum of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh: A meteorite from Empty Quarter … The Museum is pretty nice, with good descriptions, helpful staff Etc.National Museum of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh: A pot from 2100BC!National Museum of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh: Each artifact was carefully marked. The Museum takes us through the entire history of Arabian Peninsula, with a focus on what is now Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).National Museum of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh: A view from outside. There is a nice park outside. I tried to buy souvenirs from the gift shop. One postcard costs 50 SAR! Scooted from there … 🙂Bus network in Riyadh is not that extensive, considering how spread out the city is. AC bus stops, with electronic display (Next bus timings).King Abdullah Park: Since it was a Saturday, many families were there. Sustained using desalinated water. KSA does the most desalination in the World.Map of King Abdullah Park … Several people were jogging in the park.Portion of Riyadh Metro. Started in 2013, expected to be completed in 2024. Among the consortium of builders, L&T is also there 🙂Al Rajhi Mosque … Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest Mosques in Saudi Arabia.Saudi Arabian Riyal (SAR). Currently 1 SAR == 22.10 INR and 3.75 SAR == 1 USD.Riyadh Bus … Swanky bus stops (AC enclosure). But not an extensive network. Not many people using it either.
Murabba Historical Palace, Riyadh, KSA. Amazingly, only I was there! (Maybe too early in the day? 9AM). It is a very nice museum, with many displays. Showcases Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud (Known in the West as Ibn Saud), considered as the Founding Father of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He reconquered Riyadh in 1902 and through a succession of conquests, united the region. He was very tall, 6’4″ or so. He had around 22 wives and over 100 children.Ibn Saud (King AbdulAziz), the founder of KSA, with his staff … Murabba Palace, Riyadh.Interior Courtyard, Murabba Palace, Riyadh. There were around 20 security personnel and 1 tourist 🙂King AbdulAziz hosting a Royal Banquet for King of Jordan. You can note what looks to be roasted Camel. Murabba Palace, Riyadh.King AbdulAziz with some of his Grand-Kids … Murabba Palace, Riyadh.Guest reception hall in Murabba Palace, Riyadh.King AbdulAziz loved his luxury cars … Rolls, Cadillac Etc. Well maintained in the Museum. Murabba Palace, Riyadh.Middle-Eastern people love Oud 🙂 There were Oud stores everywhere.Masmak Fortress, Riyadh, KSA. This was the fort King Abdulaziz ibn Saud Al Saud (Ibn Saud) captured in 1902, after returning from exile in Kuwait.…Masmak Fortress, Riyadh, KSA. This was the fort King Abdulaziz ibn Saud Al Saud (Ibn Saud) captured in 1902, after returning from exile in Kuwait.Depiction of King AbdulAziz storming Masmak Fortress in 1902. Masmak Fortress, Riyadh.How the Reunification of Saudi Arabia happened … Masmak Fortress, Riyadh.A nice Mosque … While being driven around Riyadh.Arabian Camels!“Edge of the World”, Tuwaiq Mountains, KSA. Its a 1.5hr drive Westward from Riyadh via highway, and then another 1hr of offroading. After a short trek, this is what you get 😱 We were a group consisting of a Canadian couple (Driving around the World, 90 Countries), a young British girl working in Sydney, an Italian dude from Venice, a Brazilian from Sao Paulo, a Singapore-based Taiwanese-American lady about to spend 9 months travelling, and yours truly 🙂 The trekking company provided a campfire dinner as well. Tuwaiq mountains go for around 800km (!) in KSA.Sunset at “Edge of the World”, Tuwaiq Mountains, KSA. One has to walk along the edges (😳) quite a bit to ultimately get to the overhanging rock, which is THE prime destination there. I shamelessly crawled on all 4s to sit at the edge (Afraid of heights 😀)The prime destination at the EdgeOfTheWorld … The overhanging rock.“Edge of the World”, Tuwaiq Mountains, KSA. The overhanding rock … It is really scary to walk to the edge. I was petrified. Some folks just boldly walked over as if it was nothing, that too with all the winds.“Edge of the World”, Tuwaiq Mountains, KSA.“Edge of the World”, Tuwaiq Mountains, KSA. Sunset …An old village, in ruins, while on the way to EdgeOfTheWorld.Hah! Love Chillies … The one on the bottom looks a little familiar 🙂
King Khalid Domestic Terminal (“Terminal 5”) from outside … Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.King Khalid Domestic Terminal (“Terminal 5”) from inside … Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.Arabic Coffee … Not very strong, but with spices. My 4th paid one since landing in KSA 🙂FlyNas Airlines: The flight from Riyadh … Kind of like IndiGo (India) or SouthWest (US).
