10 Ways To Stop The Madness

Previously I wrote about the lack of green values in Saudi-Arabia you can read the post here: http://blueabaya.blogspot.com/2012/01/recycling-saudi-values.html

I promised to post some tips on how to make your life in Saudi more environmentally friendly. Here are 10 easy and simple ways everyone in Saudi Arabia can recycle and save the nature. Saudi-Arabia has some beautiful and unique nature and by even the smallest changes we can make a difference in preserving the environment! It might feel like just a drop in the ocean, but when hundreds or even thousands of people make that one small change it becomes a wave of change! 
Sometimes we go about our daily lives without giving things much thought and just continue doing stuff the way we're used to. When we look closer and think about it, a lot of things we do are just madness!

It's time to start thinking and acting to stop the madness!

1. Reduce usage of plastic bags
The single most efficient thing everyone in the Kingdom can do is cut down how many plastic bags they take home from the store. People like to have their groceries and purchases placed separately in a GAZILLION plastic bags instead of placing everything in one or two large bags. WHY?? This is madness!

Do you really need all those 10 plastic bags to carry the 11 items you bought? In fact did you know you can fit 11 items into ONE bag with no trouble at all :)

The problem is baggers in Saudi grocery stores will by default place only one or two items per bag. This can easily add up to 40-60 plastic bags per average family per grocery shop visit.
Say the family grocery shops once a week plus all the additional visits to get few things, adding 20 or so more bags to the total of approximately 80 bags a week. 400 bags a month, 4800 bags a year. Multiply that by how many Saudi and expat families there are who are doing this..MILLIONS of plastic bags wasted! For nothing! And those very same plastic bags end up in the streets, in the desert, on the beaches, in the sea.

The baggers do it simply because they have been taught not to place for example a deodorant, a bread loaf, cheese or a milk bottle in the same bag. WHY?? This is madness!

My advice is: Next time advise the bagger to place as many items as possible in one bag. Tell him you don't mind, you will not get upset with him. Remember to explain why you are requesting this and most importantly, if he does a good job give him an extra riyal or two and thank him profusely. Sometimes despite the advice baggers don't either understand or want to listen. That is when you can help him pack the items and show him what you want.
Some grocery stores like Carrefour sell large fabric bags you can use for your grocery shopping. Most baggers will not know how to "use" them and might even place the items first in tons of plastic bags, then place inside the fabric bag. Again, you might need to show them how you want it done.

At home re-use the plastic bags, use them as garbage bags and for storage. For more tips check this list of 99 ways to reuse plastic bags: http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/home/reuses-plastic-bags2.htm

2.  Recycle water bottles
Most people in Saudi drink bottled water. Some prefer to always purchase hoards of small bottles. WHY?? This is madness!

Buy the large recyclable water bottles from companies like Nestle that offer home delivery and save money and the nature and your back! You can place an order online here: http://www.nestle-family.com/pure-life/english/
If you must use smaller water bottles sometimes, refill them and use a few times before throwing them away.

3. Use water sparingly
Many Saudi families will have more than one car. It's usually the driver's duty to wash the cars, and the maids are the ones who clean the outside areas from dust. And how do they do it? By spraying hundreds of gallons of running water from the hose all over the yard! WHY?? This is madness!

Don't have your car washed with running water from the hose. Ask the driver or whoever is cleaning the car to use a bucket and cloth instead. Ask the maid to SWEEP the yard once in a while instead of pouring hundreds of liters of water around. Don't run the water the whole time while showering or brushing teeth and avoid taking excessive baths.

4. Reuse or return hangers from laundry places 
Most Saudi families take their thobes, abaya and ghutra to be professionally cleaned. Every neighborhood has a laundry place or two. When they are picked up the clothes will be each placed separately on hangers and inside plastic bags. And what do most people do? Throw them away! WHY?? This is madness!

Don't throw these hangers away! If you don't want to reuse them RETURN them to the cleaners! Also, request to have multiple thobes placed inside one bag, no need for ten separate plastic wrappings.

5. Turn off lights, air-conditioning and unplug appliances when not home.
I've noticed many people leave all their air-conditioning and all the lights on when they leave the house for longer periods of time. WHY?? This is madness!

Teach yourself and your kids a new habit of switching them off every time you leave and you will save a lot of money on your electricity bill too. When going on vacation, switch off your appliances too.

6. Use phone charge cards wisely
Many people use prepaid mobile numbers and charge their phones with plastic phone cards. These cards come in various amounts, ranging from 10 SAR to 100SAR. They are all covered in a plastic sheath. A fellow blogger Veeds of Arabia conducted an experiment of collecting all of the plastic cards he could find on the ground for few days. He found that "Essentially 10 and 20 SR cards comprised 87% of the pre-paid cards left on the ground."  http://jveeds.blogspot.com/2010/12/its-all-in-cards.html
WHY?? This is madness!


The best way to charge your prepaid phone is by asking the supermarket vendor for a receipt with the charge number on it instead. If using the plastic cards, use as high amount as possible to avoid wasting excessive plastic. And please, throw the card in the trash when you're done!

7. Cut back on use of tissues.
Saudis don't usually use toilet paper (they use water from showers) but boy do they know how to waste tissues! I have never seen so many different tissue brands in my life! I only knew Kleenex brand before I entered the tissue wonderland. Tissues even come scented ones and there are specific ornamental tissue boxes to place tissues in! Saudis use tissue (mandeel) for basically anything everything! They can be found in every single room of the house and even in their cars. WHY?? This is madness!

