Trip experiences and recommendations: julio 2016

Introduction:

Reason of my visit:

There is no tourist visa as such to Saudi Arabia. However, it is possible to visit the country through certain agencies (the country receives millions of religious tourism every year)
I was lucky to have commercial visa to Saudi Arabia thanks to my job in Dubai and before quitting I took the opportunity to visit the country and "create" my own opinion
I will not disclose any political opinion but comment of some touristic attractions and curiosities

Roadtrip:

Curiosities:

In my flight from Dubai to Riyadh I had a seat next to a local woman. The moment I took my seat she changed seat with her husband so she did not seat next to another man
At the start of the flight Quran is read for the passengers
In favour of traditional arabic hospitality, the man seated next to me gave me food and drink (never ever happended to me before)
Shockingly for me, during one of my visits a local of my same gender tried to be "more than friends" with me
Driving in Saudi Arabia is pretty intense, a bit scary and there are almost no speed cameras, especially outside the main cities, where many traffic signals are only in arabic. There are no tolls in the country, at least in the 2,500 km I drove
Petrol is very cheap. ranging the liter from 20-25 cents of €. According to some articles I read, it was second cheapest country in the world with regard to petrol prices a few years ago
I was surprised to see plenty of old and dirty cars
There are traffic signals showing danger for camels crossing the road (and they do!)

It is common to see restaurants with only men. Women and men do not sit together unless they are family members
Diving in the Red Sea is beautiful (Yanbu or Jeddah offer several options, mainly during weekends)
However, I saw some dirtiness in the beaches
I was lucky to come across several locals who were very helpful and hospitable (i.e. a local guy near Madain Saleh took me in his 4x4 with his little children to visit some dunes in the desert where my car could not reach)
I found it very hard to walk in the streets of any city in the country and I saw many people with overweight
Compared to Dubai, very few places admit card payment. Saudi Rial is almost similar to UAE dirham
There are no hostels as such. There are no very cheap hotels but they are normally reasonable in price but for religious season
During praying times, 5 times a day, the country literally stops: service in restaurants, petrol stations, etc

Top visits:

Trip in detail:

Description of the trip:

Period: 18th-23th July 2016
Transportation: car rented at Riyadh airport and dropped at Jeddah airport
Roadtrip: Riyadh: 18th; Buraydah, Hail: 19th; Madain Saleh: 20th; Yanbu: 21st; Jeddah: 22nd, 23rd
Distance: 2,500 km approximately

Riyadh:

I flew to Riyadh, the capital, to obtain the visit permit for Madain Saleh in the National Museum, according to my previos research
When I visited the Museum, workers were surprised of my visit and did not even know how to proceed
However one of the guys took my email and later on during my trip I received the permit

PERMITS TO VISIT MADAIN SALEH CAN BE OBTAINED AT ANY HOTEL IN AL-ULA, THE CLOSEST VILLAGE TO MADAIN SALEH, SO THERE IS NO NEED TO STOP AT RIYADH

Next to the National Museum you have Deera Square, also known as Chop Chop Square or Justice Square. Some Fridays there are public executions in this square. Again, no political opinion. Following picture is nearby:
In the afteroon I visited the Kingdom Centre tower, one of the most significant buildings in the city, more than 300m high (ticked is $15)

Not much to do in Riyadh to be honest. I do not regret my visit but I could have perfectly flown to Hail and driven directly to Madain Saleh

2nd day on my way to Madain Saleh:

Second day meant drving long hours
I passed by Buraydah and Hail but I did not see anything of interest
I continued till Al-Ula where I spent the night and got the permit to visit Madain Saleh next day

FOR THE PERMIT YOU ONLY NEED TO PRESENT YOUR HOTEL RESERVATION AND PASSPORT IN THE HOTEL AND ASK FOR THE PERMIT FOR THE FOLLOWING DAY

Madain Saleh:

Third day made the trip worth it
In few words, Madain Saleh is the largest Nabatean settlement after Petra in Jordan
The visit is made by car as it is huge
The visit is free (I am sure when the country is more open to tourists they will charge a good amount)
There are more than 100 tombs and the place is astonishing

Rest of the trip:

I continued my trip driving along the west coast of the country
I loved swimming in Yanbu, where after several hundred meters swimming I could see lovely colors and marine life
On my way from Yanbu to Jeddah I saw several spots to rent quad sand race cars so I enjoyed it once...it seems I did not have enough driving in the trip :)
I did proper diving in Jeddah in a private resort. Quite expensive for 2 dives ($100) but beautiful experience
Jeddah is expected to grow and develop some interesting touristic spots but I did not see anything particularly nice
On the 23rd morning I flew back to Dubai with a particular opinion of the country, somehow similar but somehow different from all I had listened before
The recommended activities after doing this trip are visiting Madain Saleh and diving in the Red Sea

Trip experiences and recommendations