Captures … During the flight from Riyadh to AlUla, Saudi Arabia.
An art structure in front of AlUla Airport.The small AlUla “International” Airport.Map of Daimumah Oasis Park, AlUla, Saudi Arabia.
Daimumah Oasis Park: Showcasing the historical way of life in this region. A big park with mud walkways, cafe, restaurant Etc. Did not see any tourists around … All were stuck at Jabal AlFil probably 🙂
My Guide/Driver Samy … Pretty chilled guy, who knows basic English. He took me to the Saudi eatery from where I got the dinner takeaway. It was awesome.Jabal AlFil (“Elephant Rock”): Four moods of the mighty elephant, captured over 3 hours, around sunset. Sandstone, carved by nature over many many years. You can note the scale of the structure against the people around. 52 meters tall. Now I am seeing foreign tourists in KSA 😀 In droves. AlUla region is truly magical. It was a bit chilly at dusk. There is a cafe and different kinds of seating arrangements. Another thing that is striking about this region: It is spotlessly clean 👌 My great enemy “Plastic” is nowhere to be found 🙂Jabal AlFil (“Elephant Rock”): View from the other side (East side). The elephant faces North.Jabal AlFil (“Elephant Rock”): View from the bottom … 🙂How is it to be driven around in AlUla? 😀 I felt it to be magical. One thing, the roads itself are 3x better than in Riyadh (Not that Riyadh has bad roads, by the way). Way smoother and better maintained. And the rock formations wherever you look 😱Set-2: Love the Brown (Rocks) + Green (Palms Etc.) combo …The fantastic views of AlUla area … From Harrat Viewpoint, AlUla, Saudi Arabia. There is a cafe (Quite pricey!) and many seating options. It gets quite crowded at Sunset.Bought Kabsa (Flavored Rice with Chicken) parcel for dinner …Arabian Camels … Very common sight. AlUla, Saudi Arabia.What thorny spines these palm trees have … AlUla, Saudi Arabia.Yet another scenic route in AlUla, Saudi Arabia.Brown + Green. Love it!The starting point of the tours to Dadan & Jabal Ikmah and also to Hegra.Had an extremely lousy Mayo-filled “Club” (Yes, it did club my stomach, alright) Sandwich from this vendor … AlUla, Saudi Arabia.The bus for the Dadan & Jabal Ikmah tour … The tour takes around 2.5hr. I found this tour to be very boring. We only get to see the Dadan tombs from very far away (Have to use binoculars!), for e.g. There was also some moronic “Excavation Experience” which 5yr olds might have found exciting 🙂Ah … Loved this rock! Jabal Ikmah, AlUla, Saudi Arabia.Had a Beef Sheek Kebab lunch … Didn’t have much time, Was in a hurry for Hegra Tour. AlUla, Saudi Arabia.What a rock! AlUla, Saudi Arabia.Hegra (“Al-Hijr” in Arabic), AlUla, KSA. 1st UNESCO World Heritage site in KSA. Built by Nabataeans (3rd Century BC to 1st Century AD), the same civilization behind Petra in Jordan. In the olden days, Hegra was smack in the middle of major trade routes. Top-Left is the Tomb of Lihyan, a prominent Nabataean. You can note that he had 2 “Stairways to Heaven”. KSA has entered the Tourism game very late, but got to hand it to them on how to market and attract tourists. Unless the remaining parts of KSA does something spectacular, it is safe to say that if a tourist could only go to one place in KSA, it has to be AlUla. Why? Amazingly clean, mind-blowing landscapes, history, UNESCO World Heritage sites, convenient airport, many accommodation options and nice roads.Reminds me of a Muffin 🙂 AlUla, Saudi Arabia.Hegra, AlUla, Saudi Arabia. Inside one of the Tombs …Our Hegra Guide (You can only go on conducted tours. Cannot roam on your own) explaining away … Look at the size of this structure. It was apparently used as a gathering area. Hegra, AlUla, Saudi Arabia.Dadan: Ancient Kingdom of Dadan or Lihyan. 