I get up in the morning and fire up various apps on my phone, Facebook being one of them. The social media platform keeps reminding me on my journey five years ago. Today it reminds me on my very first breakfast I had the morning I landed in Riyadh. Lentils, pita bread and Arab tea. The breakfast in my hotel is quite rich and not as basic as the one five years ago. Here you have the choice between cereals, bread, pita bread, jams, butter, cheese, many different local sweets, many fruits, various hot dishes and many other things. It's a buffet style breakfast and you can eat as much as you can.
I take my time before I leave the hotel, because the first thing on my agenda is to get to the race village to collect my bib and jersey. The race will take place in an area called Al Mouj, which is near the airport and is commonly known as The Wave. It is a newly built area and is a mix of residential, tourism and commercial development and according to the Lonely Planet guide, it is one of the two locations expats can purchase property. The guide doesn't say which the other location is unfortunately. The Wave has its own website. Click here for more information.
It is a pleasant drive out there, but I have a bit of trouble finding the race village, because there are no signs. However, at some point I spot someone who looks like a runner and carries a blue bag and decide to take the road he is coming from. That is a wise decision. I reach a car park and see some flags that indicate that the marathon will take place here in a few days. I park and try to find the village. I follow a group of Arabs who don't seem to be going the way I want, but at least they lead me out of the car park. A short walk later I discover a few signs and follow them. I am a bit disappointed when I see some desks under a gigantic tent roof. I expected the usual expo with retailers, many people, newest technology, etc. But then I remember that it is the third time the marathon is happening and it's only just a thousand something people participating.
I go to the information desk and a young man greets me with a huge smile and by hand shake and with the words 'hello brother!' I smile back and think that I have to get used to this again. It's quite common to call each other brother in this part of the world. He takes me to the desk where I am supposed to get my bib and tells me to get back to him if I have any questions. Four young locals are at this desk, two ladies and two men and they give me my bag with an envelope containing the bib, a small sticker with my number to stick on the bag and some info material. Then I go to the next desk to collect my jersey. Everywhere I'm greeted with 'Hello brother, how are you?'
Unfortunately I am too early for the meet and greet with Paula Radcliffe and decide to walk around the area for a while. I try to find the start line and follow some signs, but they lead nowhere. They take you around in circles, but there's no actual sign to tell you where the start line is. However, there is one for the finish line. I take out the brochure and find the info I need.
I walk around The Wave for a long time and take many photos and forget about Paula Radcliffe. I remember the meet and greet when I'm in the car driving towards the Grand Mosque.
I return home and then I decide to explore the area around the hotel. The tourist guide says only that Ruwi is called 'Little India' and that it is the commercial and transport hub of Muscat and that here you can find many budget-priced places to eat and shop. I walk through the streets for a long time and discover many shops that sell all kind of things, many cafes, supermarkets, travel agencies, a big mosque, a hospital and many restaurants with local and Asian cuisine. When I get hungry I enter a restaurant that claims to offer local, Indian, Pakistani and British cuisine. Since I haven't exchanged any money, I look for credit card stickers. I am relieved when I spot them on the door. I order some spicy local dish, which I am not sure what it is, but is recommended by the waiter.
When it's time to pay I wave with my credit card and get a funny look.
- We don't accept credit cards, sir.
- Really? The sign on the door says that you do.
- We normally do, sir, but the machine is broken and we haven't fixed it yet.
- That's not good.
- Indeed, it's not good, sir.
- hm..
- We accept cash, sir.
- I have not cash, sorry for that. I have Euros only.
- We don't accept Euros, sir.
- Are you by any chance Chinese?
- Yes, sir, why?
- Do you have WeChat?
- WeChat, sir?
- Yes, the programme all Chinese people use. Do you have it?
- Yes, I do, sir.
- Could I pay you by WePay?
- Hm.. He thinks for a moment and agrees.
We take out our phones and we add each other. When he scans my QR code I see that Farooq sends me a request.
- Farooq? I ask.
- Yes, sir.
