Abqaiq Diary

someone recently mentioned about the existance of a nursery for three years olds - but thats private and not admin by Aramco so you will have to pay a monthly fees. I'm sorry but I dont have much info about that.
Regarding gardens, all the houses here in Abqaiq where I have been to have good sized green gardens. You can have your first gardener visit for free - you can ask him for whatever you want in ur garden) and then you will need to hire a gardener (or do it urself) to maintain it. We have been trying to grow some flowers but due to heat, they grow up each morning and get vanished in the evening. We have a gardener who comes every day (6 days a week) to water and maintain the grass. He said we may be able to get some flowers in the winter season.
There is plenty of space for bar-b-q.. just waiting for the right weather for it!

Abqaiq School does have a 1/2 day program for 3 year olds.

Thanks for your input guys. I have been busy at work and home these days, will post some new topics sharing my experience in Abqaiq soon.

Nadish. I will be happy to share some personal pics we have taken for our house and in and around camp, however I'm not sure if I'm allowed to share these pics as I'm not sure at which stage of process you are at and whether you will be coming here or not. All I can say is that the houses here are very spacious and nicely done. You will find the floorplans if you do search on this forum and some internal pics/ videos of houses on 'Saudiscenes' - please google it.

If you need any other info plz feel free to ask.

Hi Abq_Expat
Long time no see on this topic.... I have been looking every day for an update on your crispy story in Saudi.
Please do remember us in sharing your stories, move to Bahrein, etc..... that will help all the community to get better idea.
thanks again and have a nice day

hi guys.. sorry for a long break! we took our first holiday and have recently arrived back. Here are some updates to Abqaiq Camp!

Well Abqaiq seems to be getting full. The other day the Housing guy mentioned to be that Abqaiq camp has never been so full and some of the new arrivals are being placed in Guest House until accomodation is finalized for them. You can actually tell this from going out as you can spot people, and a lot of time new people in play areas, commissary and dining hall etc. When we arrived it used to be very quiet and empty.

Due to increase in the number of people they now run three buses for morning commute to Dhahran and back. All three buses get 70 to 80% full. Someone mentioned to me that only a year a go there was only one bus and that also used to go half empty.

The weather has started to improve as well and you can feel the cool breeze in the morning as well as in the evening. The afternoons have also become bearable. On the flip side, the day has become shorter so by the time you get back from Dhahran to Abqaiq, it is dark already.

As the weather is improving you can see a lot of activities being advertised including cricket, tennis, football tournaments and day out activities such as raft racing. I havent had a chance to join any of them but would love to do that in future.

The commissary is being contracted out to a different company next week so we are very excited about it as the previous contractor didnt really updated the stock on timely basis. They have also opened a new coffee house and a donut place inside the Mall.


The car buying experience for us was simpler than we thought. Getting a car loan is very easy from NCB inside the Dhahran camp. (you have to complete three months before you can apply for it) - Everyone speaks and understands english so they will guide you through the loan process. Also, beware that the car loan is more expensive than the cash loan so easier thing is to get the cash loan and then buy the car in cash. If you buy a new car from a dealer than the discount you get for buying the car in cash will most probably cover the cost of loan (interest).

There are plenty of car dealers and second-hand showrooms around the Dammam area. I chose the Toyota dealer (AbdulLatif Jameel - check their website for prices and models) in Dammam as it is very close to Dhahran camp. (opposite Dhahran mall, only 10 minutes drive from the camp). The staff there is friendly and they all speak english. They will guide you through the process of buying the car and getting insurance. As someone mentioned on this forum previously, unlike in the western countries, dont expect a sales person to welcome you inside their office and make you feel comfortable. When you go to their office just grab anyone who looks their employee and tell them that you want to buy a car and that person will guide you to the right area.

There are plenty of second hand car adverts on the Aramco classifieds, however looking at the way people use their cars here, I was a bit reluctant so decided to go for a brand new one. If you decide to go for a second hand then there are plenty of mechanics around who will do 40 points (or more) checks for you.

More updates soon. Please feel free to ask if any specific questions.

You can actually get a cash (or car) loan from Riyad Bank here in Abqaiq, and you can get the loan as soon as you deposit one month's pay into your account. Of course, you have to have your iqama and Saudi license to buy the car, but you can buy much earlier than 3 months this way.

anasfaruqui1,

The classifieds cannot be seen until you have your Aramco Internet access.