Please, Signpost The Toilets.

This post is a plea.
Someone, please, erect signage that indicates the existence and location of back street parks with  toilets in Riyadh.  Such signposts to be clearly visible, preferably, from the main roads.

I know there are a number of parks with toilets dotted about this city because I've cycled by, and utilised, a few of them on my morning bike rides.   Most are in OK condition for park toilets - as in, there is no toilet paper but the hoses work, the smell isn't too ripe, and they flush on completion of squat job.  Oh yes, they are all squat toilets, which doesn't bother me at all because when the urge strikes in the middle of the city I don't care what kind of toilet I'm in, just so long as I'm in one!

Lovely park.  Toilet in the back right corner.

Most toilets I've come across in the city center are open for use in the morning, however, let me just clarify that statement a little - the toilet marked "Mens" is usually open, the one marked "Womens" can sometimes be locked which is exasperating to say the least.  In such instances a few seconds can be wasted shaking, and, I admit, on bad days, kicking, at the door (with a curse word possibly hurled that way too) before I dash into the mens side where I release my issues to the drain.  Finding a toilet available is, as you can imagine, a great relief .   It has also proven a bit of a surprse to those wonderful men whose job it is to clean up Riyadh while the residents sleep -  women schreeching their bicycles to a halt outside park toilets is not a typical feature of the city's early morning landscape.

Mr Noor used to clue himself up on parks with toilets because he gets uncomfortable at the discomfort of we women who can often be caught desperately short of bathroom avaialability due to prayer time closing restaurants (the usual place to visit the loo) five times a day and Malls being just a tad too far away.

Mall toilets are the other favoured location for Dunny On The Run occasions in Riyadh but with the traffic often snarled and congested due to the Metro work going on these days, there is always a danger that the taxi will not reach a mall quickly enough - and trust me, that thought is absolutely horrifying .  And even when the taxi does get to a Mall, finding the toilet is another panicky dash through shiny hallways trying to find the convenience, which you can gaurantee is upstairs somewhere and nowhere near the Mall entrance.

Hotels in Riyadh have also proven helpful in providing easy access to a bathroom.  In fact, I have to say, that people in Riyadh seem to be generally more understanding of the human need to pee and go number twos than many places in the Western world.  I have run through a closed and darkened Mall on Riyadhs outskirts thanks to security understanding a convenience was required quick smart.  And I do appreciate that in Saudi Arabia you can rock up to a dining establishment just to use the loo, no questions asked.  Such is not the case in other parts of the world where lots of effort is made to not let people near the toilet.  There are the diners and gas stations where you need to get the guy behind the counter to give you a key ( and he almost always lookes harrassed and tosses the key in the general direction of outstretched hand), hotels where you need a swipe card to access toilets in the public areas or cafes, and diners where you are are simply told No, if you don't eat, sleep or otherwise contribute here, you don't toilet here - obviously all the above are rules made up by people who've never suffered the indignity of being caught short.  So big ups to you for being a lot more understanding Saudi Arabia.



There is always room for improvement though, case in point being that occasionally, when I can get the husband up early enough to join me because he's got to drive me there, I cycle along Wadi Hanifah.  So that said husband doesn't feel completely unhappy about his weekened sleep-in being cut short, we also take along coffee and a snack for a post ride picnic.  Our route generally ends at one of the park areas set up specifically for locals to enjoy their evening picnics.  And there-in lies the problem.  The toilets at these picnic sites don't usually open until 4pm, or so we have been told by the blokes cleaning up the rubbish strewn about the place by the previous nights desert revelers.  These same men also do not have a key to the toilets, so can't open them for morning cyclists on a toilet break.  So we early risers have to wander about till we can find suitable cover for toileting issues before 4pm which is not ideal because, on the weekends especially, other people start turning up to these sites just after midday prayer.  Empty space for defecation purposes gets hard to find once the masses begin to arrive, and you can gaurantee it's a good plan to watch where you're going, because someone else has already been.  If the hierarchy could give the cleaning crew a key or unlock these particlular toilets early, that would be much appreciated.



When I first started my early morning cycles around the city a few years back I relied on Google Maps to highlight the nearest green patch that may, or may not, indicate a park.  Not a highly reliable source I have to say, as Saudi seemed to have this aversion to being geo-located back then, so not all indicators were parks, not all such parks had toilets, and not all toilets were open.

Riyadh is much more on the map these days (thank goodness) but back then lack of a facility resulted in two things - firstly a furiously epic cycle to the next green patch indicated on Google Maps in the hope of better luck.  And two, I started plotting back street toilets on a Riyadh Toilets map on my phone.  My map has proven exremely useful over the years and as I continue to traipse the city it is always being added to.  Oft is the time I've considered turning it into an app.  I'd call it Oh Poop!

Toilet locating apps are not a new idea.  Browse through Google Play and you'll find plenty of dunny locating apps.  I've even downloaded a couple - and deleted them soon after.  They have, sadly, fallen short of useful information about the presence of toilets in Riyadh.  There is not much point telling me there are toilets at the gas station down the road when it is only for men, or of highlighting all the restauants in the vicinity, because at Salat they are closed.  Seriously.  Riyadh needs its own toilet app, specifically for Riyadhians.    I think other peeps whose muscular control of their nether regions for whatever reason, would love it.

Or, alternatively, please, whoever is in charge of signposting Riyadh, sign post the existence of parks with toilets.

Thank you.



Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Welcome to Saudi

A long while back (April 2012, to be precise), I posted a blog called 'Welcome to Riyadh Airport'.  One thing I mentioned was the lack of welcoming signs at Riyadh airport.

Well, things have changed, just a little.  There are now big screens above the baggage scanners in arrivals, declaring in a number of languages, a welcome to Riyadh.  And this morning on my way out I saw this...

Saudi is changing.  Who knows, maybe next month women will be driving!

Yours in moblogging joy

Kiwi

Making A Ladylike Entrance

I don't know how many times Mr Noor has heard me say 'One day I will learn how to make a ladylike entrance into your taxi!'  Usually this comment is made after flopping, in a very unladylike fashion, onto the back seat having thrown my handbag before me, if I swing it right, or dragging it in behind me if I happen to be carrying my laptop as well.  (Where I currently undertake a spot of voluntary work it is often easier to take my own laptop).

Adding to my taxi entrance issues is the fact that I can not stand sitting beside the door of a taxi because I suffer from motion sickness.  Vehicles these days have head rests on the front seats and, though they may protect the driver and a front seat passenger from whiplash should there be an incident, all they do for me sitting in back is limit my vision and make me car sick.  So it is necessary for me to scooch over to the middle of the back seat where I can get an unencumbered view of the road ahead.  Scooching with black abaya, large handbag and laptop could probably be done with grace for graceful people.   Me and Grace don't really got on that well!

Scooching usually results in the blessed black garment being pulled taut under my rather ample rear end.  The tautness is not only uncomfortable but has often pulled me off balance so I'm sitting lopsidedly.  Rearranging myself requires standing, as much as one can in the back of the taxi, and either sweeping the abaya out from beneath me (if I'm hot and bothered) so most of the garment is laying out on the seat beside me or re-organizing it properly for comfort and decorum.  The first method tends to expose my legs because, to date, I still wear shorts beneath my abaya.  My current predisposition to hot flushes, (and I can't decide if the cause of said flashes are menopausal or thyroidal or both), makes the wearing of more acceptable lengthy, modest yet heat creating attire an extremely a bad idea!

