Some general queries about staying in Riyadh

sounak wrote:

Hi All,
In few days I have to go to Riyadh and stay there for couple of months (work related travel). So I did a little googling to find out how is life in Riyadh. I have came to know all the rules and regulations which are need to be followed during my stay in there and all are pretty much ok and can be obeyed. But I still have some more queries. If you guys can help me with that then I will be grateful to you.

1. I would like to carry my own laptop with me. So what kind of precautions I need to take about the contents of my laptop? Do they check the contents while I will be entering in Saudi Arabia ?


2. Can I use camera-mobile phone in Riyadh? I mean, I will not take any pictures with that, I will use it only for taking calls. But is it objectionable to use camera attached mobile on roads?

3. Do they also check my mobile contents while entering to Riyadh? I keep some of my access codes in my mobile which are very sensitive data. What should I do to protect them?

4. Is there any restrictions about wearing jeans ?

5. I may have to stay in Riyadh upto November/ December. I know that, right now weather of Riyadh is very hot but I would like know about the temperature in October to December (specially at night) so that I can pack my jackets accordingly.

6. Can I carry my own medicines ? (like medicines for cough and cold, fever, headache etc).

7. I saw a thread about torrent sites which can be accessed from Riyadh in this website. I read that those torrent sites are blocked which do not need registrations. So I have to get access to registration based torrent sites like IPTorrents. But it is a invitation based site. So can anyone please send me an invitation?

This is the first time I am setting foot in Saudi Arabia, that's why some of my queries may sound silly. Please forgive me for that. Please clear my doubts. Thanks a lot in advance.

uhhh ..Though this has been discussed a zillion times here but still i am going to be brief and tell you that ,whatever your perception of KSA is ,it is partially wrong.
1.You dont need to take any precautions about what content you have in your laptop because 98% of the time they wont check your laptop ,I guess they never check it at all. But only if you act like paranoid then they might become suspicious then check your laptop but this will only happen if you are not too suspicious to them.

2.Can you use camera-mobile phones in Riyadh, ,hey man i understand your concern and but this 2014 ,and to be straight honest ,its ok you can use camera-mobile phone or even smartphones and no, its not objectionable to use camera attached mobile on roads.Furthermore you can even record or take pictures of all the roads and buildings you come across.

3.No no,they wont check anything not your mobile ,not your laptop or they might not even check your baggage, unless they are doing some routine inspections.

4.No,there are no restrictions on wearing Jeans,but try avoiding wearing shorts that are above your knees in public ,because if religious police finds you ,then they might warn you.

5.Yes,though the Temp. may be extremely hot during summer,but since the weather patterns are very different to that of india ,the winter is indeed very cold in Riyadh and sometime the temp may drop to 3-5 celsius at nightfalls so i recommend you to bring your winter wear with you .

6.Yes you can carry your own medicine,and even can bring homeopathic medicine with you,but dont bring any narcotics or recreational drugs,because this may become a serious offence,though you might already know this but be careful while bringing any non-medical drugs :http://www.saudiembassy.net/services/Bringing_Prescription_Drugs_into_the_Kingdom.aspx

7.About the torrent sites ,the thing is they are now being blocked by the government and not many are left ,but i dont know about the IPtorrents,but there is Kickass torrent that does not need registration and it is still accessible.

But one last thing  ,dont be too tense about the trip ,just be modest and respect the religion of this country and follow all the rules and regulations .Most importantly ,just enjoy your trip and visit as many places as possible,there is more to this country then just strict rules,you might just take back some good memories along you.

thanks a ton man.... really appreciate your help    I am very sorry to repeat the same topics again.... I did gone through some of the threads in this blog and suddenly I understood that this forum has many people who can really help me. So I didn't thought of anything else and posted my queries.
About the camera-mobiles, Wiki has warned about using of camera and taking pictures on the streets. That's why I took extra precautions and asked about camera-mobiles in advance.    anyways, this is my fault. I became tensed and asked this foolish question. sorry.

Anyways, I am really excited about the trip and hope to make a lot of good memories. I will keep in touch and make posts about my trip. I can't explain to you how much I am happy to find this forum. Thank u all 

Nay,its ok     ,i am just happy to help .And good luck, but also dont be stressed and tense .Just relax and enjoy your trip.

Rules can change, so it is worth asking.

Your personal items shouldn't contain anything against islamic faith, nothing at all. This doesn't stretch to mainstream hollywood films or regular music; Riyadh is very multicultural and many of the locals have traveled abroad and are broad minded. iPhones are very popular and Youtube is totally accessible. Wear whatever you like, but keeping your midriff covered is very much appreciated. Same goes for tattoos. Saudi blocks many sites, but there are ways around if you really want. If you're staying in a place with a decent internet connection you can access streaming and US/US tv channels. You just have to be a bit creative and do some research. Winter is, happily, cooler so bring a sweater and light jacket.

You likely know this but don't bring in any alcohol or pork.

One precaution for your laptop, as most of them never faced any problem including me traveled several times and never been stopped. But some of my colleagues, been stopped and checked for their laptop and hard drives. They been charged for 4000-6000SAR for carrying some little porn videos or images. So better delete what ever you got in and walk clean. I dont say you might be checked but why take chances. Plz.

LOL at the jeans question... 

I had to read the whole post to realize he WASN'T joking