Riyadh...........Past and Present.
Jun 11th 2010, 3:32 am
#1
Vi
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2005
Location: Prince Edward Island
Posts: 343
Riyadh...........Past and Present.
Hi
Have enjoyed reading the posts about life in Riyadh.
Many years ago 1985 I worked and lived in Riyadh and was employed at the Al Hamadi Hospital.
In those days my friends and I lived in an amazing apartment building near the hospital with all mod cons including servants to clean and take care of us.
I had a bodyguard called Mohamad who followed me eveywhere i went outside of the apartment and was also my driver.
He would drive us to the parties in the compounds and stay all night sleeping in the car until we were ready to go home.One night the car was stopped by police and they wanted to search it and get a look at us inside............as we had been drinking it was bad news.We expected the doors to be forced open and get pulled out but Mohamad got out of the car pointed his gun at the guys and told then to leave
Close call...............
The interesting thing being that there were several Saudis at the party all drinking all men so yes one law for us another for them.
One afternoon we went to the supermarket and saw a group of young phillipino women chatting with some Saudi men thinking nothing of it till 3 days later 4 dead girls were found down a storm drain yes .you guessed it.
The problem being if a saudi man is convicted of rape its the death penalty so once the have had their pleasure its easier to get rid of the evidence.
I am not bsaying all saudi men are like that but women should never take that risk either then or now.
One guy who worked in the hospital was overheard saying..............The best thing about saudi was an exit visa..........he was beaten on the way home from work.
In the old days women didnt drive not alowed and you could not walk outside holding hands with any man even your husband but the saudi men always held hands and kissed each other on meeting.
As for the young saudi girls thet were out and out flirts...........in the cafes they would tease the guys and flirt with them knowinf full well if the guy responded they would be in serious trouble.
However Iwas there for a year had a great time and made many friends uk and saudi.Igeneral they were very kind and we were invited to their homes to eat etc, but with theis wives no men present.
When you enter the Kingdom forget life in the uk it does not apply this is a closed country with one religion so forget about trying to impose your rights ....you have none.Accept the way of life take the money stay safe and all will be well.
As for the young guys and women going there ..party away within the walls of the compounds and nnever leave late at night drunk stay till morning and ensure no smell of booze on you and things will be fine.
I enjoyed my stay there and to tell the truth found it strange when i returned home seeing people walking down the street guys with their hands on girls butts etc took a while to get used to it all again.
Guess thats one reason they see us as unclean lol But this is the good old uk.
Have enjoyed reading the posts about life in Riyadh.
Many years ago 1985 I worked and lived in Riyadh and was employed at the Al Hamadi Hospital.
In those days my friends and I lived in an amazing apartment building near the hospital with all mod cons including servants to clean and take care of us.
I had a bodyguard called Mohamad who followed me eveywhere i went outside of the apartment and was also my driver.
He would drive us to the parties in the compounds and stay all night sleeping in the car until we were ready to go home.One night the car was stopped by police and they wanted to search it and get a look at us inside............as we had been drinking it was bad news.We expected the doors to be forced open and get pulled out but Mohamad got out of the car pointed his gun at the guys and told then to leave
Close call...............
The interesting thing being that there were several Saudis at the party all drinking all men so yes one law for us another for them.
One afternoon we went to the supermarket and saw a group of young phillipino women chatting with some Saudi men thinking nothing of it till 3 days later 4 dead girls were found down a storm drain yes .you guessed it.
The problem being if a saudi man is convicted of rape its the death penalty so once the have had their pleasure its easier to get rid of the evidence.
I am not bsaying all saudi men are like that but women should never take that risk either then or now.
One guy who worked in the hospital was overheard saying..............The best thing about saudi was an exit visa..........he was beaten on the way home from work.
In the old days women didnt drive not alowed and you could not walk outside holding hands with any man even your husband but the saudi men always held hands and kissed each other on meeting.
As for the young saudi girls thet were out and out flirts...........in the cafes they would tease the guys and flirt with them knowinf full well if the guy responded they would be in serious trouble.
However Iwas there for a year had a great time and made many friends uk and saudi.Igeneral they were very kind and we were invited to their homes to eat etc, but with theis wives no men present.
When you enter the Kingdom forget life in the uk it does not apply this is a closed country with one religion so forget about trying to impose your rights ....you have none.Accept the way of life take the money stay safe and all will be well.
As for the young guys and women going there ..party away within the walls of the compounds and nnever leave late at night drunk stay till morning and ensure no smell of booze on you and things will be fine.
I enjoyed my stay there and to tell the truth found it strange when i returned home seeing people walking down the street guys with their hands on girls butts etc took a while to get used to it all again.
Guess thats one reason they see us as unclean lol But this is the good old uk.
Jun 11th 2010, 5:17 am
#2
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 13,553
Re: Riyadh...........Past and Present.