6th Century BC. Even older than Nabataeans! If you zoom in, you can see the 700+ tombs on the mountain-side. AlUla, Saudi Arabia.Jabal Ikmah: After offerings, people used to make inscriptions on the rocks. Kingdom of Lihyan/Dadan. AlUla, Saudi Arabia.AlUla Old Town. It comes to life after 6PM. Cafes, Shops Etc.Had dinner at this restaurant, specializing in Chicken dishes. AlUla, Saudi Arabia.Ashar Valley, at dusk … The mirror building is Maraya, used as an event center. Ashar Valley has several luxury resorts, like Banyan Tree, Habitas Etc.Found these kind of heaters in many hotels and restaurants … It gets quite chilly in the nights. AlUla, Saudi Arabia.Its goodbye to AlUla 👋 Hello to Madinah/Medina, in this bad boy. 1st bus trip in KSA. Driver & Helper both are Pakistanis, one from Islamabad and one from Multan. Go to test my basic Hindi with them. Met this French couple, who asked me a zillion Qs about how/what/when/where w.r.t. India. Kerala is in their plans 💪NorthWest bus ride from AlUla to Madinah/Medina. Roughly 5hr, with two 10-20min breaks in between. The road was single-lane around 60% of the time. Front seats are reserved for ladies (There were 2 Saudi ladies. “Saudi” I assume, based on Burkha/Hijab). Total of just 7 passengers 😀 Not sure how long the company will be able to keep this up on this route. At the AlUla bus stop, there were several private vehicle guys offering rides to Madinah and Jeddah. They considered NorthWest as an “enemy” … They were a tad upset when I refused their offer claiming I already had a bus ticket.More views during the bus trip from AlUla to Madinah/Medina. Saudi Arabia.Different face of Saudi Arabia (KSA) 😕 Riyadh was quite neat. AlUla was very neat. But then, Madinah, not so great … Even, Riyadh and AlUla were clean(er), not because people had nice civic sense. They were clean(er) because cheap labor (From South Asian nations) were picking up the garbage round-the-clock. By jove, I HATE (SINGLE-USE) PLASTIC. This is going to impact each and every one of us, ultimately. The other thing I cannot stand is when people, even supposedly educated people (Who should know better), engage in random trashing of places. The amount of plastic KSA uses is unbelievable. Every small item is wrapped in plastic, plastic utensils Etc.Haramain High-Speed Train Station, Madinah/Medina, KSA. Very swanky station. It is (immediately) surrounded by still-developing areas (Partly constructed areas, garbage-strewn streets Etc.).Haramain High-Speed Train … Madinah/Medina to Jeddah. Where are all the people??? Just kidding 😀 I entered the coach 1st. Most people are going to Makkah/Mecca. Lots of Men in Ihram robes.A tad far from the speeds in China, Europe, Taiwan, Japan Etc., but still pretty nippy at 300kmph. Once the electric train ramped up to 300kmph, it is staying there. Looks like that is the speed limit.
