Sandman
English expat in the Netherlands
Forum posts
42
About me
English
Lives in The Hague
Registration: 11 January 2010
World Cup 2010 - Where to watch it in Riyadh?
Anyone out there know of any good venues to watch the World Cup from? I want to take my young children along to watch some games therefore somewhere child freindly. Read More
Saloon or an SUV? by Oz_Sap
Hi guys, A million dollar question - when living in KSA, would you suggest a Saloon/Sedan or an SUV 4WD?:cool: Some say doesn't really matter and others say it does; I am wondering whether my friends here on this forum could break it down a bit ...
Oz I agree with most of the posts on this site and would recommend an SUV. I had exactly the same dilema a few months ago and used this reasoning; If I'm in a sedan and one of these 'Monster Trucks' aka GMC Yukon etc (We all know the ones) ... Read More
Warning by Alliecat
This was forwarded to me this morning: [quote]Sent: Saturday, May 22, 2010 9:37 AM Subject: INCIDENT AT KINGDOM MALL Importance: High Gents, I had dinner at the Kingdom Compound on Thursday night with friends and thought that I would pass the ...
Musicman, I like your commandments better than mine Read More
Coffee Confidential by Ioanna
I'm a coffee afficionado...it's the Greek in me. Meanwhile here's what you can expect from my limited exposure to local sources: I am describing your basic cappucino Starbucks: known worldwide as overpriced and weak ($5!!) Seattles Best: Boil the ...
No idea what it's called but there is a great coffee shop opposite Carefore in Granada Mall. I think it's just by exit 5. Read More
Warning by Alliecat
This was forwarded to me this morning: [quote]Sent: Saturday, May 22, 2010 9:37 AM Subject: INCIDENT AT KINGDOM MALL Importance: High Gents, I had dinner at the Kingdom Compound on Thursday night with friends and thought that I would pass the ...
Nonz, Sorry, didn't mean to scare anyone but I think that anyone who doesn't take precautions and look after themselves in Saudi is living in dream land. Western expats are very visible in Saudi society and need to be careful. We all know that ... Read More
Arriving at Salwa in July! by Skate
Hello! I'm due to arrive at Salwa Garden Village at the start of july with BAe and thought it may be worthwhile introducing myself before setting off. Initially, I will be unaccompanied however, my family is likely to join me as soon as MFS allows ...
Hi Skate, Welcome to Riyadh in advance. As some of the posts have mentioned Salwa has probably got some of the most serious security going in Riyadh (not such a bad thing). Other possitives for Salwa are; There is a satellite of the British ... Read More
Warning by Alliecat
This was forwarded to me this morning: [quote]Sent: Saturday, May 22, 2010 9:37 AM Subject: INCIDENT AT KINGDOM MALL Importance: High Gents, I had dinner at the Kingdom Compound on Thursday night with friends and thought that I would pass the ...
Here are some suggestions for ladies to keep safe that I'm passing on. For those of you that don't have drivers to act as an escort the message is clear, get inside the mall, don't hang around outside. Be vigilent of youths lurking around ... Read More
Warning by Alliecat
This was forwarded to me this morning: [quote]Sent: Saturday, May 22, 2010 9:37 AM Subject: INCIDENT AT KINGDOM MALL Importance: High Gents, I had dinner at the Kingdom Compound on Thursday night with friends and thought that I would pass the ...
Alliecat, I've heard a report of this incident from other sources and it seems that a number of the big expat employers here in the Kingdom are briefing their expat employees on this incident and how to avoid becomming a target themselves. ... Read More
Ex-Pat Rugby team
There's an expat rugby team that plays at Salwa Compound. http://www.riyadhrugby.com/ Read More
Do you think Saudi Arabia can be a good multinational Country ? by Gonna315
Greetings All Expat.. I hope you are doing fine..:cool: There have been many questions in my mind for a long time. I have traveled to many places in the world. Some places are very considered as multinational places,, for example, London. London ...
Gonna, It's a really iteresting question that your asking and I think that most expats would say that it's not easy to live in Saudi. Just look at the number of posts on Iqama, Family Visas, Driving Lisence etc..... however; There is bureacrasy ... Read More
DRIVING OUT OF KSA by Sandman
I'm going to take my first road trip, out of the Kingdom, to Bahrain pretty soon and was just wondering whether any of you wonderful people knew what this entails. I've heard that there's a mountain of paperwork to sort out so that you don't get ...
Now I'm no advocate for breaking the law but, if the penalty for bringing Pork into the country is merely to have it confiscated then I can see why many people may choose to run that particular risk. I imagine that the penalty for Alcohol and ... Read More
DRIVING OUT OF KSA by Sandman
I'm going to take my first road trip, out of the Kingdom, to Bahrain pretty soon and was just wondering whether any of you wonderful people knew what this entails. I've heard that there's a mountain of paperwork to sort out so that you don't get ...