My final act of settling into my seat is ensuring the flow of cool air is heading my way from the air conditioner.  Mr Noor's taxi has an aircon vent at the back of the middle console so that beautiful cool air is directed onto my legs right where I'm sitting, and it's bliss!   (Newer taxis only have air-con in the front, and if the driver is switched on to 'Woman Looking Hot and Bothered' he will turn the air-con up and re-arrange the vents to be sending air toward the back seat.  I don't find this an ideal situation at all!  Given this place is hot most of the time, taxi companies ought to be more considerate of their clientele and have air-con in back, not be cheapskates with their choice of taxi car!)

Credit:Wiki How

Anyway, there are times when I have to remember I'm supposed to be sitting like a lady, so will recline in the seat with legs covered by re-organised abaya and feet appropriately placed on the floor for ladylike-ness.  (According to Wiki How and their post Sit Like A Lady I'm not supposed to recline into seat.  Ladies hold their backs straight and don't lean back into the chair.  Who knew!)  Most days though I'm more interested in cooling my overheated body down, so lady like posture goes to hell as legs are uncovered and I practically sit on the air-con! (Definitely unladylike)

If I'm in a strange taxi (ie, not with Mr Noor) I will pay more attention to covering of my leg flesh with my abaya for the length of the journey.  For some reason Strange Taxi Drivers find exposed leg flesh has a certain allure and they spend a lot of their time attempting to get a look at it once they realize how badly I wear my abaya and how little is worn beneath it!  Given my legs are akin to tree stumps, sometimes complete with unshaven growth, I can only presume Strange Taxi Men are terribly desperate, uncouth types.  Mr Noor has been driving me around for a rather long time and is used to my carry on in the back seat so ignores it, plus he is too much of a gentleman to act so despicably.

If my efforts getting into the taxi make the well bred cringe, my struggles getting out would make them pack up and go home.  Scooching back towards the door requires fighting with abaya.  Fights with the abaya are not pretty. There was a time when, being young, nimble and lithe, exiting vehicles was quick and effortless.  Those days are long gone.  Now one has to heave oneself out of the back seat, usually after having exposed leg flesh to put ones feet on the ground, while attempting to keep said door open and while trying to get large handbags and any other packages one might have accumulated over the day, to co-operate with my desire to leave the taxi.  Exit strategies are often accompanied by the comment, 'One day I"ll learn how to get out of your taxi in a ladylike fashion, Mr Noor.'  He smiles the kind of smile that says, 'That day is a long ways off!'





Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Grateful Winter

It's winter in Riyadh and I'm truly grateful for it.  As this post takes shape my gratefulness is growing. In fact, if someone were to say it sounds as though I'm talking myself into an attitude of gratitude, they'd be right.

I'm walking as I write this post. Outdoors. In the DQ.  It's 1.30pm.  My appointment at the salon is over and my taxi driver (Mr Noors brother today as Mr Noor is busy elsewhere) has called to say he's been denied entry to the DQ.  The guards at the gate have told him to rack off.  His taxi is empty, therefore he's not allowed in.  If he had a passenger then they would let him through, no problem, just as they let me through when I arrived. 

I do wonder how they presume women, or men for that matter, who arrive at the DQ by taxi are expected to leave.  

Presumably I am to catch one of the now empty taxi's searching the Diplomatic Quarter streets for other passengers left standing without their arranged return ride.  But I refuse to do that. Nope.  Though I may be happy to hail a taxi from the street for a short ride about town, safety dictates that jumping in the back of a strangers car for a more lengthy trip is simply a dumb idea. 

Apart from that fact, I don't like the look of any of the taxi drivers who've eyeballed me desperately as they drive by, (they all look a shade too shifty), the whole rigmarole of determining how good their English is, assessing if their meter actually works, finding out if they actually know where I want to go is an unexpected and unwelcome hassle I could do without today given there was already a perfect plan in place for my return home  - Mr Noor's brother would come back at a set time and pick me up. Simple. Perfect. 

Simply perfect plans being sent awry, especially when those skewed plans center around drivers and me left waiting with time on my hands, make me yearn for being able to drive myself!  Plus it has the potential to put me into one of those negative phases one is wont to go through when life in Saudi throws a completely unnecessary curve ball. 

So, I'm walking to the main gate on this beautiful weekend winter afternoon, where Noors brother will pick me up.  I have made a mental note to not make appointments at the DQ salon on the weekend again as a friend, who I called to complain to, explained security is more stringent there on weekends (no kidding!).  And as I walk I'm telling myself how grateful I am that the temps are cool, my hair looks great and that I will get my ride home.  But, bugger me, if anyone hassles me about my undone abaya and bare legs showing below my shorts or uncovered, though beautifully colored, hair, gratefulness will take a back seat and the shitty-ness I'm attempting to keep at bay just might spill over into a terrible emotional mess!

Renting A Car In Riyadh

TDRA on Olaya.  We've rented a couple of vehicles from here.  Nasser is a nice bloke.

We don't own a four wheeled vehicle in Riyadh so, if we want to go further afield on our Saudi Tiki Tours than a taxi can take us, we have to rent.  Fortunately, renting a car in Riyadh is easy.

Every now and then we do contemplate buying a car and, one day, Hubster even went so far as to ring up and enquire about a bright red Bentley, about fifteen years old, sitting on a vacant lot on Tahalia St, with a for sale sign displayed.  He showed me the car.  Discussion then ensued regarding the Pro's and Cons of owning a vehicle in Riyadh...

Moi - Con - I can't drive it just because I'm 'femme fatale' in KSA.
Hubby - Con - He doesn't have a parking space at work to park it.
Pro - We have a parking space here on the compound.
Moi - Con - It will sit in the parking space at the compound all week because he can't take it to work due to lack of parking space and I can't use it unless we hire a driver.
Con - having to hire a driver for the week because I can't drive it.
Con - it's not a four wheel drive, we can't take it into the desert.
Hubby - Pro - He looks good in it.  (uh huh!)
Hubby - Pro - it's an old beauty that we wouldn't own anywhere else.
Con - It's left hand drive so we won't be taking it back to NZ.
Con - Money spent on this will be less money able to be spent on travel.
Hubby - Pro - It will be cool to drive around.  (Moi - Is that actually a 'pro'?  I have my doubts.)

The more we talked, the more the con's had it.  In the end, we came to the conclusion, someone regretfully so, that this particular vehicle would not be practical for us at this, or any, point in time during our stay in Saudi.

So, we rent.
Most often a GMC Yukon.

Hubster loves the GMC.  It's a big 'don't argue with me car' and I admit it drives like a breeze.  When you put your foot down the pick up is fabulous and it's so easy to handle. (Not that I'm speaking from driving experience here in Saudi.  Of course I'm not!).  We prefer the short wheel base Yukon - it suits our needs perfectly. 

One week we spied a huge, extra large GMC Yukon parked outside a rental agency and, no doubt, it would have easily fit our travelling companions, my mountain bike, the Bar-B and all the food.  (We tend to travel with sufficient supplies to feed an army).   Hubster was keen as mustard but I thought it was a bit over the top.  Turns out it wasn't 4WD so we passed on it.  Our mind set is simple when hiring vehicles to hit the Saudi outback - Desert driving requires 4WD.

How to rent.

Renting a car in Riyadh is usually a piece of cake.  If you're a resident you need a Saudi Drivers Licence and your Iqama.  If you're here on a temp visit or business visa, or don't yet have an Iqama, you can use an International Drivers Licence with your passport for ID.

Finding a rental car in Riyadh isn't a problem either.  Rental places are plentiful.  Finding an agent you're happy with takes a bit of trial and error though.  Mr Inam, on one of our rental car searches, took us to a Rental Car Souq he liked and that his uncle worked at.   We were hopeful of a good deal but the minute they saw a bald headed white fulla the price escalated, though the car quality didn't improve any!  Moving on to the next place was an easy decision.

