Viewed as temporary guests in the Kingdom, expatriates are expected to respect local rules and customs | Expats and Saudis alike flock to the kitschy Assayara, known colloquially as the Turkish Restaurant, on Thalateen Street |
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Food was terrible and the atmosphere was worse, with couples talking on their mobile phones instead of to each other | Western expats are actually far more likely to mingle and befriend expats from European and other Arab countries |
Italian restaurants can be quite good, and the more trendy ones even have tables out in the open.
21This is considered particularly bad form when the prayer time rush is on | Most cars sold, are white or light shades, better to reflect the heat and hide the ubiquitous dust |
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Mama Noura's, which has many branches around town, has excellent shwarma, falafel and fresh squeezed fruit juices by the glass or litre, while trendy Manoosh serves up fresh lebanese pizzas at its outlets | For Western expats, Saudi Arabia can often feel restrictive |
A GPS is highly recommended and can be bought in the city with all the necessary maps preloaded — everything looks similar out in the desert.
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