This pointless extravagance is just mind-boggling to me as a Scandinavian used to environmental thinking and using paper towels sparingly. Cutting back on tissues is not that hard. First think do you REALLY need to use them so much? Try using water and towels for a change, wipe or dry surfaces with washable kitchen cloths. And for the love of God, don't get scented tissues, those are the most environmentally destructive ones that you can get!

8. Avoid Styrofoam packaging
Many people like go for take-away foods once in a while. These places often use Styrofoam packaging which are extremely harmful to the environment and also for your health. Did you know that these packages and cups will still be sitting in the nature after 500 years without decomposing? Again the same mentality of placing one item in one container prevails. WHY?? This is madness!

It's perfectly fine to place the burger, the fries and the salad in the same container!
Request to have everything packed in the same or preferably in a carton container.
Also, grocery stores often pack fruits, cheeses, pastries etc. in styrofoam. Ask to have them just wrapped in plastic which is really all you need!

9. Buy local produce avoid imported goods.
There is plenty of good quality local produce available, yet many families always go for the imported, American stuff, just because it American. People will pay 50 dollars for imported ice cream WHY?? This is madness!

Always try to favor locally produced goods, organic produce, whether it be bread, fruits, ice cream or meat you are buying! Imported goods are often overpriced, have gotten damaged or ruined in the shipping process or have bad expiration dates.

10. Don't throw trash on the streets, beaches, oceans or deserts!!
Well this is self clear for most people living in western countries, but in Saudi it is the NORM to carelessly throw waste around. The attitude is "someone else will pick it up for me" or "I'm not a maid/ street cleaner". Indeed, there are yellow-clad street cleaners around every corner cleaning up after the Saudis. They work for a mere 300SAR (60euro) a month in slave-like conditions but it seems they cannot keep up with all the trash lying around.
Beautiful beaches around Jeddah, Farasan Islands and Gizan for example have been RUINED with litter.
WHY?? THIS IS MADNESS!!

Spread the message! Please share this post with your friends and help STOP the madness.

Thank you,

Search And You Will Find..Perverts!

Sometimes I like to check which Google searches bring people to my blog. The all time most searched have been (after blog name) jalabiya, muttawa, camels and desert rocks. Interesting.
But once in a full moon a sorry loser ends up on this blog while desperately searching for something completely different..

Sorry to disappoint all the pathetic Google searchers out there who were looking for:

abaya breast show- what? Freakshow! Get a life.

naked under abaya- no luck there either you creep. Although in this post I mention how some women DO go naked under the abaya, but no pics here you dimwit. And how would you even know if she's naked anyway?

hot arab women abaya- hmmm, sorry wrong site douchebag! And why do you want to see hot women in abaya anyways, dude it's gonna cover everything, duh!

hot abaya girl sexs with guy inside room dubai- what is up with 
this hot abaya obsession? Abaya is modest dress that covers the curves you twat!


hot arab guy long hair- you talking about my husband? Take a long hike.

morocco women beautiful marriage-  if you're looking to purchase a second wife online read my post on Moroccan Magic first. And then be very ashamed of yourself and go to your wife you sneaky slime ball.

finland sauna nude- yes in Finland people go to sauna naked, no biggie. Or were you looking for pics? Pervert!

touch me please- say what? You better Google someone punch me please next time!

hot saudi girl bb pin- Ya good luck with that you loser. Why don't you try this technique:

Although I have no idea what sane girl or woman would actually respond to it.

and a special mention goes to

we had so much fun in outer space- ya I know every time I go there we have like sooo much fun! OMG have you been to Ur-anus before?

For all you creepy crawlers out there why don't you do this Pathetic Pervert Test: http://www.okcupid.com/tests/the-pathetic-pervert-test

Love,

Recycling The Saudi Values

Recycling, preserving the environment, conservation and green thinking are all mostly alien terms in Saudi-Arabia.


Wasting, exploiting the environment, littering and materialism are the way of life in the Kingdom.


"The GCC has the world's highest levels of domestic waste, after the USA, generating more than 22 million tonnes of household waste in 2009. More than half of the waste, 58 per cent was generated in Saudi Arabia. Apart from domestic waste, additional refuse comes from littering parks, gardens and from the waste dumped in the seas and on beaches." http://recycle-saudi.com/home.htm

This is really a huge disgrace for the Kingdom as a Muslim nation. Islam teaches people to preserve nature, not to use anything excessively and to conserve the environment. Humans were entrusted by God with the responsibility of taking care of the earth.

"Now, behold! Your Lord said to the angels: I am placing upon the earth a human successor to steward it" (Al Baqarah 2:30)

“Rampant corruption and disorder have appeared in the land and in the sea because of what people keep doing. He will let them taste some of their doings, so that they might return to the Right Path.”(30:41)

"The Prophet Mohammed told his companion, Saad, that he was using an excessive amount of water to make ablution, (wudu) saying do not waste (water). Saad then asked if there could ever be wastage if water was used for the purpose of wudu. The Prophet's reply was, Yes. Even if you are by a flowing river."


Have Saudis totally forgotten about this responsibility? Are people just ignorant of these teachings? Are Saudis too proud to clean up after themselves or to recycle? What causes this atrocious negligence and irresponsible behavior?

And it's not just the Saudis who pollute this lovely country, but some expats participate in it too. Mostly from the third world countries, these uneducated poor people who have no concept of what it is to recycle or to conserve are often the ones engaging in the littering and remorseless wasting of resources.

There have been numerous grass roots efforts to change public opinion on recycling. Most campaigns are met with resistance and even ridicule. People simply do not take it seriously.


