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Chailocks
Joined: 29 Jul 2010
Posts: 47
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 Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2010 6:10 am Post subject: ... |
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Last edited by Chailocks on Mon May 23, 2011 2:26 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Citizenkane
Joined: 14 Jun 2009
Posts: 234
Location: Xanadu
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| Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2010 6:16 am Post subject: |
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Women can use intercity trains and buses. You'll need to show your iqama, but that is true for everyone. BTW there is only one rail line in the Kingdom - between Riyadh and Dammam/Khobar, so not sure if it will be very useful to you.
As for emailing SAPTCO, I doubt anyone on this board is in any way surprised that you did not and will not receive a reply. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2010 7:03 am Post subject: |
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| Hail to Dammam by bus is a long journey. No train service. Women can travel provided they have valid travel documents. There is a website with timetables etc. Google SAPTCO. Do not expect any institution in Saudi Arabia to reply to inquiries. This is not Sweden. |
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Bebsi
Joined: 07 Feb 2005
Posts: 958
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| Posted: Sat Sep 25, 2010 6:01 pm Post subject: |
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Flying is actually a very good alternative to surface transport as a way out of Hail. It's not that expensive and as well as Saudi Arabian Airlines, there are also some private operators such as NAS.
Air travel within the kingdom is relatively cheap, and a very viable option for those in remote places such as Hail.
Google.
(That's written as an imperative sentence using 'Google' as a verb for 'search online'  Oh, the times we live in!!)
When buying a ticket out of Hail, I'd suggest a one-way. Just a personal opinion...!
Last edited by Bebsi on Wed Sep 29, 2010 4:39 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Geronimo
Joined: 11 Apr 2007
Posts: 498
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| Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2010 8:06 pm Post subject: |
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Earlier this year I witnessed an unaccompanied woman being given a hard time by a SAPTCO ticket collector.
He appeared to be insisting that she required 2 adjacent free seats at the front end of the bus....not just one...
Eventually, after our departure had been delayed by about 5 minutes, matters came to a conclusion.
The woman stood up, threw off her head covering, and launched into an angry tirade. She was going to remain on that bus!
At this point, with his work done, and with the woman in tears, the SAPTCO ticket collector chuckled to himself and disembarked.
And so, we were on our way at last!
The link for Nas Airlines is...
http://www.flynas.com/en/home.aspx
(Sama Airlines, by the way, recently suspended operations...
http://www.flysama.com/ )
Geronimo |
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cassava
Joined: 24 Feb 2007
Posts: 175
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| Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2010 8:07 pm Post subject: Re: Travelling |
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| Chailocks wrote: |
Can women easily ride on SAPTCO buses and the train? I have emailed SAPTCO about this and never received a reply.
I plan to travel often either between Ha'il and Dammam or Ha'il and Jeddah. I'm just wondering if I will be able to do this alone. |
You should have absolutely no problem travelling alone from Hail to any major city in Saudi by SAPTCO buses. I did it many times when I lived in Saudi some years ago. The SAPTCO bus depot in downtown Hail will provide you with any information you require, including connections to various cities.
You will be perfectly safe on the bus. The incident cited by Geronimo, if true, is extremely rare. I have never seen any woman abused on a bus.
If you are new to Saudi, you should remember to sit in the enclosed, family section of restaurants when the bus arrives at rest stops.
Ignore the cynics who complain that the trip to Damman is long or those whose negative view of Hail is obviously biased. Do what any sensible traveller does - take a book and read, admire the topography of the countryside, or spend some time sleeping. Above all, stay positive. |
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Stephen Jones
Joined: 21 Feb 2003
Posts: 4124
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| Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2010 9:56 pm Post subject: |
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| take a book and read, admire the topography of the countryside |
I suspect it would have to be a very long book. As for the topography it looking at hundreds of kilometers of flat desert will enable the third, most intelligent suggestion 'spend some time sleeping.'
Frankly, if you're doing Hail-Dammam or Hail-Jeddah you'll want to fly. Saudia domestic flights are heavily subsidized, so it won't break the bank. |
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Bebsi
Joined: 07 Feb 2005
Posts: 958
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| Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 4:42 pm Post subject: |
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Cassava said
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| ...those whose negative view of Hail is obviously biased. |
I always imagined that the whole point of having a point of view is that it is biased?
Is there such a thing as an 'objective' opinion?
Just wondering ... |
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cassava
Joined: 24 Feb 2007
Posts: 175
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| Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 7:12 pm Post subject: |
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As for the topography it looking at hundreds of kilometers of flat desert will enable the third, most intelligent suggestion 'spend some time sleeping.'
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I think that this is a somewhat unfortunate description of the route that the OP is planning to take, and strongly suggests that the author has never taken a SAPTCO bus from Hail.
The topography is, in fact, quite fascinating. The Hail region is dominated by a series of impressive mountain ranges. From the bus, a keen observer can perceive many examples of aeolian weathering and the various ventifacts that are scattered at different places in the desert. These two phenomena are evidence of the tremendous force that the wind and sand have exerted against the mountains and the rocks.
