Moving to riyadh
 

Hi
I have accepted a new position in Riyadh and will be moving over in Augsut. Unfortunately I do not know much about the place.
I would love to hear from people who live there.
What is it like?
How much does it cost to live there if housing is paid for?
I have heard that there is a great expat population. Is there much to do?
I probably will have more questions as time goes on...
Looking forward to hearing from you
Regards
D

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

it still amazes me that people can move to another country that they nothing about !!! Riyadh is a shit hole. We have some members who are out there so hopefully they will enlighten you about life in KSA.

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

Thanks for the response....obviously you havent had great experiences there. :(

I have heard reports to the contrary......was checking the view of others.

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

Whenever I used to visit Riyadh, it was horrible. Have a look at the Kingdom movie (although much of it wasn't actually filmed there) and you will get an idea of what to expect. Fine if you are a muslim or homosexual...or Dean;)

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

Saudi is a shithole.....PERIOD, FACT, ETC

There are people who dont mind it and can live there, but then again some people like being seen as infidels, living in compounds surrounded by armed guards, being unable to travel to certain areas, taking security precauctions every now and then when the locals are trying to kil you etc.

All in all its a lovely place really

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

hey guys
Thanks for the feedback....guess I will see what gives in August
By the way, I will between SA and Bahrain so life wont be that bad...eventually it will be all Bahrain.

Was hoping to hear some positive:confused:

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

Positive,
only positive thing is your exit stamp when you leave

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

The Dean and Nottbantam might say something positive, they are both there.

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

The answer to the question "is there much to do" is "no".

That said, I've heard the embassy and compound parties can be fantastic. I am back in Dubai every weekend so I've not had the honour of an invite.

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

I've been here in Riyadh for just over a month, and I would say to you to make your own mind up. I don't think its a shit hole, nor do I think the country is like that either. I've found most of the Saudi's to be very very hospitable, warm and friendly people. The authorities are bureaucratic and a bit over zealous, but the warmth of the local people is fantastic.

But, I have never been to the other Gulf countries, so can't compare. I'm also a practising Muslim, so I don't drink, or feel I have the need to go get pissed every night or every other night, and paint the town red so I can have 'fun'.Maybe that skews my view of the city compared to the other responses? I can imagine that its not as 'glamourous' as other cities?

Its pretty much down to how one handles the situation. There are no cinema's - I've not come across many anyway! Obviously no bars, but plenty of restaurants,but the sexes are very much divided.

I live on an almost exclusive white compound - so the the social life here is great if you want it to be,you can hold of most things you want - there is way if there's a will!

Riyadh 's main past times centres around mooching around the shopping malls and if you're inclined, to take trips out into the desert. Life is very much centred around the family, religion and then work. In the UK, family is around 6th on the list, and religion probably not even in the top ten.

It depends on what floats your boat really.I enjoy spending time more so in Riyadh than I do in the compound, but that's just me. Most other people here hardly venture off the compound and this is their world. If you want to get out and about in the city, then you'll definitely need a car, the city is expanding at an alarming rate and is spreading further and further out.

There is plenty of material on the internet about Riyadh, so do some research and some reading. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

A strange observation as, from my recollection, most Riyadh Saudis are white (certainly the women) and don't coloured folk know how to enjoy themselves too? Maybe you meant to say that you live on a western compound:confused:

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

Perhaps you are more travelled and knowledgeable about the area than I , but the local saudi's I've come across so far are not white,and would not be described as such.I would still describe my compound as mainly white.

Not sure which colour you refer to?

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

Hi,

I'm due to move Riyadh in June.

Having looked into it, I cant decide whether to be exicted or terrified!

Best Of Luck!

