Friday morning was my first trip out on my own. I started out by hooking up the iPod to the rental to have some tunes to cruise with. The first stop was to fill up the Hyundai with gas. The calculations are different, but there is only 91 and 95 octane over here. There is only full service. The Filipino will hold up 1 finger to ask if you want 91 octane, at least if you are in a cheap rental. I’m sure the more expensive cars’ drivers get the 5 fingers held up. The car had about 1/8 of a tank of gas. It took 15 riyals to fill it up. $3.99. It’s still subsidized here, and the rate comes out to a little less than 50 cents a gallon.
I started out with a drive to the south side of the Royal Commission. My plan was to start there, drive a few streets, find a few landmarks and then head up the coast to old town Yanbu. Friday is the Muslim holy day, so traffic is very light in the morning. It will pick up in the afternoon and evening, when most shops start opening around 4:30. I took a picture of the refineries and other plants from the southern most RC road. There are a few refineries and various chemical plants. Our flare is the tallest at 220 meters, but it’s barely visible due to the sand in the air.
The first stop was Yanbu Lake, a park with a small pond.
I wound through the RC some and then headed for the water.
Most of the corniche around the RC is undergoing a major renovation. I had to drive for awhile to get to a part that’s complete and open to the public. The area is big on roundabouts, which work adequately when traffic laws are obeyed. They’re, uhm ,exciting here. The traffic planning isn’t helping things, though. This is at an intersection close to my refinery.
The corniche is going to be massive. It’s already big. The part I walked around had a few playgrounds, many shelters, lots of picnic spots, and activity fields. In one of the pictures, you can barely make out the towers under construction further south. And yes, the women do swim in their abayas. Most of the men should cover up too.
It’s about a 10 minute drive up the coast to old Yanbu. It’s full of little shops and will take months to get familiar with. Google maps is hit and miss on location, and many places aren’t even listed. It will be an old fashioned treasure hunt to find the best restaurants and shops.
From Tennessee To Texas to Saudi Arabia 