We have discovered that the mileage allowed on rentals can sometimes be a bit low and have, on a wayward wonder through the back roads outside Riyadh, racked up the kilometers and ended up paying for it.  Our friends also recommend reading the small print on the insurance so you don't end up paying for any other surprises, like new tyres, though I think the guy they rented from was a crook.

Which is the other issue with renting cars in Riyadh.  If you're going to rent from the corner agent because you're looking for the cheaper deal you will have to use your well tuned judge of character to determine whether or not he's as good as his word or shifty as desert sands.  Many corner agents have zero or limited English (or should I say we have terrible Arabic) which increases chances for misunderstandings in translation.

The other issue with rentals that is kind of annoying, is the reek of cigarette smoke that often accompanies them.  For we non-smokers it's a pain in the proverbial.   I am now in the habit of taking a whiff of the vehicles before giving Hubster the nod.  If it stinks, we won't take it.  Hubster thinks I'm being picky - an opinion probably developed the night we traipsed around four car rental agencies before I found one that smelled right.  Given that cigarette smoke is a trigger for migraines, I think I'm being perfectly reasonable!

Hubster brought home a stinky car once. I spent hours attempting to defume the seats and floor with baking soda and carpet cleaner and perfumes and anything else I could get my hands on, letting it all sit overnight and vacuuming it all out the following morning.  My cleaning efforts included smatterings of swear words and abuses at smokers in general and at Hubster for bringing a reek tank home and presuming I'd be happy about it!

The Yukon is not the only vehicle we have used because, being impulsive types (or is that highly disorganised), we sometimes don't book it early enough from our usual guy and have to take what is available at the agents down the road.

To date we have set out into the Saudi highways, by-ways, and occasional desert tracks, in the following vehicles (in case you're the least bit interested):

The Hyundai Tuscan got us from A to B but the suspension left a lot to be desired.  Every bump was felt in the Tuscan and, given that Riyadh's side roads can be rough, if the driver is not paying attention to passenger comfort it can be an unpleasant drive.   This vehicle took us out to the quad bikes at the Red Sands once or twice.

We've also hired a Toyota Corolla which is a smaller car but was the only thing available at short notice.  We actually took this vehicle out to the Camel Trail which, now that the track has been graded, doesn't require 4WD though some careful driving over a couple of rough spots is a good plan.

The Honda Accord we only hired once.  Hubster just didn't fancy it, though it did a perfectly good job delivering us to Graffiti Rock.

A Toyota Fortuna delivered us to The Edge of The World.  I have to say, it handled quite well and our passengers said the ride in back was very comfy.  Hubster thought it sounded like a diesel farm vehicle and found the room in front a little squished for his liking.  Perhaps he ought to lose some excess inches round the midriff.  Nasser, from TDRA car rentals is a nice bloke to deal with and we have rented the vehicle from him a couple of times.

The Prado Landcruiser we took out to RawDhat Khuraim the first time we went there.  It wasn't the V8 model so lacked the power Hubster prefers, though it got us out of a few ruts and soft spots without any problem.

The Chevy Silverado might look chunky, but is a complete waste of time (and I'm paraphrasing Hubsters words which included some non-mentionables).  However, we got it because a friend was moving compounds so, on the plus side, the nice big tray certainly came in handy for that.

It is possible to find inexpensive cars for rent in Riyadh if you're on a bit of a budget.  We should be on a budget but when a rev head bloke is told he can have a big, grunty workhorse, as opposed to a Mitsi Mirage with dents, budget sometimes takes a back seat.  And besides, where else in the world could we hire a huge, gas guzzling truck and fill it which cheap as chips petrol.

When Mr Finland was in charge of car rental we always got something cheap and nasty (Bank types and Accountants are like that!) that he thrashed the guts out of but it got us where we needed to go.  One such vehicle took us out to the Camel Trail before the track was graded, another he drove all the way to Ushaiger Village and back, even offering me the wheel, though Hubster gave a tsk tsk snort (I have no idea how to do a tsk tsk snort, but he can) which put an end to that idea.  Why did he object?   He feels that if anyone is going to get into trouble because I like to get behind the wheel he'd prefer it was only me, not our friends as well.  Honestly, what good are friends if they can't get in trouble with you?

Anyway, the other day, while at the rental agency, we were offered a Lexus 4WD for 2000SAR a day (about $800NZ).  Or we could get ourselves a Hummer. Can you you imagine Hubster drooling about renting these vehicles?  (He can drool as much as he likes, we aren't spending that much cash hiring a car!)   If you're an expat planning a stint in Riyadh, don't panic about getting a vehicle.  Renting or leasing a car in Riyadh is easy and there are plenty to choose from.


Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Metered Taxis in Saudi

According to Arab News, metered taxis are to make an appearance in Riyadh.  I have to say, this news was slightly confusing as I presumed metered taxi's were already here!  Most taxi's I've ever been in have a meter.  Whether or not the driver actually uses it is a different story.

It's well known that you can haggle a fare with a taxi driver in Riyadh. In fact, it's common for most people to sort out the fare details before hopping into the taxi.  And if you don't like the price, find another taxi.  In the early days I used to haggle with street hailed taxi driver's when Mr Noor was on the other side of town and his ETA for pick up was longer than I fancied.

When catching a taxi outside Kingdom, for example, I would go from taxi to taxi looking for a reasonable price because after being driven by Mr Noor, who always uses his meter (for us anyway), I know what the meter fare is from Kingdom to our place.  The drivers waiting at cab ranks always, without fail, cranked up the price.  They were also always, without fail, Arab drivers.  (I gather they hike prices to cover the fact they sit at cabs ranks all day instead of actually going out and finding fares!)

These days I do two things when catching taxi's outside Kingdom.  I completely bypass the cab rank, walk up the road a bit and hail a taxi driven by a non-Arab.  They, I have found, are less likely to rip you off.  They also, usually, have their meter turned on and if they do I don't bother haggling, I simply pay the meter rate.  The drivers are ecstatic when I do that because very few Riyadh passengers pay meter rates. Which makes me wonder if this grand announcement that meters are coming to Riyadh actually means anything.

When I hop in the taxi, the first thing I do is look to see if the meter is turned on.  If it's not visible (which isn't often) I ask 'Where is your meter?' and can guarantee broken English response that goes something like 'New car, no meter'.  Of course I think they are full of crap.

It turns out they aren't actually talking BS at all. I mentioned this situation to Mr Noor and he explained that, when the owner brings over a replacement car he can't make it legal till he gets rid of the old car because two cars cannot share the same company license number or meter.

Only once the old car is history can the meter be fitted to the new vehicle and the car number painted on the back, making it legal.  Until then, though he's not supposed to, the owner allows both cars to work. After all, he usually has a driver who is keen and he's not going to argue with the extra money coming in, is he?  With that explanation I now have no real reason to diss 'no meter' drivers for talking nonsense.  I will however diss them for charging above meter rates!

If the meter is turned off, I ask the taxi driver to turn it on.  Most do so, quite happily, and as I said before, I quite happily pay meter rates.  (I presume it's turned off because so few passengers actually pay it any attention).  Some drivers, however, say something akin to  'Meter, No working' while tapping the meter with their fingers and waving their hand around after doing so, as if for emphasis.  That just gets my back up and I'm determined they ain't getting one halala extra (now that halala are actually going to be in circulation in Saudi) because I don't believe them!

So then I ask 'How much' for the fare and almost without fail 'missing' or 'broken meter' taxi drivers try to rack up the price.  If I can be bothered arguing, I do.  If I can't I simply say 'No, too much', and pay what I know to be the meter rate once I've got out of the car at rides end.

