Sharm-el-Sheikh

View to Tiran Island from the hotel

For the past week I've been in Sharm-el-Sheikh.  It was my first visit and it's a lovely place.  The Red Sea is beautiful whether you look at it from the shore or dive into it off the jetties that jut out in front of the many seaside resorts or from one of the boating operations that will take you on snorkeling or scuba trips.  You can almost forget that there are issues in Egypt while swanning around this place.

My invitation to Sharm was from a Saudi women whose husband was not happy that she would be travelling to Egypt because, one, Egypt is dangerous, and two, she'd be travelling alone.  I was her compromise - the role model companion who would keep her out of trouble.  Uh huh!

We landed on a blue sky beautiful day and within half an hour were at our hotel.  Everything was ticking along nicely and then I got a lesson in why Saudi people are not particularly loved in other Gulf countries as tourists.  It took us nine hours, yes nine hours, to find a room in a hotel my companion was happy with.  Nine!  We traipsed from room to room in two hotels, (she checked us out of the first one while I was out trying to find an internet connection) each one dismissed for various reasons - too dirty, too old, no view, too much view, too far apart from each other, only one bathroom for two people, too smelly, too small...and on it went.  By 10p.m. I was exhausted.  She told me she and her sister do this every time they go on holiday.  They basically kick up a stink and make demands until they get the best possible deal they can.  I tell ya, though I wasn't really that impressed with the carry on, the room I got in the end was fab!

Beach Cabana's in front of the hotel

She was actually going to Sharm for a tourism workshop and we decided there would be no harm in me just tagging along because the topic was internet marketing strategies which sounded kind of interesting to me.  She pulled the plug on the workshop within an hour of our arrival to the conference center because the bloke in charge insulted her (I have no idea what he said because I can't keep up with heated Arabic debates), so she decided to focus on the second reason for the trip - networking with tour operators and hotels.  So, we met a few marketing peeps, and spoke with a load of operating types about how they could cater to our target market.  Plus we went out on few trips to assess their professionalism and so we could provide hands-on feedback to future clients.  It turns out the tour operators in Sharm have quite smooth operations.  We were both surprised.

I had no idea Sharm-el-Sheikh was such a touristy spot, nor how many resorts are stretched along it's coastline.  There's a whole bunch of water based activities you can do from snorkeling to kite surfing, there are bars and nightclubs and loads of spas if you fancy some body pampering.  And of course you can sunbathe to your hearts content in your skimpiest bikini (and nope, I don't have one of those).

Beads at the Old Market

From my observations there are a few distinct areas for hanging out .   Naama Bay is the happening hotspot where you can sit out on the street in an open sheesha cafe of an evening and enjoy the vibe.   Hadaba is a quiet spot for enjoying the sunset from a cliff top seat.  The Old Market has that small vendor bargaining ambiance that you expect from an Egyptian market and it also has some tasty places to eat, while Soho Square is your upmarket shopping and entertainment area.  Nabq is a little further up the coast and struck me as the place for rich peeps to hang out.  Given we were only there for 10 minutes, this impression may have been completely wrong.

Snorkelers out near Tiran

And then of course you have the ocean.  Ras Mohammad which has been designated a national park marine reserve is a great draw card for divers and snorkelers.  We went out on two boat trips while in Sharm.  The VIP Ras Mohammad and the VIP Tiran.  We had to see what each had to offer, didn't we and, naturally, Saudi women would only want VIP treatment.  Both were well run.  My friend preferred the boat trip to Ras Mohammad because it's slightly closer to reach.  Personally, I preferred Tiran because more of the coral is alive, hence there is more fish, and not only is the water deeper but it's a beautiful color.  It's also the trip where we saw a load of dolphins.

I asked if there were any culture and history tours in Sharm.  For the culture we were directed to Alf Leila Wa Leil or 1001 Nights Arabian Show and Dinner.  The place is huge and has with a beautiful water featured entrance walk.  Through the doors is an inner courtyard with souvenir shops and seating around a central stage for one of the night shows.  Our dinner was in the Moroccan restaurant and included belly dancing and a snake charmer show.  Further on from here is the amphitheater with huge replica's of Egyptian monuments used a backdrop for the sound and light show and an arena for the horse show.  The only draw back is the shows run from 10p.m. - 1a.m., so if you are usually an early sleeper, get in a sly afternoon nap so you can stay awake for the night.