Hi
Have enjoyed reading the posts about life in Riyadh.
Many years ago 1985 I worked and lived in Riyadh and was employed at the Al Hamadi Hospital.
In those days my friends and I lived in an amazing apartment building near the hospital with all mod cons including servants to clean and take care of us.
I had a bodyguard called Mohamad who followed me eveywhere i went outside of the apartment and was also my driver.
He would drive us to the parties in the compounds and stay all night sleeping in the car until we were ready to go home.One night the car was stopped by police and they wanted to search it and get a look at us inside............as we had been drinking it was bad news.We expected the doors to be forced open and get pulled out but Mohamad got out of the car pointed his gun at the guys and told then to leave
Close call...............
The interesting thing being that there were several Saudis at the party all drinking all men so yes one law for us another for them.
One afternoon we went to the supermarket and saw a group of young phillipino women chatting with some Saudi men thinking nothing of it till 3 days later 4 dead girls were found down a storm drain yes .you guessed it.
The problem being if a saudi man is convicted of rape its the death penalty so once the have had their pleasure its easier to get rid of the evidence.
I am not bsaying all saudi men are like that but women should never take that risk either then or now.
One guy who worked in the hospital was overheard saying..............The best thing about saudi was an exit visa..........he was beaten on the way home from work.
In the old days women didnt drive not alowed and you could not walk outside holding hands with any man even your husband but the saudi men always held hands and kissed each other on meeting.
As for the young saudi girls thet were out and out flirts...........in the cafes they would tease the guys and flirt with them knowinf full well if the guy responded they would be in serious trouble.
However Iwas there for a year had a great time and made many friends uk and saudi.Igeneral they were very kind and we were invited to their homes to eat etc, but with theis wives no men present.
When you enter the Kingdom forget life in the uk it does not apply this is a closed country with one religion so forget about trying to impose your rights ....you have none.Accept the way of life take the money stay safe and all will be well.
As for the young guys and women going there ..party away within the walls of the compounds and nnever leave late at night drunk stay till morning and ensure no smell of booze on you and things will be fine.
I enjoyed my stay there and to tell the truth found it strange when i returned home seeing people walking down the street guys with their hands on girls butts etc took a while to get used to it all again.
Guess thats one reason they see us as unclean lol But this is the good old uk.
Have enjoyed reading the posts about life in Riyadh.
Many years ago 1985 I worked and lived in Riyadh and was employed at the Al Hamadi Hospital.
In those days my friends and I lived in an amazing apartment building near the hospital with all mod cons including servants to clean and take care of us.
I had a bodyguard called Mohamad who followed me eveywhere i went outside of the apartment and was also my driver.
He would drive us to the parties in the compounds and stay all night sleeping in the car until we were ready to go home.One night the car was stopped by police and they wanted to search it and get a look at us inside............as we had been drinking it was bad news.We expected the doors to be forced open and get pulled out but Mohamad got out of the car pointed his gun at the guys and told then to leave
Close call...............
The interesting thing being that there were several Saudis at the party all drinking all men so yes one law for us another for them.
One afternoon we went to the supermarket and saw a group of young phillipino women chatting with some Saudi men thinking nothing of it till 3 days later 4 dead girls were found down a storm drain yes .you guessed it.
The problem being if a saudi man is convicted of rape its the death penalty so once the have had their pleasure its easier to get rid of the evidence.
I am not bsaying all saudi men are like that but women should never take that risk either then or now.
One guy who worked in the hospital was overheard saying..............The best thing about saudi was an exit visa..........he was beaten on the way home from work.
In the old days women didnt drive not alowed and you could not walk outside holding hands with any man even your husband but the saudi men always held hands and kissed each other on meeting.
As for the young saudi girls thet were out and out flirts...........in the cafes they would tease the guys and flirt with them knowinf full well if the guy responded they would be in serious trouble.
However Iwas there for a year had a great time and made many friends uk and saudi.Igeneral they were very kind and we were invited to their homes to eat etc, but with theis wives no men present.
When you enter the Kingdom forget life in the uk it does not apply this is a closed country with one religion so forget about trying to impose your rights ....you have none.Accept the way of life take the money stay safe and all will be well.
As for the young guys and women going there ..party away within the walls of the compounds and nnever leave late at night drunk stay till morning and ensure no smell of booze on you and things will be fine.
I enjoyed my stay there and to tell the truth found it strange when i returned home seeing people walking down the street guys with their hands on girls butts etc took a while to get used to it all again.
Guess thats one reason they see us as unclean lol But this is the good old uk.
Things have changed a lot in some ways - for example, it's much easier for women now. They still can't drive but the muttawa have all but disappeared. Even some Saudi women these days don't bother covering their hair, for example.
Got any photos from that time that you could post?