Never pay while still in the car, that would be risking locked doors and entering into pointless, circular discussion.  So I get out, then pay and if they grumble they do so to my back as I walk away usually after saying, 'Fix your meter'  in my best Arabic.  (I realised one day that I was saying 'Air condition your meter', because I got the two words confused, but hei aha, I'm sure they got the point).

If meter use becomes a must in Riyadh taxi's I can see the honest drivers being ripped off because here's something the Powers That Be don't seem to understand - Most passengers don't want to pay meter rates! 

It was quite common when I first arrived in Saudi (and I haven't asked Mr Noor about it for some time) for passengers to hand over their money rolled up and once unraveled, for it to be short most of the fare!  And where, pray tell, do honest taxi drivers go to complain about such unscrupulous passengers?  The same place they've always had.  Nowhere.

Commentators have said the metered taxi hooha will have a short life in Saudi.  Apparently it was tried once before a few years back  and the people simply didn't pay full fare, so bargaining with the meter turned off came back into vogue.

What was worrying about the report was this paragraph...

"Trip fares are currently determined through bargaining between the customer and the taxi driver, but with the introduction of metered fare, taxi drivers will be required to pay higher amounts to their employers daily when this decision is applied."

Why the heck are the employers going to get more money?
They aren't doing anything new!
And if they spit out some pissy reason like 'to cover the cost of putting meters in the taxi's' - they own a taxi company!  The loan from the bank to start the company already includes the cost of meters for goodness sakes, and if it doesn't it shows what bad management the company has.  Why the hell do the company owners need to fleece any more off hard working drivers, which is what most taxi drivers are!  Of course, there are the few that stuff it up for the rest giving taxi's a bad name.  Or maybe I've just been really fortunate with the taxi's I catch in Saudi.


Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Little Green Men At Riyadh Airport.

Ok, so tonight I take back anything I may have said about Little Green Men. Tonight I'm at the Riyadh airport and being the first day of Eid, it's bedlam!

The Little Green Men now have a lemony yellow uniform and the price of their service (10SAR) is embroidered on their shirt front. Though don't rely on it. The guy who approached us asked for 50 SAR. Hubster waved him away.

As we inched toward the scanner and viewed the queues squished beyond it in front of the check-in counters another Green Man came by and said 20 Riyal to carry our bag to the Emirates counter. Hubster, surprisingly, said Ok.

And so it was that the little green man in the yellow shirt hoisted our single suitcase off the rack after it had been scanned and held it aloft, over his head, while fighting a track through the crowded, hectic, snaking queues to the shorter, though still busy business class line with us following single file behind. (We don't actually fly business class but we are Silver Skywards members which means we get to stand in the business class queue).

Without him we would have wondered where the business class check-in counter was located - signage isn't obvious. And we would have had to fight our suitcase through people and baggage already hoha, (kiwi word for annoyed), with the wait and not looking too friendly at anyone attempting to cross through their long held spot in the queue, because holding our luggage over our heads isn't something we've ever done before and I would hazard a guess that we aren't very good at it being aging, unfit and not blessed with tall genes!

While waiting patiently in our queue we marveled at how Riyadh airport is always chaos at busy times yet it seems to work.  Sure, it could be better and we are all looking forward to the Riyadh airport upgrade. I wonder if they will still employ Little Green Men.

Written on Kiwi's iPhone while waiting for our plane, though sent some days later as data roaming hadn't kicked in!

Riyadh Airport Taxi Shinanigans

Have you heard the latest taxi shinanigans at the Riyadh airport?
An Irish friend who recently flew in told us this one.

Basically, a Saudi Taxi driver will, upon capturing an unsuspecting traveler in the car, ask for a ridiculous amount of fare to be paid in advance.  The passenger will likely hand over the cash (unless he's averse to being ripped off, in which case he will go find another taxi).

The Saudi will then drive about two miles down the road and pull over where another taxi, driven by a non-Saudi is waiting.  The passenger will then be transferred, whether he wants to or not, to the waiting taxi.
The Saudi driver will hand a few SAR to the new driver, pocket the rest of the cash, then turn around and return to the airport.

Why, you may ask, does the non-Saudi driver wait down the road?  Why not just pick up a passenger at the airport?  Because non-Saudi drivers are not allowed to pick up passengers at the airport, that is only the realm of Saudi drivers which means that any trips non-Saudi taxi's make out to the airport are dry runs back to the city.

I guess someone figured this latest idea was a win-win for all concerned.
- Saudi taxi driver does least work and gets reasonable pay.
- Non-Saudi does most work, gets paid.
- Passenger gets delivered.

Do you think this entrepreneurial?
Or is this yet another good reason to regulate taxi companies in Saudi Arabia?


Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Airport Farewell

It's 7a.m. The taxi pulls in beside the path and I take a deep breath to prepare for the chaos so common at the international terminal that makes up Riyadh airport.

Sweet wrappers litter the curb and men of South Asian extraction lie about on a number of boxes piled atop the pavement.  It occurs to me, in that fleeting half thought lost in the mists of time sort of way, that there aren't as many people or boxes as usual, perhaps because of the time of day.  I pay the driver and the men stare at the western woman exiting the taxi, then turn away when her husband jumps out of the car too and grabs the bags out of the boot.

I'm prepared to wave off the men in green who usually run up too close for my comfort, jabbering and pointing in the direction of my suitcase wanting to take it from me and wheel it into the terminal.  Their presence is only useful for people who are too pathetic to wheel their own luggage, or those who have packed their bags to over-bulging, overweight and can't lift them onto the scanner.  Today though, there are no Green Men and it starts to sink in, as I look up and down the terminal entrance exhaling a pent up breath, that the airport is unusually quiet this morning.

The doors to the terminal stand closed, uninviting, their frosted panes covered in tattered, aging stickers warning non-travelers to stay outside.  Another deep breath is consciously taken before heading through the doors that, for all their visual unpleasantness, slide quietly and smoothly open.

Inside I stop and look around in surprise.  The airport is empty.  No lines of worker expats waiting to be allowed to check in, their plastic wrapped or rope tied belongings piled high beside them.  No throngs of black abaya's clustered around white thobes.  I look at my husband who, still in his own 'Riyadh Airport Attack' mode, is striding over toward the baggage scanning.  I quick march to keep up.

I thought there would be hordes of illegal expats trying to get home - that's the impression all the newspaper reports have been giving of late. Perhaps the new extension to 'The Grace Period' has eased their panicked exit from the country.  Or perhaps the early days of Ramadan has kept everyone at home.

With so few people traveling, check-in is quick and easy before lining up in front of the customs booths.   An Indonesian maid is being handed her tickets by a bearded Saudi man and is directed to follow us in the queue.  Her Bearded Saudi then stands by one of the large silver pillars disappearing into the high terminal ceiling, watching as the line inches towards the customs desk and, every now and then, rearranging his headware.

I point him out to my husband.  Whispering in hushed, manly tones he tells me that Saudi Sponsors must make sure their charge leaves the country without any issues when on Final Exit, which requires personally delivering them to the airport and watching till they are gone.  A thin smile tugs at one corner of my mouth as I lose myself in imagining Saudi Sponsors as comic characters running to and from the airport to farewell the thousands of expats who have decided to leave recently.

 The line moves forcing me out of my own head and, once we have shuffled forward, I turn to take another look at  theBearded Saudi waiting patiently.  He doesn't look like the Saudi Sponsor in my imagination.  His demeanor is quiet, calm.  He makes me wonder when our Final Exit day will come and who will escort us.

Two more maids are soon ushered into the queue, their Saudi's not as as reserved as the first, making a rowdy show of handing over tickets and papers.  The newly arrived Saudi's then speak to one of the airport security men who are directing passengers, pointing out the two maids and obviously asking the guard to keep an eye on the women who are looking lost and overwhelmed from too much fuss and too many instructions in an unfamiliar place.

