Al Soudah Season #YaHdventour in #fABHAlous ABHA!

Just a single scroll upright of IG account instantaneously caught Yahamads attention by the colorful ads of #saudiseason #alsoudahseason (means hanna black season) and brings out our adrenaline rush staring at the ticket bookings of extreme game activities particularly Paragliding, Sling Shot, Bungee jumping and ofcourse Zipline whilst at the edge of Al Soudah mountain! (one of the highest peak in KSA)

Ready or not, #yahamadteam automatically grab our atm cards and booked in a minute via #flyadeal, random hotels and alsoudah season rides and before you know it.....we are there in awe shookt by a majestic overlooking view, 16 °C air, dreamy fog, nice music and overall colorful flowerfull (flowerman) event location on top of the mountain. (fyi: albaik blows our minds too unexpectedly found cabin tempo branch there @abha) 😍

Of course #teamyahamads check all the event sites as shown in the  map provided  online and queued for an amazing Zipline and Paragliding. There are also about 7 activities which are freakin Free! including the Rope Course games and Trekking.

So  thereyou go,  have a look of our #alsoudahseason journey including exploring Abha heritage on all social media apps by searching YaHamadpH....and, #alsoudahseason website (www.alsoudahseason.com) Shokran! 😘
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgS4VkQbWR0&feature=share

Ultralight Trike: Another Awesome Experience!!!

I have always been fascinated by microlight flying ever since I tried it in August 2012 in Jeddah, KSA. I just find anything related to heights & flying relaxing :) Adventurous side of me writing, I guess! This is the reason why I keep on looking for similar activities & adventures soon as I arrived in Riyadh last October 2016. Been searching online & in social apps until I finally got lucky to encounter a possible contact who is connected with the Saudi Aviation Club in Thumama area (Location: 25.1990953,46.6164063).

I asked if they do microlight flying for guests & non-members and was confirmed promptly. I am not quite sure as to the exact amount, but i think it's between 200-250 SAR per pax on a 15-minute ride in the Thumama National Park vicinity at the northern tip of the King Khalid International Airport.

The date was set. One Friday afternoon when I proceeded to the location armed with excitement and a happy face knowing that I will be able to try flying once again! This time with an ultralight trike!

It's indeed FUN to fly!!! The view may have been just sands and barren land but still the act of flying itself is sooo overwhelming & relaxing for me :)

Greenberrys (Al-Malqa, Riyadh)

One Saturday afternoon #TeamYahamad decided to take a sip of coffee and chillax (chill and relax) at Greenberrys Coffee Al-Malqa and at the same time somehow make a snap review of what it can offer or makes them different from all cafes sprouting everywhere nowadays.

First, the interiors of cafe is nice and cozy (especially the sofas and 3D fireplace monitor that adds lux), they also have the Chemex Bar area (laboratory look), souvenir mugs/tumbler, fresh coffee beans and cakes.  The said branch have single and family sections although it seems that their design or arrangement is not that far from the interiors of known Starbucks, Costa, Dr. Cafe and other pop cafes.

We tried the Iced Hazelnut Truffle (#yahamad scores it 7/10) and Iced Chocolate Turtle (5/10) that belongs to their "Specialty" category, and their pricing range also just as similar to all popular coffee shops but lucky us we've got a very very good discount and a good crew service is a plus.

Overall review, Greenberrys Coffee got a #YahamadPh Stars 7 out of 10; and on that note its a big YES we recommend!  :)

  

   

Editor In Chief waiting for his queue :)

Al-Malqa Branch (1st store originated from Charlottesville, VA)

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Shout-out to our audience/viewers from:  USA, KSA, GERMANY, FILIPINAS, PORTUGAL, UAE, UKRAINE, IRELAND & INDIA

Hotel & Resto Review (Ronza/Boiling Pot)

KHOBAR:  Super excited as we are in #TeamYahamad regarding the #GEA #SharqiaSeason #ColorRun #Happiest5KRun happened last 23rd of  March 2019, Saturday at Khobar South Corniche; all bookings and itineraries were planned beforehand (even if salary is not yet coming hahaha!).  With the help of Cobone we get some choices to book about discounted food vouchers and so as planned we will take Ronza Rose Hotel for our breakfast (Intl. breakfast menu), then thru Booking.Com as for our hotel accommodation.

Travel time from Riyadh to Khobar is about 3-5 hours depending on speed and stop-over, #TeamYahamad travels by around 2AM Friday to get there at exactly 7AM to avail the voucher because serving the breakfast is from 6:30AM till 10AM.  However, the issues that we encountered is that; first, (though its a small thing) the said sea view from the buffet area is not real (i cant see the sea while eating), secondly (main issue) representative of the hotel in buffet area named Mr. Mohammed told us that the Cobone voucher is not valid every Friday.  I explained to him right away and showed our printed copy (tip: please always have the copy with you in buying vouchers) that it is not mentioned in the terms and conditions that our voucher is not valid by Friday (unlike on our top three choices, like in Holiday Inn Sea-side breakfast clearly mentioned the Friday rule). Overall instead to enjoy the breakfast, the service and attitude of the representative make our morning at Ronza uncomfortable even he allowed us to avail it.  For Ronza breakfast i will give 3stars but for poor service i will give half star or negative 1 hahaha (I think crew or the representative needs to understand what excellent customer service is...see how he affects the whole team/company....so be aware that where you work, you represent it...)

