The weather in Riyadh was a lot nicer than in Jordan, pleasantly warm but not hot which allowed me comfortably to wear pants and long-sleeve shirts without being overheated. Female tourists are not required to wear abayas but it is better to be covered.
I took the metro from the airport to the city center. My reservation was at Sada Compound because of its central location conveniently close to the station. It took time to find it. I walked in circles around the same area and did not see anything with that sign. I had to call Sada and ask for directions. The manager sent a photo of the building and then I was able to recognize it. Apparently, Sada Compound is not a hotel at all although it is on Booking. It is a place where women can stay safely without being disturbed by men. Guys are not allowed inside the building. The establishment is run by male management who also do not go beyond the main entrance.
The compound inside looked like an apartment block. Each apartment had a shared kitchen, a bathroom, and several bedrooms. My room was kind of a luxury suite with an en-suite bathroom. The other bedrooms were occupied by more than one woman. I could tell that by the number of shoes left in the hallway at the doors. Everything was spotless and tidy, not a thing was out of its place. It also was very quiet at any time. Sometimes, when going in and out of the building I saw other women. All of them were Arabic. They nodded to me and silently squeezed past. They looked settled in the compound like they lived there long-term. I probably was the only foreigner in Sada.
I came to Riyadh on Saturday, February, 22nd, that happened to be a national holiday, the Saudi Foundation Day. This day is a celebration of the first Saudi State founded in 1727 by Imam Muhammad bin Saud. The unified state brought stability and economic growth to this region. The Foundation Day is not to be confused with Saudi National Day on September, 23rd which celebrates the unification of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932.
It was fun to watch festivities on the streets of Saudi Arabia’s capital. The downside of them was the closure of practically everything in Riyadh not only on Saturday but during all my 3 days there. The only place that I was able to see was the National Museum. For the rest of my time in Riyadh I wandered around and made arrangements for the next stages of my journey.
I wanted to travel from Riyadh to Dammam, to do a daytrip to Bahrain and then to continue to Kuwait. At that time, I did not know how I would get there but hoped to have more information once I was in Dammam. So, I bought a train ticket to it.
I almost missed the train due to my own negligence. The train station is not far from the city center and next to a metro stop. The trip should have been no longer than 30 minutes. Google, however, said something about canceled service и showed alternative routes that took 2 hours. I did not find any confirmation of that anywhere else and ignored the warning.
When the metro train came to the stop where I was supposed to change lines, it passed it without stopping. That stop was closed – this was what Google wanted to tell me and I did not get it. I tried the alternative route that took me around the entire Riyadh. After one hour of riding metro trains, I realized how little time I had left, got out of the metro, ran to the nearest intersection, and raised my arm. There were no taxis around but a private car stopped almost immediately. My stupid metro ride took me 3 times farther away from the train station than where I was at my starting point. When I finally got there, the train was about to depart. I sprinted to it, jumped into the train car, found my seat and collapsed into it.
