Why I Love The Janadriyah Cultural Heritage Festival

It’s almost time for the annual Janadriyah Cultural Heritage festival, organized in 2013 for the 28th time. I for one have been waiting for this festival for months. I truly love going to Janadriyah and have been there every year since I came to Saudi in 2008 and some years I went on severalRead more

Top 10 Travel Destinations From Saudi Arabia

One of the perks of living in the Middle-East and particularly Saudi-Arabia are the amazing travel opportunities it opens up. Many places of interest become geographically closer for expats originally from the Americas, Europe and Asia. Travel is also relatively affordable and there areRead more

Darbawiya-The Saudi Punks

Darbawi- The Saudi Punks. Remember the “Anonymous Saudi Man” who shared with us his insightful thoughts on tribalism, love and marriage in Saudi Arabia? (You can read that post here.) I’m so excited to share Saudi Man’s candid thoughts on Blue Abaya for the second time. IRead more

Raghbah And The Rolling Sand Dunes

For a nice day trip out of Riyadh, the village of Raghbah North West of the city is worth a visit. The old mud village has some interesting buildings and architecture, an ancient mosque and a watch tower which is possible to climb up and admire the views down to the city and theRead more

Riyadh’s Hidden Gems-The Diplomatic Quarter Gardens

Riyadh expatriates are always on the lookout for new and refreshing things to do on weekends.  There are many places in and around Riyadh which remain mostly unknown to the public, to find some of these ideas for weekend activities go to Blue Abaya’s Things To Do in Riyadh page. One suchRead more

We Found Love In A Hopeless Place

Saudi-Arabia…such a hopeless place to ever even dream of finding a life partner, a soul mate, or the love of your life..The country that strictly forbids mixing and all interaction between the sexes. How could anyone meet a member of the opposite sex here, let alone go out on a date, or fallRead more

Breakfast In Riyadh: PAUL’s Restaurant And Bakery

One of the nicest things to do in Riyadh during the weekends is having breakfast out. There are many places around town to enjoy a great start for the day with a cup of coffee and delicious breakfast for relatively affordable prices. One of the newest additions to Riyadh’s breakfast scene isRead more

The Top 14 Most Romantic Restaurants In Riyadh

Riyadh and Romance don’t exactly go hand in hand do they? Despite its boring reputation, Riyadh has some surprisingly romantic restaurants where lovers can find a nice quiet spot. I’ve noticed that some of the best restaurants in Riyadh are also the most romantic. With the upcomingRead more

Rawdhat Khuraim- An Oasis In The Desert

Rawdat Khuraim-An Oasis in the Saudi Arabian Desert. Directions and GPS Co-ordinates to Rawdat Khuraim (also spelled Rawdhat Koraim/ Rawdhat Kuraim) can be found at the end of this post! More information about this desert oasis, also known as the King’s Forest, can be found here: RawdhatRead more

Where I’ve Been, And My Bucket List

Some of my readers have been asking me to write more about my travels and favorites spots around the world. I really love to explore new destinations and often suffer from severe travel fever if I haven’t gone to a new place for a while. I prefer going to destinations that are on ‘roadsRead more

Maya La Chocolaterie- Chocolate Lovers Heaven!

“Forget love, I’d rather fall in chocolate!” Can you imagine a restaurant where you can not only eat and drink chocolate, but smell its fragrant aromas, experience the different textures, feel its silky softness, taste exotic and surprising chocolate flavors and be surrounded byRead more

A Male Perspective On Marriage, Tribes And Love In Saudi-Arabia

We hardly ever hear the candid voices of Saudi men in regards to relationships, marriage and thoughts of living in a tribal society. The following post is written by an anonymous Saudi man. He could be anyone, his thoughts and feelings are probably shared by many others out there. I came acrossRead more