This past week was "Saudi Green Revolution Week" a campaign to promote environmental awareness in the Kingdom launched by Naqa'a Environmental Enterprise http://naqaaenterprise.wordpress.com/
Naqa'a was founded by a group of bold women from Jeddah who stepped forward to introduce revolutionary environmental practices across organizations in the Kingdom. http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=20111011110345

"The Saudi Green Revolution Week is a social initiative by Naqa’a Environmental Enterprise. It is a revolutionary movement of young people united to elevate the public’s awareness about the much neglected issues of the environment in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Green Revolution Week is a campaign of awakenings, new beginnings and hope for a healthier and cleaner Saudi Arabia. The campaign maybe for a week, but the Green Revolution is an ongoing movement towards an eco-friendly society; and ultimately a Greener planet."


Jeddah is one of the most polluted cities in the world. Its beaches and parks are ruined with rotting litter. There are ongoing campaigns and efforts by locals to clean up the beaches and the Corniche, but it looks like a never ending battle against the trash masses. After the clean-up, more trash appears. 

The attitude seems to be "The dude in the yellow overall will pick it up anyway" "I'm not a cleaner or a maid, I don't pick up trash" "Recycling is for freaks and weirdos, not cool people like me" or "I just don't give a damn".

What can be done to change the attitudes and spread awareness in Saudi? How to instill these green values on the youth without them making a mockery of it?


Perhaps one way of waking people up is by making them realize that the plastic bag they have just tossed on the beach/street/park/desert will some day come back to them. What goes around, comes around. The plastic will dissolve and animals will eat it. The chemicals will go up the food chain, until it reaches their mouth..their stomach..their bloodstream..

A list of ten tips on how to live a more environmentally friendly life in Saudi-Arabia:

http://blueabaya.blogspot.com/2012/01/10-ways-to-stop-madness.html 

The Princess And The Pimple

Believe it or not, based on a true story..

Once upon a time in the Magic Kingdom lived a young Princess called "Abeer". She lived in a huge palace with her parents and had a Pink Hummer driven by her private chauffeur.

One morning Princess Abeer woke up and upon looking in the mirror screamed: "Noooo! Yaaa Allah this can't be happening to me! Tomorrow is Fatima's wedding party!"

A gigantic red pimple stared back at her form the mirror. Worse yet it was in the middle of her forehead. "I look like a freak! Yaa maamaa!" she shouted in panic as she ran downstairs into the palace courtyard to find her mother.

"Mother what shall I do now, look at me I am so ugly! Tomorrow I must look my best because Prince Mishaal's mother will be at the wedding to check me out! He won't propose if I look like a three-eyed monster!"

"Yaa Rabb, poor girl. Don't worry dear Beero, we will go to the hospital and tell them to give you some medicine for the pimple."

So the Princesses left to the emergency room with their maids in tow. In the car Princess Abeer instructed the driver "Yalla ya Munir I am in great pain! Drive faster! Remember to use the royal entrance to the hospital so we don't have to queue!"

On arrival at the ER the poor Princess was so weak she needed a wheelchair. The driver fetched the chair for her and they rushed her into the VIP section of the ER. A nurse and a royal officer immediately attended to the Princess and she was whisked past the overcrowded side of the ER full of  the ordinary patients.

The Princesses had both thrown the black scarves over their heads so that their true identity (and the protruding pimple) would remain hidden. The nurse apologized and told the them to wait because she was busy with a very ill baby in the other room. The Princess got extremely upset.

"Sister don't you know who I am?! I am Princess Abeer bint so and so bin so and so bin so and so bin AbdulAziz Al Saud. You must attend to me first!"
"But your Highness, the baby might die!"
"I don't care! This is an emergency situation! she exclaimed, sister get me the doctor NOW!"

The nurse ran off to fetch the doctor, she knew not to mess with the royal family members after some of her colleagues had been "dismissed" and sent on the next flight home after criticizing the VIP status of some patients. A Saudi male doctor specializing in royal medicine arrived to examine the royal patient and asked her to remove the veil. The Princess whimpered in pain and exhaustion as she lay on the bed and finally removed her scarf.

Her mother with a stern voice advised the doctor: "Doctor we have imboortant event tomorrow and Abeer needs to be a beerfect condition. Blease doctor we need a medicine." "And I'm in pain!" the Princess added.

The doctor looked at the pimple for a moment and then gave his orders to the nurse: "Take her vitals, do blood tests, insert IV line and start her on intravenous Ceftriaxone. Give Pethidine 100 mg I.V. Apply Bacitracin ointment on the pimple Q.I.D.
"Don't worry your Highness we have it under control. The antibiotics will take care of the infection in no time and you will receive a pain killer now."
"Thank you doctor! Now sister, call the kitchen we want to order some food!"

The nurse went off to follow the doctors orders shaking her head in disbelief of such vanity and the unnecessary medical interventions. The VIP kitchen staff arrived at bedside to take their order. "Freshly squeezed orange juice, chicken burgers, fries..oh and cupcakes and kahwa please! Yalla besurah!" the young princess instructed.

The nurse returned to insert the I.V. line and the Princess shuddered. "Please sister I want the cream first!"
"But it's only for children your Highness and it won't hurt really, I will be very quick." "No, mama I want the cream!" "Sister, blease ze cream now." the mother Princess confirmed nodding her head.

The nurse applied the numbing cream to the princesses hand. "Sister blease, put ebra here so tomorrow mafi mushkila at wedding" the mother demanded. "But your Highness, placing the cannula high on her arm on the inner side will cause her great pain and it is not per policy either." "What is zis bolicy sister? Yalla but ebra now sister!" the mother Princess looked annoyed so the nurse forgot about reasoning and proceeded.