Then the Saudi's disappear. I search the near empty terminal to see where they have positioned themselves, like the first Saudi, but they are nowhere to be seen.  'Perhaps these women aren't on final exit', my husband responds to the question in my raised eyebrows.  Or perhaps the Saudi still standing by the terminal pillar takes his role more seriously than the showy two who are not seen again.

A conversation comes to mind between myself and a friend, a Muslim woman, who, on her husband accepting a job in what they believed to be the exalted home of Islam, was so excited.  Once they arrived, however, their excitement was replaced with a disappointed at the reality of the place.  People are people, I remember telling her.  Everywhere.  Including Saudi Arabia.  It didn't help her.  She remained disappointed and, hardly surprising, her husband soon found another job, in another country.

At the customs counter our visa's are checked and our passports stamped.  I load my hand luggage onto the second baggage scanner and walk through the thick curtains that hide the area for scanning ladies, where I'm wanded and directed out the other side.  My husband has his satchel over his shoulder and is waiting for me.  As I pick up my belongings, the  Indonesian maid who was behind us in the queue is loading her bags on to the scanner.  I look over toward the silver pillar.  Her Bearded Saudi has gone.

Riyadh's Traffic Tamed - Almost.

The traffic of Riyadh has been tamed.
At least, at central city traffic lights it has been.
This is not just good news for road users.  It's fab news for pedestrians.
Now the possibility of being run over while crossing the road at traffic light controlled intersections, has been significantly reduced.  Though it doesn't pay to get blase`.  And crossing the road anywhere else still presents hazards at peak traffic times.

You might be thinking that crossing busy, city roads at anywhere other than traffic lights is just being silly.
But, this is Saudi.

When I first got here I was fairly certain most road users considered traffic lights to be roadside decoration, designed to be ignored.  Cars u-turned into oncoming traffic, they blocked intersections, they cut across lanes of other traffic to turn corners, six vehicles squeezed side-by-side into a street designed for four (not including the cars already haphazardly parked two deep near the footpath), they raced through red lights, they tried to reverse back through waiting traffic, horns were honking, hands were waving - it was bedlam.  And there, in the midst, was lone pedestrian trying to get from one side of the street to the other.

As I said, traffic cameras and timers, and no doubt the traffic ticket that gets sent for non-compliance of rules, has helped to tame Riyadh's vehicular traffic at main intersections.

The addition of little green and red men to manage pedestrians at intersections were only added a year or so ago, though the ones I came across weren't properly programmed sending you out into oncoming traffic so, to this day, I rely on my own visual check to ensure the road is clear, rather than the inviting little green man and his 'Walk This Way' - No Wait, I'm Just Kidding' flash.

While light controlled intersections are easier to traverse, the rest of the city is still problematic for the walking few and that's just to walk along  the road, without crossing it.

No parking signs are ignored...

Footpaths, if they exist, are often used as car parks, though just recently I noticed drivers being warned to keep off the footpath.

The black and yellow line indicates the start of the footpath.
Note two cars parked on the footpath. 

For some reason, the footpath in the picture above went through a phase of being completely blocked by parked cars, so a "Do Not Park On The Footpath" training program had to be implemented. It involved barriers and tow away signs. I was impressed at the speed that those in charge acted to clear the footpath.

Do not park on footpath barriers.

Tow away sign on footpath barrier.

If, however, crossing one of Riyadh's busy inner city streets is your intention, you cannot always find a traffic light to help.  Riyadh's roads are quite lengthy so it's a long walk to find an intersection with lights.  Dancing with cars is required.

On very busy nights when traffic is at a near standstill wending your way between bumpers isn't a problem.  But on nights when traffic is flowing at a rapid pace, because getting impatient passengers to their destination quick smart is the order from the back seat, pedestrians intending to nip across the road need to beware.  Or be a woman.

A newby to Riyadh was introduced to road crossing the other night.  We were heading out, on foot, for steak and the restaurant was across a busy street.  'How are we going to get across there?' he says.  'It's OK', says Hubster, 'we have Wifey'.

We have discovered that traffic will stop for women who are crossing the street or change lanes to get out of their way.  So, at busy thoroughfares, the Woman in Black gets sent out first.  I have to say, it is usually the Saudi drivers, young and old, who stop to let female pedestrians pass.  Men from the South Asia region do that thing where they look straight at you with a possum in the headlights look as they cruise on past, even though you're standing at the edge of the road with one foot on the asphalt.  What's with that?

I'm presuming Westerners have that, 'What the hell is she doing standing in the middle of the road?  I can hardly see her in her black clothes!  She must be mad!!' shocked outburst.  That presumption being based on Hubster's reaction to women in black roaming through traffic before he realised he could use the situation to his advantage when going out for steak.

There has only been one instance where a ute driver has had to slam on his brakes because, obviously, with my black attire on at night I am quite hard to spot, even taking my size into consideration.

Given my near invisibility at night, and my crap eyesight, I do prefer crossing Riyadh's busy city roads during the day.   At least I have a better chance of seeing, and being seen by, on coming traffic.

If it sounds like I step out into traffic willy nilly, that's not the case.  My intention to cross is clearly made.  And I do wait for break in the traffic, however slight it might be.  Once one car stops, the other lanes tend to follow suit when they see the black shape walking.  Running is not a good idea.  Either long black abaya or an unseen pothole can trip you up, dropping you to a very undignified, garbage bag looking, heap.  I did that once, fortunately not while crossing the road.  Untangling myself from my black garb back onto my feet took me frikken ages!  'It's OK', I said to the lady who came to my assistance, 'only my pride hurt', which was a lie.  My ankle was killing and I hobbled to the nearest steps to sit down, rub the pain away and compose myself.

The verges in Riyadh tend to be quite large, and can also send you flying if you're not paying attention.  I've seen one bloke, who started bouncing gazelle like through the traffic, trip on the center piece verge and stumble head long into the road on the other side.  Fortunately the vehicle surprised by his arrival was able to swerve and miss him.

Male pedestrians running the road crossing gauntlet aren't treated as nicely as women.  I've never seen cars stop for them and wave them along (unless the pedestrian happens to be a very old man).  Men have to hop, skip and jump their way through traffic or run the risk of being mown down.

As I said, Riyadh's traffic has been tamed - almost.


Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Too Much Taxi Tension

Our current taxi driver (not Mr Noor who is still enjoying a break back in Pakistan) was telling us a few stories about customers and situations that cause taxi drivers in Riyadh a lot of tension.  Initially I thought he was going to tell us some entertaining tales, but he was quite serious about how much trouble his passengers, and KSA official types, are prepared to drop him into.

The Drug Carrying Passengers.
Apparently, taxis are sometimes used for deliveries by Saudi drug dealers (and yes, drugs is a problem in the land of Islam).  Our driver said these passengers are quite open about the product they are carrying because they know who is more likely to take the fall should trouble in the form of a drug bust or random car search take place.  Mr Drug Dealer will dump the drugs in the taxi and plead ignorance of any wrong-doing.  (Not sure whether the drug dealing passenger actually does get off scot-free given he is also in the taxi, but like drug dealers everywhere I guess they try).   Our driver said, 'These people cause him a lot of tension'.

I can see how that would be the case.

The Black Market Booze Guy.
Our driver told us about a bloke from Kenya, or thereabouts, who used to call him every three or four weeks.  When picked up he always had a bag that he would put in the boot of the taxi.  Taxi drivers tend to be wary of bags put in the boot by people who are not going to, or from, the airport because at checkpoints taxi boots are always checked.  And guess who gets the blame for any shady contents in the bags?

