Riyadh’s 3 Side Trips You Can’t Miss

The land of a thousand and one fables and fantasies, impenetrable Saudi Arabia has long intrigued the world. As the country begins to relax its visa rules to welcome visitors, we share with you here three tasting of the middle east, side trip journeys reachable from Riyadh, its capital city.

The Asir Mountains. This hilly region is near the country’s border with Yemen. The local capital, Abha, a small town ringed by misty mountains, felt chilly as I strolled through its souk and chatted with stall holders selling incense of frankincense and myrrh, beads, gowns and brightly colored baskets.

The key attraction here is the restored village of Rijal Alma. Its tall, tower-like houses were built nearly 300 years ago, acting as watchtowers. One house is now a museum with rooms and displaying jewellery, farm tools and even a bridal carriage designed to go on a camel’s back.

Medain Saleh. Medain Saleh is the country’s key tourist attraction. Located in the north-west, the 2,000-year-old Nabataean tombs, set in the stark desert, are a stunning sight. Imagine visiting the rock-cut architecture of Petra, in Jordan, but without the crowds. This was the second city of the Nabataeans, who created their 131 rock-cut tombs soon after they had finished work on Petra.

The Nabataeans, whose empire lasted from around 600 BC to AD 300, sited both cities on the same trade route and Medain Saleh would once have been a bustling city, though as in Dir’aiyah, the houses have long disappeared. The tombs are astonishing – many are cut so high in the rock that you have to climb a rickety ladder to enter them to see the burial niches cut into the sandstone.

Many tombs have inscriptions in the Aramaic language over their doors and these are translated into English, explaining who owned the tomb. One of the most striking is the beautiful row of tombs called Qasr Al-Bint. You can also head across the dunes to the tomb of Qasr Farid, when it turns a glowing pink at sunset.

Jeddah. Souk Al-Alawi is the star attraction here, a warren of narrow streets in the old town where I spent a happy morning shopping for leather slippers and beautiful wool shawls. The prices are fixed, so haggling is not welcome, but generally, the atmosphere in Jeddah is far more relaxed than in conservative Riyadh. Here, I spotted women going out without men accompanying them, and sometimes without wearing their headscarves.

We finished our trip with a superb supper of prawn and hamour, a fish caught locally, at the Al-Nakhil restaurant on the Corniche. After supper, we all enjoyed smoking the apple-flavored shisha water pipes and soaking up the atmosphere of this buzzy restaurant, where families dine and chat until 3am in the morning.

Traveling to Asia? Then you’ll do well to check out our blog zine focusing on travel in Asia. In particular, you’ll probably enjoy our post on Koh Phangan in Thailand and Szechuan’s spicy food!

Family Activites

Minerals Makeup in History

The use of minerals can be traced back into the time of ancient Egyptians. Egyptians take pride on their appearance. For them to be close to their gods, they need to be beautiful. Their eye minerals makeup was mostly consisted of malachite, green ore of copper and kohl. Galena is also used for the eyes. This eye makeup also served as eye protectors from the hot and reflective rays of the sun in the desert. Their red lips would come from the red ochre. The same minerals are used for giving color to the cheeks. Each mineral used would come from a different place. Malachite came from the Nile valley, while galena would come from upper Egypt and the Red Sea.

Early Egyptians also believed that makeup is not only means of attaining higher spirituality; they are also used for practical reasons. Malachite and galena are both used as eye protectors. While there are others used for their ability to repel insects and help the body adapt to climate changes. Aside from this, ancient Egyptians believed that black mineral makeup can drive evil sprits away.

Ancient Greeks also used mineral makeup because they wanted to be close to the gods. In Greece, ancient women who belong in the high class rarely go out and get exposed to the sun. That is why women with pale skin are regarded highly, so they started using makeup to make the skin appear pale.

Greek women would use honey and olive oil to keep their skin moisture. Olive oil is also a part of their eye enhancement make-up along with charcoal. Lipstick are from mixture of redding and bees wax. This primitive lipstick evolved in ochre clay and red iron, making it a little bit harder and easier to apply to their lips

In the east, Chinese and Japanese were also applying makeup to their faces. Japanese geisha would paint their faces white and outline their eyebrows with charcoal. Actually, this did not happen in Asia only. In Europe, aristocrats would put powders in their faces. The idea is that this would separate them from the common, working class.

 

 

Advantages Of Learning A Foreign Language

Add Some Diversity to Your Summer Travel

I’d like to make a suggestion for a vacation destination where you can find a great deal of variety in the type of local attractions offered.  Everybody has different goals for their summer travel.  Some of us want to visit Disneyland and some just want to relax on the beach.  Others love to see historical sites and still others love to play golf.

Summer California actually offers activities in all of these categories.  There are many golf courses between the Pacific Ocean and Palm Desert.  And, of course, you’ll find plenty of beach action for sun worshipping.

Another obvious destination is the Disneyland Resort, which includes Downtown Disney and Disney’s California Adventure (by the way, Disney is spending like a billion dollars on a major renovation of California Adventure over the next several years).

If you haven’t been to Anaheim in several years, you’ll be amazed at the changes.  California Adventure exhibits the diversity of California culture, from citrus orchards to downtown Los Angeles to the northern California Wine Country.  You will observe an international blend of cultures in the visitors at the parks and at Downtown Disney.  It is a great place for people watching—a veritable cultural melting pot.

Speaking of a cultural melting pot, Southern California is a concoction of people and cultures from around the world.  There is a particularly strong presence from Pacific Rim countries, but Europe, Asia and Africa are likewise well represented (not so many folks from Antarctica).

You’ll find quite a number of ethnic communities scattered throughout Southern California, and worth a visit in your summer travel activities.  The first community that comes to mind is Chinatown, just north of the Los Angeles central business district.  Just to the east of downtown is Little Tokyo.  Koreatown lies on the west side of the 110 Freeway.

Take time out of your schedule to drive down to Orange County to visit downtown Santa Ana, portions of which will remind you of a medium-sized city in Mexico.  Nearby Little Saigon offers shopping and dining with a Vietnamese and Southeast Asia influence.  There are no-doubt many other ethnic area in the Southern California melting pot.