Christmas in KSA

The primary religion in the KSA is Islam.  Since Christmas is a Christian holiday, it is not celebrated here in Saudi.  Christmas is just another day for the locals so, for those of us who do celebrate Christmas, it's difficult to get into the spirit of the holidays.  We're going through the motions.  We put up a tree, decorated the house (As much as possible with limited Christmas décor available), and played Christmas music in the car and house for the last couple of weeks, but without family and friends. .It just doesn't feel like Christmas.

Tomorrow we're hosting five of Jason's co-workers for Christmas dinner. Although I will miss having family around, tomorrow will  feel more like Christmas. Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Update: We really had a wonderful Christmas filled with food and fellowship.  We ate a beautiful Christmas dinner at 7:15pm and sat around chatting until after midnight.   It was a great night!

Must See

The Kingdom Tower Skybridge- Definitely worth a trip.  The view from 99 floors up is amazing. You can see all of the lights of the city but none of the dirt or trash.   It will cost you 35 riyals to make the trip up and once in the skybridge, you can have your picture taken with the lights in the background for an additional 20 riyals. 

The Wild Baboons- Take 65 south towards Karjh.  Go through the checkpoint to exit 10 then make a left turn.  At the T intersection, make a right turn and continue about 3km.  On the left, you will see a paved road between two walled compounds, take the left and then go over the railroad tracks and between the two motor pools. Next, follow the winding dirt road to the top of the escarpment under the red and white cell towers.  The baboons will eat almost anything but love fruit and bring plenty because on the right day and at the right time, you could see 80-90 of them.  Be careful with small children and please don't try to touch the baboons. 

Edge of the World- Beautiful place. About 30km of this trip off road.  You will need a 4x4 vehicle.  Wear comfy clothing and hiking/tennis shoes and bring plenty of water.  There are 5 primary viewing sites.  The below picture is from site 1-The picture window. There are plenty of hiking places, you can hike as little or as much as you'd like. If you go during the heat of the summer, bring extra water. 

Here are the Coordinates:    

This point is where you will begin the off road portion: 24.961 / 46.2208
 Point A: 24.9538 / 46.2105
 Point B: 24.9495 / 46.446
 Point C: 24.9584 / 46.1384
 Point D: 24.9631 / 46.1201
 Point E: 24.9608 / 46.098
 Point F: 24.9572 / 46.0531
 Point G: 24.9500 / 45.9963
EOTW: 24.9495 / 45.9957

Things that take some time to get used to PART 2

After the original post, I thought of so many more things to put into this list that I
decided to do  a Part 2.

1.  I know I mentioned the way the locals drive in part one but The Saudi Sweep deserves a mention. 
The Saudi Sweep- a car in the far right lane makes a left turn cutting off everything in it's path. 

2. Guys ride on the back of motorcycles and scooters here.  In the states, that spot is reserved for girls.

3.  The second a red light turns to green, everyone waiting begins honking their car horn, regardless of how far back they are.  I think they think cars will move faster if they honk.

4.  Prayer time. Six times per day, we hear the call to prayer.  This lets Muslims know that it is time to go to prayer.  At prayer time, all of the stores and restaurants in Riyadh (and maybe all of Saudi) close their doors.  A few places will let you stay and continue eating during prayer time but no one serves during prayer.

5.  Restrooms. First of all, the men's toilet and women's toilet are usually on opposite sides of the mall, restaurant, airport whatever. Secondly, prayer room signs look A LOT like toilet signs. No, I have not walked into a prayer room to pee but I can see that it would be easy to do.  Here is a hint: if there are shoes outside the door, it's a prayer room. 

6. Back to the restaurants.  You have to request a bill. They don't instinctively bring it to the table so you could be done eating for 30 minutes and the server wouldn't bring the bill...we learned this one the hard way.

7.  The children stare.  Maybe because my hair isn't covered and that is all they are used to seeing? Maybe because I have freckles? Who knows?

8.  Many (not all) of the locals are rude and arrogant.  They don't  hold the door open for the person behind them, If you are in line they will often just cut right in front of you like you are not there.  Granted, it happens to me as a woman more often than it happens to Jason but being from the south, this one is especially tough for me to deal with.

9.  Very little green (or any other colors for that matter)  There is no grass and very few shrubs which means that everything is beige. The ground, the buildings, the walls, the furniture...everything  This is the reason that I originally wanted to name my blog 50 Shades of Beige.  Of course, that name is taken by something completely not blog related. 