I'm going to aim to get out of work fairly swiftly on Wednesday but I'm pretty resigned to the fact that by the time I get to the causeway there's going to be a long wait. Better take some games etc for the children and make sure that everyone goes ... Read More
DRIVING OUT OF KSA by Sandman
I'm going to take my first road trip, out of the Kingdom, to Bahrain pretty soon and was just wondering whether any of you wonderful people knew what this entails. I've heard that there's a mountain of paperwork to sort out so that you don't get ...
Thanks Misterstretch! I've heard tales of the wait to get over the Causeway. I'm sure it's worth it. Read More
DRIVING OUT OF KSA by Sandman
I'm going to take my first road trip, out of the Kingdom, to Bahrain pretty soon and was just wondering whether any of you wonderful people knew what this entails. I've heard that there's a mountain of paperwork to sort out so that you don't get ...
CAF :cheers: Yes, I'll deffinitely be having one or two Pepsi's :lol: Read More
DRIVING OUT OF KSA by Sandman
I'm going to take my first road trip, out of the Kingdom, to Bahrain pretty soon and was just wondering whether any of you wonderful people knew what this entails. I've heard that there's a mountain of paperwork to sort out so that you don't get ...
Thanks Aticus, I've got a letter from my company allowing me to take the car out of the country and I've got my multiple entry/exit visa. I wasn't quite sure whether there was some other governmental documetation required. Read More
DRIVING OUT OF KSA
I'm going to take my first road trip, out of the Kingdom, to Bahrain pretty soon and was just wondering whether any of you wonderful people knew what this entails. I've heard that there's a mountain of paperwork to sort out so that you don't get ... Read More
Moving stuff from the US to Riyadh by redgems
Does anyone have experience or recommendations on moving personal affects to Riyadh from overseas? Starting point is the US. We'd like to be able to bring some of the items we're attached to (no big pieces of furniture, just clothes, a lot of ...
Reggems, The way that it tends to work is this; First find a removal company where you are. The majority, as well as doing local moves, will have some experience in moving overseas. Check their insurance policy / are they a member of a ... Read More
VIDEOS OF INSIDE THE COMPOUNDS IN KSA by uglybetty
Does anyone have any video footage of what its like inside the compounds in KSA? Would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Alliecat, I completely agree with your last post. While it's one thing for parents comming to the Kingdom with toddlers and young children it's completely another thing when your trying to bring up a teenager. There is almost nothing for them to ... Read More
VIDEOS OF INSIDE THE COMPOUNDS IN KSA by uglybetty
Does anyone have any video footage of what its like inside the compounds in KSA? Would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Hi Ugly Betty, Try this link http://riyadhciti.com/ I've found this site pretty useful and intersting. Read More
British School in Riyadh by nada21
I wonder if anyone can shed any light on British school in Riyadh. We are considering moving to Riyadh from London with two children, 10 and 7 years old. Thanks a lot. Any information will be appreciated.
Thanks Musicman, that looks iteresting. I have heard rumours of a new international school being set up here in Riyadh which will not be based upon any one nation's curriculum but will follow the International Baccalaureate. More choice would be ... Read More
British School in Riyadh by nada21
I wonder if anyone can shed any light on British school in Riyadh. We are considering moving to Riyadh from London with two children, 10 and 7 years old. Thanks a lot. Any information will be appreciated.
I sort of sympathize with the School's position. The main pool of manpower for the School should be the UK as thse are the people experienced in teahing the UK curriculum however the standard of teaching in the UK has progressively gone down due to ... Read More
British School in Riyadh by nada21
I wonder if anyone can shed any light on British school in Riyadh. We are considering moving to Riyadh from London with two children, 10 and 7 years old. Thanks a lot. Any information will be appreciated.
Nada, I wouldn't be put off by my last post, I have to point out again the benefits of comming to a place like this. It really is a cultural eye opener. I think that the number of pupils per classroom is OK. Im not sure how many it would be but ... Read More
British School in Riyadh by nada21
I wonder if anyone can shed any light on British school in Riyadh. We are considering moving to Riyadh from London with two children, 10 and 7 years old. Thanks a lot. Any information will be appreciated.
Yes, I have children at the British School. My own experience has been mixed. As you correctly point out there is a new head teacher at the the school who has promised improvements and I am keen to see what these may be. The difficulty for this, ... Read More
British School in Riyadh by nada21
I wonder if anyone can shed any light on British school in Riyadh. We are considering moving to Riyadh from London with two children, 10 and 7 years old. Thanks a lot. Any information will be appreciated.
It all depends on your expectations. Compared with the average state school in the UK it's pretty good. The BISR isn't cheap so it is advisable to get the school fees included in your contract if possible. Read More
Driving License by dswiatkowski
What is the story on driving license. I am being assigned, possibly, for two years. Will I need to get a local KSA license?