One night our driver asked the passenger, What's in the bag?
The passenger said, That's none of your business.
The taxi driver took it upon himself to look in the bag when the chance to do so presented itself.  (I'm in two minds if this was ballsy or really dumb!)
What did he find?
A whole stack of cash.
He asked the passenger, Why do you have all this cash?
The passenger told him (in a nutshell), I sell black market booze.
The driver dropped the passenger at his destination and told him, Don't ring me again.  I don't want your bag of money in my taxi!
As our driver said, 'This problem would cause me too much tension.  If the police found the money they would say I knew what it was.  And they would check my phone and see that this man has rung me too many times, so I must be helping him.  I would be in too much trouble'.

Yep, I could see how that could happen.

'Check the Iqama'
One night our driver had a passenger in the car when he was stopped at a checkpoint.  The officer on duty asked for Iqama's.  The driver handed over his.  The passenger did not.  Guess who got into trouble for the passenger not having their Iqama?
Why am I to blame for him not having an Iqama? he said.
You should check that your passengers have their Iqama!
But that is not my job.  I am just a taxi driver.
You shouldn't drive people who don't have an Iqama!
For two hours our driver, and the passenger, were held before being released with a repeated caution - Only take passengers who have Iqama's. (I didn't ask if the un-iqama'd passenger was put back in his car taxi, too).
'This night caused me too much tension', says our driver.

I can imagine it did.

The Royal License Plate.
Certain number combinations are considered 'special' in KSA.  It's Saudi's own version of numerology.  Our driver told us about a friend who, on a return from holiday, was given a new vehicle by the taxi company.  He went forth to find passengers and make a living.

A few weeks later his friend was pleading with the taxi company to please change his license plate.  The police kept pulling him over and holding him, sometimes for hours, because his licence plate number was 'special'.  He shouldn't have that kind of number.  A number with all those zero's should only be for royalty (his number had 000 in it).  His argument that he had no control over the number plate that came with his taxi fell on deaf ears - ears that were certain he was lying.

'Sometimes our license plates or phone numbers cause so much tension', our taxi driver said.
Ridiculous as that sounds, I believe it.

These were just a few of the things our driver was regaling to Hubster in the front seat while I, initially enthralled by the prospect of Taxi Tales, decided the negativity of these stories was upsetting my mojo, so shrank into the back seat and plugged in my iPod in an effort to block out his words.

Before being picked up by the taxi my day had been relatively happy.  By the time we reached our destination my mood had subdued somewhat.  As I told Hubster, the taxi driver managed to hand over too much of his tension!


Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Plastic Wrap Left On Taxi Seats.

Not in any other country have I ever traveled in a taxi with the plastic wrap left on the seats. I'm not talking about car seat covers.  I mean the manufacturers plastic that wraps the seats of new cars to keep them looking brand spanking new as they head for the car dealers shop floor.

For some reason, taxi drivers and car rental companies in Riyadh like to leave the plastic on the seats for weeks, nay months, after obtaining the car.  Sometimes they even leave the plastic that covers the steering wheel as well.  And, to complete the package, the delivery sticker is still on the windscreen even though it's turning a baked on brown, the writing is fading and the paper is curling up on it's edges.

When I first came across such a vehicle my immediate question, mixed as it was with skepticism given the car looked a bit used, was "oh you have a new car?". 

No ma'am this is last years model.
Oh, right.  So, why haven't you taken  the plastic off your seats?
To keep the car new ma'am.
Oh.

For just a second I figured the practice does have a modicum of reasonableness - the plastic protects the seats from the bodily grease and grime of the numerous clients who utilize the transportation and it's nice to know the drivers care about the condition of their vehicles. 

However, moments later, major doubts arose about the value of plastic covered seats in taxis because the current client (moi) was slipping all over the back seat.  While attempting to balance myself I wondered whether the slip sliding activity was occurring solely due to the double layered plastic or whether the combination of plastic and synthetic abaya was the issue.  It also occurred to me that any grease left behind by former taxi clients, having worked its way between the folds of plastic, probably wasn't helping matters and added an 'Ewwww' factor to the whole situation.

Maintaining an upright position with a driver who doesn't know how to drive - start, stop, race up behind the car in front that has only moved forward a few meters, swerve to miss the guy racing up beside him, stop, start  (that kind of driver) - is definitely made more difficult with plastic wrap draped over the seat.

It's not unusual, in Riyadh, to come across taxis with plastic on the seats and big dings in their bumpers - not that I'm suggesting there is any correlation between the two, I'm just saying.




Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Taxi in Riyadh

How do you get hold of a taxi in Riyadh?
Riyadh is full of  taxi's and generally you hail a taxi from the street or, alternatively, you garner the number of a reliable taxi driver from other expats, or through trial and error, and ring said taxi as required.

This system is in place because, to date, there has been no taxi HQ in Riyadh with a computerised, or live, taxi phone ordering system to dispatch a taxi to your door.  It seems those times are changing according to this article in Arab News about Saudi Arabia issuing a law banning the hailing of taxis.

Passengers in Saudi Arabia will have to start booking their taxis from October 22. Drivers caught doing random pick-ups will incur a fine.

Among the new guidelines that Saudi Arabia’s ministry of transportation will place into effect for taxis on Oct. 22 is a ‘no-hailing law.’

Taxi drivers will be banned from random passenger pickups at various locations, from airports and hospitals to shopping malls and offices, as well as transport stations, the Saudi-based Arab News reported on Thursday.

That means passengers who require a cab will need to call the taxi office in advance and make a booking...

According to the report each taxi will be fitted with an automated Vehicle Locator system to track drivers whereabouts and send them off to pickup locations.  Riyadh has been getting itself organised recently and this latest move may, or may not, be part of that process.

On reading the paragraph that said the new rule pertains to airports, hospitals, and malls I had visions of new arrivals at the airport being less than thrilled they should have pre-booked a taxi prior to arrival.   And given that shopping is the most popular recreation undertaken by Saudi women, not all of whom have access to a paid driver or family member to transport them, I had images  of a taxi circus outside Mall entrances at the busiest shopping hours as women attempted to find the taxi they ordered.

Although organizing Riyadh's taxi's is probably a good idea, the hierarchy my have to make a few changes to their initial plan as reported above - hailable taxi ranks at the more popular locations may be actually be better than a car circus.

Getting residents to give out their addresses will be a new concept for locals utilizing the new service as they are currently used to giving their locations via landmarks, not street addresses.  Interestingly, many of the Saudi women I know are still not aware that new house numbers now adorn the walls outside their homes.

The new system could also make life a little more problematic for those who do business in and around the city.  Not all blue collar workers have company drivers at their disposal.  As it is not always possible to determine the length of a meeting (this is Saudi after all) having to order and wait for a taxi after a visit to a client, as opposed to walking out the door and hailing one of the many driving by, may not be an efficient use of company time or money.  On the flip side, if the office is a ways from a main drag, being able to call up a taxi could be a good thing.  It would be even better if the waiting time for said taxi is minimal.

If you are someone who catches taxi's a lot in Riyadh, it doesn't take long to figure out that a large percentage of the taxi driving fraternity are terrible drivers for a number of reasons, not simply their driving skills (or lack of).  They lack knowledge of the roads, their language is limited, for some their personal hygiene needs serious attention and their cars are often dirty or smelly (or both) or covered in scratches or dents (or both) from numerous accidents.  These are the cars that most women, and even many expat men, avoid when hailing a taxi.  These drivers are the reason most taxi catching expats have the phone numbers of a select few taxi drivers who they know and trust.  If taxi's in Riyadh become regulated, here's hoping this includes in upgrade in car and driver quality.

But those scenario's are purely the result of having lived here long enough to know Saudi grand plans can appear as if they were not thought through properly and have more to do with increasing somebody's income (in this case someone who's just bought himself a boat load of AVL equipment) than servicing the populous.

