Slices of This Desert City (1 of 2)

Once our lakwatsa starts, it never ends.

Eyecandy and I are hell bent on discovering Riyadh. Our mini adventures around town has led us to the point of seeing each other everyday. As in every single day. We are now saying the same things and doing the same gestures at the same time! Kulang na lang magkapalit kami ng mukha! Haha. Kung nagkataon, lugi si Eyecandy. Hehe.

Anyway, one of our trips around Riyadh took us to the Nasiriyah Gate. Huh?! NASIRIYAH GATE. Do you know where it is? What it is? No? Yeah we thought so too because apparently, even some Saudis do not acknowledge the existence of this archway. Because I had a hard time hearing what our tour guide was saying (lousy megaphone, heavy accent), I tried researching on the net to provide more information about this gate but almost all my searches came up with nothing except this link.

The Nasiriyah Palace Gate, the only doorway to a past long unheeded.

The Nasiriyah Gate was the entrance to King Saud's palace complex. It was well-known during those days, around 1950s. It served as a gate that literally closes on curfew time. The years this archway stood prominently and elegantly were the years of extravagance and lavishness for Riyadh, or for this part of Riyadh only.

Forgotten?

The Nasiriyah Gate still stands, not prominently but solemnly, when we saw it near sundown. It's not as dilapidated as we expected it to be. The arch itself looks restored with a coats of paint but that's just the outer part. The inner side where you can pass through are pillars and walls filled with graffitti. Old meets new.

The antithesis.

Enter.

The fountains on the fenced ground where the arch is are working. The droplets of water become crystal-like with the sun rays. Bouts of nostalgia will overwhelm you if you breathe in the mnemonic ambiance of the place. It's just sad to be ignored ain't it?

Yearning for the old days.

Silhouettes at sunset.

This time, we're not just seeing Saudi Arabia's history behind glass panels and displays. We're walking on it! Take this journey with us. More places to visit in Riyadh from Eyecandy on her next post.

***Directions to the Nasiriyah Gate can be found on the link provided above.

::Sundrenched::

PARFOIS: Pieces of Conversation

The Pink Tarha Girls are fond of accessories, and so are a million girls out there who want to add a little bit something something special to their everyday wear.

Accessories define fashion style and help catch a person's attention to your best assets. Necklaces elongate the neck while earrings emphasize the face. Rings and bracelets can also tell something about you. Accessories do not need long introductions to be worth your while.

The PT Girls buy their accessories at Parfois, a Portuguese fashion accessories brand founded in 1994, which doesn't only offer blings but the best bags in town. They also have colorful scarves, the simplest yet prettiest shoes and eye-catching watches.

One of the most coveted bag patterns from the S/S 09 Collection.

One of these bags is my splurge (guess which) for the month of April.

Here's some fashion tips for the fun ladies out there inspired by fab products we saw at Parfois:

Shoes in safe, solid colors are not really show-stoppers but they should be a staple in your shoe rack. They're for the I-don't-want-to-dress-up-but-I-still-want-to-strut-my-stuff days. The flats are practical while the high heels are sexy!

Black, white and silver jewelries never go out of style. These will give your corporate look a sophisticated edge.

If you want to treat yourself for some fancy bling but doesn't want to spend too much on it (like us), Parfois' faux gold jewelry is the answer. These pieces will take you from plain to glam in no time.

For night parties, bring a clutch or a wallet instead of huge totes. You wouldn't want to look like you just came from work right?

Scared to wear blouses and dresses with colors and patterns that hog too much attention? Try wearing or layering solid-colored tees and then adding a colorful, printed scarf. It will give you a laid back but feminine appeal.

Want to channel that Blair Waldorf in you but is too shy to wear the huge head pieces she wears? Then these cute little headbands and clips will do the trick. They're subtle but as charming as what the Queen Bee dons.

Huge watches tend to give off a masculine vibe but with Parfois watches, designed with springy and summery florals and candy-colored straps, no one will dare ask you "Dude, anong oras na?!"

