Going Back Home from Riyadh City to Manila

farewell and thanks a lot saudi arabia
november 21, 2011 monday

A sudden decision... one month before I did not even think about this will happen and now guess what... I purchased the cheapest fare among the airlines that route Manila which was 2,036 sar (over php20,000) just to get back home (bought ticket day before the flight) ...

39 days of stay.... I really, really appreciate the days I have with this country. Thanks Saudi, Thanks filipino expats !! you open my mind to a journey of my life!

Exit visa received 4 hours before the flight, departed riyadh around 2120H, transit to dubai at 2300H then arrived to manila 1630H the next day.

king khaled international airport (riyadh city)

Riyadh TV Tower of Saudi Arabia

my 3rd communication tower visited
november 06, 2011 saturday

The Riyadh TV Tower in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is a 170 meter high television tower located inside the premises of Saudi Ministry of Information. It was completed in 1978.

i visited this place twice aiming to climb the viewing deck atop (one in the morning last october 26 and the afternoon of november 06) but i failed. i really thought that viewing deck is open for tourist visitors but as i scanned the area, it was barricaded on all of its major fence wall and gates. so thats it, be  contented to capture the gigantic structure outside the vicinity. this tower is best shot at night having different light color shadowing its shape.

riyadh tv tower of saudi

Hidden Valley of Riyadh Province

1st road trip get-away along the stoney dessert
november 04, 2011 friday

i don't know why this is called hidden valley, maybe this is a usual filipino expat's place to have a picnic get-away hidden to the city's strict compliance of having a picnic in non-muslim way. every visitors of this place will see the obivous and typical pinoy's activity when living a tourist spot. this is the way they want to be remembered, a painful fact.

Hidden valley/ Wadi Nissah is located 80km west side of Riyadh city center, traveling time is about an hour. It is composed of magnificent huge rock formation above the dry mountains and the amazing sand dunes view around. It is place where most of the expats who lived in Riyadh have visited this place especially during the winter months ( November- March ) they spent their time with their family and friends by having a picnic and climbing up at the rocky mountains, ladies are free to take off their abaya while they are around.
source: http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Middle_East/Saudi_Arabia

hidden valley of riyadh province

King Abdul Aziz Historical Center

another museum just infront of the national museum
november 03, 2011 thursday

free entrance fee for all saudi/non-saudi tourist visitors. camera is allowed also, provided not to used its video mode function.

The King Abdul Aziz Historical Centre is a region in the city of Riyadh city. It is not the "historic center" of the city as this lies to the south around Masmak fort and the main Friday Mosque" in the Dira district. The origin of the King Abdul Aziz Historical Centre is the former compound of the Murabba' Palace, that was built in 1936/37 by King Abdul Aziz about one and a half Kilometers to the north of the old city and well outside of the then still existing city walls.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Abdul_Aziz_Historical_Centre

king abdul aziz historical center

Inside National Museum of Saudi Arabia

just few steps away from water tower park
november 03, 2011 thursday

entrance fee of 10 sar, saudi/non-saudi tourist visitors can bring their any type of camera for photoshoot only, video taking is prohibited.

The National Museum of Saudi Arabia is a major national museum in Saudi Arabia. Established in 1999, it is part of the King Abdul Aziz Historical Centre in Riyadh. The exhibits are organized in eight "Exhibition Halls" that includes Man and the Universe, Arabian Kingdoms, The Pre-Islamic Era (Jahiliyyah), The Prophet's Mission, Islam and the Arabian Peninsula, First and Second Saudi States, The Unification and The Hajj and the Two Holy Mosques.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Museum_of_Saudi_Arabia

national museum of saudi arabia

Sunset in Riyadh CIty Water Tower Park

visiting alone the nearby park
november 03, 2011 thursday

this park is just 300 meters away from batha center. with its unique architecture as a water tower, everyone who see's it will not thought its not like that. at 1st glance, my impression it was a huge torch tower. riyadh water tower was built during the reign of the government of hid majesty king faisal bin abdul aziz al saud, the great. the tower holds 12,000 cubic meter of water and was completed in service in october 1971 AD. this also an actually copy of the Svampen Tower in the Swedish town of Orebro.

entrance fee of 5 sar, and if you want got to the viewing deck atop, additional of 10 sar located at the 16th floor of its elevator. and from the ground, this 16th floor is the only accessible for tourists visit. opens everyday, 0900H to 2100H. this tower is best shot at sunset or at night.