Memorial to Flight 604

In terms of history tours, I was informed there is no history in Sharm.
Righty ho then.
Someone ought to Google on Wikipedia!
The only tour of any historical context is to Saint Katrine.  We didn't do this tour but it sounds interesting given it's in the mountains and the information regarding the Monastery dates back to Roman times and, of course, it sits at the base of Mt Sinai.  The only local history information I received was when our taxi driver stopped beside the memorial to the passengers lost on Flight 604, and when he pointed out the now empty buildings on a hill top that the Israeli's occupied during one of their takeovers of the country.  All other conversations on the history and development of Sharm-El-Sheik were peppered with the word 'corruption'.

New mosque in the Old Town seen from the water.

Perhaps I've been in Saudi too long, but I thought Sharm gave the impression of snubbing its nose at the rest of Egypt.  Although tourism numbers are down slightly, (50% according to the hotel we stayed at), due to Egypts issues, numerous Western and European tourists roam the streets in their shorty shorts and sexy tops that barely hide the bikini's beneath.  If it weren't for the many police check-points along the roads, you wouldn't think you were in an Arab country where the majority of the people are Muslim.  I managed to console myself on the issue (it didn't take long) by deciding a couple of things - the Egyptian economy needs tourism right now, and Sharm has obviously been developed to cater to the needs of one of the country's minority religous groups.

I have to say, Sharm appealed to me more than Bahrain or Dubai do.  Perhaps it's because the ocean is so near, perhaps it's because the local people we came across are so pleasant and professional, or maybe it's the normal-ness of the place.  Whatever the reason, I liked Sharm-El-Sheikh.  I liked it a lot.


Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Grandchildren and Travel

Goodness me, it's been a while since I wrote a post.  I've been somewhat pre-occupied over the last few months with things that have kept me from my keyboard.  Some voluntary work, some child minding and some traveling.  All with a dash of procrastination thrown in because, if I'm being honest, at the end of the day when the decision was made post or do something else, something else won out!

Last year I volunteered to help out at Haya Tour with a few things around the office and soon found myself with a full time voluntary occupation.  The perks were great, (free trips), and I was quite enjoying being useful.   There have been times in the last five years living in Saudi Arabia, when I haven't felt particularly useful or contributory.  Sure I can swan around to coffee mornings and travel to places far from home that, for most of us, are just a dream, but feeling useful is just so much more rewarding, don't you think?  And though Hubster says that having me around is much nicer for him than his being here alone, I have to say, being here as a non-working expat woman with no kids to run around after and no real purpose for existing, other than to welcome Hubster home at the end of the day, present him with dinner and then practice ignoring him all evening so he can do more work on the computer, is a sucky kind of existence!  So, when I found myself fully occupied and useful I was pretty chuffed for a while there.

Then my grandchildren came to stay.
For three months!
So I was pleasantly busy, though I'd forgotten how time consuming and energetic young children can be.

We took them to Budapest for Christmas hoping to frolic in the snow.  Unfortunately that part of Europe was having an unseasonably snow free winter even though it was still frikken cold.  I think it snowed, very lightly, only twice the whole two weeks we were there.  But that was enough for their first introduction to the white fluffy stuff, and their reaction was priceless.  We'd been out to dinner with some friends and the kids were tired so I was taking them home.  A very light dusting of snow was on the cars outside the restaurant and the lightest flakes were falling.  They ran in to Hubster shouting excitedly, to the amusement of other diners, to announce' It's snowing!'  Of course the table of adults had to come out to see.  A child's excitement is cute and infectious.  So late that night the kids were in the park, playing in a smattering of snow and having a blast.

Then we bought them to Saudi.
I had ideas in my head of the great and marvelous things we would do while they were here.  However the Hip Hop must have hooked it as I got no reply to email requests, the music center wasn't answering their phone, (I had visions of guitar lessons as Hubster had bought the grandson a guitar.  In the end we had to rely on the internet for tuition), and the activity center over at the Localizer has closed up shop.  Although there are loads of fun parks in the shopping centers that the kids would have been more than happy to visit every day, I was more interested in finding physical activities.  After all, these two are very active outdoorsy Mozzies.   Fortunately we found tennis coaching once a week, Karate twice a week and the pool, once it was refilled, was a daily activity.

