Another restaurant review

Good restaurants in Jubail are too scarce to leave them unnoticed. Here's one that meets all 3 B-requirements: Bueno, Bonito, Barato (good, nice and cheap!).

It's a Lebanese restaurant located in the Intercontinental hotel in Al-Jubail. The service is very good, the food is delicious and the portions are fairly generous. 

Plus: women can take off their abaya inside the restaurant, and there's usually some music (recorded music obviously, but here in KSA it's a luxury not a to eat in total silence!). 

Starting with delicious mezze to get a taste of everything

Baking fresh Arabic bread

All tables are tucked in cosy alcoves that can be closed with curtains

And on another note, this is where I have breakfast when I go to Al-Khobar:

And that's (the closest thing available in KSA to) what Heaven tastes like!

Ahlan wa sahlan fi Oman ya ukhti!

My sister wanted to come and visit us in Saudi Arabia. Fortunately, her visa was denied (she's a potentially dangerous unmarried woman willing to travel on her own!) so we decided to meet up in Oman instead! And that was much more beautiful, and more fun! We went snorkelling in Muscat, then drove to the mountains, entered a couple of wadis, headed to the desert and drove back to Muscat. 

The pictures speak for themselves:

Boat ride in the Mutrah area

The water was clear, and we saw many colourful fishes, and I even swam with a turtle! 

Music is not much appreciated in Muscat...

Jebel Akhdar

Wadi Ghul

Nizwa, outside the souk

Sinaw

Wadi Bani Khalid

My sister driving in the desert

"Roulé-boulés"!!!

First lights of sunrise

Dhow construction yard in Sur

Qalhat

Wadi Shab

Wadi Tiwi

The sad life Saudi women live...!

So many people feel sad thinking about how bad the women's living conditions are in Saudi Arabia. Of course, if you judge by the appearances, they sure aren't very appealing. But that's because in Saudi Arabia, everything - especially the nicest things - are hidden!

Last Thursday a Saudi friend took me to a little peace of heaven, very well-hidden in the middle of the city, in the premises of a hospital, on the 8th floor! Getting out of the elevator, it suddenly was in front us: Astralis Spa, a ladies, members only spa and health centre.

As my friend showed me around, I just couldn't believe my eyes, letting out exclamations of amazement every time she'd open a new door!

We took advantage of the fitness classes scheduled for that day and started with body sculpt at 10am: bad, very bad idea! It was actually a good idea at the time, but once I ended up on a fitness ball, with a 2kg dumbbell in each hand, I started to doubt it. And the next day (and the following two days...) my thighs, every time I would get up, would remind me what a baaad idea it had been!

Anyway it was fun! And we also did Pilates, and then relaxed in a jacuzzi, sipping fresh orange juice, and then swam in the pool, and then... we got out, and we were back in Saudi Arabia!

The pool (it has artificial stars on the ceiling, wonderful to look at when you  swim on the back)

To the massage rooms

The other pool (by the juice bar)

A view onto Al Khobar

One of the torture rooms

Sadly the membership is not cheap, and most importantly, this place is in Al Khobar, one hour away from where we live... Otherwise I'd have joined straight away!