Taxi Talk

It's not far from being the standard, but a lot of London-style taxi cabs have been seen around the city lately. I first got to spin around with these cars when The Kingdom Mall started offering them to their customers a little over a year ago. In the beginning, they had them in several dark colors, but recently, we started to see that they have painted over them to look like the regular taxi that we see on the street. But obviously, nothing is too ordinary about these little cute cabs. Take a look:

The London Cab

These are managed by the Kingdom Centre and it welcomes members to what they dub as the "London Cab Club". I happen to have a "Classic" level membership and you can accumulate points in order to upgrade your membership status (you do that by riding them as often as you wish). The models of these cars are of the London Taxi International TX4 series and can seat around five people in the back. All of the cars are brand new and boasts of state-of-the-art technology ranging from ergonomic driver seats to bluetooth connections inside the cab. I remember trying to act cool when I first rode in it, fighting the urge to tinkle with all the buttons and gears found in the passengers' area. The rates are fixed and you pay the "conductor" before leaving for your destination and they give you a receipt for reference. So far, this service is only available in The Kingdom Centre and Ghernata (Granada) Mall.

Just a bit of trivia, back in the day, we used to refer to taxis here as "limousines" and it is customary, up to this very day, that the customer (for most Filipinos that is) dictates the price of the trip and we rarely follow what the meter says. Quite the opposite from the practice in the Philippines. And if the driver doesn't like the price you offer them, usually, kami pa ang nagagalit -- so they eventually give in to the price we want. Well, this practice is for the ordinary taxis that we wait for in the streets. There are other taxi companies apart from the London Cab Club that service compounds and hospitals, like Hala.

The Pink Tarha Ladies are regular cab passengers especially during times when our fathers (aka drivers) are not available. Contrary to popular belief, riding the taxi on your own in Saudi Arabia is quite safe. In my experience, you just got to be street smart and pick your taxi carefully. Here are my own tips for the uninitiated:

1. I usually pick a Bangladesh/Indian/Afghan/Pakistani driver. Saudi drivers don't exactly have the trust of the public when it comes to driving. So learn how to spot the "good" ones.

2. Knowing a little Arabic is a big help. If you wish to travel about on your own, make sure you are armed with terms that can bring you to your destination. Otherwise, you'd be a sitting duck.

3. Once you get in the car, immediately text a friend/relative the Taxi Registration number of the cab that you are riding. These are like plate numbers inside the taxi, and they are usually in Arabic, so again, you must know how to read Arabic numbers.

4. Don't ride a taxi if you yourself are not familiar with the route of your destination. I can only recommend using the cab on your own if you know the way to where you are going. If you are not sure, better travel with someone who does, because you never know where the cab is going to take you. So again, you got to be street smart! Frantic travelers have no place in the Saudi roads.

5. It's best to have a regular taxi cab on your beck and call. Over the years that I've been running around the streets of Riyadh, I have a handful of trusted contacts on my mobile phone in case I need a taxi. Some of them are ordinary cabs, while others are from the taxi service companies like Hala or The London Club. The important thing is that you know the drivers already and they can easily pick you up. Just make sure to call ahead of time if you are going to use their services because they have other regular customers too. This for me is the safest and best way to get around in Riyadh on your own.

Women aren't allowed to drive in the Kingdom, so riding the taxi is the next best thing (for now). I know that there are a lot of apprehensions about men letting their wives/sisters/daughters go about the city or the malls on their own, without their supervision, but hey, if you guys can handle the loooooong hours of lady shopping and the traffic that goes with it, by all means, drive your women! :) But try getting a reliable taxi driver, it may save you from boring sitting benches at the mall or from shouting swear words in the car.

Cheers!

-ec-

Hong Kong Wanderlust 3 of 4

I almost forgot I was doing a series on Hong Kong. That's because I'm now back in Riyadh and I did a lot of catching up to do. Catching up on stories from the fellow Pink Tarha ladies that is.

Anyway, back to the Hong Kong Wanderlust... I'm down to the last two days of our stay. After Ocean Park and Disneyland, we also went to some other tourist spots. We also squeezed in time for the ladies market in Mongkok where I got the pink bag for the Philippine Expats Blog Awards 2009.

During the day, we went to The Peak where we got a full view of one stunning vista and an array of shopping and eating kiosks. The Peak Tower is located 396 meters above sea level. Its viewing platform known as The Sky Terrace gives tourists a beautiful panoramic view of the city of Hong Kong. It also provides views of the outlying islands of Cheung Chau, Lamma, and Lantau.

To reach the Peak Tower, we rode the Peak Tram. For over 120 years, the track has carried millions and millions of passengers. The views while riding the tram are breathtaking, with some track gradients leaning as far as 27 degrees. This is truly an experience you shouldn't miss.

On the tram, with inclined views.

Greens and buildings.

Stunning Hong Kong.

View from the Sky Terrace.

At night, we visited the Avenue of the Stars to watch the Symphony of Lights held every 8 in the evening. We weren't able to see the stars of famous actors because there were already lots of people in the area waiting for the nightly spectacle but we were standing near Bruce Lee's statue, woot!