Cafe Ceramique was recommended as an art outlet to satisfy their creative side.  And we visited Azzizi Mall one day for the soap and chair making upstairs.  Plus on our walks around town we would collect up different bits and pieces and get artistic with glue and paints from Jariir Bookstore where we also spent a bit of time each week choosing new books to read.  Both kids love books.

Other days were filled with visiting friends and joining the ladies on coffee mornings.  They met loads of people and got totally spoiled.  On weekends we would head out into the desert for  picnicking, camping and searching for bones - the grandson was becoming quite an archaeologist.  They both loved camping in their tents given as gifts from Madam Louise and the granddaughter became quite adept at roasting marshmallows over the fire.

The granddaughter also formed some very definite ideas about Saudi Arabia quite early on in her visit and I take some of the blame for that.  Cursing under my breath at the driver who guaranteed he was ten minutes away from picking us up outside a bookshop that had closed for prayer, but decided instead to be an extra half an hour late didn't really give her a great first impression.  "Why don't you just drive us Nana?", was one of the questions she asked as I grumbled away.  No matter how nicely you say it, explaining to a switched on seven year old the peculiarities of Saudi male thinking when it comes to the women related issues of driving, abaya wearing and segregation makes them sound a bit like dicks.

In the second half of their visit I had to spend a bit of time pointing out the good things about the country, but I have to say, you local blokes just didn't cut the mustard for my granddaughter and she doubts she will be back here again until you can open your eyes and get your act together.  Our grandson, being five and cruisey, was pretty much just cruisin' the whole time.

Whanau on a birthday cruise: photo credit Rehua's GoPro

After three months the grandchildren had to be returned to Australia.  The timing coincided with a visit to Melbourne, where Hubster was doing some study, and a trip home to NZ (because if I'm down that way it seems silly not to go the extra two and bit thousand miles) before we set off on a Pacific Dawn cruise.  Our nephew turned 21 and, as he likes boats, his family decided the best way to celebrate his coming of age, would be on a cruise ship.  So 22 members of the family cruised their way up the Aussie coast for a week and we had quite a good time while we were at it.  Unfortunately WiFi isn't that great out at sea, so no work was done by anybody.  Fabulous.

After that Hubster and I went to the Gold Coast to get our land lubber legs back, to catch up with some of his family and to meet the rest of our brood (they didn't go on the cruise).  It was a fabulously relaxing time and a perfect end to our tiki touring ways before heading back to Saudi.

And here we are.
Back in the frey.
A few things have changed.
The Yemeni scene is looking a bit shaky.
I guess we'll all be keeping on eye on that.



Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Post Holiday Post.

I'm back in the Kingdom and, for those of you the least bit interested, this is my "What I've Been Up To On Holiday" post.  Before getting into that, I have to say it's quite nice to be back.  Travelling the globe is awesome and I would encourage anyone thinking of seeing the world to do so, but it's also nice to have your feet back on home ground  - for recuperative purposes, of course,  before heading out again.

So, where did I go and what did I do?

First I flew off to Townsville in Australia.  My daughter has moved to the Big Smoke of Bris Vegas for work, but her hubby and kids were still in T'ville so I went there first to help finalize moving house and to keep an eye on the grandkids who started their school holidays the day I arrived.

It was lovely to be back in Oz (I don't admit that to too many Australians!).  And while out walking the dog one evening I came across Townsville's very own Christmas Lights strip down Greenwood Drive.  It was so nice seeing streets of houses done up in their twinkling, sparkling, sometimes singing, best.  It's been a while since I went looking at Christmas lights and I'd almost forgotten how magical rows of houses elaborately decorated in their Christmas finery can be.


Before leaving Townsville I had time to help daughter number two kick start a minor home renovation project by pulling up bathroom tiles.  Whoever thought I had come to T'ville for a holiday had certainly got the wrong end of the stick!

Then it was time for the grandchildren and I to head to Budapest.  We flew via Dubai and picked up Hubster on the way.  I have to say, for youngsters they are very good travelers.  It helped we had a night flight so after a dinner, a movie and a game or two on the LeapPad, they tucked themselves into their seats and slept a good part of the way.