Thetan

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

Hi
Been here exactly 1 week and like Notmbantam, am a muslim too. It really is what you make of it-if you want to save and spend time with your family, then this would suit you. If you are looking at a more cosmo lifestyle with the western lifestyle, guess Dubai is your answer. The 1st week is tough-my family is still at home, and the city can be depressing esp if you don't speak Arabic. I am still looking for a compound (Notm pm me if you hear of anything available). Compound prices varies from 75SAR to 250SAR for a 3bed-depends on your budget. The bigger prob is getting space but there is (I came across 2 but no pets on these and I plan to bring mine).
On the compounds it's pretty much like a western village. The Saudis I have encountered at work are friendly and will really assist you-just keep an open mind and accept that the society structure is different.
Can't advise on food as I cant compare to UK and am only shopping for a bachelor right now.
Give it a chance-accept that it is a challenge and an adventure!
Good luck

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

Hi rdan,just sent you a PM!

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

Just wanting to say a few things ...which some people may not like but i say what i feel so here goes

Saudi isn't the most "happening" place in the Middle East by far but whoever comes comes fully aware that it isn't going to be like living back home... or living in Dubai etc

People seem to be on here and calling Saudi a shit hole and other negative things... i don't get it...did u all think every Friday night u wud go down to the pub and get pissed and have a kebab afterwards??!
:confused:

I know many expats who have lived in the Kingdom for 10 yrs + ... if it was SO bad would they stay? I doubt it.

One has to come with an OPEN mind and sorry but obviously some people are not open minded at all....they come because they get paid bucket-loads to do so and no other reason!

Im sure the Arabs don't settle in the UK and think it will be like Saudi so why do we all travel around the world and expect every country to cater to our lifestyle??

Most expats don't even mingle with the locals and some hardly even leave their compounds except for work so what would they know of the real life in Saudi??

All in all if you want parties and fun, booze ups and raves, like looking at scantily clad women and can't deal with the heat then Saudi is NOT the place for you.

If you are looking for a new experience, some good money and are willing to accept Saudi for what it is and how it is then good on u ... come and i hope u enjoy it

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

It was me caling it a shithole and fyi i hardly drink, maybe 4-6 times a year, so there goes your thesis. The problem with Saudi is its a great country with a tin pot dictatorship and extreme religious nutters in charge.
Any country with its income that has starving people in the streets is a shithole.......period. 50,000 princes and various clerics have and continue to bleed a nation dry with one half spending the money on terror the other in europes casinos and bordelos.
There are amazing sights to see in Saudi, its a pity that as an infidel your not actualled allowed to go see them with out an escort and even then only omn a whim
Expats that have spent a long time there and love it in my experience are the ones who live their entire lives in the compounds and it suits them fine. Case in point is the Aramco lot who have a mini America that they live their entire lives in.

OK it may suit some but in all honesty I feel that it is a shithole. Those it suits are also happy and wiling to work in Port Harcourt, Abuga and other shitholes around the globe, they are hardship expats and their welcome to it.
And as for not being willing to put up with difference...bollocks I far prefered the UAE 30 yrs ago when it was about as different from the UK as Saudi is now.


Chop Chop square....nuff said

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

How about driving on a six lane highway from Jeddah and hitting an exit sign that says that non-muslims must leave here...or two women together being refused entry to a restaurant because they have no male family member with them...or women being served at a lingerie shop by an old man...or being unable to go shopping or eat at a restaurant around lunchtime because of prayers (when the staff take a smoking break rather than prey)...:confused::curse::frown:

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

the difference is that when Saudis go to Europe they have freedom to worship and dress accoridng to their beliefs and culture. They don't offer the same rights to people visiting their country.

when did you ever see a sign outside a cathederal saying "No Muslims" ?

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

To be fair , the UK has beggars on its streets too,people who are homeless selling the Big Issue on the streets. Nottingham Council started a campaign to get rid of beggars from the streets as it spoiled the tourist trade. It didn't do anything about the causes, just didn't want to see the symptoms of our society.

Each year we have to have a huge charity campaign -Children In Need - to help serve and protect innocent young children in the UK,as the government do not provide enough money to deliver the neccessary supporting infra structure, we have to do it ourselves.

Each day my wife comes home from her job as a teacher telling of the children she has to deal with, those who are abused on a regular basis, who go home to alcoholic parents, those who do not come to school because they have to stay at home and care for disabled / ill parents - what sort of a childhood is that? Kids as young as nine who are living in crack houses and whose parents are the local drug dealers. Kids who spend the entire evening as soon as they get home from school,locked up in their bedrooms. Kids who have winessed murders and are on a police protection programme.

