While still
feeling bad from the many cocktails that I tried out in Iraq, we arrived at the
King Khaled Airport in Riyadh, for our last stop: Saudi-Arabia. Riyadh Looks
and feels just like any metropolis in the world. It’s a bustling town full of
skyscrapers, lights and busy traffic. The most surprising thing is that it is
located right in the middle of the desert , which isn’t something you notice
when you are in the city centre. Although we’ve already visited many cities in
the middle east, the heat is hardest to handle in Riyadh, my god !
The thing
about Riyadh is that there isn’t really a lot of entertainment around, It’s a
very business oriented city which houses the core of the oil business in the
country, which is the main export and most important part of the economy. This
exuberant wealth that was achieved in the latter half of the 20th
century, is evident when you walk along; luxurious hotels, grand plaza’s and
squares and state of the art skyscrapers and office buildings built in the
latest architecture. Perhaps the most interesting thing to visit is the
National Museum which displays various collections which cover anything from
fossils and bones to ancient sculptures and anything related to Islam and the
founding of the kingdom.
The Saudi’s
are often skeptical and suspicious towards westerners, and especially women.
The country is well known around the world for their intolerance to women
rights and secular things like the use of alcohol. We often had people looking
at us in an unfriendly way because of the way the girls were dressed. It’s
often forbidden for women to enter certain buildings and places when they’re
not dressed in traditional and especially Islamic attire. The best way to enjoy
ourselves in Riyadh was in the hotel where you could get some cocktails, if you
insisted long enough. Let’s see what our next stop in the Arabian kingdom
brings !
Thomas
I expected Riyadh to be a cosy, quiet town but it was indeed busy, too busy. Luckily, we did everything by foot because otherwise, most of our time would be spent in traffic jams.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenI think you agree with me, Thomas, when I say that we were confronted with the same injustice in Baghdad. Westerns are seen as invaders and women should absolutely not be in the limelight. In my opinion, this is completely unfair because everyone should have equal rights.
Oh, by the way, I think I will never drink cocktails anymore..
Ulrike