Dammam Corniche Wanderers

It was my day off when I stumbled out of bed and grasped a very long breath after I got so bored just staring the ceiling like it was about to fall on me. I looked on my iPod to check the time and I said to myself that lying on bed won’t do me any good til night falls. So, I checked some friends who are interested to go out and kicked some boring old routines during day offs. Good thing, somebody took the bait and alas, we headed to Dammam.

As usual, it was an hour drive from Al Jubayl passing thru desert and gasoline stations. Nice to travel though since the sky was all blue with fluffy clouds at sight. My friend and I ate lunched first at Matahen restaurant (مطاحز). Just check my last post about the restaurant.

We arrived at Dammam Corniche around 1500H with some detours. It was a not so hot yet windy day in Dammam. My friend and I just strolled and watched kids with their families spending the day at the park. The water was crystal clear and calm. The sea breeze was soothing for a very tired body like mine. It was definitely a stress-free experience for me.

Across Dammam Corniche, you can see Al Marjan Island. We were thinking of going there but we said we can just stay in Dammam and be Dammam Corniche wanderers.

We spent the whole afternoon just looking at families having fun and did some long talk about backbiting our friends back at work =). We waited til the sun sets for a perfect sunset pictorials.

It was definitely one of the best days I have here in Saudi Arabia. These kind of experiences are worth reminiscing and giving me second thoughts of not going exit. But I need to move on with my life. For sure, this will be added to my treasure chest that I’ll be remembering til the day of my demise.

Dammam Corniche Wanderers (thelonetravelercarl and hassonnono)

My Last Beach Quest

My last beach trip in Al Jubayl before I put my traveling shoes back to the shoe rack started so bad. My appointed driver for my travel didn’t show up so, I ended up waiting outside for an hour for an alternative driver. I was pissed off when the driver told me that I was the one who didn’t keep my words. My driver and I had a plan to come and pick me up at 1300H. He called me that he was already outside waiting for me but when I went out, he was nowhere to be found and for Christ‘s sake, there are 3 parking areas and they are freaking wide. He told me to look for a Hyundai Light Blue SUV but there were a lot and to add up the difficulty, I was not wearing my glasses. I called him 11 times and he said, I’m just here, look for a Hyundai blah blah. Those were the words he was saying the whole time. He is Indian and stayed in Saudi Arabia for quite some time but he doesn’t speak English that well. The last time I called, he left. So, I hailed a taxi and just for your information, getting a taxi in Saudi Arabia is hard. There are private vehicles that usually stop and offer you to hitch hike but there were incidences that a lot of expats has been taken to jail due to riding private cars. Thus, I made sure to hail a proper taxi.

At exactly 1430H, I got one, an Indian who speaks English. He drove all the way from Al Huwaylat District to Dareen Sector. The driver doesn’t know where to go but thank God, I downloaded Co-Pilot GPS which came so handy.

We reached Dareen Beach by 1500H. To my surprise, it is a nice beach I’ve seen so far in Al Jubayl right after Al Nakheel Beach. I posted a week and a month before about other beaches I’ve been to, like Al Fanateer Beach and Al Nakheel Beach. But, for me, Al Nakheel Beach is the best. The view, the sand, the water and the crowd. Just check my other post about Al Nakheel Beach, click here.

Dareen Beach has a long and wide shoreline. It is not crowded and is a good place to do camping, picnics, unwind or just strolling on the shore. When I came there, there are only few families camping and playing. It is a nice site if you really want peace and time with your family.
Dareen Beach is a long beach that stretches about half a mile from north to south. Here are the photos I captured during my trip.

Isn’t it a beauty?

Beach Bum

It’s February 14, Valentine’s Day. Because I’ve got no one to go with me on a date so I ended up spending it with myself, how pathetic. Since my current location is near the sea and most of my trips are near the beach. My previous posts also talked about beach in Al Jubayl. And yes until now, I’ll be talking about another beach. So, I just hope that you won’t get bored and sea sick =D.

I went already to Al Fanateer Beach. Just recently, I had my trip in Al Nakheel Beach, which is the southern part of Al Fanateer Beach, located almost half a mile from Fanateer District. The place is well maintained, clean, and family oriented. Everything is pleasing to the eyes. The good thing about it is it is for free. No need for entrance fees, corkage or even cottage rentals, amazing right. I was just amazed coz way back in the Philippines, everything has a fee.

Upon entering Al Nakheel Beach, you will see a very captivating signage. It’s a wide beach actually. I just don’t know the total land area coz it stretches wide and has a long light brown powdery sands shoreline. There are visible lifeguard stalls but no one is there to man it.
It’s a great place to do picnic and sit there while enjoying the sea breeze. Me, I felt like I’ve been a beach bum for a day. I just wanted to relax and be seized to the sound of the gushing water, sun-basking and hear the fresh air whipping past my face.
I saw a lot of families, teens and after-work employees hanging out at the beach. Al Nakheel Beach gets crowded during Thursday afternoon and Fridays since those days are Saudi off-days.
As a conclusion, Al Nakheel Beach topped my list as the best beach in Al Jubayl because it has everything you need. Playgrounds for your kids, nice camping site for the family and amazing getaway for teens and exhausted employees from work. So, if you happened to drop by at Al Jubayl, make sure to come at Al Nakheel Beach. Do it on winter season and not during summer. If you are married, you can treat your family a well-deserved Valentine’s Day in the beach.Happy Hearts’ Day to all!

