This time, I had to travel to 3 countries of the Middle East for work, that’s why some of the destinations haven’t been properly explored, but I will do my best to explain it all.

 

2 days in the UAE

We landed in Dubai stayed in the VIDA Downtown hotel, a really nice one with a beautiful swimming pool and great breakfasts that really made me wish I stayed there longer! It was located really nearby the CBD, where most of our meetings took place.

We paid a visit to the Mall of the Emirates, a really luxury oriented mall, where you could see all the Western luxury brands and most of the customers there were expats.

Most of the population in Dubai is expats who moved there for work. Emiratis barely work and they are really concerned about their appearance. Many women had gotten plastic surgery done.

At night, we escaped to Madinat Jumeirah, where you can see the souks and take a gondola from Mina a Salam hotel to Tratturia for free.

It had a feeling to it that reminded me of Singapore: the sky scrappers, the roads, the shopping malls, the amount of expats and the passion for luxury and appearances.

1 day in Kuwait

Really not much we did there, we visited Marina mall and Mall of the Avenues. The last one is an impressive shopping mall that feels even bigger than an airport, with space for even car expos, 4 cinemas and a special luxury area all decorated with gold. People are rich there; they get a subsidy by the government for life if they studied.

No one travels to Kuwait for tourism. It’s whether for business or to visit families.

 

2 days in Saudi Arabia

We landed in Riyadh and we immediately started to see the difference in the people there as opposed to other countries. We decided to wear habayas because everybody did and it didn’t feel right not to. Women wore habayas, hijabs, niqabs and even covered their whole faces (including their eyes) with headwear. All men wore the white long suits with the red patterned headwear.

 

Women started to drive cars a year ago and they are now entering the workforce world. Locals insist that a big revolution is coming up, they even start having concerts, music can be played in stores and the law is forcing everybody to work by 2030.

There’s barely no one in the streets and you can really feel like the only tourist in the area. We visited Riyadh in winter (February) and it was really hot, so we can imagine how terrible it is for locals to spend the summer out there. If the temperature goes higher than 59 degrees, the government forces workers to stay at home.

Something that we saw from visiting shopping malls is that people in Riyadh don’t’ have much to do, so women come and go to the shopping malls. Cars keep coming in picking them up and dropping them there.

We stayed at the Aloft Hotel, where they have good amenities in terms of gym, swimmingpool and sauna.

From the entertainment point of view, Tahlia Street feels like the place to be (besides the CBD). It’s a long street with stores and restaurants at each side. Cars are kings in the area, so be careful when you cross the streets. We ate a couple of times in Al Kofeia. Good Middle Eastern cuisine from many areas.

We visited Diriyah, a very nice area where a UNESCO Heritage old town lays. It really feels like walking in an oasis. Book your visit in the Turaif District 3 days in advance as it’s not easy to get in.

Later, we passed by the Masmaak Fortress, where there’s a little explanation of the wars, sultans and how the city evolved. In that same square, you can have a drink in a terrace. Since not long ago women are allowed to sit on a terrace and enjoy the weather. Alcohol is not allowed in the country, but you can manage to have a mock-beer.

Just a few meters away lies the Deera Square. In that square, the convicted criminals were killed just after mass every Friday, that’s why it’s also called Chop Chop Square. Apparently dry blood can still be seen on the floor, but we didn’t see it.

The Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Mosque is right there, so if you are there at the right time, the guards will allow you in. In our case, they told us to wait until 15:00.

We left the best for last: our visit to the Kingdom Tower. We reached there by 17:00, so we could see the sunset and both daytime and nighttime. The entrance is 16€ and must be paid by cash. The experience is quite amazing, considering that that’s the highest point in the country and you can see everything.

The elevator takes you to that corridor on top that joins together both sides of the building (it looks like a potato peeler) and you can see this under your feet:

The city feels like it’s divided in 2 areas: the ones still to be developed and the ones that are completely urbanised. Great contrasts.