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WaegukinYeoJa · Joined: 17 Oct 2008 Posts: 26

Actually it was the first day of Eid (was that not around 2 weeks ago? 10 days-ish?), which is why I mentioned hotels & fast food - I doubted anything else would be open at that time. We did end up finding both in a town to the north of Medina later that afternoon. There were plenty of what seemed to be restaurants opened in Buraydah, but no family sections to be found.

Sorry, I didn't see a hospital, but in a town the size of Buraydah I've no doubt one exists.

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

There's supposed to be a King Fahd Specialist Hospital in Buraiday, as well as private hospitals. Your first stop would normally be the government health center, but you need to check what health insurance you have been given.

They are planning to build a railway station in Buraydah, though nobody knows exactly when.
http://wapedia.mobi/en/Railway_stations_in_Saudi_Arabia
You will be able to go all the way from Buraydah to Jubail, and do a full comparative study on boredom.

Never Ceased To Be Amazed · Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2009 3:57 pm Post subject:

lizziebennet · Joined: 24 May 2009 Posts: 355

Pikgitina · Joined: 09 Jan 2006 Posts: 420 Location: KSA

Pikgitina · Joined: 09 Jan 2006 Posts: 420 Location: KSA

WaegukinYeoJa · Joined: 17 Oct 2008 Posts: 26

[quote="lizziebennet"][quote]We did end up finding both in a town to the north of Medina later that afternoon.[/quote]

Was the town North of Medinah called Al Ula by any chance?[/quote]

The town with the fast food and whatnot wasn't Al Ula. However, I did spend three days in Al Ula that week. I've read your questions about Ula, but I hadn't had a chance to reply.

Al Ula is pretty much a hole. Actually a lovely area in an amazing part of the country, but there was really nothing in that town for anyone except locals. We didn't find it to be particularly aggressive toward us, but we were a little distracted by the 24-hour security patrol we were given when we arrived. Quite cute and charming to start, but 3 days and a 10 hour drive back to Riyadh, we were a little sick of them.

I can't really believe there's a university extension there. As far as I can tell, the only thing to do is go to Madain Saleh or hang out at one of the two hotels.

Mia Xanthi · Posted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 4:05 pm Post subject:

You were given a 24-hour security patrol? Now you've got one of the best travel stories of all time! That alone should make it worth the trip Laughing

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

The 24 hour security is nothing as far as stories go.

I remember a friend in the mid-nineties who for reasons best known for himself got off the train on the Cairo-Aswan route at Asyut, half-way to Luxor. Now this was soon after the bombs in Cairo and the massacre of tourists at the Valley of the Kings, and Asyut was the centre of the insurrection but with the intrepid idiocy of the true Western tourist my friend decided he'd have a look around. He went to the local police station and asked if Asyut was safe for tourists. "Of course," was the beaming reply, "all Egypt's safe for tourists." "Fine," said my mate, "I'll go off and look for a hotel." There was a look of panic in the policeman's eyes for a second, but he soon quickly recovered his composure and suggested a couple of his men accompanied them to help them find a suitable hotel. For the next four hours they all trooped around Asyut, entering local hotels where the receptionist, terrified at the repercussions from both police and jihadis of having a westerner stay at the hotel, announced that the hotel was full. Finally they went back to the police station where the officer in charge announced that yes, the hotels were probably full because of all the tourists, and invited them to spend the night at the police station until the train came the next morning, which, faute de mieux, they did.

Never Ceased To Be Amazed · Posted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 7:35 pm Post subject:

Yup, halfway between Cairo and Luxor/Aswan (most noteably "Mallawi") is nowhere where ya wanna be...unless yer a "brother" hangin' with the IB! Shocked

NCTBA

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Actually I have a friend who taught in that area for a number of years when it was supposedly so dangerous and he had no problems. He also taught in Gaza and the West Bank... and is currently in Iraq.

Seems to be a pattern there... Cool

VS
(and it was Minya, not Mallawi, that had the problems along with Asyut)

Never Ceased To Be Amazed · Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 2:43 am Post subject:

johnslat · Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 2:54 am Post subject:

Isn't Malawi the capital city of the governorate of Minya?

Regards,
John

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Interestingly as one who followed all this quite closely when I was living in Cairo, I've never heard of Mallawi and thought it was a typo. But I found it on the map between Minya and Asyut. Those were the two towns that were always in the news reports at the time. (not that the problems weren't very likely the same in Mallawi)

VS

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

So what has been happening in far-off Qassim ? I am curious about how the new intake of teachers has fared in the Wahabi Heartland.

I do know one teacher who was there a few years back working with Al-Rajhi. He liked it - and no, he is not a Muslim !

He did say that one of the virtues of the locals was that they seemed to take seriously the Islamic recommendations about the importance of education.