ASBO's, Anti Social Behaviour, crime, drugs,STD's increasing year by year.

These are true stories - not lifted from a sensational tabloid newspaper

We're talking modern day Britain here. Our prisons are so over crowded, the government is putting pressure on courts NOT to send people to jail as they can't cope. Illegal Immigrants are queuing up to LEAVE the country,not to get in. UK has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in Europe.

Which country is the shit hole? I don't see hundreds of BE Members running back to UK cos its such a fantastic place to live?

Just because you cannot do the things you did back home, and you can't see a monument you want, there is no need to throw a tantrum and start criticising is there? It still amazes me that some folk still want to perpetuate a certain life style and then get upset when they can't and resort to insults and abuse.

Some folk need to get their head out the ****ing sand.:confused:

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

I have been here for a couple of months
Here are the biggest CONS:
1) traffic – not the traffic jam, but the rules (or the lack of those). You better have a good med and life insurance just in case. I am not kidding
2) shopping for items other than food – total extreme – either very poor in Bata / supermarkets or very expensive in malls. I buy online everything – from bedsheets to bathroom items.
3) Total lack of any information on hands - if you need to find a special store – ask your co-workers. Nothing exist on Internet, and there is no “yellow pages” book.
4) Rising cost of compounds since demands is high, so be sure get a good package from your employer.


PROs:
1) food is cheap
2) gas is cheap


I would NOT recommend to live in Saudi if you like to have a very busy social life, since none exist in the city, and most of the social life on the compounds is gathering and drinking some “self-made” drinks.
This place is for having a good paying job, bringing your family for a couple years (works best for couples with young children when a wife stays at home), and enjoying evenings with your family at Western compounds.

It is definitely NOT a shithole, you just have to know in advance what you are getting into and if it fits your style of life. Just save your money for a trip to outside of Saudi.

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

PS. I meant "poor quality" items talking about regular things like towels,bed sheets, rugs, and similar. Those type of things you usually need to buy for your house after relocation.

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People come after decent salary here (sometime tax free). All inconvenience you describe, someone does NOT encounter every day. I still believe it is worth to come to Saudi just for experience. A couple more decades and a lot of countries will loose their uniqueness. Just to let to know what I compare - I am from the US, and "had to give up a lot" according to some people.

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

Fair enuf but before i went to Saudi i was aware of this and aware of how it was there.

And sorry but Muslims do not have the same rights as everyone else in the UK , USA etc thats bollox..... just because they are allowed to have mosques and worship and are allowed in Cathedrals etc doesn't mean they are not persecuted and hassled in other ways.

Anyway i think it all boils down to do your research b4 moving anywhere. If you can deal with the differences in culture etc etc good if not well then find somewhere else to go or stay home! its pretty much that simple

I went to Saudi knowing life would be hard, esp for me as a woman...it is....so be it....i deal with it and get on

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

if you said the same about immigrants in the UK you would be vilified as being a racist. Thats the type of double standards that annoy me.

Muslims have exactly the same rights as non-muslims in the UK. Its part of being a secular state (with the sole exception of blasphemy laws which should be totally removed from the statute books)

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

:rofl::rofl::rofl: knob. did you actually read my post?

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

Grow up.

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

Nottingham has become an awful place in the last 20 years. It's sad when I remember going to school there, or my first job there, or the nights in Rock City. Crying shame.

People vote for lower tax - particularly for the richer in society. That lowers the amount the government have to spend. Government spending has been on a shoestring for ages.

The British Crime Survey shows crimes decreasing year on year since 1997. ASBOs are pretty new, so no surprise they're increasing.

The courts have been under pressure to imprison more and more people for years now, and prison building hasn't kept up. Britain's teen pregnancy rates have been higher than those of the rest of Western Europe since the 80s. None of this is really news...

The clue is in the name of the site... ;)

The UK is far from perfect. But however you look at it, Saudi has a long, long way to go. And to their credit, they're working on getting there - but it's going to be a tough journey.

