Going to Al Khobar

Who said that females cannot travel in Saudi Arabia? As a female, it doesn't apply in my case because I believe that traveling is a great outlet for me to stay happy and enjoy life to the fullest even if I am in Saudi Arabia. You are not a prisoner and this is a chance to see the beauty of Saudi and explore the wonder of their culture and traditions. Because we have a week of vacation during Ramadan, me and my friends decided to go to Al Khobar while staying with a family friend.

Al Khobar is located in the Eastern province in Saudi Arabia and is very well known for its beach and slow pace of life vibe. It is also a few hours away from Bahrain. There are only 2 malls in the place but they are huge and females are more open when it comes to hair covers. FYI, Riyadh is very strict in hair covering but in Al Khobar women don't cover their hair. Another thing that I noticed is that families were becoming open in taking pictures publicly. Because I worked in Riyadh, I easily distinguished the closed cultural differences between the 2 places.

Additionally, you can also visit the prominent Judas cave, which is about 4 hours away from Al Khobar.  Here are a few questions that most of you would love to tackle:

Is it safe to go to Al Khobar especially for first-time travelers?  Yes, definitely. I am also a first timer in Al Khobar and I enjoyed the whole travel. There are x-ray machines for luggage and passengers are checked so this would look like you are just in an airport.

What does the train station like? Train station in Saudi is like a mini airport. There is a waiting area for passengers and both males and females are combined in the lounge. When we arrived, there are no queues, making it easier for all of us to show our online ticket.

Tip: Be sure to book your travel early so as not to cause any delays especially during holidays. Bring a baon (biscuits, chips, etc,) with you so you will not need to buy foods inside the train. Also, you cannot buy foods during stopovers because it is just a quick stop.

Train station in Al Khobar

Train vs. Bus: 

TRAIN: Traveling by train will take 4 hours, whereas bus will take 5 hours. Inside the train, there is a table for each group. A group can be divided into 4 with 2 in front of each other. It is air-conditioned. Therefore, it is very comfortable for the passengers. There are crews inside, mainly Filipinos who are very accommodating. They have a push cart  with food inside it. They offer it to passengers just like flight attendants in planes. It is not free but you can ask them to reheat food or ask for a cup of hot water if you have your own instant noodles. During my travel, my great worry in Ramadan is if I can still eat food publicly because it is a month of fasting. However, I noticed that they are still selling foods and some people are eating inside the train. There are also comfort rooms, which I found clean.

There are 2 stopovers during the whole travel but it is just short and did not hinder the length of travel.

BUS: For the bus, we used it as a mode of transportation on our way home to Riyadh. This is because train booking is already full. As I have said earlier, traveling will take 5 hours even though there was no stopover. The whole ride is not comfortable because the air-con is too weak. I believe that the Saptco bus that we rode is already old. Some passengers complained of the heat but the conductor said that the AC was in full blast.

Pros: Because we booked for VIP, foods are inclusive of the payment. The box that they have given consists of a bread, juice, water, peanut and a tissue. Male and female are also combined but females are in front, whereas men are at the back.

Verdict: Trains are better. Obviously, I would opt for train because of the fact that traveling is swift and more comfortable than bus. Make sure to book round trip earlier online so that  you can ride a train back home. In our case, we are not sure yet of the date of going back to Riyadh that is why we booked only for Riyadh to Al Khobar. Price for the train is almost the same with bus, which is 140 riyals round trip. Install the Saudi Railway App or visit their website for booking and management.

.

Flower Garden Resort in Bohol

Flower Garden is not literally a garden full of flowers. However, the resort has a lot of plants making it attractive to the eyes of the guests and has a pleasing ambience. Although its amenity is only a swimming pool, my stay became memorable and ecstatic mainly because I am with my family. The resort has a cozy feel and looks like a hobbit house. Again, it is owned by a different nationality with his 2 kids in the resort.


We stayed there for 3 days and 2 nights. Because our group consists of 11 members, we divided ourselves into 3 different houses namely House I, House II and House V. House I can accommodate 3 persons with 1 queen size bed and a single bed. House II, on the other hand has 1 room downstairs and 1 room upstairs with the same design like that of House I. This can accommodate 5 persons. Lastly, House V has no stairs but has 1 queen and a single bed.

House I and House II has a kitchen consisting of cooking pots, plates, cups and utensils. This is very great for groups who want to cook their own food and is saving money from the expensive dishes in the restaurant. The refrigerator has water and beer inside. If you want to get one, they will charge you for the items that you purchased. As you can see, there is a paper with tables for the items that you took. Tip though, water is cheaper here than in the market. A gallon of water is only 70 pesos. There is also a dishwashing liquid, and this made me realize that the owner has anticipated all the needs of his guests. Amazing right?

Location: It is located at the back of Henann resort and is very close to many restaurants such as Ronduvio (Italian restaurant), Korean restaurants and a lot more.

Verdict: 10/10.

I felt like I am just at home with this resort. All simple things that a guest needs are provided by the owner such as hanging area for wet clothes, money vault, dishwashing liquid and utensils. Additionally, staff cleans the house everyday and adds tissues in the bathroom. We spent 600 php each person per night, and I think this is a very affordable price for guests.

If given the chance to visit Bohol again, I would definitely choose Flower Garden because it is affordable, clean and well maintained by the owner,

Ronduvio Cafe and Restaurant: A Review of My Favorite Italian Restaurant

Have you ever been to Panglao Beach? If you want to savor the taste of  Italian cuisine, try going to Ronduvio Cafe and Restaurant.

Ronduvio is a couple-owned food business located at the back of Henann Resort. We are a walk away from this restaurant because we stayed at Flower Garden Resort. Before we left Bohol, we ate at this restaurant to experience the taste of their distinct dishes. The owner is an Italian married to a Filipina, According to them, all their ingredients are imported from Italy to make the flavor authentic to the taste buds of their Filipino customers. True, indeed that their dishes are scrumptious.

Foods that they Serve: They do not only serve Italian dishes but also Thai and Asian cuisine as well. We ordered Pad Thai and it was one of my favorite dishes because it is a mixture of a bit spicy, sweet and salty flavor. Although one of its main ingredient is the fish sauce, it doesn't stink or smell too fishy.

Other foods that I enjoyed is Carbonara because it doesn't have the usual milk. Instead, they used oil as the base sauce and egg whites, which made it lighter to the taste.

Tip: If you want to order a freshly baked pizza, order a few hours before you eat. However, if you really are craving for a pizza, they can offer you one. Anyway, they are also delicious and has a simple taste, which I loved.

Service: The owners are accommodating. The owner even offered an alcoholic drink for free after a meal. Waiting will not take a long time. We have waited for 10 minutes for the dish to be served and just right for our hungry stomach.

Price: Price is a bit expensive but they serve large dishes on a plate good enough for 2-3 persons. Our bill reached 3,000php good for 9 persons. We ordered 2 sets of Pad Thai and Carbonara, 2 pizzas, seafood pasta and 7 different shakes (Mango, Banana and Pineapple). Generally, all our orders are worth the price for a bulk of 9.

Verdict: 10/10