The first post- From Riyadh

Hi all,
This is my very first post.. and I am in Riyadh, Saudi arabia. Welcome to my blog. please feel free to comment on any post. Firstly, my preset notions of Saudi as a place to live in lie shattered in pieces. I had heard that its a life full of restrictions and and about racist Saudis at the workplace etc etc. Well, there are some restrictions like all establishments being required to close during the 5 prayer times during the day and also restrictions on practising your faith if you are a non muslim, but one can build a decent life around these restrictions. Of course, its another matter if you are a woman... you ould need to become a 'WIB' (Woman in black), so to say , outside the house. The facilities are all there, the roads are fantastic- you've got to be careful though - the vehicles are driven at very high speeds - upto 150 kmph within the city. Some of the buildings like kingdom towers are unreal in their opulence. So much of glitter and luxury - amazing !
The people that I have worked with so far at the SAMBA bank have been very cooperative and nice to get along with.
I have a stay of about a month here and this is my first weekend here. still settling in so have not gone out much.
More in my next blog