Al Balad (“Old Town”), Jeddah, KSA: UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014. From the 7th Century. Lot of the areas were cordoned off and for some reason there were police all around. I was even blocked from going into some of the streets. The City is not kidding when the area is called “Historic”. Many buildings do need urgent renovation. Jeddah is a huge city, 1600 Sq.Km, making it the 2nd largest in KSA.Jeddah Central Fish Market … Green fish?Jeddah supposedly has the World’s 3rd tallest flagpole. There was no flag though …The Jeddah Corniche is very long. This was my 1st peek at Red Sea 🙂 There were many families around. It was buzzing at sunset.King Fahd Fountain, Jeddah, KSA. The tallest fountain in the World, at 300+ meters.
The beautiful Daka Mountains, on the way from Jeddah to Taif (Makkah/Mecca is on the way). My Pakistani driver (from Lahore) instead of taking me through Makkah/Mecca, which is forbidden for non-Muslims, took me along a marked (“For Non-Muslims”) detour. View of Makkah/Mecca from atop Daka was the best I could manage.Taif, Makkah/Mecca Province, KSA. Taif is a popular Summer destination, as it is at 1880m altitude. It is believed that Prophet Muhammad visited Taif in the 7th Century. On the left is Shubra Palace, constructed in 1905. King AbdulAziz used this palace as a Summer residence.Taif Municipality emblem … On a road barrier. Taif, Saudi Arabia.Baby Camels … On the way to Jeddah from Taif, Saudi Arabia.The closest I got to Makkah/Mecca 😀 If you zoom hard enough, you can see the vague shadow of Makkah/Mecca Royal Clock Tower Hotel (120 floors), the 4th tallest building in the World.Non-Muslims have to take a detour as they are not allowed in Mecca/Makkah … Saudi Arabia.Nice highway between Jeddah and Mecca/Makkah … Saudi Arabia.Advertisement for Saudi Arabian Grand Prix … Jeddah Airport, Saudi Arabia.The spectacular King AbdulAziz Airport, Jeddah, KSA 😳 My Saudia flight to Riyadh was relegated to Terminal-5 (Guessing because it was not from NY, London Etc. 😀), so I have not seen Riyadh’s main terminal, yet. But this Jeddah Airport is something. A cleaner and better looking airport I have rarely seen (Mainly because there are a zillion workers picking bacteria by bacteria, round-the-clock).Jizan/Gizan/Jazan/Gazan, Saudi Arabia … At night, while my flight was landing.
The beautiful drive to Wadi Lajab. It was refreshing to see some cloudy skies in KSA 🙂 Wadi Lajab is roughly a 2hr drive from Jizan, Saudi Arabia (KSA).The beautiful drive to Wadi Lajab. It was refreshing to see some cloudy skies in KSA 🙂 Wadi Lajab is roughly a 2hr drive from Jizan, Saudi Arabia (KSA).The beautiful drive to Wadi Lajab. It was refreshing to see some cloudy skies in KSA 🙂 Wadi Lajab is roughly a 2hr drive from Jizan, Saudi Arabia (KSA).BEFORE: Wadi Lajab (in Al-Raith Mountains, to the North-East of Jizan or Gizan or Jazan or Gazan (Not sure any more 😀 Have seen all these spellings 😂)) is a popular trekking destination in this area. My Pakistani driver’s car did not have good ground clearance and despite my offer to walk, he insisted on driving through the Wadi. The car’s base kept hitting the rocks, but Waqas kept charging ahead. There were several other vehicles as well, mostly SUVs. Till now, in KSA, let alone rain, even clouds were a rarity. I was amused to see cloudy skies (That would explain why this region is more green than most of other parts of KSA).AFTER: We had barely gone into the Wadi for 20min, when heavy rain started. Rain!!! in KSA!!! Suddenly, an old man jumped up and started shouting to everyone in Arabic. It did not take a language expert to figure out that he was asking everyone to “Get the hell out!”. We ran back to the car, somehow turned it in the narrow Wadi, and slowly made our way back, banging the car bottom on every other rock. My concerns were: Will rocks fall on us? Will I have to wade out of yet another Wadi, like I did in Petra (Jordan) in 2013? Etc. The scary part was when these suddenly-formed waterfalls fell on the roof of the car. The noise was deafening. A nice Flash Flood experience 😳Jizan, Saudi Arabia (KSA). I barely saw 2-3 Westerners here, and they looked like dudes doing a bit of sightseeing while here on work. Gizan or Jizan or Gazan or Jazan, what is the correct spelling??? 