Despite the cream she screamed in pain from the injection. "Shweia shweia sister, shweia shweia!" The mother disapprovingly clucked her tongue. The nurse then proceeded to apply the antibiotic cream on the pimple. "Shweia shweia sister!" Cluck cluck cluck.

Finally the antibiotics were hooked and the Princess dozed off from her narcotic painkiller. She and mother princess spend the night in the ER on I.V fluids watching movies from the flat screen TV and calling the nurse to run different errands for her throughout the night. The maids massaged their feet.

In the morning the doctor came to check the patient. "Your highness the infection is improving. We can discharge you but continue your antibiotics at home for a week and keep applying the cream."

The pimple had indeed disappeared over night. "Thank you doctor! Sister, we want leave now so remove ze ebra and give us a medicine, besurah besurah!"
Upon leaving the hospital the mother Princess made a complaint of the nurses rude behavior to the Patient Relations Officer.

The Princesses returned to the castle and all was well in the Magic Kingdom.

And the Princess lived happily ever after, without the pimple.

Read more about how VIP patients get treated in Saudi hospitals:

http://blueabaya.blogspot.com/2010/10/saudi-arabia-and-vip-patients.html

Vocabulary
Ebra= Needle
Besurah=hurry
Mafi mushkila=no problem
Sister=what all Saudi patients call nurses
Shweia=little, carefully
Pethidine=Extremely addictive narcotic painkiller
bint/bin=daughter/son of
Rabb=Lord

I See Pink, People

Pink houses, pink villas.
Pink trousers on fellas.

Pink in the bathroom pink in the garage.
Pink at the mosque, is this a mirage?

Pink at the gas station!
Is this a pink nation?
Men with pink shoes, shirts and jeans, 
can you tell me what all this means?


Is there pink in masses,
or is it just my rose colored glasses?

Pinkness seems to be everywhere in the Magic Kingdom. Surprisingly enough it doesn't look like Saudi men have any problems living in pink houses, wearing pink clothing, going to pink mosques, pumping gas at pink gas stations or even driving in pink cars. Coming from a culture like mine where men are too "macho" to even glance at pink stuff, this strikes me as odd to say the least.

Call me weird, but I find this fascinating. The more I have started to think about it, the more I've begun seeing pink stuff! Everywhere. Maybe I'm just a nutter and this whole pink fixation is in my head. Or then it's those rose colored glasses on my head?

I don't mean to say ALL Saudi men dress in pink clothes but it's not totally uncommon to spot pink items on men. Unlike in the west, it seems to be socially perfectly acceptable here.

Also, pink houses and buildings are common. I started paying more attention to it on our road trip to southern Saudi. Special mentions go to Abha, Kahmis Mushayt and Gizan for men living in pink accommodation. What's up with that? Did Saudi-Arabia just get an enormous amount of pink paint for free? Do the wives love pink so much they insist on it?

This got me thinking.. What might be the reasons behind the use of color pink in so many places? I mean I have never seen men so comfortable with pinkness anywhere in the world before or so much pink being used on buildings.
For example a man driving around in a baby pink car in Finland would get VERY long stares, perhaps disbelief and laughter from women and in worst cases even land him in a fight.

Paint the house bright pink and people will think this dude also sees flying pink elephants. Or alternatively that he is a mere doormat and the wife obviously made the final decision on the paint color.
Showing up at an ice hockey game in tight pink jeans and pink tennis shoes would be almost suicidal. The cultural differences of  how people perceive pink are striking!

So are men in my country and in the west in general just so insecure that they are terrified of using the color pink in fear of it somehow diminishing their manhood?
Are Saudi men more secure in their manhood?
Is it a cultural thing? Is pink just perceived as a gender neutral color in Saudi-Arabia?
Why so much pink but not for example red, another "feminine" color?
Is it only in the west that pink is perceived as a women's/girl's color?

This pink mystery reminds me of a true story that happened to my american friend who lives in Riyadh. She was in a shopping mall with her 1,5yr old son. His hair is a little longer which is unusual in Saudi but many parents in the U.S. find cute.

A Saudi woman with a baby stroller stopped to talk to her asking, is this your daughter? My friend said no it's a boy. So this Saudi lady dramatically threw her hands in the air looking toward the sky and began praying: "Oh Allah guide this woman to the straight path!" "Guide her to cut the sons hair!" "He looks like a girl, guide this poor woman!"

She told my friend she MUST cut his hair because he looked like a girl.

My friend was appalled at the woman's behavior. Nevertheless she tried to be polite and said pointing to the woman's baby dressed up in an all-pink outfit "What a beautiful girl you have mashallah".
The woman replied:
"It's a boy."
My friend asked why is he dressed up in PINK?

She replied: "Oh, I don't believe in colors being gender specific."

Btw my friend is an Arab Muslim.
So long hair on boys=big problem, haram, makes boys look like girls=haram.
Pink outfits on boys=no problems, doesn't make boy look like a girl at all.

Maybe Saudi men are dressed in pink as babies and get used to the color as being part of their wardrobe?

So what do you think? Have you noticed this phenomenon? Why do you think pink is so popular?

P.S please note this post is labeled under humor and not to be taken overly seriously :)

Top Ten Restaurants in Riyadh

Here are my top ten restaurants in Riyadh. There are so many good restaurants it's not easy to pick only ten!
I am always amazed to see restaurant reviews on sites like Tripadvisor or http://www.riyadheats.com/. They have stuff like McDonalds, Burger Boutique, Chilis and TGI Fridays and various average pizza places on the top of their lists.
I would not place those places in my top 100. I would not even call McDonalds a restaurant!

