Top Riyadh Palace Hotel

... of wine or something alcoholic during the flight. <br><br>Anyhow, it all worked out for the best and when I was returning to my seat the woman gave me a thankful nod and smile from where she was happily seated next to a woman of her own age also in abaya. <br><br>My flight in a nutshell: disappointed with Cathay Pacific, I totally thought that the service and inflight entertainment was going to be better for a long haul flight of 9 and a half hours ...

I apologise for the lack of actual information on this page. It has been a fairly hectic few days. Needless to day, I have already been in contact with most of you by now and updated you on how the new job was going.<br><br>I, along with another colleague, rented a rather batter, manual gear, Hyundai Accent and took it for a spin for about 24 hours around Riyadh and also out to Ad-Diriyiah. Al-Diriyah is a town in Saudi Arabia located on the ...

... 8217;. I have spent most of the day just cleaning and relaxing. I don&#8217;t want to tire myself out too much or I&#8217;ll be no good to anyone. I picked up my suit from dry-cleaning and ironed all my shirts. I bought some household products and scrubbed the fridge. Apart from that, it&#8217;s been a fairly relaxed day and I&#8217;ve been listening to some music while writing this entry. That&#8217;s about it for now. I will try and add another entry in the not too distant future. Bye bye.

... their own cars, men that is as women aren't permitted to drive. But Glenn and a couple of his work colleagues like having a driver they know and trust to taxi them around. Makes life easier...<br><br>On the drive to the compound i had a chance to look at the scenery....buildings are large, I was surprised at how much english language is around, lots of new buildings going up. Kingdom Tower ...

... to repeat it several times. After visiting the "watercloset" we went to the abutions area to perform wudu'. My 4 year old daughter sat and played in the water and gave a constant commentary ("Mommy, this water is hot! Why is the water hose pink? What is that in the drain? Can I put soap on my nose? Can I clean the drain? Yuck, this soap tastes terrible!") while I finished my ablutions, and when I turned I saw that there was an entire half-circle of ...

When you are entering Riyadh from the east, you pass a lot of agricultural spots -- date farms, dairy farms, fields with modern irrigation equipment. Leaving the city heading west it's as if you have come to the edge of a vast cliff and are now headed down into an enormous valley. Our ears ...

... entered the bachelors' entrance -- I had forgotten about the separate entrances thing. In the Emirates restaurants will often have private seating for families (like booths with taller dividers around them) if you choose to use them, but everyone has the same entrance and you can sit in private or in an open public room, your choice. In Saudi you don't have a choice, which I had forgotten, but the counter staff kindly redirected me. So out I went, around ...

... to be by the patients' side and help the nurses. They are there 24/7 on the wards, sleep next to the pateints and all. Trying to navigate a trolley into the small 4-bed rooms of the regular wards, with sitters sleeping on the floor next to them, with all the curtains closed permanently because they are female patients can be lots of fun! :p At all times you have to be mindful of the cultural aspects of looking after the Muslim patient. 5 times a day the ...

... high in the sky as it would have been at maybe 11 back home. The compound grounds are massive in themselves. There is a gym, pool, tennis courts, social club, courtyards, theatre, bank, travel agency, supermarkets, dry cleaners... you name it! There is even a rug store :p Im going to have to go further exploring in the next couple of days :) Well, I have to say that I am having a "super fun" time. This place is amazing, such a wonderful experience, am loving it more every day. The ...

... on our last day in India. It was a smooth re-entry to Saudi from Bahrain. Customs waved us through all along the way and we enjoyed the smiles from all! Once we hit the Saudi side we detoured down the Hofuf Highway to look for sand roses - an interesting crystal formation formed from sand and chemical elements combined with a saline groundwater. James knew the way having been there before. But...like everything else, time changes everything. Roadsides were now fenced off ...