The main concern that crossed my mind though had to do with women's ability to control their transport options.

Photo credit:members.virtualtourist.com

The current system of hailing taxi's is actually a good one for women because any taxi's hailed from the street can be dispensed with immediately if:
- the car looks dodgy; or
- the driver looks dodgy; or
- the driver is Saudi.

It is a well known fact in Riyadh that women prefer not to catch a taxi driven by a Saudi.  Granted Saudi taxi drivers at this point in time are, despite government efforts to increase their numbers, much fewer than other ethnicity's.  However, they still exist.

The problem with a Saudi taxi driver, particularly the younger male, is they are almost always attempting to pick up, or eye boggle, women.  When a female is in the back seat, a Saudi taxi driver is rarely focusing on his driving and is more intent on making some connection with his passengers which generally involves spending more time looking behind him than out the front windscreen.

Not engaging with the driver when he is sitting sideways in his seat attempting conversation with those in the back can result in him being affronted and then being rude, obnoxious and downright dangerous.   Not to mention he attempts to get more cash out of you at rides end.

From a female taxi catching perspective the new law, if it goes ahead, may only serve to make a woman's transport options more risky if she cannot pick and choose her driver and, speaking for myself, certainly doesn't make me feel more comfortable about using the proposed service.  If one were to take a pessimistic view of the intended law, making women uncomfortable may be the point - conservative clerics would love for women to stay at home.  Perhaps the upcoming regulation could include training Saudi's driver's to understand this is a transportation service, not a pick facility.

An automated and regulated booking system of some description would bring the taxi service into the 21st century true, but of more importance is the ability of passengers to have some degree of control in selecting a taxi because in this country being discerning about your transport options is important, especially for women who need a taxi in Riyadh.


Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Don't Crash Into Date Palms

Date Palm centerpiece upgrade in progress....

Don't crash into the date palms.

Running into date palms in Saudi is, so we've been told, a costly experience.

The government department responsible for the aesthetics of Saudi roadways expects to be recompensed for the effort it takes to line the centerpieces of the highways and by-ways with fully grown date palms.

If you run into one of the trees you are expected to repay said department the total cost of obtaining the palm tree and all costs associated with maintaining the palm tree for the length of time the tree has been growing in the space you just munted.

So maybe, don't crash into old, well established date palm trees..

The finished Date Palm centerpiece

Drifting in Saudi

Drifting has become known as a Saudi youth pass time.  There are loads of videos' on You Tube, one of the most recent is horrific with bodies and their bits and pieces flying everywhere.

The Saudi boys might think drifting is fun.  Drifting in Saudi is dangerous.

In case you aren't up to the play with Saudi youth recreational activity and don't spend your spare time surfing You Tube, Drifting (or joy riding) involves trying to make your car skid or spin across the road while you're driving it at very high speed, like in this video (don't worry - no body parts are flying around here):


 
We have ridden our bikes past a highway lined with eager drifting spectators on more than one occasion.  I've wanted to stay on the bridge and watch but Hubster, at times being the more sensible person in this relationship, was happy to get the hell out of there.

The boys in Saudi take to drifting largely because there isn't much else for a young bloke to do in this country.

What about football? I hear you say. Yep, they love football but I don't think participation in Weekend Sport is as ingrained in Saudi culture as rugby or netball is back home. 

Weekend Sport

The Saudi male, according to my gym chiseled friend, just isn't that physical. So Saudi boys find other things to amuse themselves.

The Powers That Be want to discourage Drifting using a combination of fines, vehicle impounding and jail terms for repeat offenders.  Unless you run someone over while drifting, as recently happened (again).  The driver in this case has been sentenced to beheading though when, or if, this eventually happens is unknown.

You have to admit for the guys that are good at Drifting there is a bit of skill involved.   Neither Hubster or I are averse to watching a good Drift  - except when we're on the bike.  'Woohoo.  Crazy mother'  is not an uncommon phrase when we do see the boys in action.  The problem with Drifting in Saudi is that it is not controlled.   What's worse is that the blokes are often Drifting amongst traffic that didn't choose to part of their activity - they were just driving down the highway as in this vid (again nothing gruesome).




The potential for innocent people to get hurt in these situations is extremely high.  (I don't consider spectators lining a highway in anticipation of some action as innocent people. If you choose to be where danger takes place and you might get hurt - that's your choice).

This latest article to Recognise Drifting As A Sport as it is in other parts of the world is not a new idea.  If the Powers That Be eventually do follow this suggestion they will have to make sure the sport is highly accessible (as in cheap as petrol, which in this country is cheaper than chips) or the young men may not be keen to participate. 

People wonder why Saudi boys put their lives and the lives of others at risk through drifting.  Maybe the trouble is testoserone.  The last paragraph of that article suits Saudi and Drifting to a T:

"Many societies have found ways to channel the self-centered and aggressive impulses of high testosterone young men into socially useful niches like the military or sports. Those that don't face a plethora of selfish and destructive behaviors."

Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Photo Credit:MiddleEast Posts.com

Motobikes in Riyadh

We own motorbikes in Riyadh.  At least, Hubster does.  A Motoguzzi 1200 Sport and a Motoguzzi Vintage Californian.

The 1200 is so Hubster can go blatting along the roads at rapid speeds with his buddies.  The Vintage is for us to cruise along at a more sedate pace.  He bought both these bikes here, in Riyadh, and he also has a Saudi motobike license.

If I could own a motorbike in Riyadh I would.  We haven't yet ascertained if I'm allowed to. Apparently, although we cannot drive them, we mere females are permitted to register two vehicles in our name.   Can one or both of those be motorbikes? Hmmm. Not sure about that.

I have a preference for a Harley Davidson 2011 Sportster 883L SuperLow.  It's a bike Harley designed especially for those new to biking and, according to their stats, the fastest growing demographic for new bikers is women.   The SuperLow is lighter than other Harleys and, most importantly, its height means women can put their feet on ground and more easily balance the bike when it is stationary.  This is an extremely important point.  Hubster has never let me forget that, nearly 30 years ago when first learning to ride, I dropped one of his bikes.  Me thinks its time he got over that!

The Harley Davidson shop is our favourite place to spend an hour or so looking at the merchandise.  Our grandkids frequently receive Harley outfits.  It pays to influence your moko's from an early age.

Upstairs are new and secondhand bikes for sale.  Hubster and Mr Finland keep their eyes peeled for secondhand bikes.  Saudi's have a tendency to buy bikes then bring them back only a few weeks (or sometimes days) later because they want something else.  Secondhand bikes go real cheap because Saudi's don't like to buy secondhand goods and the Harley shop doesn't have room to keep the returned bikes.

Downstairs is the clubroom, where you can grab a tea or coffee and peruse more bikes some of which are owned and loved.

We like to go bike riding with a group of friends on weekend mornings - the streets are usually relatively empty.  As everybody in KSA knows, the driving here is manic in vehicles of the four wheeled variety.  Being on a motorbike requires being very aware. 

The mornings are also a lot cooler for bike riding.  During the summer we leave a lot earlier so we're back before we melt in our gear.  The winters we get to sleep in for about an hour.

The camera goes on our rides too.  Here's a short video of one of our rides.




I was asked if it's dangerous riding motorbikes in Riyadh.  The short answer is Yes.  The long answer contains words and phrases like experience, care and awareness.  If you're a biker at heart Riyadh isn't going to phase you.



Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Welcome to Riyadh Airport

'Welcome to Riyadh Airport'.
If there is such a sign welcoming visitors to Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, it must be blending into the surrounds as recollection of seeing it evades me.