Budapest wasn't as cold as we thought (well, not for the first three days).  We were hoping for a white Christmas but unfortunately this part of Europe was having an unseasonably warm winter, so snow was scarce on the ground in Budapest in December.  Although the temperature did eventually fall below zero, it only snowed a couple of times, just enough for the kids to see snow falling and have a little play around in it.



The lack of snowfall didn't detract from our holiday though.  We had a couple of friends living in Budapest, so we got to have Christmas Day dinner and New Years Eve celebrtations at their home so the Christmas and New Year season still felt like a special family affair.  We also had a great time visiting hot baths, zoos and model towns, walking the hills, riding the trams and metro, searching for outdoor skating rinks to get in a spot of ice skating and sussing out all the kids parks.  In fact, the kids had the best time because of all the parks.



One day we took a day train trip to Vienna because it's only a couple of hours away and because Vienna has all sorts of kid friendly stuff to do.  Dressing up in the kids museum at the Schonbrunn Palace was a real hit, as was visiting the Imperial Zoo.

It is fantastic seeing things through the eyes of young children.  They are so excited and/or honest about every new experience and having them around reminds me on one hand how jaded we adults can get, but on the other how wonderful life is.

After 15 days of sending photos and video reports home to anxious parents it was time to leave Budapest and head to Saudi Arabia.  So now my grandchildren are with us here in Riyadh, (and the parents are even more anxious!)  Our grandson has asked if we are still on holiday or if this is our real house now.  And we are on a 'What Is There To Do With Kids In Saudi' learning curve!  I had a few ideas in mind before they came but am fast finding that most things I thought were available currently aren't.  Although there are a number of fun parks about that the kids would no doubt be quite happy being let loose in, I'm more interested in structured activities, like art, music, sport and dance.  Such activities for youngsters seem to be few and far between.  I'm confident there are suitable activities for the kids out there, it's just that knowledge of them is typically buried in 'Inner Circle' email lists.  If any of you has any suggestions at all about activities for two under 9 year old's here in Riyadh, they will be gratefully accepted.



Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Mastodon Bones In Saudi Arabia.

I was talking to a friend the other night about our Mastadon Cave Camping Excursion and it occurred to me that, although we went a year ago (on the last Saudi National Day weekend to be exact), I hadn't published the experience on my blog.  It has been buried among the  innumerable drafts currently clogging my draft box for the past year.  (Yes folks, there is a lot to talk about while living in Saudi!)   So here it is...Mastadon Bones In Saudi Arabia!

Mastodons?  What are Mastodons?
They're prehistoric elephants aren't they?
Aren't they similar to mammoths?
Yeah, something like that...

So went the conversation out by the pool the day we announced we were spending our Saudi National Day weekend searching for a cave supposedly full of mastodon bones.  I was worried our friends' responses to our long weekend holiday plans might put Hubster off the whole idea.  It had taken a long while to talk him into this little caper in the first place, (a good two to three years or so).

'Who told you about this?' he said whenever I brought the topic up (which made me think he never listened in the first place!)
'I heard about it at a coffee morning', I replied (again).
'So, where is this cave? he asked.
'I'm not completely sure', I replied.  'As usual information on the internet is kind of sparse, but it's about a six hour drive somewhere up near the Kuwait border.
'We're in for another one of your random trips are we?', he grumbled.
'You love them', I perked.
He sighed.

And so, three years after first finding out about a cave full of mastodon bones, we hired the trusty GMC Yukon and, with the topper to our bed stuffed in back along with a few other bits and bobs, and directions scribbled out onto paper, we hit the road last Saudi National Day weekend.

We would have hit the road three or four hours earlier in the day but Hubster has this penchant for not listening to much that I say (have I mentioned that already?), so was meandering around the compound (lord only knows what for), while I waited patiently for him to get himself together and out to the vehicle.  About three or so hours after our departure, when I asked why he was driving so slow along the highway, almost like he was out on a Sunday drive, he queried how much further we had to go and discovered we were only half way.  He wasn't impressed.
'Why did we leave so late if we have so far to go,' he said.
'I don't know', I replied.  'You were the one farting around'.
'If I'd known it was so far I'd have left sooner.'
'Well, I've been telling you all week it's about a 6 hour drive.  Perhaps you should spend more time paying attention to things I say.'