10.  Friday mornings.  Friday is a Holy Day here in Riyadh so most things don't open until 4pm.  This is hard because Friday is the first day of the weekend for us.

11.  The sun comes up and goes down very early here.

12.  The thobe and shemagh.  Saudi is still very traditional in the way the locals dress.  The men still wear a thobe (long neutral colored dress) and a shemagh (head scarf).  It doesn't bother me but it definitely takes some time to get used to seeing it around town.

13.  Men hold hands (actually wrists) here.  Not in  a sexual way, but in a friends kind of way. 

Shopping in Riyadh

Riyadh offers many places to shop from high end malls to traditional souqs.


Let's start with Kingdom Center Mall.  This mall is the high end of  high end malls.  They have stores like Louis Vuitton, Christian Louboutin,  Dior and Versace.  This mall is very nice but is really not my cup of tea.  Personally, I would never spend $5000 on an handbag or pair of shoes.  Some ladies really like it and it seems to be popular with the locals. 

There are several other malls in Riyadh but none as high end as Kingdom. 


I prefer the souqs as most things in the malls are available in the US but the souqs sell items that are only available in the Middle East. 





 First,  there is the Kuwaiti Souq. This is a large souq located off King Fahad Road. Here you can find gold, abayas, clothing, shoes, cookware, kitchen supplies, and many different tailor shops.
I enjoy this souq because in the evenings the ladies prepare and sell food in an effort to make their own money as women are not allowed to work in the city.










Now let's discuss the Clock Tower or Batha souqs.  I have heard this area called both Clock Tower souqs and Batha souqs and I'm really not sure if they are the same area or if this large souq is divided into a couple smaller souqs.  Either way, my favorite shop  is near Clock Tower Square.  If you park in the main parking area and walk across the museum grounds (museum on your left) then cross the small but busy street, Samir's shop is the first shop in the alley on the right.  Samir's shop has a large variety of items to choose from and he always gives us a great deal.  Just down the alley from Samir's shop on the left is another shop I really enjoy.  The sign says "All Winter Guests" This is another traditional shop with a good variety and nice people.  Plus, they serve you a bottle of water when you enter which is nice on a hot day.
There are a few specialized  shops in this area, to include, a furniture shop, an electronics shop  as well as a carpet shop but for the most part, most items are available at most shops.





Finally, there's the junk souq.  The junk souq is just that, junk. However there are gems to be found if you don't mind digging and haggling. We have been lucky enough to find real gold and diamond jewelry but had to dig and untangle the pieces from a ball of broken costume jewelry.  The men at the junk souq have been rumored to grope or fondle women when they get a chance but I have been twice with no problems.  If you can bring an Arabic speaking friend, do because they will give him a better deal than they would an English speaking American.

10 things that take some time to get used to...

Many things here take some time to get used to.  Some of which are cultural, some law based and others that can't be explained. 

1. PDA is not allowed so, no holding hands with your husband.

2.  Most places don't have ice for drinks and if they do, they will automatically serve the drink without unless you ask.

3. Separate lines or even doors for families, women and men.

4. Separate seating areas for families and men.

5.  Female only stores & floors in the mall.

6.  The traffic and the way the locals drive

7.  Squatty potties and garden hoses.

8.  Curtains providing privacy for your table in a restaurant.

9.  The waiters call you by name in restaurants

10.  Most people talk to Jason ("Hi Sir") but never speak to me.

The Abaya & Hijab

Although here in Saudi Arabia, the abaya is  a religious requirement of Muslim women, we Non-Muslim women are also required to wear an abaya when we leave military compounds.  It is my understanding that they think of the abaya as a way to make all women equal and without reason to concern themselves with the latest fashion or hair styles.  Also, the abaya is worn so not to become prey to lustful men.  Thus, Muslim women wear the abaya when around men other than her family.  I've tried to take notice of what women wear with and under the abaya and admit that  I've seen everything from stilettos to fuzzy slippers. 

For me the abaya proved to be both a blessing and a curse.  I like not having to worry about what I'm wearing or matching my clothes but getting in and out of a vehicle or going up stairs can prove difficult.

As for the hijab or hair scarf, Non-Muslim women are not required to cover their hair but usually carry a scarf with them just in case Muttawa catch them with their hair uncovered.  You see the King set the rules for visitors but the Muttawa, or religious police,  have rules of their own.  I've been caught without my hair covered before and they just asked me to cover my hair to which I complied.