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[veiledsentiments]

[johnslat]

Dear intrepid traveler,

You might want to look up the definition of whine. But don't fret; there's no "rule." You can whine on as many threads as you want.

Regarding the bad advice:

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?p=1102686#1102686

Six other posters disagree with you, but I guess they're the ones giving the bad advice, right?

Joined: 06 Feb 2013
Posts: 36

Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2013 5:39 am Post subject:
Bollucks to most of the above if you are going to be living in Riyadh, Jeddah or Khobar. While common sense should prevail in certain instances, and a woman needs to be extra cautious and avoid situations where she might be harassed or intimidated, shopping alone is not dangerous particularly in the malls and large supermarkets where many women, particularly foreign ones, wantonly flaunt their hair and faces.

Quote:
There's a very good reason why Saudi women wear this.
LOL. IMO it's a pretty piss poor reason, but that's another subject altogether.
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johnslat



Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 11393
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2013 5:53 am Post subject:
Would it be possible to know which posters are actually in Saudi with a Far Eastern wife. It would seem that Basil Brush is - and is speaking from personal experience.

You disagreed with Basil. intrepid traveler - is your wife Far Eastern?

I ask because although I didn't have a Far eastern wife there (in Riyadh), a colleague, one of my best friends, did - a Vietnamese lady. Her experiences in Riyadh were much more like those described by Basil.

Regards,
John
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scot47



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 11047
Location: Turris fortis mihi deus
Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2013 4:01 pm Post subject:
From compounds or university campus thee are usually shopping buses for families. safety in n umbers. No need to wear a veil but abaya and head scarf are recommended. Of course if you are in Buraidah or Qassim, the rules are less lax !
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sicklyman



Joined: 02 Feb 2013
Posts: 188

Posted: Sat Jul 27, 2013 8:27 pm Post subject:
intrepid traveler wrote:
Bollucks to most of the above if you are going to be living in Riyadh, Jeddah or Khobar.

well not according to my Filipino colleagues it isn't. They are very aware that there is a major distinction made between how western women and far eastern women are treated and they do not let their women move around alone because there have been wives who have suffered abuse in Khobar.
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2buckets



Joined: 14 Dec 2010
Posts: 183
Location: Middle East
Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2013 12:20 am Post subject:
Agree 100% with Basil B. My wife is also Chinese, and his advice is spot on. We were in KSA and UAE.

You can't be too careful, the foreign woman is always at fault, especially non -western women whom the generally racist Arabs, (not all of course) consider inferior. And this attitude is reinforced by the fact that many local households have a bevy of housemaids etc. Who are treated like slaves, abused, beaten, not paid and a host of other reprehensible activities.

Better to err on the side of caution until you get feel for your own individual situation.
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Beaker



Joined: 13 Jan 2013
Posts: 16

Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2013 1:21 am Post subject:
White women, in pairs, have apparently been surrounded and fondled by S.Asian men down Batha. What do you expect form a system that brings them in for years without allowing their wives in or giving them a 'safe' outlet for their frustrations? There are areas she'll be safe in, and areas not. The full head-to-tail-in-black option might be a sensible idea actually. Notwithstanding the tales of white men with S.E.Asian wives getting pulled up because their destractors first thought is she is either your maid, your prostitute, or both.

Still, it'll only drive in fully once you're been propositioned a few times yourself.
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Basil Brush



Joined: 07 Jul 2013
Posts: 11
Location: Whenever people agree with me, I always feel I must be wrong !
Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2013 11:27 pm Post subject: Women alone in Saudi Arabia
intrepid traveler wrote:
Bollucks to most of the above if you are going to be living in Riyadh, Jeddah or Khobar. While common sense should prevail in certain instances, and a woman needs to be extra cautious and avoid situations where she might be harassed or intimidated, shopping alone is not dangerous particularly in the malls and large supermarkets where many women, particularly foreign ones, wantonly flaunt their hair and faces.

Quote:
There's a very good reason why Saudi women wear this.
LOL. IMO it's a pretty piss poor reason, but that's another subject altogether.


Well, I won't bother with advice based on experience again then shall I as you seem to KNOW IT ALL!! So, if she's not in a protected area like a mall in one of the big cities, I suppose you think it is okay to walk around looking womanly and flaunting it (as you say) in the side-streets and generally as a woman ALONE in KSA. Dream on. This country is not a safe place for a woman to walk about alone.
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scot47



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 11047
Location: Turris fortis mihi deus
Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2013 12:53 am Post subject:
Malls are okay but don't try a Frank Gardner.
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johnslat



Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 11393
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2013 1:15 am Post subject:
Dear scot47,

And by malls, I assume you don't include Batha in Riyadh.

Regards,
John
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dee123



Joined: 13 Sep 2006
Posts: 24

Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2013 9:27 am Post subject:
Dear All,

I greatly appreciate the feedback and it has certainly given me some things to think about.
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Grendal



Joined: 14 Aug 2009
Posts: 711
Location: Lurking in the depths of the Faisaliah Tower underground parking.
Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2013 4:39 pm Post subject:
Driving home on the diary road from IKEA I was approached by a mutawa in a pickup truck flanking me in the passing lane. He was indicating that my wife had not put on her head scarf!!! I waited for him for a bit but he persisted, so I told my wife to put something over her head so we can get rid of this idiot. She complied, he sped on ahead into the horizon of taillights, and my wife took of the saudinews newspaper from her head. This is Riyadh! Imagine a more conservative area.

Grendal


Regards,
John