From the bus, I have often noticed good examples of what is frequently referred to as "desert varnish". This is a thin coating that forms on stones in the desert. It is often bluish-black in colour and gives off a noticeable shine. Desert varnish consists largely of iron and manganese oxide and presents a spectacular sight, especially in the late afternoon sun.
Hail region is famous for the HADCO farms, and these come into full view once the bus leaves the town. The neatness of the farms, the sheer volume of the vegetables and fruits that are cultivated, plus the ingenious irrigation systems that are utilized are truly spectacular. Most first-time visitors to Hail are astounded at the sight of miles of farms and verdant pastures instead of arid desert. Many people can scarcely believe their eyes.
Indeed, the desert itself has all kinds of interesting sights, especially the dunes. Depending on what time of the year one is travelling and in what part of the country, one might catch sight of a barchan dune. This is a dune which is shaped like a crescent, with the ends of the dune pointing in the direction in which the wind generally blows. In the Sahara, some barchans may go to 400m wide and 30m high.
Other kinds of dunes are the longitudinal dune, the seif dune, the whaleback dune, the transverse dune and the parabolic dune. Each dune has its own particular characteristics and I observed them all in Saudi Arabia during my numerous bus trips across the country. On a few rare occasions, I have even observed an oghurd. This is a large dune which sits on top of a mountain and seems to be part of the structure of the mountain, but is not. Such a dune might be there one day and then completely absent the next, blown away by powerful winds.
As I travelled by bus in the desert during the rainy season, I was fascinated by how quickly what was arid desert would become a sea of green. I also spent much time examining the many examples of angle of repose that I observed in the desert. The angle of repose is the steepest angle or slope at which loose material such as pieces of rock or sand will remain without sliding down the mountain. There are many examples of this in Hail region.
In sum, travelling by bus in the desert can be a fascinating adventure that people who go to live in Saudi have a golden opportunity to experience. It's too bad that so many of them opt to go from one stuffy airport waiting-room to another. In fact, saying that the desert is dull and boring is like calling a Stradivarius an old banjo. |
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Stephen Jones
Joined: 21 Feb 2003
Posts: 4124
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| Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 8:00 pm Post subject: |
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| I've driven from Riyadh to Hail two or three times. The terrain does get more varied as you head towards Hail but it's still basically monotonous. Certainly not enough to sustain interest on a twelve hour or so bus journey. |
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cassava
Joined: 24 Feb 2007
Posts: 175
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| Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 10:29 pm Post subject: |
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I suppose that, in the final analysis, it depends on the likes and dislikes of the individuals involved. Personally, I avoid driving as much as possible when I am travelling or going on holidays.
The problem is that having to stay constantly focused on the road detracts from my ability to view the topography of the local environment. However, when I travel by bus or train, I am far more relaxed and am thus able to
observe the scenery in detail. |
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Geronimo
Joined: 11 Apr 2007
Posts: 498
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2010 8:42 am Post subject: |
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Chailocks
Hotel accommodation for women travelling alone is problematic. Ask "Cleopatra" on this site for her experiences.
Nothing we can say or write will prepare you for the experience of being in Saudi Arabia. |
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trapezius
Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 1670
Location: Land of Culture of Death & Destruction
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| Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2010 10:21 am Post subject: |
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^^ From the linked article:
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Samia Ibrahim was one such case. Contacted by a young man who she believes acquired her number from a take-away delivery man, she refused to give in to his demands.
�He kept on sending me messages which enraged my husband, who ended up divorcing me over it,� Samia said. |
What a nice guy, her husband! Something tells me he also blames earthquakes on gays and Jews.
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| �Girls really need to be careful and only use the phones of males in the family if they want to avoid what happened to me, and they shouldn�t give their numbers to non-Saudi taxi drivers who will do anything for money.� |
Oh yeah, the old standby... blame the expats! Has she seen what Saudi men of all ages, single and married, do in malls? And I am sure every single Saudi earns his money in a halal way and spends it on halal things  . |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2010 2:09 pm Post subject: |
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| �They should use the telephones of male relatives to protect themselves from nuisance calls, which can often lead to a sullying of their reputations and even end up in divorce,� he said. |
Or they could simply not answer the phone when they do not recognise the number, which is what many women of my acquaintance do here.
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| they shouldn�t give their numbers to non-Saudi taxi drivers who will do anything for money.� |
Firstly, if you use a taxi driver regularly (and most women here are of course dependent on taxis), how can you avoid giving him your number? Secondly, it's generally accepted among women in the Kingdom that you're far more likely to be harassed by a Saudi taxi driver than by a non-Saudi one. That said, over the years I have travelled with both Saudi and non-Saudi taxi drivers, often alone, and have never once had any serious problems. I'm not saying such problems cannot and do not occur, but you get dodgy taxi drivers everywhere. |
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