🙂The beautiful Adosareyah Castle, Jizan, KSA. Since it is on a hill, one gets nice views of Jizan. At Sunset, it is a nice place to visit. Built in 1933 for Military purposes.On the way back to Jizan, we saw many instances of fallen rocks/stones on the road … It looked like the aftermath of a major public protest (with stone-throwing).The water was very clear … The area is cordoned off for swimmers.Jizan University, Jizan, KSA. There was this nice walkway into the Red Sea, with seating arrangements like these. This entire area, north of Jizan, is reclaimed (from Sea) land.Since Waqas is from Pakistan, and since I adore Pakistani food and had requested him to take me to a nice Pakistani restaurant, we had lunch at a Pakistani restaurant. The Chicken Kadai was to die for … Yum!King AbdulAziz International Airport, Jizan, KSA.In KSA, menu comes with Food Item Name, Price and Calories (!). Not seen it that often in other places …For the 1st time in KSA, took the green metered taxi, from RUH Airport to City. The driver, a Bangladeshi, suffered from severe road rage 🙂The 5 “personalities” of Kingdom Tower, Riyadh, KSA. Not sure if there are any more “personalities”, but these are the 5 I could capture, over 20min of staring at the Tower 🙂Tried this “layered” Juice. Nice, but a tad too sweet for my taste …Tried the Riyadh Bus Service. Stumbled my way through the usage. Have to swipe your Credit/Debit Card (Cashless). Not sure how they judged the length/duration of my trip in just one swipe of the card. But they did! 🙂Jizan/Gizan/Jazan/Gazan from the sky, as the FlyNas plane was taking off …Saudi Arabian Railway (“SAR”), operational since 1950s (As per displays in Riyadh station), from Riyadh to Dammam, KSA. Quite full, am surprised at that. Comfortable seating, decent speed (Not Haramain High-Speed range, but like 170-180kmph), food service Etc.From Riyadh to Dammam. Saudi Arabian Railway’s train …Desert views … On the way from Riyadh to Dammam using SAR (Saudi Arabian Railway) train.
As with other KSA Corniches, Dammam Corniche is also very long … Dammam, Saudi Arabia.Water did not look that clean or clear, as in Jizan or Jeddah (Red Sea) … Arabian Gulf, Dammam, KSA.Hmmm … All over KSA (Jeddah, Jizan, Dammam Etc.), these signs are there.Good idea to have kids play areas covered … Even in January, at 9AM, the power of the Sun was amazing.Exercise setup, along the Corniche, Dammam, KSA.Overpasses along the Dammam roads. I tried the overpass and also indulged in a little jaywalking, like the locals 🙂I have been noticing these brand new boxes of napkins in Hotels. I thought it was just a coincidence that I get to open a new one … No, looks like every new guest gets a new box?? I use maximum 4-5. What happens to the rest?“Love Letter” indeed … AlUla was just mind-blowing!A “Lardy” Lunch @Al Baik. Because I have heard of Al Baik from people living in KSA and other fellow-travellors, I wanted to try Al Baik atleast once. Since fast food is not my scene, I kept postponing it. Also, I have not yet recovered from my traumatic “Burgrees” experience in AlUla (Still wake up, sweating, at midnight). Well, today is probably my last day in KSA and I thought “Why not?”. Staff were all Pakistani and Bangladeshi immigrants. When it was my turn to give the order, they informed me that their credit card machines are conked out. Upon my asking, they confirmed that all 3 of their machines are not working. Cash only. And I had exhausted all my SAR cash already. Hooookeeey 🙁 Walked an unanticipated 1km (In the blazing Sun) to an ATM, got some cash, and returned. All for Al Baik!!! Ordered Spicy Chicken Nuggets and Spicy Shrimp. 