Uberest of Uber Days
Work day for Julie and an Uber tourist adventure for me. First, let’s talk about our hotel and Riyadh in general . . . . They are not at all used to tourists, especially an American one. The concierge looked at me funny when I asked for a tour guide - something he had never set up. Obtaining a map of the city was another issue. He went to the back room and returned 10 minutes later with a small map in Arabic. Yikes! My first Uber ride was taking me to Diriyah, the ruins of the ancient palace on the outskirts of town. Unfortunately, I misspelled it on the Uber app and and landed myself in a slum. The driver was very kind and eventually got me to Diriyah, a massive park-like area on the UNESCO Heritage list . . . also 100% closed for renovations. After a little bit of sunbathing on a street corner waiting for my next Uber, I was on my way to Al Masmak fortress, the historic fort in the middle of town where a 1902 battle ushered in the current state of Saudi Arabia. Very interesting place and the highlight of the day. Another 45min wait, another Uber. Off to Kingdom Tower. It is one of the tallest buildings in the world with a “hole” in the middle. It boasts an observation deck at the top bridging the two sides of the building. Unfortunately, only open Thursday through Sunday. The mall at its base was impressive, full of the highest name stores on 3 levels. The emptiest mall I’ve ever seen. I was one of 20 people wandering around. The bored guy at Tiffany’s said the mall was old (25yrs) and not the place to go anymore. Next Uber - back to the hotel where there is a “skywalk” connecting the mall next door - skywalk closed (still under construction). Despite what seemed to be a frustrating day, it was a bit of an adventure and I got to see a lot of the city. One huge surprise has been how incredibly kind, friendly, and welcoming the Saudis have been. Something you can’t quantify or easily describe. Made a good day out of what would have been a bad one.
Kingdom Tower. 998ft tall, third tallest building in Riyadh but definitely the coolest. Built in 2002
Top of Kingdom Tower. Didn’t get to see it at night but apparently they light it up with changing colored lights. The “bridge” has a glass walkway from one end to the other.
One of my few photos of Al Diriyah. No idea what we’re looking at here but it seemed pretty with the Saudi flag amidst the ruins.
Living room inside the Al Masmak fortress
Kingdom Tower. 998ft tall, third tallest building in Riyadh but definitely the coolest. Built in 2002
Al Faisaliah Tower. Almost as tall as Kingdom Tower. Design based on a pen. There is a revolving restaurant inside the globe.
Top of Kingdom Tower. Didn’t get to see it at night but apparently they light it up with changing colored lights. The “bridge” has a glass walkway from one end to the other.
Very interesting! What a comedy of errors though!
ReplyDeleteYou certainly had a day filled with adventure! Good for you! Lovely pictures!
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