For you guys, read above and listen to us. Give your wife or girlfriend a little something special from Parfois. They'll soon be saying, "Wow! This is gorgeous! How come you know what to get me now?!" Talk about giving importance to what a girl wants (even the minutest details)! Trust us, they'll love you more. (Oh, you can thank us later. ;P)

For Parfois branches, click here.
Featured Parfois is the branch in Faisaliyah Mall.

Proud Pinay: Note To God By Charice (Let's Keep Her at #1!)

I've watched it over ten times already, and I still can't get over it!

Charice has definitely cast a spell over 'em teeny, tiny hairs behind my neck and 'ose teeny, weeny goosebumps that come out of nowhere when I watch her perform. She really gave it all she's got on this one. CHILLING. UNBELIEVABLE. AMAZING. FA.NA.LO. What else can I say?!?

If I am not mistaken, this performance was from last night, where Charice kicked of her first single "Note To God" on the Oprah Show. Written by Dianne Warren and produced by David Foster. I've read that it was on Jojo's second album but it was never released as a single. Anyhoo, it's currently at the No. 1 spot on Amazon's MP3 Bestsellers List (Over Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus!).

Click here to buy the single "Note To God".

Let's support Charice in any way we can. Her single is under a buck and soon her album may come out, so let show some love to this wonderful girl who's given us so so much to be proud of. If you won't take my word for it, watch this video and be the judge.

A Trip To Riyadh's Cultural Sweet Spot (Part II)

I spent countless nights thinking of ways to write an entry about a museum which will not bore the heck out of you. After kong tumambling sa kakaisip (tingnan n'yo naman, anong petsa na bago pa namin nai-post ni Eyecandy ito), I resigned to the fact that come to think of it, there’s nothing exciting in a museum, unless you yourself will make it interesting!

Having put off this post for sooo long, I decided to just admit that this entry will probably bore you, as if you need another reason to be bored in the Kingdom. But wait (there's more)! Even if you think this is boring, I'll make sure you'll never regret taking this museum walk through with the crazy Pink Tarha Girls. This won't suck as much, I promise.

I'll give you a brief walk through by presenting the WHAT YOU SHOULDN'T MISS IN THE MUSEUM in photos and a little daldal on the side. I'm not gonna enumerate the 8 exhibition halls because you can read them here. I am straying away from hardcore facts and info so you can read them in the museum when you visit.

Now, let's go. Walk slowly, this will be loooong.

It's not your ordinary rock though it looks like it. This 2.75-ton meteorite found in the Empty Quarter (Rub' Al Khali) welcomes you at the entrance of the Riyadh National Museum. If only it could alien talk and greet with "Welcome, earthlings!" (Oh right, this is a museum, not a planetarium!)

Dizzy much? This globe is an optical illusion. Not the kind that will disappear but the kind that you're not seeing what you're actually seeing. Gulo ko eh noh? I mean this huge sphere that you're seeing is not actually a sphere. It's a series of monitors and mirrors that creates the illusion. It talks about the universe. (Eyecandy's brother on photo. Guest artist! :P)

The Pink Tarha Girls are not the only roses you'll find here in the desert. Meron din talagang tinatawag na desert rose. It's not a flower but layers of minerals that crystallized to form this beautiful pinkish formation. There are also many kinds of rocks and minerals on display (don't forget to read labels from right to left okay?).

Dinosaur, mammoth, or elephant? Eyecandy, why did we not take notes?! This skeleton is huge but people can actually go climb the rock and pose underneath this thing. We can even touch it and debone it.

Before we go further, if you see these telephones, wag n'yong akalaing pwede kayong mag-long distance call dyan. Hindi po iyan call cabin. These telephones are audio presentations of the exhibit where it's located. You can listen to what each display is all about.

Where is my match?! These handprints are etched in stone. The fingers of Saudi Arabia's ancestors are waaay longer than mine. (Eyecandy on photo.)

The Arabian civilization's writing system started with cuneiform and hieroglyphics (thanks to Mesopotamia and Egypt) too. Can you imagine if we still write with picks and rock tablets today? Writing this entry will not only take me weeks, it'll take me years!

Slides of early nomadic tribes will lit up on a screen showing the tribe's early settlement. From here, we got a picture of how the Arabs took hold of the peninsula.