this park, which is ideal for family and kida only, is included in the 5 sar entrance fee and especially designed for kids due to its amusement park included. kiddie rides have excluded fees that included roller coaster, bump car, airplane ride, etc. there is also miniature of famous landmarks and tourists spots in saudi arabia found at the center of the park. you can navigate this mini-map by walk or by boat.

riyadh water tower

riyadh water tower

Riyadh to Dammam Solo Train Trip in the Morning

solo flashpack sightseeing the sands
october 25, 2011 tuesday

The idea of constructing a railway line in Saudi Arabia was first introduced in the mid 1940s, when a need became apparent for a port on the Gulf coast to handle materials dispatched to The Arabian American Oil Company (Aramco). In the beginning, the railway line was run by Aramco, but it was subsequently entrusted to the Ministry of Finance, at which time it was known as the Railway Department. On the 13th of May, 1966, a Royal Decree was issued establishing the Saudi Railways Organization as a public corporation having full legal status.
source: http://www.saudirailways.org

saudi railway e-ticket

saudi railway Al Qafilah section

Kingdom Center, at the Skybridge by Day

tallest skyscraper in the world below 50 floors
october 18, 2011 tuesday

Kingdom Centre also called Al Mamlaka Tower is a skyscraper located in the city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It is currently the second tallest skyscraper in Saudi Arabia with a height of 302.3 m (992 ft). It's also the third tallest building with a hole in the world (after Shanghai World Finacial Center and Tuntex Sky Tower). AL-Mamlaka Tower contains a total of 41 floors and 2 basement levels. AL-Mamlka Tower is owned by Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, a prince of the Saudi royal family. It is also the headquarters of his holding company: Kingdom Holding Company. The total cost of the project was US$ 1 billion and the contract was taken by Saudi Arabian Al-Seif and The Italian Impregilo.

Kingdom Centre is the tallest skyscraper in the world below 50 floors. At its completion this was the 25th tallest building in the world, and the tallest of the 21st century. The hotel's ballroom is the largest in Riyadh, and the largest in the entire Four Seasons hotel chain. The viewing deck has a steeply arched floor, and features diagonal cross-beams along the windows. The building has an entrance on each of its four sides, each one serving a different usage (hotel, shopping, ballroom, and apartments/offices). The tower is aligned in a direct axis with Al Faisaliyah Center, Riyadh's other major skyscraper.

kingdom center view at far

Al Faisaliah Center, at the Globe at Night

ballpen-shape tower of riyadh city

october 14, 2011 friday

The Al Faisaliah Center is a commercial skyscraper located in the business district of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It is the second tallest building in riyadh city after the Kingdom Centre. Immediately below it an outside viewing deck; at ground level, there is a shopping center with major world brands. The Al Faisaliah Center is about 267 meters high and consists of 44 floors.

The Al Faisaliah Complex in Riyadh plays a key part in the city's urban development. The 240,000-square-metre complex includes Saudi Arabia's first skyscraper - a distinctive 267-metre-high office tower - a five-star hotel, a banqueting and conference centre, luxury apartments and a three-storey retail mall. The office tower is square in plan, designed around a compact central core, and tapers to a point, with four main corner columns defining its unique silhouette. Viewing decks at stages up the building correspond with giant K-braces, which transfer loads to the corner columns. The building is clad in silver-anodized aluminum panels with cantilevered sun shading devices which minimize glare, allowing the use of non-reflective, energy-efficient glass. These layered facades provide maximum control over the internal environment.

Above its thirty floors of office space, the tower houses the highest restaurant in Saudi Arabia, set within a golden glass sphere 200 metres above ground level. The viewing deck below the globe provides a breathtaking panorama of Riyadh and the surrounding landscape. At its pinnacle, the tower narrows to a brightly lit lantern, topped by a stainless-steel finial.

al faisaliah outside

Earlier Days in Riyadh City

i did not imagine i will be here

october 14-17, 2011 friday to monday

Riyadh, which means The Gardens, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau. The city is divided into 15 municipal districts, managed by Riyadh Municipality headed by the mayor of Riyadh.

Riyadh is more conservative than Jeddah or the Eastern Province. The mutaween (religious police) are numerous in Riyadh and not to be messed with. Women must cover themselves with an abaya (available in shops everywhere in Riyadh) and it's advisable to carry a headscarf as well. Read, understand and follow the guidelines in the Saudi Arabia article to stay out of trouble. Riyadh is one of the strictest cities in Saudi Arabia.

Sightseeing in Riyadh is a frustrating exercise in careful timing: not only are most sites closed on weekends (Thu-Fri) and during prayer hours, but visiting hours are segregated between men and families. The one saving grace is that many sites stay open until 9 PM.

my hotel for one week