Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012
Yes, we went shopping again.......it's an easy hobby for a women to pick-up in Riyadh. We are still trying to find things that women (single women in particular) are allowed to do without a male chaperon. Options still appear to be limited but we will keep looking. Until then you will find us at the malls.
Today we made our way over to Kingdom Mall. None of us had been there yet but heard it was very nice. If you're wondering who I'm talking about when I say "we", I'm referring to many of the other girls in my orientation group. The mall is one place you can go as a pack of women and not feel uncomfortable. Shopping seems to be a very popular activity for women. Getting a group of women to be ready all at the same time however is always difficult. Our plan was to meet at around 1800 (6pm) and call Hala for a pick-up. At 1825 we were still waiting for a few people. We called the cabs anyway and 7 of us headed off. The rest came a little bit later.
We arrived at the mall right at prayer time which meant everything was closed, but we took the time to wander around the mall and see what was there. Kingdom Mall has a "Women only" shopping floor, however you have to be prepared to buy things from men since they still make up about 99% of sales personal.
We quickly grew tired of looking at stores through windows so decided instead to make our way up Kingdom Tower to check out the view. I'm told Kingdom Tower is the second tallest building in Saudi Arabia. Most of us know it is as the "Giant bottle opener" because that is what it looks like (on another trip I hope to go up a neighbouring tower to get a picture). You can see a long way from up there because Riyadh doesn't look like most large cities so does not have a lot of sky scrapers.
Eventually we made our way up to a restaurant called Spazio. It was totally empty when we got there (because people here tend to eat later......especially on a Wednesday night) but we still sat down to enjoy a meal and the view. We were allowed to take pictures up there as long was we didn't include the restaurant itself or any of the people who work there.
Yes, we went shopping again.......it's an easy hobby for a women to pick-up in Riyadh. We are still trying to find things that women (single women in particular) are allowed to do without a male chaperon. Options still appear to be limited but we will keep looking. Until then you will find us at the malls.
Today we made our way over to Kingdom Mall. None of us had been there yet but heard it was very nice. If you're wondering who I'm talking about when I say "we", I'm referring to many of the other girls in my orientation group. The mall is one place you can go as a pack of women and not feel uncomfortable. Shopping seems to be a very popular activity for women. Getting a group of women to be ready all at the same time however is always difficult. Our plan was to meet at around 1800 (6pm) and call Hala for a pick-up. At 1825 we were still waiting for a few people. We called the cabs anyway and 7 of us headed off. The rest came a little bit later.
We arrived at the mall right at prayer time which meant everything was closed, but we took the time to wander around the mall and see what was there. Kingdom Mall has a "Women only" shopping floor, however you have to be prepared to buy things from men since they still make up about 99% of sales personal.
We quickly grew tired of looking at stores through windows so decided instead to make our way up Kingdom Tower to check out the view. I'm told Kingdom Tower is the second tallest building in Saudi Arabia. Most of us know it is as the "Giant bottle opener" because that is what it looks like (on another trip I hope to go up a neighbouring tower to get a picture). You can see a long way from up there because Riyadh doesn't look like most large cities so does not have a lot of sky scrapers.
Eventually we made our way up to a restaurant called Spazio. It was totally empty when we got there (because people here tend to eat later......especially on a Wednesday night) but we still sat down to enjoy a meal and the view. We were allowed to take pictures up there as long was we didn't include the restaurant itself or any of the people who work there.
Looking down from Spazio. Lots of traffic out there. Seems to go on forever and it didn't let up at all. I can safely say that I have never seen traffic like Riyadh traffic anywhere else I've been. Totally crazy. I'm actually pretty happy I'm not allowed to drive.
From the opposite side of the tower. You can see how few sky scrapers there are in the area.
A few fellow Canadians, Kristen, Julienne and Michelle. The rest of the girls were off taking pictures somewhere.
My main course. Brazilian steak.......so good. Not a lot of green on that plate, which I'm finding is common in Saudi cuisine but I had an appetizer that took care of that part of the food guide. That is asparagus although it is covered in a light batter so not sure I can count it.
After we ate we headed to the mall to look in a few stores. Not sure any of us bought anything but we sure did find lots of things we liked. Kingdom Mall certainly is a nice mall but a little expensive for us. At 2230 (10:30pm) we gathered outside the front doors with all the other ladies waiting for our ride to pick us up. Serious traffic jam on the round-about. Kind of funny to watch everyone honking their horns and getting angry at the car in front of them, who is doing the same thing to the car in front of them and so on and so on. Of course no one can get anywhere so it's pretty funny and entertaining to watch. At least you can't blame the traffic problems on female drivers.
If you think I have done a lot of shopping since getting to Riyadh you are correct, however I've been quite good and not bought much at all. A new purse is on the list ( I need something that looks nice but is large enough to fit my abaya when I go somewhere I'm allowed to take it off) but I am waiting for my first pay cheque. Just a few more weeks to go.
Julie
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