Hong Kong at night

The buildings getting ready for the show (lights are dimmed or turned off).

44 key buildings dominating the Hong Kong skyline participate with their interactive lights and musical effects in the Symphony of Lights. The best vantage point to see this is along the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront or from the sightseeing ferries in Victoria Harbour (we'll try this next time!).

The Symphony of Lights starting...

Lots of people came to watch, even if perhaps they've watched this a couple of times already.

After our short adventure in the waterfront, we went to Mongkok and shopped at our hearts' content. I scored bags, Chinese shoes, souvenir shirts, and colorful chopsticks for the family and friends.

Too bad we didn't have time to visit Ngong Ping, one of the major tourist attractions in Hong Kong but there's always a next time, yes?

We truly enjoyed our stay in Hong Kong. For the final highlight of this trip, what's a tour without food?! That's next on the last installment of Hong Kong Wanderlust!

§undrenched

Trying to Fight Off the Cobwebs

OUR BLOG HAS been gathering up some dust lately, yes, we know. We won't narrate excuses, we'll just dive back right into work...or at the very least try. I am also aware that I haven't unveiled yet! Pa-importante kasi! Joke! Consider me the deviant during the anniversary special, but ever since M raised the bar so high for the unveiling, I was left to ponder my fate. Hopefully ladies and gentlemen, you will meet a delectable Eyecandy soon!

So what have we missed? Ahh, of course, yesterday's Pacquiao-Clottey fight. Honestly, I was quite worried the night before the game because I thought perhaps Africans had much more strength and brute behind their built compared to the average-sized Filipino frame. Apparently, size did not matter much to the fight last night as it was obvious that our National Fist was the pestle, pounding Clottey like a clove of garlic in a mortar.

Mayweather is the one to beat now.

I guess it's true when they say, "Once you go black, you never go back!" ;)

MANNY, CONGRATULATIONS!

WE WILL SUPPORT YOU ALL THE WAY!

--

In line with our global sense of the Filipino Pride and the recently celebrated International Women's Day last March 8, I'd like to share with you this short video that aims to empower the Global Filipina. The full length premiere of this documentary will be showcased at the Godolphin Ballroom, Emirates Towers, Dubai on March 27, 2010. I hope our dear readers residing in Dubai can support this film. It carries the important message of breaking the stereotyping of Filipino women abroad and empowering us today to make that change and rise above the lowly labels that Filipinas are seemingly known for. Here is the trailer of The Empowered Filipina, A Woman of Substance:

Til next time....Cheers!

-ec-

Craving for Ice Cream

It's been a while since we did a food post. The ladies are so into Steaky that that's where they've been eating since they found the place. So we backtracked a little into food posts that we forgot to share with you. I'm sharing you some cold treats perfect for the nearing summer days.

When it comes to ice cream, Häagen-Dazs is the premium brand - one of the finest kind. While cruising along Tahlia street one evening, my friends and I decided to enter the Häagen-Dazs Cafe after a hearty dinner in Sushi Yoshi. This was before the winter season. It's pretty hot that night and we wanted something sweet and cold to cap our celebratory night.

Good thing, the Häagen-Dazs Cafe in Tahlia has a family section, and we were the only customers during that time so all the servers' attention was on us. We were so engrossed in our stories that we did not pay attention to what each one ordered. Instead of ordering one ice cream scoop for each, we ordered one ice cream DISH per person! We were speechless when our orders arrived:

Summertime Cone, 22 SR
A scoop of strawberry cheesecake and a scoop of strawberry ice cream nested in a large wafer cone with a mix of fresh strawberries and bananas. Served with strawberry sauce and whipped cream.

Crepe Sundae, 18 SR
A freshly-baked hot crepe with a scoop of Haagen Dazs ice cream and a topping of your choice.

Brownie Special, 24 SR
Chocolate fudge brownie with a scoop of vanilla and a scoop of cookies and cream topped with hot chocolate fudge sauce and whipped cream.

You'd probably think we're a bunch of people having major cravings for ice cream and sweet stuff but no, we're only three ladies. My friend asked, "How on earth are we supposed to finish all this?" Uh, good question! Considering that this is ice cream and taking this out is not an option. Nevertheless, we tried. I think we spent a good deal of two hours on that place. The first 30 minutes was spent on devouring the ice cream and the remaining hours for eating up the waffles, crepe, fruits, and brownies while swapping stories. It's a good thing everything was delicious albeit expensive! But what can you expect from an ice cream loaded with the finest and purest ingredients? Yum, yum!

We planned on walking in Tahlia St. to burn off what we just ate but when we went out, we were faced with too many guys dining al fresco on the nearby cafes and restaurants. We were too scared to take our chance so we just hailed a cab and went home with very very full stomachs. We vowed to order just one ice cream dish when we go back... or our original idea of a scoop each person.

Go to Häagen-Dazs to satisfy your insatiable ice cream craving! My fave flavor would be the chocolate chip cookie dough. What's your fave ice cream flavor?

§undrenched