Can you guess what this rock wheel did in the early times? At first we thought it was a water pump yah think?!, then an actual wheel that holds chariots stone age hello?!, and then we read the label brilliant idea! which says it's actually used by farmers as a rice grain crusher. It's used to separate the grain from the skin. A camel pushes the wooden handle and does a merry-go-round. The wheel then crushes the grains placed underneath. Kawawang camel.

There's a surprise waiting for you in one of the tunnel-like structure just before you go up the second floor. Syempre kung sasabihin ko, hindi na surprise yun. :P

The family tree of Muhammad (PBUH) welcomes you to the Islam Centre of the museum. The founder of Islam was born in 570 CE in Mecca belonging to the Banu Hashim tribe.

We traced the life of Muhammad (PBUH) and the conception and spread of Islam through a series of lighted multi-colored glass panels. You can read the text or listen to the audio reading the text for you.

What's amazing with this holy quran is that it's vintage... and hand-written! Imagine the scribes of days painstakingly writing in papyrus with feathers dipped in ink made with plant sap and... okay, enough imagining. It's written in course, aged paper with a calligraphy pen. The colored pages are vibrant. Some qurans on display are gold-plated. Huwaw! (Come to think of it, we didn't really paid attention if there were sensors on the displays but we're guessing there weren't any. Not that we're encouraging you to steal anything!)

If I can take this impressive, well-crafted brass door home in Pinas, I will. Several probems though: 1. the door is too heavy to take home, mamumulubi ako sa shipping, 2. wala akong mansyon, hindi bagay sa bahay namin and 3. how do you knock on this thing without getting your knuckle sore?!

If there's one major reason to go to the museum, this is it... a THEATER! Wheee, moviehouse! Okay, wag masyadong ma-excite! Even if it looks and feels like Greenbelt's cinema, it shows only one movie and it's about the unification of Saudi Arabia under King Saud. Boring? Surprisingly not. You'll be happy to know that there's real acting here. Makes us wonder where and when it was filmed... and how?! Kulang na lang popcorn!

Let's take a break! When Eyecandy saw her brother and I resting and posing under this tree, she thought this is a significant tree of life. Actually, apart from being a part of the bedouin tent display, this tree just served as a respite from the long walk we'd had from the entrance of the museum. Nakakaloko pala ang museum na ito. At first glance it looks small (yakang yaka!) because we only get to see little sections on each bend. By the time we reached this tree on the second floor, my feet were already killing me! (So wear comfortable shoes!).

You'll be surprised to see these Arabic houses. They're only the facade but just looking at how high these houses are, parang wala kami sa Saudi Arabia. Intricate details, wooden windows and door, vintage feel... they remind me so much of the houses in Calle Crisologo.

Saudi Arabia owes its wealth to the discovery of oil in their desert. This oil rig stands prominently in one corner along with this fiery red Power Wagon used in the oil mines.

Break muna ulit! This staircase leading to the first floor reminds me and Eyecandy so much of the MRT station. Wala lang.

How cool are these dramatic translucent panels? Super. These grayscale photographs of Arab ancestors hang above a miniature model of Saudi Arabia's geographic landscape.

For Christians, we do not get to see what's inside Mecca and Madinah because we're prohibited to enter Islam's holiest cities. The museum provides us glimpses through scale models of the holy mosques. They also have the Ka'aba door curtain prominently displayed.

Murals, which can be found all over the place, look so real! Perfect for kodakan moments. Wala kaming pinalampas na mural. Mapa-disyerto, kabayo, rocky mountains... lahat yan kinarir naming picturan. Performance level ang poses!

Props depicting houses, pillars, temples, caves, and streets look so real too. I was ready to enter gates, doors, and arches but I will eventually bump into walls. Hihi. I can feel myself walking in Di'riyah's old village streets, passing through the clay arches, living in a bedouin's tent on a desert oasis, farming dates... ah, the desert life!

There's an art gallery, just before the souvenir shop, waiting to awe you.

Some of our fave paintings.

How I wish I can prolong this walk through. But alas, kalas!

