kalaika's VirtualTourist Home Page

I took a leap at the beginning of the 2005, packed my bags and headed east from the big city lights of Riyadh to Al Khobar, located in the Eastern Region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The journey was well worth my lengthy visa efforts. After spending three months at home with family sorting out my new sponsorship, I am now once again enjoying life here in the Kingdom with the more relaxed atmosphere in the eastern province.

The town of Al Khobar merges with Dhahran and Dammam, and is situated on the eastern seaboard of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We are 45 minutes from Manama, Bahrain. We enjoy a warm to very hot climate, with November to June being particularly pleasant however, July and August are usually very hot and humid. It does take some getting used to coming from the dry heat of Riyadh.

Al Khobar is a pleasant town, cosmopolitan, colourful and interesting. It boasts large modern malls, and small local shopping streets. We were surprised at the rich variety of goods and foods available although no pork or alcoholic products ofcourse are permitted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The majority of us live in well-appointed compounds. These usually feature swimming pools, recreation centres and a full team of maintenance personnel on hand. They often run bus services to points of shopping interest in town. Food prices can be high if imported, but local meats, fish and vegetables are good and competitively priced. Many expatriate sporting facilities are available including tennis, soccer, rugby leagues, swimming, squash, you can even skate when it's 45 degrees outside and slap around a puck in a good ol' hockey game which is great for us Canadians!

If you're considering this journey to work and live in the Kingdom, my best advice is to have an open mind and pack your patience above all else. The arab lifestyle takes a little getting used to as a Westerner but you'll enjoy it once you settle in. You'll be relaxed after the culture shock wears off and once you've experienced the arab hospitality you will be shocked at how much we lack in the west.

Assalam alykum

Camping in the Empty Quarter is alot of fun here. Watch out for snakes, some of the most poisionous in the world inhabit the desert here in KSA, as well as scorpions.

This is a view out of the window of our favourite restaurant in Manama, Bahrain..."Trader Vics" which is located at the Ritz Carlton. The man-made beach in the foreground is privately owned by the hotel and non-hotel guests must pay outrageously high yearly membership prices to sun bathe here.