Riyadh is the capital of Saudi Arabia with a population of around 8 million people. It is a 4 hour drive West of where I am staying. In talking with people before the trip, I heard over and over how boring the drive is. Flat straight road. Nothing, but sand for 4 hours. There are no towns along the way. Only a few gas stations. The only highlight is when the sand changes color from yellow to an orangish red. It felt like Mars. If I changed my last name to Damon and ate potatoes fertilized with human feces, I would be a Martian.
After arriving in Riyadh, we had dinner at the Globe. It is a restaurant inside a globe at the top of a skyscraper.
This is a holiday weekend in Saudi Arabia. The holiday is Saudi National day. The country is 90 years old. All the buildings were lit up green for the holiday. This was the view from the restaurant.
Matthew of Arabia 