Residents in the Saudi capital are looking forward to the Eid holidays. Some are traveling, while others are staying behind.

“The Eid holidays enable my family and I to go to Madinah for our annual visit there. Aside from being reunited with my parents, we also call on our relatives,” said Abu Ali, a Saudi who works for a local company.

He added that they also visit parks and other recreational facilities that have been constructed in the wake of efforts to modernize the city.

“The developments in the city bring to mind the good old days when the city had a laid back atmosphere and the forests were alive with the sound of birds,” he said.

Many expats also plan to leave the Saudi capital. Eric Asi, a Filipino engineer working at a local firm, is planning to bring his family to the Eastern Province.

“The Eid holidays are always looked forward to. My family and I usually travel to Alkhobar for a few days, visit the parks and take the kids to the seashore,” he said.

He said that normally they stay in a hotel during their two-to-three-day stay in the region thanks to the break from work.

For Pakistani Mohammed Bakhst, driving to Dammam once a year is a welcome development for a change.

“We have lived in Riyadh for the last three decades and we are looking forward to traveling to the Eastern Region and other parts of the Kingdom for a few days,” he said.

“We either stay with relatives or rent out a flat and cook fresh fish, or sometimes, we travel from Dammam to Jubail.”

For Ravi, a Sri Lankan who works with a local bank, the Eid holidays are an opportunity for him to spend more time with his family.

“Traveling to the Eastern Province and other parts of the Kingdom with my family is something else. Being together and enjoying each other’s company makes me feel immense happiness,” he said.