Localizer Mall

Localizer mall in the capital of Kingdom is a hub of elite lifestyle. If you are in look out for expensive T-shirts, extravagant outfits, posh vehicles, diamonds etc. you are in the right mall here. Attributing to our third world lifestyle, we had never ventured the mall till previous night.

We were in the move of exploring the food courts of Riyadh and ended up parking our car in the spacious parking lot of Localizer mall. It was around 10p.m on a Monday night and the mall was comparatively deserted. For the first 15 minutes of our exploration in the mall, we couldn’t see any woman at all. Young men roamed around in groups. I started to get a weird feeling owing to my uncovered head and Indian looks.

We had not planned to purchase anything from the mall and after the initial wandering, headed straight to the food court. There were stalls for European, Arabian, Chinese and Italian dishes. Interestingly, only the Italian stall named Pastalitia had customers in front of it. We went there and soon found the reason behind the crowd. 

As we approached the stall, delicious smell of pastas wafted the air. After a quick look at the menu, we finalized for Chicken and shrimp pastas. The man at the food stall took the order and arranged the ingredients into the pan according to our taste preferences.  Soon our pan was in the queue to the kitchen fire along others' pans. 

Chicken & Shrimp Pasta

The wait to receive our pasta was quite a test with the tempting smell floating around. The cook was managing two pans together and ours was the sixth in the queue. After fifteen minutes of waiting, we soon had our tray accompanied by salads, garlic breads and colas. We went into the family eat out section adorned in the model of a green house. The pasta tasted so delicious and we decided that if for nothing else, we have to visit this place again for this unique taste.

Shreya in front of new car model

As we got out after the dinner, the crowd at the Mercedes Benz showroom attracted us. It was the launch of a new car model and people were marvelling the vehicle. The car was in limelight! Even Saudi women in pardas were edging to take the snapshot of the new vehicle. We also joined the crowd. Though I am almost illiterate about automobiles, I couldn’t resist gawking at the style of the new vehicle. Also, the mini models of the cars displayed in the counter were worth to watch for once.

As we came out of the Benz showroom, a pre-adolescent Saudi Prince passed us. The slim teenager with the baby face and two body guards of the same age was easily distinguishable with his Bisht¹ over the thawb². I resisted the temptation to photograph him in fear of the Saudi law³ that ban public photography.

We came out of the mall with a filled stomach and fulfilled mind. There are much more that we have to do in Saudi Arabia.

1.       Bisht: It’s a cloak for royal men worn on special occasions for prestige.

2.       Thawb: Literally the word means ‘garment. It’s a white robe with long sleeves worn by ritualistic Saudi men.

3.     Saudi law on Photography:  Public photography is not permitted in Saudi Arabia. It is concerned about the security of the place, local sensitivities and women’s privacy.