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Post by ivan_parra059 on Oct 31, 2013 14:37:01 GMT
o fellow ex-pats,
My wife and I are awaiting for our visas and have been told there is a strong possibility we are going to Rakah. We were a little shocked about Rakah, as we are going to the KSA without our children (they are grown-ups) and all of our good friends are in DHR. However, we are willing to make the most of this experience. I have followed with great interest many of the posts. I do have specific questions about certain services and would be appreciative of any feedback and/or guidance:
I have read that there are sometimes issues with taxis out of Rakah...is this truth or fiction? If true, what is the actual impact on everyday life for Rakah residents?
I have also read that the bus schedule is more restrictive than in DHR...truth or fiction?
What about the ability to access internet services such as Netflix, Hulu+, CBS.com, etc.? Is a good VPN enough for that? Is it possible to access U.S. live TV via the internet? Any feedback would be appreciated.
What about cell phones? Has anyone gotten their U.S. AT&T iPhones unblocked? I was told there was a way to do that, and would be truly grateful if anyone has done it successfully and can share about it.
Thanks in advance for the input on these.
Regards,
Ivan & Maria
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Post by vpainter on Nov 2, 2013 5:17:56 GMT
There is not a taxi for every resident just like there is not in all the other compounds. Some days you can get a taxi, other days one is not available.
Buses run to DHA on a regular schedule. You can always go there and get a shopping bus if one is not available in Rakkah. Bus info will be in your house on arrival.
You will need a VPN to access HULU, U.S. TV, etc. Rakkah has excellent DSL for all those things. Works just fine.
I have had two AT&T phones from the U.S. unlocked. Contact AT&T and tell them you will be living overseas, they will give you an unlock code so you can use your phone with a SIM card from KSA. The first time, the lady thought I was just traveling and they refused to unlock the phone, but I re explained I would be living there, not just traveling, they gave me the code to unlock it. No problem at all the second time.
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Post by ivan_parra059 on Nov 2, 2013 11:22:12 GMT
Thanks for the feedback. It is truly appreciated. I am glad that we have the opportunity to hear from people who actually live there.
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revive
Senior Member
Posts: 180
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Post by revive on Nov 3, 2013 5:32:53 GMT
Life here is a lot simpler without kids. You actually have much less to worry about than people like myself who has 3 young kids. I know a few couples in Rakkah who are also without kids. They are content with the existing taxi & bus services; in fact none of them expects to buy a car in the foreseeable future.
Taxi is reliable (comes on-time) perhaps 70% of the time. Sometime they come 15-30 min late about 30% of the time. A no-show is very rare. Rakkah taxi availability is actually MUCH better than Dhahran, where taxi is such in a high demand that it has become very difficult to book a taxi in Dhahran.
I use VPN, Netflix and Youtube all the time without any problem.
We unlocked our Verizon-issued iPhones and got a new SIM card from STC.
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Post by ivan_parra059 on Nov 4, 2013 22:25:36 GMT
Good feedback. Another question I forgot to ask: how late do taxis work? If we are socializing in DHR is there a time limit we should be keeping in mind? Again, any feedback would be welcome.
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Post by GroveWanderer on Nov 6, 2013 6:12:51 GMT
In my experience, here (as in other countries) taxis operate 24 hours a day. There will obviously be fewer of them in the "wee hours" of the morning but I have caught (and booked) taxis at various times of the day and night.
Whether you can get a taxi when you want one is another question, but there is not a specific time when they don't run.
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Post by ivan_parra059 on Nov 7, 2013 16:03:40 GMT
Once again I'd like to express our graude to all of those who take their time to answer our questions and concerns. It sure helps to ease the natural apprehension.
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Post by timhortons on Nov 28, 2013 4:49:03 GMT
o Everyone
Just expanding on the questions - are there any buses from Rakah to Al-Khobar on regular basis? Kindly advise.
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Post by vpainter on Nov 29, 2013 8:47:00 GMT
Yes, regular buses run, times may not be posted on the forum.
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Post by aerternum8 on Dec 15, 2013 6:30:04 GMT
A few questions.
I have an unlocked iPhone 4. I'd like to be able to use it as soon as I get off the plane. First, is it even possible to get a KSA number with a sim given to me by AT&T in the US? Second, does airtime I buy in the US translate to minutes in KSA? Third, are plans bought in the US the same or different then ones purchased in Kingdom and how different?
FYI: I have yet to get my iPhone 5 unlocked because I am still using it in the US. At&T said they will not unlock phones until all fees are paid - including the early termination fee - EVEN if I'm moving overseas (not visiting) so I did. The situation is probably only different if you are a member of US Armed Forces.
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Post by vpainter on Dec 16, 2013 6:36:24 GMT
If you have international calling plan, you can make calls using your plan from the US. But the calls are not cheap, if you make a lot of calls.
You can buy a SIM card once in KSA and use your unlocked phone. You can purchase a calling plan from one of the phone companies in KSA who have offices in the Aramco camps. Mobily or STC, check with your neighbors which company works best in your area. Some people like one and some like the other.
Or you can do a prepaid plan where you buy minutes and put them on the phone.
Just depends on what you want.
The plans are similar to the plans you get in the states. You sign up for a plan with the minutes you want per month, pay monthly at the bank on camp. You can text and depending on the plan, can make calls while traveling.
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Post by aerternum8 on Dec 19, 2013 13:55:22 GMT
Vpainter,thanks for the information!
BTW, is making those calls in Bahrain while using a Saudi phone considered "international" calls? If people travel to Bahrain and need to contact friends in kingdom, do they have some serious roaming charges? Same with Kuwait, Qatar, and UAE?
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Post by vpainter on Dec 23, 2013 21:04:02 GMT
Yes, those are international calls.
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Post by BlueSkies on Jan 4, 2014 17:13:05 GMT
Here is a link for reviews of popular VPNs. If you buy the annual package, it can be less than $5/mo. vpnreviewer.com/best-vpnProXPN.com isn't on the list, but it would be one to consider as well. |
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Post by FerdLB on Mar 27, 2014 10:32:52 GMT
How do you connect to internet mate? Internet here really sucks because a lot of sites are restricted and I have to use a VPN in order to view them. I've been using sunvpn.com/ for a while now to access those restricted and I'm happy with it. |
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