Jun 11th 2010, 1:50 pm
#3
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,096
Re: Riyadh...........Past and Present.
was sat in the Jeddah Airport cafe waiting for my Nas Air flight back to Abu Dhabi last night and there were a few flights worth of young Nas stewards and stewardesses sat together having a chit chat with the odd pilot thrown in for good measure- could have been in any Western airport lounge. Think there may have been a few funny looks from certain Saudis sat in the proximity.
Nas Air is great btw. Arrived at terminal 2 in AUH and was able to get a metered taxi back - half the price of the flat rate 70 Dh from T1 or 3
Nas Air is great btw. Arrived at terminal 2 in AUH and was able to get a metered taxi back - half the price of the flat rate 70 Dh from T1 or 3
Jun 11th 2010, 2:21 pm
#4
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,869
Re: Riyadh...........Past and Present.
They would have been in just as much trouble as you
You wouldn't have mentioned their presence if it had been a normal thing.
You weren't allowed to drink and neither were they.
They were not even allowed into our lovely compounds officially- THAT'S a case of 'one law for us...". Except it works in our favour with that one.
You wouldn't have mentioned their presence if it had been a normal thing.
You weren't allowed to drink and neither were they.
They were not even allowed into our lovely compounds officially- THAT'S a case of 'one law for us...". Except it works in our favour with that one.
Last edited by seven seas; Jun 11th 2010 at 2:22 pm. Reason: wrong possessive pronoun
Jun 14th 2010, 10:10 am
#5
Hit 16's
Joined: Mar 2010
Location: Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine
Posts: 13,112
Re: Riyadh...........Past and Present.
Hi Rossandvi
Brings back memories... I was there from '83 to '85, working for MOF. Don't have many fond memories--but it was my first job abroad, and at the tender age of 20-something wasn't the best first posting. Lived in a villa with about 10 other blokes, and didn't get into the party scene too much. Constant stories of such-and-such getting busted and either put in jail or sent home for drinking didn't match my requirements to stay there, keep my head down and pay off my debts.
Played a fair amount of golf on the old (at that time only) golf course--carry your own bag in 50C heat. Could do with that exercise now. Used to do motorcross too--but had our bike nicked from inside our villa one night. Perfected my handbrake turns on the sandstone in a knackered old Toyota. Bought a lot of nice clothes in the malls, and saw my GBP-equivalent rocket as the exchange plummetted.
Had several different cooks in the villa, all African and all with weird ideas about what we'd like. Most of it we didn't. God knows where they got the fish from in Riyadh, they were scary looking buggers.
Driving was awful--is Suicide Road still there? Can't remember where it went, but it went from one part of town to another across a pretty-much undeveloped area, and was just an expanse of part tarmac and part sandstone with no lane markings (would it have made a difference if there had been?), and it was a constant game of chicken. The road out to the golf course was brand new, 4 lanes in each direction (if I recall correctly), almost no traffic, but every Friday there'd be another Caddy or something wrapped round a lamppost.
After getting my exit-only visa I vowed never to go back. But never's a long time, and I now go frequently to Al-Khobar. My Saudi business associates assure me that Riyadh is a new, vibrant and modern city. Guess I'll end up there again sometime, but never would be too soon...
Brings back memories... I was there from '83 to '85, working for MOF. Don't have many fond memories--but it was my first job abroad, and at the tender age of 20-something wasn't the best first posting. Lived in a villa with about 10 other blokes, and didn't get into the party scene too much. Constant stories of such-and-such getting busted and either put in jail or sent home for drinking didn't match my requirements to stay there, keep my head down and pay off my debts.
Played a fair amount of golf on the old (at that time only) golf course--carry your own bag in 50C heat. Could do with that exercise now. Used to do motorcross too--but had our bike nicked from inside our villa one night. Perfected my handbrake turns on the sandstone in a knackered old Toyota. Bought a lot of nice clothes in the malls, and saw my GBP-equivalent rocket as the exchange plummetted.
Had several different cooks in the villa, all African and all with weird ideas about what we'd like. Most of it we didn't. God knows where they got the fish from in Riyadh, they were scary looking buggers.
Driving was awful--is Suicide Road still there? Can't remember where it went, but it went from one part of town to another across a pretty-much undeveloped area, and was just an expanse of part tarmac and part sandstone with no lane markings (would it have made a difference if there had been?), and it was a constant game of chicken. The road out to the golf course was brand new, 4 lanes in each direction (if I recall correctly), almost no traffic, but every Friday there'd be another Caddy or something wrapped round a lamppost.
After getting my exit-only visa I vowed never to go back. But never's a long time, and I now go frequently to Al-Khobar. My Saudi business associates assure me that Riyadh is a new, vibrant and modern city. Guess I'll end up there again sometime, but never would be too soon...
