Last week I went to Saudi for the first time ever and I spent a couple of days in Riyadh. I’ve got mixed feelings about the city, well not really mixed feelings but more like I don’t understand it. On one hand, you had MDL Beast, the largest electronic music festival in the region take place there, but on the other hand, from what I saw it still looks and feels like such a conservative city. It’s like both extremes are living side by side together and it’s very hard to process.
Getting a visa for Saudi is super simple right now. I actually totally forgot to apply for a visa and only remembered the evening before my flight but they now have an evisa website and even though I applied at 8PM, I got an approval less than an hour later for a 1-year multi-entry visa. I was relieved but also shocked since last year when I wanted to get a visa I had to get an invitation from someone in Saudi, and then was told I had to visit the embassy in Kuwait to apply for it and even then there was no guarantee I’d get a visa due to some political drama that was happening between Saudi and Canada.
The process of entering Saudi was also super easy. Once I landed in Riyadh and got out of the plane I followed a floor sticker towards a visa on arrival desk right outside the gate. There I handed my passport over to a lady behind the desk who finished up my visa process and stamped my passport. I then headed to passport control and I guess this whole process is super new because they were trying to re-enter me into the system again not knowing I was already in the system. They kept getting an error and then they noticed my passport was already stamped and were surprised since they didn’t know that they were stamping passports at the visa desks next to the gates. After multiple apologies for the delay (they were super friendly and apologizing the whole time throughout the process) I was let through.
Visually Riyadh isn’t a very beautiful city, well, most of it at least. The city is very beige and looks pretty old from what I saw. I can’t remember seeing any greenery in the city unless it was in the park and the only area the looked modern with beautiful skyscrapers was the King Abdullah Financial District that’s still under construction (pictured above). But, you still had some really beautiful buildings or projects in between all this which created a stark contrast. The way I was describing Riyadh to my friends was it either looked like Mahboula, or it looked like Dubai. Their roads are also in a worse state than ours but that’s mostly because the whole city is one large construction site right now because of the metro expansion and all the various large projects.
Because it’s Riyadh Season right now, they have some incredible things going on in the city. I went for dinner in Al Murabba (square) which is a huge historical area with old buildings and a large park that is temporarily occupied by some of the world’s finest restaurants like New York’s Dirty French and Carbone, and London’s Dinings SW3. All pop-ups but built to look like permanent structures. Once you pull up to the main gate of Al Murabba you are greeted by an army of Saudi hosts and hostesses standing on both sides of a long walkway into the park. Super fancy, incredible service and everyone is just extremely friendly. It felt like I was attending a fancy one-night affair but this is how it is every night. Actually everywhere I went the service was really great, customer service is something they take very seriously over there.
So yeah, right now Saudi is a very odd place with a mixture of two extreme lifestyles. While there I didn’t hear anybody complain about what’s going on even though I heard mumblings about alcohol being legalized soon. I think the conservatives might be fine with it all of it for now as long as it doesn’t affect them. Or maybe because things are happening so fast they haven’t had time to react. Whatever the case, it’s all gotten me very curious and interested in Saudi and now that I have a multi-entry visa, I’m going to be heading there more often, maybe even do a road trip. A friend who lives in Dubai messaged me last night telling me to meet him in Saudi this coming weekend for the Jamiroquai concert. Saudi in less than a year has become a regional destination.
26 replies on “My First Trip to Saudi”
Jamiroquai is still making music?!
With Jay Kay’s overly inflated ego, I wouldn’t be surprised if he still sings in front of microphone, just that no record label would voluntarily want to deal with hos prima-donna ass. God, I used to hate him, and with his height, I could probably knock him out when I was like 12, lol.
Yikes somebody really hates the Quai…..
you had me at one year multiple entry tourist visa #WakeUpKuwait
Sigh
Are the restaurants still segregated between men, women and families? And do all shops close for prayer?
No segregation and during prayer the shops stay open but bring down the shades
Do you know if the multiple entry visa works for traveling through Saudi by land? I’m looking for a long road trip to Jordan. I’d love to have my own car there.
thats what I’m going to look into but i’d imagine it would be fine but still need to confirm
Check your visa. Usually it mentions whether you are allowed to enter via road or air or any other type of entry. If nothing is mentioned, it usually means you can enter the country from any valid point of entry into the country.
doesn’t mention anything
I asked because I want to go by my car , they told me you only can take the visa if you have a flight ticket not by car.
I think it will be normal passing visa through KSA to Jordan.
Public acceptance could have something to do with fear on bone saws.
*of
how much is the visa fee?
i think it was 40 something KD
just checked it was 38
Perhaps you should have gone to Jeddah, more open and more fun I hear.
I can’t imagine anyone wanting to give an honest, critical opinion of the country now.
dude you are Lebanese right?
how did you apply? i aksed they said i have to go to the embassy.
I don’t have a Lebanese passport, I have a Canadian one so it’s one of the countries on their list
Hey leave Mahboula alone. What it did it ever do to you lol. But I kid, as someone who lived in Mahboula for 17 years, it’s a a disgrace how they treat it because of their decision to make it an expat ghetto.
mahboula is ghetto. on one side u have the sea side with a hand ful of fancy buildings with alot of fancy cafes and then you cross the road into mahboula and you get labour camps.
a colleague of mine told me to check that place as an option to move into, and damn. the moment i entered that area. it was so ghetto and unsafe, not a place for families. Maybe thats why the rents are so low compared to salmiya.
You didn’t give it the value it deserve , I born in Riyadh and lived there for almost 18 years, yes they don’t have the green color effect as Kuwait but they also have there special beauty, I don’t know where you stay but if you give al Tahliya road a visit or Olia , Solimanya , King Fahd Road near the kingdom Tower or Al faysaliya , food there taste better than here , ppl are friendly educated with Arabian Manners even badawian are slightly tough but very Generous.
I think you need to revisit it again but with a local. visit jeddah abha al Aula Damam and khoubar.
It’s all moving at a dizzying speed!
yeah unfortunately Mahboula used to be decent bc it’s on the seafront, and even had a lot of high end US/UK expats but now it’s really bad and full of just low end eastern european and bengali or egyptian workers and bedoon ppl with no where to live but there since anyone can rent a flat there now bc no family would dare live there and it’s not quite safe esp after dark.
It’s so bad that they have police checkpoints at every entrance every night to catch iqama illegals, drunk/drugged out guys and their GF’s/prostitutes and other unlawful ppl. The area itself is full of brothels, shady massage parlours and baqalas that sell alcohol.