Maybe the reviewers are not accustomed to what makes a great restaurant? Maybe Saudis just want to eat burgers and fries and pizza? It's not only the food, but the atmosphere, decor and service is very important. Good or even decent service is HARD to find in Saudi.
I also dislike restaurants that are ridiculously overpriced. Restaurants like the Globe in Faisaliyah tower and Spazio's in Kingdom tower are charging way too much for the view and I didn't want to include them.

These are not in an particular order.

1. Il Terrazo Brazilian restaurant in Faisaliyah hotel. Situated on a terrace overlooking the Globe and the Faisaliyah courtyard fountains, this is a buffet restaurant serving a multitude of meats barbecued on the open grill. Good music, relaxed atmosphere, heavenly food, excellent "champagne", no gender segregation. http://www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/alfaisaliahhotel/dining/il_terrazzo/

2. Tao Lounge on Tahlia street. The ultimate hip hangout for the trendy complete with high ceilings, comfy sofas, unbeatable ambiance and excellent international cuisine. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tao-Lounge/206282889416259?v=info

3. Lenôtre restaurant in Centria Mall. The famous French restaurant chain's best branch in Riyadh can be found on the third floor of the mall. They have a wonderful outside terrace overlooking both Faisaliyah and Kingdom towers. Delicious food and heavenly desserts! Owned by a Princess, it is one of the few places in Riyadh where women can dine outside. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Len%C3%B4tre-Saudi-Arabia/141459685875370?v=info

4. Najd Village Restaurant next to Prince Sultan university. This is THE place to go for expats in Riyadh and also popular with locals. The restaurant is built in a traditional Saudi house and serves original Saudi cuisine. An experience not be missed. Read more here: http://blueabaya.blogspot.com/p/riyadh-restaurant-reviews.html

5. Furosato/ Lecluse on Tahlia street. For sushi lovers this is a great restaurant with secluded atmosphere and romantic decor. The restaurant combines French and Japanese cuisine. http://furusatorestaurant.com/en/

6. Set Al Sham on Thalateen street. This large stylish restaurant offers an excellent buffet of Arabic foods. You can dine in the privacy of your own dining room and enjoy the amazing Middle-Eastern decor and cuisine. http://www.setalsham.com/

7. Maya Chocolaterie on Tahlia street. A chocolate lover's paradise. This restaurant is all about chocolate, they even have liquid chocolate flowing in pipes! Indulge in heavenly fondue, rich aromas of the desserts, exquisite chocolate delicacies and get on a sugar high! http://www.maya-la-chocolaterie.com

8. Trader Vics Panorama Mall. Enjoy a non-alcoholic Mai Tai (invented by Trader Vic's) at the only bar in town! The decor is exotic and inspired by the South Pacific Islands and the theme continues in the international menu as well. Excellent service, amazing food and drinks. http://www.tradervics.com/experience/experience.html

9. Mondo at Intercontinental hotel. Very stylish Italian restaurant for a romantic evening out. As a bonus ladies can take abayas off and you can sit by the poolside. Food is presented in fabulous ways and this place has high international standards.

10. Elements in Four Seasons Kingdom Center. A new restaurant with an exiting concept of four different interactive open kitchen stations. Very impressive modern decor and relaxed atmosphere. For families they have brunch with kids corner on Fridays. http://riyadh.fourseasons.com/2011/10/elements-adding-another-dimension-to-multisensory-dining/

What is your favorite restaurant in Riyadh?

The Saudi Son-In-Laws Guide To Surviving The Sauna Test

Sauna..for most people the sauna might sound like a luxury, a special treat or something very exotic. For us Finns the sauna is a part of normal everyday life. It's a necessity, not a luxury. For the five million inhabitants of Finland, there are over 2 million saunas! That makes for almost a sauna per household ratio.

Saunas are everywhere, even inside the smallest city apartments, at health clubs, pools, summer cottages, hotel rooms..There are electric saunas, smoke saunas, barrel saunas, sauna boats, balcony saunas, smart saunas, anything you can imagine, but the favorite sauna for the Finns is the traditional wood-heated fireplace sauna where water is thrown on the rocks to create a soft steam into the sauna.

The traditional Finnish sauna has a specific way it needs to be heated and there are some rather peculiar traditions and practices involved, especially weird and fascinating or even scary for a first time sauna-goer. Finns take pride in their saunas and foreigners will without exception be invited for a sauna session. The Finnish FIL's have a reputation of "testing" the foreign spouses of their daughters in the sauna to see how "manly" they are. This is of course done tongue-in-cheek, but nevertheless it's best to be prepared!

Here's a Finnish sauna guide for all the foreign son-in-laws out there!

If you are a foreign guy (even more so if you're Arab or Saudi) married to a Finnish woman, be prepared for the ultimate acid test when you land on Finnish soil. The FIL's will surely have their fingers itching to get you into the sauna to test out your manhood and compatibility with your Finnish spouse.

Do not sweat! Here is a step by step guide to survive your first sauna ordeal. By following these instructions you will prove yourself worthy of his Finnish daughter.

After landing in Finland you will immediately be taken from the airport to the summer cottage for survival camp.
Be warned that there will be no running water, plumbing or even electricity in some cases.

Upon arrival act calm and ask where the outhouse is (you might need this information sooner than later).
Remember to make polite remarks on how the grass and garden looks so well groomed and how the cottage seems so inviting (even if you feel like running back into the car and heading to the nearest hotel).

Most likely next you will be asked to heat up the sauna. You must understand that sauna is a sacred place to Finns. Finns used to give birth in sauna. DO NOT at any point, under any circumstances attempt to make fun of the sauna traditions. That will be your last joke.