The sign for 'Have a Nice Flight, Come Back Soon' is equally elusive. 

The Riyadh International Airport tends to get a lot of bad raps from peeps and admittedly it has some failings but once you know the in's and out's, and if you're a Saudi, other Arab or obvious westerner, it ain't so bad.  For everyone else, the aiport or more specifically, the attitude with which you are treated, can seriously suck.

Departing Riyadh
There are three departure terminals at Riyadh airport - Saudi Airlines international flights, most other international airlines and Saudi domestic flights.  We have used all three.

The first time that most precious of documents, The Exit and Re-entry Visa, was garnered so I could travel to destinations afar, I stood inside the international terminal thinking "Holy Guacamole". 

Having dispensed with the man in green overalls who approached the second I exited the taxi to ask if he could assist (Hubster had advised me to decline their service) the validity of that decision was being seriously questioned given how crowded the airport was.

There were queue's of men and women, mostly from the Asian continent and Filipines, with their luggage stacked closely beside them.  The queues were not moving.  In fact, closer observation showed security were holding up the lines of people and only letting one or two at a time over to the baggage scanner that must be transitted prior to reaching check-in. 

Two things were clear - not a Saudi or white face was in the queue and joining the queue was going to get me nowhere fast, but what else could I do?  Then a Saudi couple walked straight past the queue to the luggage scanner and on to the check-in counters.  Shortly after, a man in business attire headed for the front of the queue. 

I decided to follow The Suit.  Security asked, 'What airline?' I responded. They waved me to continue loading my bag and on through the single scan gate.  One does feel a bit guilty jumping the queue like that, but not guilty enough not to do it!  

If the foyer was crowded, the check-in counter area was bedlam. 

Boxes bound with rope to keep them from flying apart pile up along with the lines of people and plastic wrapped suitcases.  Which counter to use?  If you get the wrong one, regardless of how long you may have waited to reach the man smiling behind it (yes I'm wearing my rose colored glasses making that comment)...

Rose Coloured Glasses - $10 on TradeMe

...you will be sent to the back of the correct line to wait again.  Tempers flare in such situations.  Patience is a definite virtue at this airport.

One can look at a Saudi couple waltzing up to the counter and expecting attention even though you have been waiting for ages and think 'Why can't they wait in line?'  It pays to remember you just jumped ahead of umpteen workers, desparate to get home and, I'm guessing, scared of being denied that pleasure at any point in the going home process.  Bite your tongue, count your blessings!

Once checked in, head back out the same scan gate and over to the customs area, which often requires skirting the still waiting queues of workers.  Looking them in the eye is avoided. 

The customs guys at Riyadh airport have been criticized for being unfriendly.  They're Customs Guys - what do you expect, a cup of tea and a cheery, 'Hope you're having a fab day!'   Customs Guys in lots of countries are unfriendly.   Before leaving the Customs Guy make sure he has returned the precious Entry - Exit visa with your passport (unless of course you have no intention what-so-ever of coming back).  It is easy to leave that separate, yet essential, A4 page behind if you aren't paying attention to proceedings.  Then it's on to another scanner for your hand luggage.

If your of feminine gender ...

Feminine Gender is usually wrapped in black in KSA

...and there is a queue of men at this scanner, jump straight to the front to load your hand luggage.  Off to the side is a room 'Ladies Only', that's our scanning area.  There are usually two security ladies behind the thick curtains covering the entrance to Lady Scanning and food is often spread about the small table inside in various states of unfinishedness.   We get scan wanded and occasionally felt over, back and front, in this room.

If security have an issue with what's in your hand luggage they wait till you're through Lady Scanning  before asking you to reveal its contents.   On more than one occasion I have seen them ask travellers to remove nail scissors from their bag.

There is a shop past this point.  Never having looked at it I have no idea what's in it.  I usually head straight for the coffee shop.  If luck is shining upon me a comfortable seat will be available.  Otherwise, it's a long wait in a hard, butt numbing, plastic fantastic chair.

It's a good idea to be aware of your boarding time in Riyadh airport.  Don't count on announcements.  The PA system makes anything said over it complete echoed garble. 

Once the gate opens there is a rush to the queue.  This is partly from the excitement of going home.  Mostly though, it's wanting to get on the plane first because hand luggage space disappears fast.  The 'one piece of hand luggage per person' request is, like most rules in Saudi, ignored.  The size of some of the hand luggage is ridiculously large.

On a recent flight a man's hand luggage was obviously not going to fit into the overhead locker because it was actually a suitcase.  He lambasted the flight attended for her inability to find space for his bag in the lockers near his seat.  His comment,' This is your responsibility' made me laugh.  Was she also responsible for you packing your bag and calling it your hand luggage?

I chuckled to myself when she took the phrase to heart and said, 'I'm taking your bag and storing it below'.  Left hanging in the air was the rest of the sentence - 'Where your bloody bag should've been checked into anyway'.  He complained.  He wasn't happy.  He let her know.  His bag still went below.

Without fail on a flight there is the last minute 'We aren't happy with the seating arrangements' shuffle just before, or sometimes as, the plane is getting into runway position.

Some Saudi (and Yep it's always Saudi) has decided he doesn't like one of two things things - his seat or the seat His Woman (or Women) is in.   Most 'Plane Seat Shuffle' is due to the latter.  Hostesses have to ask people if they don't mind shifting seats so Woman is not sitting next to unrelated maleness. 

On one flight the hostess was desperately trying to get the Seat Shuffling Saudi's to sit down because the plane had started to taxi.  A call came over the intercom, "All steward staff please take your seats, now!"  Basically the head steward had decided if Saudi's where still standing when the plane took off, so be it, but his staff will be safely buckled in.

Arriving in Riyadh
Arriving in Riyadh is not difficult if all your paper work is in order and you are not one of the Asian labour force. 

Getting off the plane and down to customs is a piece of cake.  Just before the stairs there is a toilet for those western women who want to don the required black garb.  Although a lot of KSA expat forums say an abaya is not necessary at the airport, check whether such commentators are from Jeddah or Riyadh.  Riyadh airport has been known to have abaya spot checks - as in 'I spot you without an abaya - you don't leave here till you go put one on.'

The customs boothes in the arrival hall are divided into Saudi/GCC, business, and other.  Some days the arrival hall is absolutely chocka full of workers who are sent, without fail, to The Other lane.   Westerners fill Business.  I prefer the lane next to Saudi/GCC because once all the locals are through, security often invite women from the closest lane for processing.

Ramadan is not a good time to arrive in Riyadh. Not having eaten all day workers are on a go slow sometimes combined with bad mood. Arriving at Iftar is also a bad idea. This is when all Customs Guys will head off for their first meal of the day and if you're in the arrival hall queue be prepared to sit and wait for at least half an hour. It's funny watching westerners toe tapping, looking at their watches and getting edgy wondering 'what the hell?' All you can say at such times is "Welcome to Saudi".

Baggage claim is chaos.  Our bags have been concertinaed in the jam on the carousel.  Buying expensive luggage is a complete waste of time if you're coming to Riyadh.

What happens if you're paperwork is not is order on entering the country?  That depends on who you are or where you're from.  Most westerners have enough dosh, or a credit card, to get themselves to somewhere comfy, like Dubai, while they get whoever stuffed up their paperword to fix it.  Such repair can take from a few days to a couple of weeks depending on how connected your paperwork man is.

For anybody else, apparently there are cells rooms under the airport for those who turn up with the wrong paperwork and have no way of changing plans or are left 'unclaimed' by prospective sponsors (because no-one gets into the country without a sponsor) according to this article in the Arab News about Stranded Maids.    That must be a terrible situation to be in - What an awesome welcome to Riyadh Airport that would be :(



Ka Kite,
Kiwi