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

errr i am a muslim who was born and bred in the UK so unless u r a muslim who grew up in a majority non -muslim country u really have no idea...

my mother in law is an white australian of Czech-Scottish descent...yet whenever she travels she is subjected to "random" (my arse) searches and questions and is detained for hours on end....what? just coz she was married to a muslim and has a muslim surname!!! the same is of my husband....please ... i dont see any totally western "white" ppl subjected to this kind of thing ...and i have traveled A LOT ....they may have the same rights etc but wherever they can be persecuted they are ... in whatever manner...

thats the issue....everyone believes ppl of other religions have no issues in the country they live in.... that is just SO not true

ok so Saudi isnt perfect by far....but they have their laws etc and so be it...ppl come here knowing what they are like and what the laws are

its as simple as either u can hack it or u cant

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

You don't have many Irish friends, then. I still remember clearly getting stuck at a remote French / Swiss border crossing (under armed guard) while they checked out my Irish friend, ten years ago...

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

and my best friend is Czech and married to a Pakistani Muslim with Pakistani surname. Neither of them have ever had any problems entering the UK.

as has been mentioned previoulsy Irish people had the same problem during the IRA days. Unfortunately the actions of a small minority in the British Muslim community have forced this situation. If British muslims hadn't bombed london there wouldn't be such tight security.

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

Anyway some ppl have probs and some dont... i have never had any probs whatsoever and have lived in the UK for over 15 yrs without any negative experiences whatsoever....

but anyway the bottom line is that b4 going somewhere new one researches what its like...and ppl do come 2 KSA well aware of the laws and rules and limitations.

If you go somewhere ... u shud go with an open mind ... no where ...no country is perfect and ok Saudi is pretty far down on that list but shit hole its not...so they are a little backward and life can be different and difficult but ppl manage and get by

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I am the one and only...

It still amazes me that people can be so blunt. Don't you realise people use this site to make decisions that can change the rest of their lives and you come out with a p*shy comments like that - have a bit more wit for goodness sake.

They are obviously trying to find out about the place before moving there. Some people don't have the chance to visit the place before moving and hence they come on here.

Don't get me wrong, you're entitled to your opinion but I just think when people are trying to make big decisions posts like yours don't make it any easier.

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

...But the OP has already accepted the job in KSA. So the point being made is that these questions should have been asked before that stage.

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

Thank you for the response and support Chesney..

I am looking for information about what other experiences are in SA. I can however understand the comment that I should have investigated all about the place before accepting a job. Guess thats the risk taker and adventure in me. This will be a major adventure, at least I will be able to say that I had a go and wont die wondering what it is like.

It has been really interesting reading the replies.
Thanks everyone

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

A good point well made Chesney.

And whatever happened to your musical career? :blink:

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

If people use this site to make decisions that can change the rest of their lives, God help them. Lighten up CH, people ask for our opinions and that is all they get. We are not here to persuade newbies into either coming or staying away. Those decisions should be made elsewhere.

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

The difference between the UK and Saudi is in the UK I am unlikely to face two car loads of men armed with automatic weapons and explosives whose primary motivation is to murder myself and my family just because we are perceived to be of the wrong religion and are therefore marked for death.

And before you jump down my throat, yes I have lived in Saudi Arabia for a number of years - I got out before the real fun started. And yes, I have read the Koran and understand the difference between the vast Muslim Ummah and those fanatics who murder in the name of Allah. The cold, hard fact is that if you are a fair skinned non-muslim, you and your family are considered by a sizeable minority in that country to be dead meat.

The Saudi authorities have the lid on things at the moment but it's always below the surface waiting to go off. My pious muslim friends who live in various countries believe the same thing and personally wouldn't go there unless for Haj or Umrah when their [relative] safety is assured.

The sad thing is, Arab hospitality, custom and religion in it's purest form is an experience not to be forgotten - I have fond memories of my time in SA and those of us who live in Western Societies could learn much from that part of the world - but my first paragraph indicates why I will currently not go there and would advise anyone else not to.

Re: Moving to riyadh
 

Are you not confusing KSA with Somalia? You have an equal chance of getting blown up by terrorists living in Mainland Europe in my view, but I do agree that living in a completely muslim fundamentalist state is not ideal