simple2204

Hi All

Firstly apologies as it may appear i could have answered the first one by searching on first glance, what i was really after were views.

I am moving out at the end of June and the Q's i have are;

1) Cars (before you groan) i see lots about selling and a bit about buying and it sounds like i will have fun when i decide what to do the q is though "Do i really need one?". I am going to be on Arabian homes, working in Centria Building, Olaya Street. I would like to go and explore a bit (comments welcome sarky or otherwise) and am a bit of a petrol head. I have 3100SAR as a monthly allowance and not sure what that will get me? I prefer bigger cars (being a bit of a lump myself) and golf and scuba stuff needed to be stored and carried around, hoping to take my PADI courses whilst in Riyadh.

2) Visitors - This may seem like a strange q, i have a few female friends who have said that want to come visit (yes i explained that it is a dessert, no drinking etc etc) and when i read some articles on the web it sounds like a major pain in the backside as they will be single woman travelling alone and staying with me whilst they are there..........help!!!! Some sites say they are not allowed, some it is vague as unmarried people can not co-habit but not explicit on visiting etc etc, what is the skinny on this people?

3) Lastly - Can you get marmite in Riyadh

Thanks for your time and patience with the naive newbie.

Blue Cat

I am not in Saudi but I can tell you female visitors are a no go, I tried to get a visa to get into Riyadh when I was single - business visit and was turned down.

simple2204

b*&%^, does that include visiting couples or just single woman?? Looks like i am going to be spending a lot of time meeting people in Dubai/Bahrain etc....

Blue Cat

married couples 'could' visit but it would be a right hassle get them visa's if you ask me, you are better getting advice from Nic1 or one of the other guys who are in Riyadh.

simple2204

OK thanks, i will try and catch the Riyadh guys later

eylesda

Single women will not get a visit visa. I have friends who have been out but for business. They were at director level in the UK part of the joint ventures.

It sounds a bit of a lark coming to Saudi but any visitors you did get would be a real pain for you. There is nothing much to do during the week so you will be responsible for ferrying them around every evening and trying to keep them entertained.

Petrol head eh? Reem race track near you. It now hosts several international events.

Car wise, once you have your iqama (residence visa) you can take out a loan for a car, usually spread out over 48 months and arranged with the dealer. For this you will need a letter from your sponsor allowing you to buy a car. Great as if you do a runner or cannot pay your loan they will come after your sponsor for the money SR 3,100 per month will give you a great spread to choose from. Ford Mustangs at sr 120,000, Lumina SS (400 BHP) at SR 140,000. Stay away from Dodge / Chrysler, crap dealerships with few or no spares. Not to mention bankruptcy.......

I keep saying it but join the BBA as soon as you can. Intros to other Brits and the embassy bar.

Have'nt seen Marmite but the Aussie version, Veggiemite, is available from the bigger stores.

typical

Arabian Homes to Olaya is about 15 mins drive in the morning, nearly 30 in the evening. I've run it but I wouldn't want to do it every day! You could just use a driver service of course, but there's no way you're getting there without a car of some kind.

Visit visas are almost impossible for Saudi full stop. IIRC you can't get them except for immediate family, outside of organized tour groups. Them being single women just makes the impossible even more impossible

I've also never seen Marmite. It's Halal so there's no reason it shouldn't be available.

still.unsure

everyone's answered the rest, but the marmite you can get at the british council shop in the DQ

(either that or you could go lick a camel's scrotum - same taste, isn't it?)

typical

simple2204

Somehow i just knew you would be a hater

simple2204

Hi Thanks for th car info, the iqama is being sorted at the minute so should't have any problems there. OK here is the naive part, what is the BBA, i am some way there on intuition......

simple2204

Thank you, me and running don't really go together at the minute (mainly cos i would start earthquakes if i run or land heavy).

The visit visas sound like they are a pain and i didn't even think of that as an issue but thanks for the heads up on both counts.

still.unsure

BBA = British Businessman's Association (it's got a more social aspect to it than business a la victorian empire... )

still.unsure

seriously, forget the idea of anyone other than direct parents visiting. (and even then, think long & bloody hard)

your best bet is to go meet them somewhere else in the ME (i.e. Jordan for Petra or Sharm el Sheik for a nice beach resort, etc.) let your guests see a couple of black ghosts and then proceed to say "you ain't seen nothing yet!" and regail (spelling?) them with stories of the magic kingdom.

(besides, if you go out the kingdom, you get a decent drink and that's not an opportunity to shirk)

simple2204

Thanks for the BBA, do i have to learn a secret handshake or anything!!!
Yeah i get the feeling i am going to be doing lots of flying to meet people elsewhere......good job they give me lots of holiday......and pay me well (i think anyway!!) I love sharm so any excuse, how long is the flight there from the MC?? I could look it up i know but it is saturday and i have a hangover, getting them in whilst i can