Moving forward, after breaky #TeamYahamad stay for a while at the seaside bay to indulge the beauty of corniche, fresh air, and beautiful sunshine before going to hotel and to sleep for a while.  As instructed by #ColorRun thru social media announcements we need to get our kit at Mall of Dhahran by 4PM, then afterwards  we check the events happening all at the same time at Main Corniche (Concerts, Dino Show, Culture Village, Water Tower 3D Mapping and Fireworks ofcourse!).

Before heading to our hotel  at 9PM to sleep and recharge for the Fun Color Run, we tried the Boiling Pot Resto near Al Rahmaniya Center; it is an eat all you can resto (66 SAR/pax), with a nice setting (you can cook it by yourself as Korean/Japanese style) though the choices are few (not seen shrimps and crabs) and not so tasty even marinated so i can give only 2 Stars out of five (tip: also, please bring cash or end up going outside to find ATM machine).  Then the next day #TeamYahamad wakes up on time and prepare for the run, the so-called #Happiest5KRunInThePlanet! ever! :)  Yallah!

Photos:

Beautiful Sunshine!

 

Boiling Pot Resto

The Giants (Al-Qarah Mountain)

AL-AHSA:  (TBT) Once upon a time, in almost two years ago, #TeamYahamad got the chance to visit Al-Ahsa on the way from Riyadh to Al-Ukair beach (soon to post) and they are surprised by this stunning Mt. Al Qarah that somehow partly mimics the Grand Canyon National Park of Arizona by its layered  and gigantic rock formations. 

Grand Canyon of KSA! Represent!!! #Mt. Al Qarah 

                                   

The place were developed and supported by the government as one of the tourist attractions in the area and they have an organized group called Saudi Friendship Committee. The fee at that time is only 50 SR for adults and free for kids under 13 years old.  At first they will have a quick orientation, refreshment offerings (tea, Arabic coffee, sweets and dates), friendly chat and a selfie/group pic sessions (they said photo will be uploaded in their Facebook  account as a digital souvenir) altogether as their hospitality treat in welcoming visitors before you can get inside the mountain caves.

Entrance Area Land of Civilization (Al Qarah Mountain Al Ahsa)

Facebook Page

Delightful local sweets they offer.

We got there during the summer (@around 39 degrees celcius) and we noticed that when you’re inside the caves it becomes colder (between 18 to 21°C) and you’ll see a lot of sun rays entering in every possible open part (aperture) at the ceiling of the caves that gives a dramatic random of shadows.

Cinematic Shot (chertz)

The Lost Prince of Leyte (pusang gala)

In too much excitement my friend got the chance to groove like there’s no tomorrow at the moment he hears the caves music: (And he dance happily ever after...)

Nearby, from Mt. Qara don't forget to try visiting more of Hofuf Al-Ahsa tourist spots like Al-Ahsa National Park and the becoming more popular the Asfar Lake (you'll need a 4x4 type of car here).

Asfar Lake (Yellow Lake) (photo from Saudi friendship)

And here we are on FB:

Us and no one but only #teamyahamad got this comment. Chertz! :)

Finally, you can also enjoy the place for souvenir shops and food, they have a designated area for café and resto..........YaHamad! next destination please!  :)

TB: Dinner in the Sky Jeddah

Seven long years ago when http://dinnerinthesky.com/ set put in Jeddah, KSA at the Park Hyatt Jeddah - Marina, Club and Spa (which made it extra more special) just right across the highest fountain in the world, the King Fahad's Fountain.

Dinner in the Sky Middle East

According to Wikipedia, Dinner in the Sky is a Belgian based novelty restaurant service which uses a crane to hoist its diners, table, and staff 150 feet into the air. Forbes magazine called it one of the world's ten most unusual restaurants.

            

            Crane attached to the dining table / structure

Crane for lifting the dining table / structure

We are actually not privy to this great event up until we came across this online deal in https://www.cobone.com/en/deals/jeddah/lenzoarabia-20junedinnerintheskyvaluemeal/10769 in Cobone.com.

One will be able to experience lounging in the Jeddah Corniche sky at a discounted rate!  Isn't that great! And since we just can't let this pass, we purchased the deal (paid Sar 137 for the price of Sar 350) and went to their location on our scheduled date on the 13th of July 2012.

Photo with the Dinner in the sky ME logo!

Whilst waitiin' for other sky diners

We arrived at the site a bit early so we can somehow get to feel the place and take some pictures of course. Around 5 PM when we started to move up via a humongous crane. A little over 10 minutes more, we were already 50 meters hanging in the air!

Crane view from up

Food (we took the SNACKS and not the dinner meal since we are actually up with the experience and not the food... or we can also say that we can afford the snacks and not the dinner) were served soon as we've reached the desired height. The Filipino crew on board were on their harness as they move around the space provided for them whilst serving the food and the drinks.

snacks in the sky :)

We had burger, fries & juice the Park Hyatt Jeddah way :)

The dining table/structure in the air!

Whilst we are having our snacks, the dining table/structure is moving clockwise. So each of the diners will get to see the entirety of the Jeddah Corniche & the Red Sea and not just a side of it! The view of the King Fahad Fountain with the sun set is just amazing!

A view of the sunset & the King Fahad Fountain

The King Fahad Fountain & the sun set!

The Red Sea & Park Hyatt Jeddah - Marina

Al Hamra area and the sun set

Dinner in the sky!

It was such a great experience to have snacks/dinner in the sky! It isn't an everyday thing!

Ya Hamad! Let's Go enjoy life whilst we can!!!