My weekends

You may ask, what would the people in a city - where movies and alcoholic beverages are restricted - do during weekends? Go to a public plaza? Hehehe.. nope, there is no public plaza and if there is, you don't want to expose yourself under the searing heat of the sun nor would you like to chill during the cold winter nights. Perhaps, go shopping to malls. Well, that's alright if you have a family status AND your family is with you. But for singles like me, then you have to settle for limited access in the mall.

Singles are not permitted to areas where there are women, and for the adventurous one like Jorge boy, be ready for a hide-and-seek session with the mall guards. No family? No problem, the solution is simple. Tag along with Filipino family and try a casual conversation with the father of the family. You'll be surprise how far can you venture inside the restricted areas.

Batha is another option, but I don't like the place. It's like going to Quiapo or Baclaran on a Wednesday afternoon, except the sidewalk vendors are not Pinoys but Indians and Pakistanis. It's crowded, messy, and yaiks! dirty. (Oh, how I miss Singapore!)

Okay alright, there are more Filipino ladies in Batha than any other place in Riyadh, but let me remind you that it is also known that there are plenty of mutawahs lurking at every corner in the area. Call it a another game of cat-and-mouse, but that's a hard truth. If you are faint-hearted, then don't try talking to any Pinays, or you risk ending up in a nearby mosque or worse, picked up by the police and sent to jail. But if you have a dragon heart and a skin as thick as a crocodile hide, then Batha is your place.

Batha is the central place where all Pinoys send their remittances. Nurses from all hospital in the Al Riyadh Region swamp the place for remittance, groceries, and jewelries. Likewise, freelance ladies who works at malls, beauty consultants, and including domestic helpers also litters all over the place. You can take your pick: beautiful, pretty, chubby, dark, fair skinned, curly, nice long hair (some don't hide their hair), young, middle aged, oldies-but-goldies, and the "physically-challenged". Its your choice, and your diskarte. You can have as many as you want, but just be careful least you invite trouble to yourself.

Didn't I tell you that during my second day in Riyadh, I already got two phone numbers by just visiting Batha?

Si jorge pa!