Saudi Arabia and Bahrain
2023
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Summary
Saudi Arabia, what a mess. I've never really disliked a country let alone hated one but Arabia somehow managed to be one of the worst weeks of travel in my life.
From the local men who openly beat their wives to having a rock thrown at my head for simply whistling while I walked down the highway (Apparently I was noise polluting the 8 lane freeway). I've never been to a place so hostile and closed off.
I'm still not sure if I liked Bahrain or not, but compared to Saudi it was like paradise. Here at least you're allowed to drink, theirs fun things to do and people actually follow through when they say they'll do something. It's a cute little petro-state where fun can be found, compared to it's neighbors.
Scores
Saudi Arabia
Bahrain
Beauty
Affordability
Food
Hospitality
Safety
Accessibility
Video
Final Score
Advice
Trip Duration
Saudi Arabia: 0 days / Bahrain: 2 days
Currencies Used
Saudi Riyal SAR / Bahraini Dinar BHD
Best Months
November - February
Daily Budget
$200usd
Challenges
Everything in Saudi is a challenge
Dont
Book anything, they will just cancel 10 minutes before it's supposed to happen.
Visit any tourist attractions, they'll most likely just be closed even if it's a lone rock in a desert. Most sites aren't really real and haven't been built yet.
Be adventurous, someone will tell you off. You're not even allowed to walk anti-clockwise around a building.
Expect to get around via taxi, they will just drop you wherever they want if they even come to pick you up in the first place.
Rely on your hotels even being real. Most exist just to route you to a much more expensive one that's the only choice in the area, ie Al Ula
Rely on information from Google Maps, most data like opening hours/days or links are just broken or lies.
Eat the food, it's disgusting unflavored slop.
Take the trains, the windows are completely frosted so you're basically in a submarine
Hike in the desert, it's super easy to get lost even if you can read the stars.
Even go. The Visa alone was $250.
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