Peacocks on the Prowl

In Riyadh two streets are especially known for their bumper to bumper traffic in the evenings and on the weekends: Taliah and Talatheen streets …not like there is no traffic anywhere else, but those two are really bad. If you had to compare them with other big cities, I would say easy comparisions can be made with the Champs Elysees in Paris and 5th Avenue in New York, both for the stores, restaurants and people watching.


All the en-vue restaurants somehow are located on those two streets, as well as the fancy bakeries, chocolate shops, flowers and luxury car dealerships… This makes for a guaranteed mix of people, and the young single Saudi boys know it. They cruise the streets up and down in their supped-up,tricked out vehicles, parading like peacocks, ruffling their feathers, in their case, revving their engines, until they are noticed by the ladies around.

I’ve even heard of, but never witnessed, the young men writing their phone numbers on pieces of paper and throwing them at passing cars occupied by ladies. What I have seen though is a carload of young men, with their windows all rolled down, shouting across traffic at the ladies seated in the car stopped next to them at a traffic light, follwing the car from light to light,     hoping to catch their attention, their looks and the most treasured phone number or BlackBerry Messenger code. I’ve even seen muscle cars with a huge sticker listing that driver’s BBM code for all to see and hopefully for some to use…

So, here in the Kingdom, “love” may emerge from a speed dating  meeting…on the roads or stuck in traffic….although, and don’t forget this, dating is not allowed here!