There Is Green in the Desert

When we talked about desert, what usually comes to mind first is heat followed by wide vast of sand with no or few vegetation at sight. That is what I also have in mind before I came to the Middle East specifically in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. But, I was wrong. There is actually green in the desert especially in Al Jubayl.

In this rising municipality of Al Jubayl which is now a fast growing industrial  city providing petrochemicals in the country and the world, you can find parks and I am talking about nature parks. I just had visited one of the nature parks in Al Jubayl called Al Deffi Park.

Al Deffi Park is famous for bird viewing especially during winter or cold season in the Eastern Region of the Kingdom. Al Deffi Park is located between Al Andalus and Al Deffi Districts and just a few drive from Al Fanateer District which is the famous place in Al Jubayl.

I arrived in Al Deffi Park at 1100H, it was a sunny yet cold morning with temperature at 16 degrees Celsius which is good for strolling in the park. The park has children’s playgrounds in different areas. As I see it, you can do camping, picnics, or just take a nap under the shades of the tree during lunch time or siesta. The good thing about is you will feel you are more closer to Mother Nature since you can hear the birds chirping, the trees whispering, and the fresh smell of air.

At that time I visited Al Deffi Park, there were areas where they were still doing reconstruction. But even though it was not totally finished, it was a nice experience that somehow in the desert, you can be at peace with nature.

Lovin’ the Sea Breeze at Fanateer Beach

I was looking on the window of my flat and I had come to realise that I never got the chance to enjoy my current location. Since Al Jubayl is a coastal province, why not enjoy, sit back and relax in the beach.

One foggy morning when winter season is just around the corner, I had the time to just walk around the coastal zone of Al Jubayl. For me to enjoy the view, I have thought of better doing it in Fanateer Beach. The climate was not so cold and warm but still foggy. I started to walk at 1100H while on hand my camera to take a shot on any scene that captures my attention. Walking thru the Fanateer Area is about 8 kilometres. But you won’t notice the time since along the footpath are restaurants and nice views of different buildings. It is also beneficial on my part since I haven’t gone to the gym recently, so it is a way for me to remove those toxins such as bad cholesterol in my system. At 1100H, I started at Fanateer Picnic Area. Then I passed this docking area for yachts, boats, and ferries. Here, they are offering tourists and locals an attraction where you can get in one of the yachts and have a tour on the sea.Few minutes after passing the docking area, the scenery changed. Now, I saw buildings and parks. One of those buildings is SABIC Headquarters. The SABIC building really got my attention since it was massive but not compared to other buildings and skyscrapers in Al Khobar though.For 35 minutes of walking, I was already at a place where restaurants were everywhere but for me I resisted the urge to eat since I am not done yet traveling. Restaurants like Fuddruckers, Chilis, Sparkys, and some international restos. And here’s what I got. Then at exactly 1200H, I saw sands, I mean white sand. It was already the beach area where you can swim. There were huts for swimmers or picnickers. I sat there for 10 minutes and I just love the sea breeze. My attention was also caught by this view. Mosque and these pillars just made it more interesting to come there. Well, to sum it up I walked for about an hour or two back and forth to Al Fanateer area. And what would be the best thing to do after fulfilling your eyes with great sight and your weary feet than to go to a fine dining restaurant to fulfill your tummy with mouth-watering food.

A 4-Star Hotel Getaway in Holiday Inn Al Khobar – Corniche

I had enough of my job and I just want to escape even for a day or two from my routine work. Then, I sat down on my desk and have thought of going out for a weekend getaway. I searched the web and I found out that one of the 4-star hotels in Al Khobar is having a room sale for a night, so, I grabbed the offer.

I traveled from Al Jubayl to Al Khobar for an hour and a half. That day, everything was perfect and I was pumped up. When I arrived in this hotel named Holiday Inn Al Khobar – Corniche, I was greeted with wide smiles from the receptionist and check-in only took for 5 mins.

When I got my room, it was also perfect. The beds were smooth, the carpet, the design, and everything were just perfect but when I got to the bathroom, I found some hair strands on the tub but it’s OK.

When I went out for lunch in A La Carte, the staff was amazing. He greeted me with a smile and amicably talked to me and took my order even though he needs to go back and forth to ask the Chef since I ordered the Main Dish and Seafood of the Day. But when I went out to take some dip on their pool, I was shocked coz I was thinking they have one. But it was just a fountain jets but still the view compensated for lacking of swimming facilities.

So, to sum it up. My whole weekend stay in this hotel was amazing and almost perfect. I would definitely recommend it to my friends to stay here and I have decided that every month, I’ll be having a weekend getaway. For quotes, inquiries, reservations, check their site here.