Q&A Portion 7

Miss our question and answer portion? We've received questions over the weekend and two today that prompted us to publish our 7th compilation. Here yah go!

1. As a single female in Saudi with an iqama, if I want to fly to Riyadh, do I need to book transportation in advance? Will they let me out of the airport alone? Could you recommend a taxi driver? Great blog by the way.

Eyecandy traveled from Riyadh to Jeddah via Saudi Airlines before for a business trip and she did not have any problems so we're guessing you're allowed to do so. Only married women without their guardians (husbands) are probably questioned but if you're single and your iqama is that of an employee (not a dependent), then you're allowed to enter other KSA provinces and there's no interrogation counter in the airport to ask you. You will, however, go through a local customs stall for stuff you need to declare. There's a taxi service in the airport and you can just approach the concierge for your transpo needs. We also know of Hala, the taxi service used mostly by hospital employees but can also be used by visitors (or anyone in Riyadh). You can call them in advance at (01)442-7244. Thank you very much for reading our blog and we hope you enjoy your stay in Riyadh!

2. Hi! Mabrook! I love your blog. Keep it up! Anyway, I just want to ask you if you can suggest any affordable and nice flower shops in Riyadh. Thanks.

There are a lot of flower shops in Riyadh and most of them are found near hospitals (i.e. Military Hospital in Abu Bakr Ar Razi Street). A single long-stemmed rose from these flower shops go for SR5 each. A nice bouquet is SR50 and above. For imported and first class flowers, there's Gardenia (01-2166886). We happen to pass by the store in one of our forrays into Tahalia Street, the busiest, most popular cafe street in Riyadh. We got curious and went inside. The shop sells elegant black roses which go for SR60 a piece! (You also need to buy them in bulk.) The roses are so expensive but you get what you pay for. The roses are beautiful and exquisite. They also have tulips from Holland. For flower arrangements for events, try Unique Brothers (01-8101631). Thank you for reading our blog!

3. I am searching for Olay Regenerist Microdermabrasion Kit. Can you help me where to purchase it. I'm from Al-Kharj. Thanks.

We've seen a lot of Olay products in groceries and hypermarkets in Riyadh, particularly in Hyper Panda. There are also some in the nearby bakala (stores). But we haven't seen the Olay Regenerist Microdermabrasion Kit anywhere. Or maybe, we were not also looking hard enough because no one among us uses it. We also looked at the Olay Arabia site and the kit is not available there. To be sure, you may want to contact Olay Saudi Arabia's consumer service at 800-244-0039 or +966-2-657-4751 (Jeddah). Good luck! When we happen to not find in the Kingdom the beauty products or tools that work best on our skin, we ask friends who are going home to the Philippines to buy them for us and take the products with them back to Riyadh or... we just buy them in Ebay. Lol. Please keep reading our blog! :)

4. Hey, I love your blog. Do you know any tattoo artists in Riyadh? Good ones?

Hi there, thanks for liking our blog. Nope, sorry. We do not know of any tattoo artists in Riyadh. And we are not sure if tattoos are even permitted here. Most people who have them usually hide their tattoos because tattoos are frowned upon in this side of the world.

5. Hi Pink Tarha, I just moved to KSA from the land Down Under, Australia. I would like to get my acrylic nails done. Can you tell me where in Riyadh I can get this. Cheers! - Denise

Hi Denise! Hmn, we are not aware of any acrylic nails services but some beauty salons might offer them. Call Yibreen (01-4411115), Lavania (01-4429966), or Elle et Vous (01-2932002) beauty salons and ask if they offer this service. For nail products, visit Nazih Trading Co. along Olaya Road. It's beside Centria Mall and Habitat furniture store. They offer O.P.I nail polishes, hand and nail care sets, and beauty salon products like scrubs and facials.

6. Hello. I am staying in Jubail now. I am an Indian and looking for Indian beauty parlors in Jubail. Can you please help me out in this matter?

Hi, we really wish we can but the Pink Tarha ladies are living in Riyadh. We haven't been to Jubail (but we'd love to visit this industrial city soon). We'll be able to help if you're in Riyadh but since you're not, we can't vouch for any beauty salons there.To our readers in Jubail (if ever we have one), please recommend beauty salons you go to.

So that's it for our seventh installment of Q&As. We also answer questions from our readers in Facebook. Head on over to FB and like our The Pink Tarha page. Pretty please? Thank you very much! :)

Q&A Portion 4

1. Can you please tell me about good and reasonable parlors in Riyadh?

Prices of salon/parlor services here are waaay overpriced when you compare it with the ones available in the Philippines. Take for instance a haircut which will take you aback for SR50. That's almost PHP600 already... and that's only the most basic cut! Hair coloring can go for SR500 up and rebonding for SR1,000! But of course, we have no choice especially when our hair's becoming unruly and vacation time is still several months away. Red Carpet in Suleimania, near Military Hospital, is where we get our haircut for SR50 (once or twice a year). But we found a good directory of beauty shops and other ladies' shops in Riyadh. Check the Riyadh Guide for Bridal Beauty. We'll be checking some of the shops there too in the next months.

2. Hello poh...I ♥ your blog. I learned a lot from it. I'll be leaving Pinas this June. I'm a newbie... I'll be working as a nurse in Al Hada. I have no idea about the place. Can you give me some information about the place??? :)... Thanks a lot poh.

Will you be working in Al Hada Armed Forces Hospital in the Taif region? Hospitals manned by KSA's ministries (MOH or MODA) have generally better working conditions than those which are privately-owned. (But don't quote us on this, we haven't been to many hospitals and clinics here in Saudi, though we have a few friends working here and there.) Taif is like the Philippines' Baguio. It's considered as a good summer destination. Unfortunately, we haven't been in the Taif region of Saudi Arabia so we can't say anything about it based on our personal experience. We're sure you've researched about it on the Net so we can't add anymore than those which are published online about the hospital and the region. The only personal insight we can share is that Al Hada and Taif are still parts of Saudi Arabia so you may want to read all our guides and how-tos in living in the Kingdom. If ever you'll be visiting Riyadh (we're 8-9 hours away by land), drop us a line! Okay poh? :) Good luck!

3. I will work as a teacher in Saudi Arabia soon but my wife doesn't have a job lined up as yet and hopes to find one there. Do you think it would be easy enough?

Most dependent Filipinas here work as secretaries/hospital assistants in the hospitals. They usually get work through referrals of friends. Of course, it depends on her qualifications too. She can try submitting her resume through the local employment department of hospitals and companies (who accept females). While she's not yet employed, she can be not just a desert housewife.

4. Is it easy to meet Filipinos there?

Of course! You can start with us. Lol. There are many Filipinos here and we usually gather when there's an event in the Philippine embassy. One single event can lead to another and you'll soon have a vast network of friends and acquaintances. Also, maybe you can befriend your neighbors. I'm sure they know a lot of Filipinos (if they're not Filipinos themselves). Actually, wherever you go here in Riyadh, you'll find a Filipino, hehe. Make that... anywhere in the world! :P

5. Can you go to church?

There are no churches to go to.

6. We hope we can meet you there... we read your blog. It was funny and interesting.

Thank you very much! We hope you continue reading our blog. Good luck on your move to Saudi Arabia. Hope our blog helped.

If you have any comments or further questions on any of our topic there, comment here or ask us via formspring.

Toodles!