To heat the sauna, you will need wood. Go and chop some up, carry it inside and place into a neat pile.

This would not be the best moment to be lighting a fireplace for the first time. You will need to know at least the basics on how to get the fire going without getting smoke into the sauna. There is something called a smoke sauna, but that is too hardcore for you.

After you have got the fire going in the stove (kiuas)without burning up the whole sauna, you must fetch the water. Take the buckets and fill some with rain water and others with lake/sea water. Put rain water only in the "löyly" bowl to prevent the stove stones from going bad.

Remember to keep checking the temperature of the sauna, you are aiming for 70-80C, not 100C. Heating up to 150C will NOT impress your FIL. That will burn down the sauna. You will need to add wood about every half hour.

Next you will assemble the vihta. This is a 'whisk' or 'whip' made of birch tree branches. Its used to beat yourself with while sitting in the sauna. You need to gather branches from a certain kind of birch and tie it up in a bunch. If you are lucky your FIL might assist you in this. Sometimes families have ready-made dried ones you just need to soak in water to use.

When using the vihta, start by beating your back and arms, then move to your legs. Be sure to hit yourself quite hard so that the skin becomes very red. You will be surprised how nice it feels.This means your blood is now circulating really well! Do not use the vihta like a camel whip! That will cause the leaves to fly all around the sauna.
If your FIL is impressed by your self-beating skills, he may ask you to beat his back for him. This is a great honor. Do not beat him too hard even if tempted.

You might be asked would you like a men's sauna or a family sauna. Men's sauna means you bathe with the men of the family, naked. Family sauna means you bathe with your wife and children, also naked. Don't freak out about the nudity, it's a perfectly natural thing and Finns won't look "there". Easiest for you would be family sauna, but if you do end up with the men, you can always use a towel to cover when you go outside for a cooling and swim.

In the sauna you will start by throwing water on the stove (kiuas). The steam this creates is called "löyly". It is considered polite to praise the sauna and the excellence of the löyly. Try to stand the heat for at least 5 minutes then go cool off. The Finns will be throwing lots of löyly so be prepared not to chicken out too soon.

If you are next to a water source, you will need to go for a swim (even if the water is only 15c). That is seen as manly and give you high points in the eyes of your FIL (and maybe your wife). Extra points come from a spectacular jump accompanied by a magnificent roar.

If you don't at least dip yourself in the water (not just the tip of your toes but entire body), you will fail the sauna test. Thank your lucky stars you didn't come in the winter time when you would be required to roll around in the snow or dip into the frozen lake! The cold water stimulates the blood circulation and afterward you will feel like a hero because of the endorphines running through the body.

After the cold shock some people like to hang around outside chatting, having a drink and enjoying the scenery. Then the sauna bathing continues like this in cycles of hot and cold. Do at least three cycles to prove your stamina.

Don't worry if everyone sits quiet as a mouse on the benches. Mostly Finns will just sit quietly without feeling awkward. Sauna is not a place for debates or lively conversation, but rather self reflecting and silence. The children in Finland are taught "In the sauna you must be as quiet as in the church". Finns don't know how to small talk either.

When you're finished wash yourself with birch tree soap. Mix hot and cold water from the large barrels in your washing basin. Rinse off with rain water.

After the sauna cool off with a drink and eat some delicious sausage (makkara) cooked on the sauna stove served with hot mustard. Remember to once more praise the löyly to your hosts!

Hopefully your FIL will approve your sauna performance and you will be accepted into the family! Good luck!

What's A Wasta?

Have you heard the word wasta before and wondered what in the world people are talking about? Have you noticed people talking about vitamin W but were too shy to ask in fear of exposing your lack of nutritional knowledge? Are you new in Saudi and have been asked the question ayndak wasta but didn't know what to respond? Well chances are if you didn't know how to respond, you most likely don't have wasta!

Wasta translates roughly to "connections" or "influence" and the Arabic origin means "intermediate". Basically a wasta (also known as vitamin W) is a very influential person with good connections who can get things rolling for you. The wasta can be a relative, a friend, a business acquaintance or in some cases even a stranger.

In Saudi-Arabia a wasta is often a person from a royal background or family of enormous wealth. It will never hurt to know a high ranking influential Saudi Prince. They can pull the right strings and many obstacles will suddenly disappear. Royals are all about wasta!

On the other hand a wasta might be just a random someone that your friend or relative knows who happens to be in a position where he can influence others. He or she could help get a person a job, and sometimes things work the opposite way, they might also get you fired easily. Wasta is often used by Saudis to land a place in university or a job in management or other sought after placements. The sad truth is, the person who used wasta to obtain that position often went past many much more qualified candidates. That's why many Saudi companies have incompetent and unmotivated staff. Because of their wasta, they won't have to fear loosing their jobs even if they don't perform very well.

With good wasta a person can get practically anything done. Wasta can be more valuable than money. Having wasta makes life in Saudi much easier for the person with it, but for those without it or those impacted by their actions, it does the opposite. Wasta could be described also as the root of corruption.


A wasta is sort of like a genie in a bottle, but better. Instead of three wishes you can get as many as you wish!

Watch this educational and funny video to find out exactly what is meant by the power of vitamin W...

Blogging Saudi Wives

Many of the blogs on Saudi you will find authored by western wives of Saudi men. I guess we have a lot to share about multicultural marriages and raising kids in a foreign country so different from our own. Keeping a blog can also be sort of outlet to rant out negative feelings. Sharing ones experiences can help in processing and coping with the sometimes stressful life situations a foreign wife to a Saudi can find herself in. Or blogging might just be something she enjoys doing to fight the Saudi boredom!

