Job Discussion Forums

[4ward]

I was wondering if anyone's going to be spending the summer vacation in Saudi. If so, has anyone heard about the tourist areas such as Baha and Abha and what they're like?
I'd appreciate some info please, accomodation, shopping etc.

Thanks.

[Nomad Dan]

Sorry, but I n-e-v-e-r contemplated spending a summer vacation in Saudi.
Cheers,
Nomad Dan

[Stephen Jones]

Very beautiful at this time of year. Accomodation will be very expensive, and forget about shopping. Make sure you drive down from Taif to Abha. The view is well worth it.

[4ward]

Thanks for the info Stephen but what exactly do you mean that I should forget about shopping? Is there nothing to buy or are things extortionate?
Also, what kind of place would Baha and Abha be like to stay for up to two months if I could cover the expenses?

Thanks once again.

[scot47]

Abha and the other toursisty areas in the Asir try to cater to Saudis and Gulf Arabs in the summer. These are the people who will not go to Switzerland or elsehwre in Europe becasue of the danger of spiritual pollution from the unbelievers who eat pork, drink alcohol and fornicate.

The road from Taif to Abha is spectacular but not very safe - especially in peak summer season.

[Stephen Jones]

Abha is just not a shopping centre. I would try to get a flat there or Taif if you're going to stay that long. But why spend two months in Saudi? It would be a lot cheaper to go to Egypt or Syria - and more interesting.

[4ward]

Well what can I say? Anyhow, thanks for all your comments. I didn't realise that those areas would be so expensive. Looks like I may have to opt out for the cheaper and possibly more interesting options.

[balrog]

Abha is a picturesque enough place and certainly pleasant enough to live in. Would I spend my summer vaction there? No.
Would I spend my summer vacation in Saudi at all ? No.

Unless you have a particular reason for staying during the summer, give yourself a break from Saudi and come back refreshed for the new semester. Weekend trips will allow you to do some exploring while you're there.

If you are the man to brave summer vacation in Saudi, all power to your elbow.

[Bebsi]

Firstly, I realise that this posting is too late for the 2004 vacations, but a few words about travelling in the Kingdom are, I think, merited.

It is a fascinating place, it must be said, and I don't at all subscribe to the school of thought that says all 'westpats' should just stay in their houses/compounds and never take the remotest interest in the Kingdom. I have spent a few years in the Kingdom (hoping to return again soon) and have traveled extensively.

[Word of warning: With the current security situation, I would be very wary of going alone to remore places, and certainly, I would take the usual precautions such as making sure there was mobile phone coverage, and telling people where I was going. That being said, I have never encountered any problems travelling around, and found people to be far less hostile than some might expect. Indeed, I have always found the Bedu to be very helpful and friendly.]

The Kingdom has many places well worth the trip, and among these I would include:

- Madain Saleh, the Nabatean ruins in the Hejaz region, northwest of Madinah. You need Ministry of Antiquities permission to go there but this is a formality, and if you stay at the hotel in Al Ula, the nearby town, they can arrange everything for you in advance. I don't have their details, as I camped, but do a search. Best time Oct. - April.

- The antiquities at Dumat Al Jandal, near al Jouf. Anytime except June - Sept. MOA permission also required, but the Al Nusah Hotel in Sakaka can arrange all that.

- The Asir Mountains. As the poster asked, are they worth it? The towns of Abha or Albaha are not, in themselves, spectacular, but the scenery around them is incredible. WATCH THE DRIVERS, though!!!! The road from Jeddah to Taif is amazing but dangerous for the unwary/unskilled driver, and from Taif I would go south through Misan to Al Baha. From there, down the narrow escarpment road, to Numrah, go south along the plains of Tihama and then climb again to Abha. Truly spectacular! By return to Jeddah, I would take the direct, more inland road from Abha to Taif, and maybe make a detour through Bishah and Rania, if you want to see some really authentic desert scenery. [That last trip would ultimately bring you out on the Riyadh road about 4 hours east of Taif.] Best time spring & autumn. Very busy in summer and verrrrrrrry foggy in winter.

- The Wahabah crater. This is north of the Taif-Riyadh road, you will need a map. Huge crater, blasted by a meteorite. Not necessary, but 4WD vehicle helps. Anytime, but try to avoid high summer.

- The town of Taima, in the northwest, on the road from Madinah to Tabuk. 18th century Turkish fort, and an ancient well in the centre of town. Be careful, it's manky dirty, you really DO NOT want to fall in!!!! The Taima museum has some interesting antiquities, but the Taima Tablets are now in, I believe, the Louvre. There is an old city buried under the desert to the north, and legend has it that it became the 'new Babylon' after the old one fell.

