Top Ten What Struck Me Most in Riyadh:

I had a one year stint in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Yessiree! I did! I really did! And My Top Ten What Struck Me Most (not necessarily in that order) in Riyadh were:

1) Beso-beso time: The males there, whether they be Saudis, Lebanese, Jordanian, Egyptians or even the Indians, Pakistani, etc... would make beso (emphasis please!) with each other everyime they meet!

2) Public display of affection: Indians, Pakistanis, etc... had this habit of holdings hands while walking in public... male to male!

3) Luxury cars gone mad: It's not rare to see a Benz toploading a sheep... sayang ang oto, C class na Benz pa naman. :-(

4) 1 Riyal shawarmas: Yup, for 1 Riyal (or approx. Php14) you get a shawarma the size of a Frankfurter. And if you feel a little rich, try the 5 Riyal special and you'll have a feast! :-)

5) Cab drivers: In Riyadh, they're very honest. There was one time, I got lost in the maze of brick & mud buildings near Batha (a public place where Pinoys meet) but eventually after so much hand signs, shouting and cursing in Arabic (mok mafi! -ang bobo mo !) etc... I finally arrived at my destination, the cab driver actually returned part of my fare! HONEST! He really gave me back 10 Riyals! Must be the weather or something! :-)

6) Insha-Allah: God willing. Everyone there says that... Insha-Allah this, insha-Allah that. It's so abused that the dishonest ones commit or promise everything like paying debts, etc. Insha-Allah... and since they have already committed to God, we'll never know when they will actually pay! :-(

7) Broasted chicken: This is their equivalent to KFC... they do have KFCs there in Riyadh, but many people (including yours truly dahil kuripot ako!) would prefer the broasted chicken in the corner diner... yummy!

8) Indian Restos: Man, oh, Man! for 1 Riyal you get to have a couple of Mesalas (bread) and FREE fish curry sauce, busog ka na. And for 1 Riyal more, you get bottled water. A full meal may cost you about 3 Riyals (FOREX then was Php14 to 1 Riyal). You should try out the fish curry, grabe sa anghang!

9) Batha: It's shoppers paradise, you'll find everything in that place INCLUDING the fake items! Levi's, perfumes, Ray Bans, name it, it's there!

10) Water: It's true, water cost more expensive than gasoline... a liter of gasoline is about 90 halala, while a regular sized bottled water (less than 1 liter) is about 1 Riyal or more depending on the brand...