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in the museum. We took a lot of pictures alright but more than the photos, we took in a lot of knowledge about Saudi Arabia's colorful history. From the point of view of outsiders like us, our initial thoughts on the Kingdom's history and culture is bleak - as dreary and cold as the desert. Who'd have thought theirs is an intricate, interesting tapestry of historic and cultural wealth that shaped their nation into what it is today?

As Filipinos, we are proud of our history , culture, and values. I'm sure the Saudis are too. It's probably true that Saudi's ideals and beliefs did not change as much but we should all remember that maybe history is like that... "from age to age, nothing changes but everything is completely different."

Did I bore you? Okay, unread! :P

PS. Thank you Eyecandy for the photos. Thanks for making me your mowdel for the day (ay ako yata ang nagpumilit?! Hehe.)

A Trip to Riyadh's Cultural Sweet Spot (PART I of II)

Who says you can’t have a little adventure in Riyadh?

More than two weeks ago, Sundrenched and I, along with my beloved brother, spent our weekend in a not-so-usual manner. By that I mean, we didn't lounge around within the confines of our homes, exercising with the refrigerator doors and playing thumbwrestling with the remote control. We actually went on an outing, hopped on a bus and went to a place we've never been before.

We’re lucky enough that our office’s Employee Social Club sponsors local (and international) trips for quite a reasonable fee. One of this month’s trips was to the Riyadh National Museum and the King Abdulaziz Historical Center. It was a good idea to shake up our weekend routines and see the sights of the Riyadh. (This is quite embarrassing on my part since I’ve lived here all my life yet I haven’t seen this landmark until then!)

Riyadh’s National Museum is right beside King Abdulaziz Historical Center and it hosts a large park area where cultural booths, playgrounds and food vendors can be found. We arrived at around 4:30 in the afternoon and were psyched to the core! Being with a tour group gives me license to take photographs and carry a big camera around my neck without having to worry (as much) with the religious police breathing down my neck. The people at the area seem to understand that it's a tourist spot, still, I was surprised to know that I was free to shoot my heart out. Yay!

Sundrenched is making faces. :) Behind is the open area where all the cultural booths are set up.

We arrived at during the late afternoon. It was a sweet spot for me because it wasn't crowded just yet and was able to chitchat with some of the vendors. Shoufti (Look):

A Saudi vendor, offering cashews and nuts for SR5 per half-kilo. A munchy snack while walking around the area.

A Bedouin woman showing off her skills with a ball of cotton (?) and a stick.

Ladies of Riyadh in their natural habitat: clothed in abayas and searching for a good buy.

Souvenir paintings and magic carpets for sale! :)

A tribesman selling teeny, tiny, silver weaponry.

Once we wrapped up roaming around the booth area, we headed on to the museum proper. Sundrenched will give you the low down on the must sees of the museum on the Part II of this entry. :)

A stroll in the park, headed to the museum. That's Sundrenched btw.

Sneak peek: Mountain climbing anyone?

Banners of the Kingdom's treasures (inside the National Museum).

We finished up our tour of the museum come evening time. When we stepped out, I was overwhelmed to see the number of people spending their Thursday evening at the park. It was PACKED! It's been a while since I've been amidst an almost-roaring Saudi crowd. Families were sitting everywhere possible, talking, eating and simply enjoying the company of the rest of the crowd. For a minute there, I felt like I was at Intramuros (in the Philippines), taking in a deep, cultural breath of Saudi life.

Facade of the King Abdul Aziz Historical Center

Come evening time, the park area was packed with people!

Ako na ang malakas ang loob! Taking a photo in front of a police car! *hehe* You can see one of Riyadh's landmark, the Water Tower standing prominently at the back.

The place is such a hotspot, media people are around to interview the Saudi public on how they enjoy their weekends. :)

Sundrenched was obviously my muse throughout the entire photowalk! Here she is, enjoying a not so-usual night, surrounded by all these people! :D

There was a lot of walking involved, but for the most part, we were just so happy to be OUT! Not only out-out, but out and about among the Saudi public. It was like watching them in their natural habitat...and seeing how a simple their joys are.

Sundrenched will be putting up a more detailed account of the museum trip itself, so watch out for that!

For now, ta-ta!

-ec-