" It's better to see something once than hearing about it thousand times.."
Traveling was one of my greatest frustration, I guess everybody does. Who doesn't like to see and feel the whole world as if you own every land you step in. Some people think that traveling is just for rich and to those people who can do extremes, but as for me, traveling is not just spending a penny, it is making your penny worth. The more you travel, the more you see your similarities and differences with every people you meet on the way. The more you travel, the more you write something on your life's journey book. Life is an adventure, Dare it!
My adventure begins at five in the morning of 11th of September, our accomodation was quiet and I moved calmy and carefully because everybody was still asleep. The Mallari Family together with two bachelors (my churchmates) fetched me and the road trip begun.
I spend my second day of Eid discovering the capital of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Riyadh City. During the travel going to our destination, kuya Allan and I, share different experiences of goodness and faithfulness of our Lord. We talked about life experiences and struggles. We stopped at Cinnabon to refresh and of course to stretch. We saw camels along the road and took a photo. Camels are symbols that you're in Saudi. As we enter the city, I saw Riyadh in a different perspective, it is not the place that I hear from others. It is my first time to travel to Riyadh and I may say that it is worth the long drive. And sometimes, it's better to see something once than to hear about it thousand times.
The long drive was exhausting though Im not the driver, I can feel it. We arrived safe at Kuya Allan's sisters' house - Ate Jenny and his husband Kuya Henry. They warmly welcomed us and when I saw the bed, it was a relief to rest my back on a comfy bed. We ate lunch and took a nap.
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| Ate Jenny and Kuya Henry's Place |
At three in the afternoon, we discuss our itineraries. The group decided to go to mall first, Sahara Plaza Mall. We just stroll and walk and look at the price of the items there. After the malling, we went to Kingdom Tower or Kingdom Centre, the famous tower in Riyadh. As we went inside, it was huge. They say that the tower was 300 square meters and its up too 100 floors excluding the basements. It is the most luxurious place in the city and most visitors come here to experience the skybridge and that's our aim. The skybridge experience was sixty saudi riyals and it is not allowed to bring a dslrs camera because when your at the top someone is taking pictures for a cost of twenty SAR. There are also kababayans their who assist us and of course allowed us to bring our camera but warned us not exposed it. We rode two elevators, the first elevator is from 77th floor then we transfered to other elevator to take us from the top, 100th floor.
Its an awesome view! It was stunning from the top. Breathtaking! We stayed at the tower until six in the evening to experience the lights of Riyadh. It is unbelievably wonderful. I definitely enjoy the cars moving like a toy, the house like a matchbox, the buildings with different anglesand architectural designs and the view of the whole Riyadh. I saw it, from the top! I saw the sunset, how the sky was transformed into a yellowish to orangy sky. We went down past half seven in the evening and even outside the tower, it was beautiful. Its like a torch shining at the middle of the city. After that glamourously journey at the skyscraper. Our next destination was the Riyadh Gallery, it is also a mall but there is something special about this mall because it mimics wild life. At the heart of the mall, there is a man-made forest. It is like bringing the eco-life at the mall. I enjoyed it and stared at the man-made water falls.
At the end of the day, I reflect the things that I saw and feel. First things first, never believe in hearsays about a place! Never! not unless you experience it yourself. But be cautious in there dont's and do's. Abide the law. Riyadh was a beautiful place to discover, a rich country with many beliefs, traditions and cultures. Indeed it is a Muslim area, Riyadh is perfect on its own way.
-Kimmy-