5min. 10min. 15min. 20min. 25min 30min! There were several customers ahead of me, also waiting. There were 5-7 workers in that eatery, hanging around, looking busy, but moving nothing. Isnt this “Fast” food?? I tried to call one of the dudes “Excuse me, Boss”. He acted as if he did not hear me. Called a 2nd time. No response. I took off my sunglasses and noticed that he was on WA, chatting! Thats it! The dam broke. I became “Anniyan” from 2005 Shankar hit movie “Anniyan”. I.e. I went from Bruce Banner to The Incredible Hunk. I unleashed Attokaran Rage on the 7 dudes and went on a 5min tirade. I could see my fellow patrons nodding their heads, agreeing with me. The Saudi Manager/Owner came out and upon hearing my side, apologized, gave me my order in 20sec flat. My thought was: What about those silent customers who were ahead of me??? Now to the food itself … I had specifically told those dudes that I wanted no fries, no sauces, no utensils, nothing. Just wanted the nuggets and shrimp. Look at the junk I got!? All those fries, almost 2 buns (Took a bite), 90% sauces Etc. All wasted. Food taste? Nothing to write home about. It was just okay.Very sad to see that even in a 1 Trillion USD Economy like KSA, there are a few people struggling to get by. Dammam, KSA.How about a dash of “Capitalism”? 🙂Views of the Corniche … Dammam, Saudi Arabia.All set for the next Country 🙂Signs of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) changing …
In summary … Had a truly glorious 12 days in KSA 🙂
Was amazed at how much the country has to offer tourists and how, as of now, it is not that popular with the typical Insta-Selfie-Chasing “Tourists” (Who typically try to understand diddly-squat about the places they visit, anyways). Yes, Beer/Alcohol was dearly missed 🙂 More people should visit KSA in my opinion. Unfortunately, KSA does not come close to my Top5 (Not surprising, since my Top5 are Global Superstars with zillions of Instagram followers 😉 ). KSA has many unique aspects … (That uniqueness, by the way, is what makes Travel so addictive). Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud (“MBS”) strikes me as a true Visionary, based on the changes he has seemingly brought to KSA. For e.g. The countless times I saw Saudi women (In a group, with no accompanying male) having a fun picnic or shopping. The time when a Saudi lady requested my help with the coffee machine and chatted with me about what I was doing in KSA (And who seemed glad when I described the good things I experienced in KSA). Etc. Not sure all this would have happened before MBS. I felt safe while in KSA. I had ventured out late in the night, early in morning Etc. and faced no issues. Of course, one must try and not do stuff KSA has specifically asked one not to do: Disrespect Kings, offend Muslims, handle drugs Etc. Etc. The Saudis I interacted with were very cordial and respectful. It was encouraging to see KSA moving into Non-Oil ventures.
Two areas for improvement, IMHO:
(1) Plastic (Non-Biodegradable) Usage: It is mindboggling to see the immense amount of plastic, not just being used, but being wasted. When you buy food parcel, there are 7-8 packets of ketchup (And I dont eat Ketchup), 1-2 plastic utensil sets Etc. Why not allow customers to just pick what they want? With a huge number of Immigrant laborers, all this waste is being collected regularly and taken somewhere. In all my travels through KSA (Flights, Trains, Buses, Cars), I could not see a single garbage dump. (Where exactly are they??). I am told that recycling efforts are picking up in KSA, which is a good sign.
(2) Food Wastage: In many countries, many people go hungry without even 1 square meal a day. In such a World, I find it incomprehensible to waste so much food. I am not kidding, one parcel of Kabsa could last me for 3 full meals and I am no light eater 🙂 Unless a Saudi stomach is 3x my stomach size, it is just way too much food. Why not make quantity and price 1/3rd. But all said and done, I am very glad I took the time, effort and intiative to visit THE Kingdom!
Some rough notes from my trip:
Drive-Thru ATMs in KSA: Haven’t seen that before. Maybe something new.
A lot of Saudis keep their vehicles running, while they go for quick shopping, using public restrooms Etc. To keep their vehicles cool in the hot daytime climate?