Then he said, 'At least you've got directions this time'.
'I have directions to the turn-off.' 
'What turn off?' he said.
'The one into the desert where we have to go to find the caves.'
'So how far is the cave from the turn off,' he asked and for some reason was hoha (Maori word for annoyed) when I said, 'I don't know'.
'But you have directions', he said
I bristled.   Then repeated in a very abbreviated form, (because he was starting to annoy me), the directions as I knew them - 'We drive to turn off point.  We turn into the desert and drive west looking for mountains.  I don't know how far into the desert we have to go because Google Maps doesn't navigate through desert.  Google Maps barely navigates to our turn off point!  Obviously you have chosen to ignore anything I've said about getting to these caves this weekend, so don't go getting shitty with me now!
And there began an argument to kick start our weekend.
Don't you love marital bliss!

With the late afternoon quickly passing by, the sun threatening to set as rapidly as it does in Saudi Arabia, and an uncomfortable silence descended on our vehicle because I refused to accept any Olive Branch approaches from He Who Can Be Very Annoying, we came upon a roadside settlement with a gas station in its midst and a hotel nearby.  Just past this, according to my info, was the desert turn off.  Certainly there were tracks that disappeared over the darkening horizon in the general direction of west, but which was the one we wanted given, as per usual, there were tracks all over the darned place into the desert.

Hubster looked at me for guidance.
I shrugged my shoulders.
He said it will be dark soon.
I said do you fancy staying at that hotel.
We turned off into the desert.

Driving into the darkening sunset in the desert along a track that disappears under swathes of sand at regular intervals is not actually a bright idea.  Each time the track got cut off by piles of sand we would look at each other, then I would hold on and he'd hit the pedal and we'd both hold our breath until terra firma was firm again.  We had been, we noted, heading slightly uphill for about thirty minutes before the track flattened out and we decided to pull over and have dinner.  There's nothing like a spot of campfire cooked food to help you decide what to do next, and we decided to stay put.

Dinner was scrummy
The billy boiled tea was hot and comforting.
After dinner we rolled out the topper and climbed in the back of the Yukon.
Ahh, the peace.  The quiet
The bright moon high in a blue black desert sky.
The traffic.

Say what?
Yep.  Traffic.
We discovered the next day that a number of Bedu camps were out along this track and, as it was the weekend, city folks were visiting their camel caring relatives.  Sometime past midnight, on their drive back to civilization, each car (yes all of them) would stop by our camp site to make sure we were OK.

It's great to know that Saudi's are concerned about people out in the desert.  It really is.  We even commented to each other how comforting it is to know that we weren't alone beneath this northern Saudi sky and we appreciated that, should we have required help, it was constantly passing by.  However, as we weren't in need of assistance at that point, we decided to drive our vehicle a little further away from the track so we could get some sleep because we're old and western and still haven't got the hang of really late Saudi activity.

Our Campsite...spectacular isn't it!

The next morning I was up bright and early to the sound of grunting camels at the nearest bedu camp site, and Hubster snoring.  Time to go for a look around before rekindling the fire and getting on some breakfast. Don't you just love a campfire breakfast and hot coffee.  (A spot of bacon would have made the whole event just perfect!)

After assessing our surroundings and checking if my phone could get reception (nope), we decided to drive further along the track in the direction of more mountain-ish looking terrain.  And wouldn't you know it, there, lying face down in the sand on one side of the track, was a fallen down sign.  It actually reminded me of an abandoned OK Coral sign.  We had no idea what the sign said, we couldn't see the writing, but presumed a cave full of mastodon bones must be worth having a sign for way out in the middle of nowhere...so we turned off and drove over the sign.



I don't know exactly how we found the cave.
We drove around the base of the desert hills, in and out of little nooks and cranny's.  We'd get out and walk and explore.  We'd climb to the top of the hills to get a better view and then slip slide our way back down.  Then, as we were driving and scanning the area, a picture came into view.  The picture.  The picture I'd seen on the internet.

'I think that's it', I said.
'Really'
'Yep.  I'm sure that's it, I said'
So out we got, and sure enough we had arrived!