For anyone interested in Saudi-Arabia, multicultural marriages and parenting or expat life, these blogs are worth looking into. Here is a list of ten blogs maintained by western women married to Saudis in alphabetical order:

American Bedu   http://americanbedu.com/
The veteran of "Saudi wife" blogs, American Bedu is a former CIA agent that married a Saudi, now widowed and fighting her own cancer battle back in the U.S. Lots of info on everything about Saudi, lively discussions, posts everyday.

Arabia Saudyjska  http://arabiasaudyjska.blogspot.com/
A Polish woman that maintains an interesting blog about Saudi-Arabia written in Polish language, but you can always use google translate to read it. At the moment she is taking a blogging break.

The Camel and the Kangaroo http://thecamelandthekangaroo.wordpress.com/
The newest addition to the list comes from down under, she is an Australian woman newly married to a Saudi.
Looking forward to reading more from her!

Future Husbands and Wives of Saudis http://taraummomar.blogspot.com/
An excellent blog maintained by Tara Umm Omar gives information and advice on attaining the Saudi marriage permission. Lots of interesting articles, interviews and personal stories.

Little Pink Strawberries http://littlepinkstrawberries.blogspot.com/
Noor is a talented graphic designer and her blog Little Pink Strawberries has lots of cool freebies and she keeps and Etsy Shop too. She actually has two blogs, her other cooking blog which is full of delicious recipes is called Ya Salam Cooking and can be found here: http://www.yasalamcooking.com/

Nzinghas Soapbox http://nzinghas.blogspot.com/
This blog has been inactive for a while, but nevertheless it's worth reading because it's funny, the author is very witty and according to her own words "too bold for most".

Ramblings of a Saudi wife http://lostinriyadh.blogspot.com/
This blog by a lovely Canadian woman is fun to read and contains lots of hilarious parenting humor among other things from Saudi life.

Saudi Birth Story  http://saudibirthstory.blogspot.com/
A blog by Aisha Al-Hajjar, a Bradley Method birthing teacher, writer and founder of AMANI birth center. She has a passion for natural childbirth. Her blog has lots of info about birthing and also includes the birth stories of her own 8! children.

Susie's Big Adventure http://susiesbigadventure.blogspot.com/
Susie is an american woman who moved to Jeddah with her Saudi husband, her blog tells of her journey in the Kingdom, also contains lots of news, links and other info on Saudi.

Under the Abaya http://undertheabaya.wordpress.com
Written by "American Girl", this blog is her touching personal journey of relocating to Saudi-Arabia to raise her daughter despite a failing marriage to her Saudi husband.

Enjoy!

Runaway Employees

You've probably heard about the runaway employees in Saudi-Arabia. Most of these workers are Asian so called cheap labor that work as maids or drivers. They are a huge problem in the Kingdom. To bring in a maid or a driver the employer must pay fees and visa charges from 5000-10,000 SAR. If the employee "escapes" they will get no compensation and the runaway worker will be deported, if caught.

A lesser known and much less common but real phenomenon are the western runaway employees. I have witnessed several such cases where employees made a disappearing act on their employer. All cases were western medical staff, men and women.

The hospital pays even more to recruit the highly sought after western employees, around 20,000 SAR each. It is naturally in their best interest to keep the employees satisfied and working within the company for at least their one year contract which is the most common for nurses to sign on for.

So what happens, why do the employees run away? And where to?

Unlike the Asian runaways that always stay in the country working in the blackmarket, their western partners in crime run back to their home countries.

The reasons are numerous, but most commonly it's the easiest way out for the employee to just disappear if they are not liking life in Saudi-Arabia. Resigning and the final exit process takes months and many stressful hours of going from one office to another, gathering signatures, stamps and all sorts of paperwork before the employee is allowed to leave the Kingdom. By completeing the final exit process the employee recieves their annual or end of contract bonus as well.
Leaving without a trace might be easier for the employee, but morally I would say it is WRONG.

Like I mentioned, the employer pays and does a great deal of work to recruit a western worker. The process of the final exit is there for a reason, although it could be done more swiftly without all the bureaucratic nonsense, the employee has still signed a contract and running away is breaking that contract. I don't see these very people violating their employment contacts in their home countries, so where does this disrespect stem from?

Personally I never understood why those people chose to escape, rather than to just honestly resign and leave the Kingdom with dignity and not as a refugee of some sort. In most cases the employee had only a few months to go after the contact would have ended in any case. So why not just hang in there for a little but longer? I'm such a tough cookie myself that I would say you can even stand on your head for two months, rather than make a fool out of yourself or to be dishonest.

Most of the runaways I knew hated life and work in the Kingdom, or could not cope at all and one got engaged and ran away to get married. The employees left for their annual leave with an exit re-entry visa and never returned. They packed up as much of their stuff as they could and in fear of getting caught did not tell anyone of their plans until they were outside the Kingdom. Once home they called the employer and their friends that they will never return. This leaves the employer in trouble and also the friends in a situation where they might feel betrayed and also forced to pack the rest of the belongings and send it over to the escapee.
Needless to say the runaway would have a hard time trying to find employment again in Saudi-Arabia, but I doubt it has a big impact on their future employment in their home countries.

What do you think of these runaway employees? Are they doing the right thing? Is it ok to break the contract in a country they will most likely never return to? Is it acceptable for them to leave without notifying the employer if they feel very stressed out?

