The Journey of a Thousand Miles

If your palate is tired from eating foods from the chains of fast-food restaurants at the mall or at the corniche, then why not explore other options and try something different from your usual dining habits. This may not be new, but at least it will give some variations to the kinds of restaurants you visit. Dining to some commercial restaurants could be tiring sometimes because they offer almost the same kinds of menu. In this case try some specialty restaurants that provides authentic cuisine that may change your usual dining preference. Last week, some of my couchsurfing friends tried this Moroccan restaurant here in Al Khobar. Well it's not our first time there, we just thought of going back because as much as possible we are avoiding fast-foods. It was my fourth time here as far as I remember and it was just now that I knew the name of this Moroccan restaurant. I was brought here by my friend Alberto and for the very first time I had the chance of tasting Morocca...

If you are looking for a quiet and cozy place while sipping your favorite cappuccino or latte, this is the perfect place to be! A place where you can relax and at the same time enjoy your coffee while being surrounded by hundreds of Islamic artworks.   What separates this coffee shop from the rest of commercial stores like Starbucks, Costa, Segafredo and others is that the exclusivity of the place. Most coffee shops here in Al Khobar are crowded and sometimes the ambiance is not quite pleasing.   Not well known to many people, Cafea Arab has been existing since 2008 but it was neglected for some years due to lack of staff and it was just re-opened   two months ago. Cafea Arab is a fusion of European and Arabic style, it is a boutique coffee shop in an Arabic setting because it is actually located inside an Arabic gallery. So if you love arts, history and caffeine, you must visit this place. An ideal setting for coffee ...

I was thinking of a different Friday routine since I usually spend my rest day staying at home, do the laundry, iron clothes and go out with friends at night to have coffee and eat. It has been a practice for about a year and a half now and I want to give my Fridays some twists and meet other people. I have been a member of couchsurfing for a year now and I have attended some of the gatherings in the previous months and I had an amazing opportunity to meet different people . This community is really wonderful specially you gets the chance to meet and mingle with different nationalities. Lately I have been organizing events for the group and I was happy to see some old and new members, we had bowling event in the past weeks and last Friday we had this Tarout Island Historical tour. I have always wanted to go out of my backyard and go to other places here in Saudi but I just don't have the opportunity, plus I don't have my car as well hahaha. The farthest I've ...

Last week I made a post regarding the new security rules on airports bound for Canada, US and UK about bringing electronic gadgets. This is a follow up entry since airlines are now starting to advise passengers regarding this rule. So if you plan to visit UK, Canada and US, it is advised to switch on your gadgets in front of security teams on your point of origin. So if you are coming from Manila or any airports in the world bound for these countries, security checks will be done before boarding. If any devices that cannot be powered up will result in the passenger not being boarded on the flight unless he/she chooses to leave it behind.    So make sure all your gadgets are fully charged other wise you will be denied in boarding the plane or leave your gadgets behind.

One thing I hate about traveling abroad is that passing through a lot of security check. I know I shouldn't complain because it is for my own safety, but going for more than 3 checks is quite annoying specially if you have to remove everything (except your clothes of course), shoes, metal accessories, phones, and other things that needs to be checked. Now, the security at the airports became more tighter and strict as new regulations has been implemented. If you are traveling to UK, USA and Canada, new security regulations has been implemented regarding electronic gadgets. Passengers bringing all kinds of electronic gadgets, devices or battery operated must be switched on in front of a security teams and or demonstrate the item's functionality. Be sure all your gadgets are fully charged during the time of check-in to avoid delays. This new policy has nothing to do with the recent aviation unpleasant incidents but rather an additional airport security measures ...

Since I've been living in Saudi for quite some time now, it is kinda strange to me that I haven't explored some of its provinces. Frankly speaking, the farthest place I've been here is Jubail, I always wanted to go out of Eastern province but since I don’t have that much time during the weekends I was jailed here in Al Khobar ahaha. I am quite fed up with my usual routine every weekend (though I enjoyed doing them) malls, coffee, dining; then mall again, coffee, dining.   Good thing I started playing badminton every Friday morning, at least somehow I have new extracurricular activity aside from eating hehe. So from now on I’ll give my rest day a twist and find some interesting places to visit here in Saudi.   I want to prove that Saudi Arabia is not just about sands and oil; it has beauty and charm too. So I made my research on the places to be visited once I find time. DISCOVER ARABIA Interestingly, I found a blog written by an expat from Finland who e...

It's summer time once again and the best way to spend it is by going to the beach! Either you soak yourself on the cold water; sunbath under the sun or just simply relax under the shady palm trees feeling the cold breeze coming from the sea, you have many options on how you are going to beat the heat. Since most of us are heading to the beaches to cool down, I want to know what basic things you bring to spend your weekend getaway. I made my own list of “what to bring” when you want to spend your summer on the beach. 1.      A pair of espadrilles - walking on a shoreline is quite difficult because of the sand so better wear a pair of espadrilles to make your feet comfortable while exploring the beach area, besides they are easy to remove once you decided to take a dip on the water. If you are not comfortable wearing these, you have the option of wearing your flip-flops. 2.       Sun block with SPF - to protect your skin from...

I never thought that one day I’ll be floating in the air literally! At six thousand feet, I had the best moment of my life! During my vacation in Turkey last March, I decided to visit Cappadocia, a region in Central Anatolia approximately one hour away from Istanbul by plane. Goreme, Cappadocia- famous for its land formations caused by a volcanic eruption Originally, it was never part of my itinerary because I was about to visit Pamukkale hot springs instead.  But according to one friend, I should include this on my trip and try the hot air balloon. So I got curious and started researching this place and there I saw impressive photos of hot air balloons and I was stunned by the beauty of Cappadocia. I got excited on what I saw and immediately added Cappadocia on my trip. I am an adventurous person, I like to try extreme outdoor activities but I just couldn’t find opportunity. So when I heard about this ballooning in Cappadocia I told myself that this is...