Saudi Uber Driver in Dammam: He spoke English. He asked me where I was from? India. Why are you here? Just visiting. Work? No, just sightseeing. He looked shocked. Where are you from? Kerala. This apparently blew his mind, for he literally turned his head 180 degrees (Remember “Exorcist” movie?) and stared at me in the back seat, while driving! And then he started laughing with great mirth (For what exactly, I am not sure. Maybe he found it funny that a Keralite is in Dammam to “Sight-see”). I smiled. Did you see Dammam properly? I thought of saying: “See what exactly?” 🙂 But I said, Yes. And the very 1st time, in my around 30 Uber/Careem/Bolt rides in KSA, the driver did not return the change 🙂
Dammam is quite cooler in the night (Arabian Gulf winds?), but during daytime when the Sun is out … I could get a proper sense of what May-Aug will be like 🙂 Still, walked 10km total in Dammam. I can pass for an African, right about now and my VitaminD should be through the roof 🙂
Dammam is way bigger than what I thought. 800Sq.Km.
In all of KSA, other than on pedestrian streets (Like AlUla Old Town), I barely saw any pedestrians. No wonder KSA cities deal with nasty traffic jams during peak hours (By the by, KSA traffic jams cannot hold a candle to the traffic jams in Indian Metros).
CCTVs/Cameras are everywhere. Not sure if I have seen a higher concentration anywhere.
Businesses need to have either 2 photos or 3 photos of Al Saud Kings. If they put up 2 photos, one is of current King, MBS, and the other is of his predecessor, King Salman. If they put up 3 photos, the 3rd one has to be of the Founder of KSA, King AbdulAziz.
In KSA, menu comes with Food Item Name, Price and Calories (!). Not seen this that often in other places …
At traffic signals: There is a lot of honking before the vehicle in front can even react to the green signal! The moment the light goes green, honking starts in exactly 0.006 seconds 🙂
Riyadh: For such a spread-out city (2000 Sq.Km), with wide multi-lane roads, traffic is really congested! Just goes to show the sheer number of vehicles on the roads.
Local Saudis are a lot more humble than I expected. They have the distinct headwear (Guttrah), which has Red/White patterns. Based on UAE, Kuwait Etc. I was expecting local citizens to look down on people like me who obviously look Indian 🙂 There was none of that.
I thought it was very lax security check at RUH Terminal 5 (Domestic Terminal). The security officer was barely looking at the scanner’s screen. Also, no pat-down or full-body scanner Etc.
Where are the mosquitos??? Experienced none! (Let me take that back, 1 daytime mosquito did bite me at SAPTCO Bus Station in Dammam). I had come prepared with creams and sprays galore 🙂
AlUla is next level! Very clean. Fantastic roads, by and large.
AlUla region does not have street lights outside of the core areas of the town. Instead, they have blinking lights on either side of the roads, to guide drivers.
Saudis stay up late! Madinah shops open at 09:45PM. Even Jeddah was lively late into the night.
Private vehicles honking for rides 🙂 One needs to get used to this. The moment a private vehicle sees a pedestrian and therefore a scope for earning some Riyals, they honk to get your attention. Because I walked a lot (On top of the Flights/Trains/Buses/Vehicles), I got my fair share of honks in KSA.
Lots of flies in Madinah’s public areas. No surprise, must be due to all the randomly thrown garbage!
Saw many men in Ihram white robes at the Madinah station. There are several trains per day from Madinah/Medina direct to Makkah/Mecca (via Jeddah).
Saudi Arabia gets very less rainfall. Depends on desalination heavily for water supply.
Unlike in India, not a single Uber/Careem driver called me to “negotiate” (Same as with all the other countries where I have used Taxi/Cab Apps). This was so refreshing.
Food wastage rate and garbage generation rate in KSA is really alarming. I wish the government brings in policies to curb both. When many many people in the World go hungry, it is illogical and frankly, a shame, to waste food at this rate.