There are many other places worth a trip. There's a great little set of books, Desert trips from Jeddah, ditto Riyadh, by two separate suthors whose names I have forgotten (both westerners, if I recall correctly). If you are in Jeddah especially, there are many trips that you can take in a day or a weekend.

If you are in the Eastern Province, the choice isn't as varied. However, there is the Al Ahsa Oasis and also some pleasant places up the coast from jubail. And of course, there is always Bahrain, if you have a multi-visa

While I find the Kingdom fascinating, I must admit to not spending extended holidays there. You certainly wouldn't spend your whole KFUPM hols in KSA...I certainly didn't...but for something like a Ramadan or a Hajj break, when you have a week or ten days, and foreign travel isn't worth it, there ARE plenty places to visit in Saudi. There is certainly no need to sit moping in a compound moaning about nothing to do.

If anyone wants more info, PM and I may be able to advise further.

Bebsi.

[dmb]

Nice post Bebsi. I was almost getting sentimental about the Gulf.

[niko60]

Bebsi,
You've got to get a life man!

[Stephen Jones]

I think ypu've covered most of the main places. I would also recommend a week in Jeddah unless you're living there already. If you've got plenty of time and a good 4 wheel drive up to Jordan along the old Turkish railway line, stopping off at Maidan Salah (remember to get permission from the antiquities department first). But time it, and fill the tank, so you don't have to stop anywhere near Buraidah. You weren't welcome at the best of times. Stopping off just outside Madinah should be fine though.

[scot47]

Bebsi
Get a life babe ! Life in KSA should consist of regular visits to the bars at BAe and Quiz Nights at Marconi. Essential to participate in get-togethers with other expats to criticise the "ragheads".

Otherwise you will not fit in !

[Bebsi]

Hmmm...so THAT'S what was wrong, I wasn't fitting in, because I wasn't going to BAe nites out to compete with 200 other guys for the only Australian nurse in the place, criticising ragheads and and generally having fun. There was I, exploring the country, naively thinking I might learn something new, and taking my job seriously, doing things such as regular visits to Bahrain to check out suitable EFL materials in the bookshops, and going to the museums and forts there!!!! Of course, I used to bring my teaching materials with me there, so I could spend Thursdays and most of Friday jsut sitting there researching new TEFL approaches, and preparing my classes for the following week. Drat!! Oh well, next time, I will go to BAE.

I mean, Guys, who needs to go to boring places like Bahrain when there's the BAe Thursday night grope, where you get to drink all the homemade you can. There, among the other hundreds of guys present, who between tears-in-the-pint gripes about having been stuck in KSA for the past 40 years, surge towards the door in a stampede every time an Irish nurse from Aramco or an Ethiopian girl walks in, one can have real fun!!

In actual fact, all slagging aside, I have had some great evenings in the past in BAe. Indeed, I have even been on many occasions to the BAe place in Tabuk, having driven there over a vast distance to see some friends. Some excellent weekends were had there BAe is in many ways a life-saver for a great many expats there in KSA. However, Bahrain DOES have its myriad advantages, not least a more favourable male/female ratio!! In my single days, this was not something to be brushed aside, chaps. Also, Bahrain DOES have some great cinemas and restaurants, where one an have a civilised bottle of decent wine etc.

Apart from the party scene, there IS a lot to see. I really do think that far too many expats sit moping and griping about nothing to do. Indeed, I have met many expats who arrived in the Kingdom, with no research done, who grew to believe there was nothing to do as they would frequently be told by 'old hands', here for years, "oh, there's nowt to do here, lad...etc etc" . Many expats were amazed to hear there were indeed interesting places to visit in KSA.

What I am trying to say, is that there is no need to be miserable or sad whatsoever while in KSA. There are some great shopping malls, fascinating sites of antiquity, superb beaches, world-class diving if in the west and a rather different type of diving if you are east-coast with access to the magic island!!!! (Any ladies reading this, please forgive me for being sexist here!!!! However, nothing more or less than one would hear in certain expat hangouts *chuckle*) I lived in one of the most remote outposts in KSA, and had a fabulous time. I invested in a car (why are so many TEFLers averse to the idea of car ownership???? You have to have one IMO to have a life anywhere, why not in KSA?) and had a ball. W/ends in all parts of KSA, from Khobar to Tabuk to Jeddah to Riyadh, visiting friends and generally having a chin-wag and a laugh. Yes, laughing IS allowed in KSA, but don't tell that to those in some expat hang-outs..it would spoil the charm of such places!!!!

Anyway, enjoy life in the kingdom whatever you do and wherever you are, and remember, you're not earning what TEFLers in Albania make!!!! *SHUDDER*

[Stephen Jones]