I think that it's for the driving school to put all of your forms in when they process your application. Don't ask me why but then there's alot of stuf that makes no sence at all. Read More
Driving License by dswiatkowski
What is the story on driving license. I am being assigned, possibly, for two years. Will I need to get a local KSA license?
I got my driving license in a day, actually about 45 mins, no problem. Mind you I don't think that a driving license is held in very high regard here. Most of the Saudi Nationals that I have spoken to say that they have never bothered getting one ... Read More
marriage certificate by Ioanna
has any married couple there been stopped in the street and asked to produce their marriage certificate? Does it need to be translated into Arabic?
Ionna, Like SaudiUK, neither me nor my wife has ever had to produce a marraige Cert. If you are worried about a translation then It will be a requirement for your husband to supply a translated copy of your marriage certificate to the Ministry ... Read More
Vacation by Sandman
I haven't been in Saudi for very long, only a few months, but I thought that I'd take a few days off and travel around. It seems that the norm here is to count calendar days as vacation rather than working days. So if you're thinking of..... ...
Thanks SaudiUK, Yes, it seems that I have landed with the brown, oderous, viscous end of the stick. It sounds as though your HR department is very good. I won't bore you with the hastles I've had with Iqamas and visas. That's the subject of a ... Read More
Vacation
I haven't been in Saudi for very long, only a few months, but I thought that I'd take a few days off and travel around. It seems that the norm here is to count calendar days as vacation rather than working days. So if you're thinking of..... ... Read More
Riyadh Restaurant Recommendations by redgems
Help please! I'm looking for some nice dinner places for myself and the hubster - steak, arabic, anything you recommend as yummy? Thanks.
If you want to try something traditional in a traditional setting (this is what I was told anyway) try 聯NAJD VILLAGE聰 Restaurant Located on Abu Baker Road (off King Abdullah Road) Tel No. 225 0034 Read More
Women in Riyadh by tinaolsson
Hi! My name is Tina and as you all probably know without me writing, I am new to this forum. My husband and I will be moving to Riyadh from Sweden in a few weeks with our two children and I would love a little information about the day to day life ...
Tinaolsson, Another point worth considering RE Ramadan is that for your hubby it might make daily life rather difficult. Ramadan falls particularly early this year (11 August) and if you're not used to fasting in 50+celcius then you might want ... Read More
Quality of High School education at International Schools by Ivorycat
We are relocating to Riyadh in January 2009 from Singapore. Would be most grateful for any info on the quality of teaching,the teaching staff and school environment in general at either the American, British or other equal standing international ...
I read, write and speak english but no way am I, or ever will be, an English Teacher. One other thing to consider in your choice of schools is that they do have criteria for entry i.e. if your not British or Dutch (?) it may be tough to get in. ... Read More
Chef's knife?? or a really GOOD quality knife? any idea? by Alisan
Hi all, Do you have any idea where can I get a really GOOD quality chef's knife here in Riyadh? Hold on! I'm not a chef, but I cook a lot & the chef's knife would make it nice & smooth ;) Oh & once you answered my question, you can go ahead & ...
If you can find them then Sabatier are pretty good. Read More
Quality of High School education at International Schools by Ivorycat
We are relocating to Riyadh in January 2009 from Singapore. Would be most grateful for any info on the quality of teaching,the teaching staff and school environment in general at either the American, British or other equal standing international ...
Here's an observation from one that has made the move from the UK and has seen the Schooling in Riyadh over time. I've been really quite surprised by the British School here in Riyadh. It seems that a good percentage of the teachers are made up ... Read More
Chef's knife?? or a really GOOD quality knife? any idea? by Alisan
Hi all, Do you have any idea where can I get a really GOOD quality chef's knife here in Riyadh? Hold on! I'm not a chef, but I cook a lot & the chef's knife would make it nice & smooth ;) Oh & once you answered my question, you can go ahead & ...
I would advise against IKEA's Knives. Try Danube at Hyatt Mall. Read More
Women in Riyadh by tinaolsson
Hi! My name is Tina and as you all probably know without me writing, I am new to this forum. My husband and I will be moving to Riyadh from Sweden in a few weeks with our two children and I would love a little information about the day to day life ...
For those already here, I hear that Janadriya (The festival of everything Saudi)is a must. I think that I'm going to go. Read More
Women in Riyadh by tinaolsson
Hi! My name is Tina and as you all probably know without me writing, I am new to this forum. My husband and I will be moving to Riyadh from Sweden in a few weeks with our two children and I would love a little information about the day to day life ...
Hi, I've been living here in Riyadh with my wife and 2 children for about 3 months now and hopefully can give you some tips; 1. Check before you come out what your status is. Normally the process will be that your husband will have to come out ... Read More