The Commission of Ex-Thieves and Drug Addicts Should Be Abolished

I found this interesting and surprising article, it's an interview with a prominent Saudi Sheikh who criticizes the Saudi religious police, aka muttawa, check it out:

Report by Sattam al-Ruwayli, from Riyadh: 

“Saudi Cleric: The Past of Some Members of the Commission Is thieving and Addiction”

"Well-Known Saudi Islamic cleric Abd-al-Muhsin al-Obaikan has stressed, in a sensational interview with Saudi local station Radio UFM, that some members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice were either drug addicts, thieves, or something similar in their past. Al-Obaikan adds that after they abandon their past, they come under the influence of a strong religious sentiment, and adhere to the teachings of religion, and to the prevention of vice.

Al-Obaikan, who is an adviser to the Saudi Royal Court, explains: “Some people want to remove vices in the way they themselves want, and not by the shari`ah way, which was drawn up for us by the Prophet, God`s prayer and peace be upon him.”

Al-Obaikan stresses: “There is a difference between the exposure of sin, and spying on people by arresting the culprit. God Almighty says, `And spy not on each other [Sura Al-Hujurat, from Verse 12],` and He does not exempt anyone from this order. The Prophet, God`s prayer and peace be upon him, said: `Negotiate the punishments among yourselves, because if the issue comes to me, the punishment is mandatory.`”

Al-Obaikan criticizes severely the members of the commission who stop the car driver to ask him of what proves that the woman with him is his wife; he describes this behaviour as “contradicting the shari`ah texts.”

Al-Obaikan, who is the only licensed mufti outside the official religious institution in Saudi Arabia, adds that there is a hadith saying: “Help those who err to stand up after they stumbled, because the person who is not a professional criminal, if he commits a sin and hides, we ought to shelter him before his issue reaches the Sultan.”

The General Chairmanship of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice is considered an independent government organization affiliated to the Saudi Council of Ministers, and some media organs call it, the “religious police”.

In his interview, Al-Obaikan praises this “great organization,” as he describes it. He says that the leaders in the kingdom have not established this organization for any reason other than the acquiescence to the order of God and the Order of the Prophet, and out of commitment to the implementation of the shari`ah rulings on all affairs. Al-Obaikan describes the dysfunction in this organization as similar to any dysfunction in other government organizations, and says that it ought to be rectified.

Al-Obaikan explains that the solution lies in intensive training courses before the individual undertakes field work, so that it would be explained to him through the Shari`ah texts how to deal with vices. Al-Obaikan points out that some individuals start field work before they join the training courses.

Al-Obaikan says: “Once, I was in a market, and some enthusiasts went to advise an individual. The adviser was raising his voice, and I said to him: Brother, take the man aside and talk to him, but to raise your voice, and embarrass him in front of the people, this is unacceptable, and your advice in this way is unacceptable.” Al-Obaikan continues: “The system of promotion of virtue and prevention of vice does not endorse some practices.”

Al-Obaikan adds: “There are many people who aim for what is good, but do not reach their target. Therefore, we ought to draw up strong boundaries so that these people do not deviate from the organized shari`ah boundaries in field work.”

Call to abolishment of commission

Within the context of his talk about the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, Shaykh Al-Obaikan proposes that the commission should be abolished and replaced by “Al-Hisbah [guarding against religious infringements] Ministry,” which should be delegated to perform other duties, such as collecting alms, and monitoring the prices.

Al-Obaikan justifies this by saying: “The commission should not be called with this name, because the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice is not the exclusive duty of one person and not the other.” He continues: “God Almighty says: `Ye are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and believing in Allah [Sura Al Imran, from Verse 110].` Therefore, this is the duty of every Muslim according to his ability, capability, and guardianship, and is not at all the exclusive duty of an organization.”

Al-Obaikan stresses that this ministry should not be restricted to alerting people to perform prayers, or to improvising and hunting down some criminals; he says: “I would like them to undertake at least some of the missions mentioned by the scholars, such as monitoring the markets, because the work of these members is field work.”

Al-Obaikan says: “Their name is long (the General Chairmanship of the Ye are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and believing in Allah), and the plaque is not sufficient. We ought to say: `this is Muhtasib` and the organization should be called Hisbah, because if you say `member of the commission`, there are many commissions.”

Al-Obaikan adds: “I propose that we change the name to become the name known in the books of the scholars and to turn this organization into a ministry to be calls `Ministry of Al-Hisbah.` If we want to make it a ministry, then its statutes ought to be revised, and it should be given powers and duties including collecting alms, and monitoring the prices.”

Al-Obaikan stresses that correcting the vice by hand is up to “those authorized who have been given the power by the guardian.” He says that describing the members as “Muhtasibs” is more correct, because they are working for the sake of God, and every Muslim is supposed to promote virtue and prohibit vice according to his abilities.

With regard to his proposal of a Ministry of Al-Hisbah, Al-Obaikan adds that he would like to participate in drawing up the Al-Hisbah system with the jurists and scholars of the promotion of virtue and prohibition of vice; moreover the organization ought to be consolidated by qualified employees so that the ministry can perform its duties at the required level.

It is well known that the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice is an official Saudi organization commissioned to implement the Al-Hisbah system, which is inspired by Islamic shari`ah, according to the Saudi religious viewpoint.

Abd-al-Muhsin al-Obaikan is well known for issuing fatwas that aroused a great deal of controversy in the Saudi society, especially with other ulema, such as allowing a woman to travel without a Mahrem [unmarriageable companion], allowing insurance, and other issues that have been considered to be axiomatic to some Saudi clerics."

Source: Elaph website, London, in Arabic 26 Aug 11

For once I agree wholeheartedly with a Saudi Sheikh. Change the name CPVPV and their job description! Train the muttawa before you let them on the loose to terrorize people and monitor them, especially the criminals!