I smile at him, but he remains serious. I send him the money in Yuan, get up and leave.
I take my time before I leave the hotel, because the first thing on my agenda is to get to the race village to collect my bib and jersey. The race will take place in an area called Al Mouj, which is near the airport and is commonly known as The Wave. It is a newly built area and is a mix of residential, tourism and commercial development and according to the Lonely Planet guide, it is one of the two locations expats can purchase property. The guide doesn't say which the other location is unfortunately. The Wave has its own website. Click here for more information.
It is a pleasant drive out there, but I have a bit of trouble finding the race village, because there are no signs. However, at some point I spot someone who looks like a runner and carries a blue bag and decide to take the road he is coming from. That is a wise decision. I reach a car park and see some flags that indicate that the marathon will take place here in a few days. I park and try to find the village. I follow a group of Arabs who don't seem to be going the way I want, but at least they lead me out of the car park. A short walk later I discover a few signs and follow them. I am a bit disappointed when I see some desks under a gigantic tent roof. I expected the usual expo with retailers, many people, newest technology, etc. But then I remember that it is the third time the marathon is happening and it's only just a thousand something people participating.
I go to the information desk and a young man greets me with a huge smile and by hand shake and with the words 'hello brother!' I smile back and think that I have to get used to this again. It's quite common to call each other brother in this part of the world. He takes me to the desk where I am supposed to get my bib and tells me to get back to him if I have any questions. Four young locals are at this desk, two ladies and two men and they give me my bag with an envelope containing the bib, a small sticker with my number to stick on the bag and some info material. Then I go to the next desk to collect my jersey. Everywhere I'm greeted with 'Hello brother, how are you?'
Unfortunately I am too early for the meet and greet with Paula Radcliffe and decide to walk around the area for a while. I try to find the start line and follow some signs, but they lead nowhere. They take you around in circles, but there's no actual sign to tell you where the start line is. However, there is one for the finish line. I take out the brochure and find the info I need.
I walk around The Wave for a long time and take many photos and forget about Paula Radcliffe. I remember the meet and greet when I'm in the car driving towards the Grand Mosque.
My first breakfast in Riyadh five years ago.
View from my hotel room.
The car I hired.
Here's where the action will take place.
Marina
The message is clear.
Pedestrian area with shops, restaurants and cafes.
The Mysk hotel
The start line is not where it says it is.
It's already too late when I arrive at the Grand Mosque and it's closed to the public. A friendly guard informs me that it opens in the morning from 8 to 11, so I'll have to return. I take some photos from outside and will post more when I will visit it.
This is what I got. A proper nylon bag and not a plastic bag like everywhere else. This one could be used more than once. I got two fizzy drinks, an info brochure, the bib and a sticker.
And here is the jersey
When it's time to pay I wave with my credit card and get a funny look.
- We don't accept credit cards, sir.
- Really? The sign on the door says that you do.
- We normally do, sir, but the machine is broken and we haven't fixed it yet.
- That's not good.
- Indeed, it's not good, sir.
- hm..
- We accept cash, sir.
- I have not cash, sorry for that. I have Euros only.
- We don't accept Euros, sir.
- Are you by any chance Chinese?
- Yes, sir, why?
- Do you have WeChat?
- WeChat, sir?
- Yes, the programme all Chinese people use. Do you have it?
- Yes, I do, sir.
- Could I pay you by WePay?
- Hm.. He thinks for a moment and agrees.
We take out our phones and we add each other. When he scans my QR code I see that Farooq sends me a request.
- Farooq? I ask.
- Yes, sir.
I smile at him, but he remains serious. I send him the money in Yuan, get up and leave.
City bus station in Ruwi
Stream?
Birds carry the globe
Ruwi Tower and Square
Most streets don't have names, they have numbers
Qaboos Mosque (side view)
(front view)
Ruwi roundabout
Ruwi Tower at dusk
If you would like to read more by me, find me on Amazon by typing Theodore Goumas into the Amazon search bar. The following two books should appear in German and English.
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