The cave is more of an overhang, and it's not a large one either.  However, the roof is chock full of bones - or calcified left overs anyway.  It was pretty cool.  Signs of previous human visits were scrawled across the back wall of the cave.  I tried to find the huge tusk shape I'd read about, but came to the conclusion that previous humans had taken it!

The bones are obviously part of a shelf and I'm fairly certain that if someone wanted to do some extra digging, they would find a few more bones in that area.  Whether or not they are truly mastodon bones is a matter for discussion, but its a romantic notion that I don't mind indulging.

We sat there imagining a land full of mastodons and mammoths and wondered what had become of them all.  I took a few photos and then we drove around seeing what else there was to see in the area. There isn't much, although some of the landscape can fool your eyes into thinking you're looking at part of a giant fossilized mastodon leg or a mastodon head.  We did conclude how easy it would be to get stuck out here in this desert - meaning we probably shouldn't have come alone.  And how important it was to have bought plenty of water - meaning we'll definitely remember that for next time!

As we had succeeded in finding the Mastodon Cave, Hubster decided we might has well head out of the desert and find a nice spot for lunch.  I suggested 'How about the beach?  The coast is only 30 or so km's away from the turn off.'  So we headed toward the coast.

We never made it to the beach.
The entire north eastern coast of Saudi is under Aramco control.  Those lovely water spots shown on Google Maps can not be reached by random expat tourists who have no idea how to say to Aramco security guards with limited English to match our equally limited Arabic 'We just want to visit the beach and dip our toes in the water and maybe cook up a spot of lunch.'   One guy actually asked us where we were from and when we said Riyadh he said, 'Go back to Riyadh!'

Apparently if we had driven further north to Khafji we would have made it to the beach, but communication issues meant that, after contemplating our options,  Hubster decided it was probably best to head for home.   It was on way home, when we decided to pull off the highway to toilet behind some dunes, that we discovered one should not drive off the road onto questionable topography in the middle of a hot Saudi day.

The Saudi man who stopped to tow us out informed us that the sand is softer when hot and turns into a trap.  Hubster, who was feeling a bit silly for getting stuck just off the highway, was trying to act like he knew how to remedy the situation.  Our rescuer very nicely said, 'This is my country, I know what I'm doing.  Let me do it'.  Hubster shut up and soon we were out of the sand and back on the road.  Mr Rescuer, while rescuing us, told us he and the family were just returning from the beach at Khafji.  He also told us that in the past month three people had perished in the desert.  We both shut up.

After stopping at the nearest gas station to properly inflate our deflated tyres, and waving to our rescuer and his car load of kids who went flying past, I suggested that perhaps we could spend a night in one of the towns we had passed through on our way to the cave, with their interesting sculptures and streets all decked out in green and white and flags, to experience a rural celebration of Saudi National Day.  But Hubster had had enough adventure for one weekend, (he's getting on in years now, so it's hardly surprising), and wanted to get back to his own bed.

Another sunset was almost upon us and we still had a few hours of driving ahead, but our stomachs rumbling so decided to pull up behind a collection of interesting shaped rocks a little distance off the road, (Hubster checked the ground properly before doing so), to light a fire and cook up a rather late, though delicious, lunch.  Then we lay about on our Arabic carpet and fell asleep.  We woke to another carpet of beautiful stars filling up the night sky.  It took me a moment to figure out where I was and what they were, and my gosh the sight was spectacular.  The fire had died down to smoldering ash and it was so peaceful in our little rock enclave that we decided to revive the fire and boil up a cup of tea.  We might have been on our way home, but weren't in any hurry to get there.

We did enjoy our drive to visit the Mastodon cave and hope that future visitors will be responsible and not set about wrecking or tagging in it even more than it has been already.  I'm always amazed at our stupid and brainless we humans can be with the things we discover, and it did cross my mind that perhaps the Mastodon Bones of  Saudi Arabia (if they truly are Mastodon Bones) would be better off remaining buried!

Directions to Mastodon Caves

I used to be able to add my Tiki Tour Map to the blog, but Google in their great wisdom of constant upgrades have removed that ability (or I can't find the instructions for it).  So put these co-ordinates into Google Maps and go forth to discover Mastodon Bones in Saudi Arabia.

Turn off into desert: N 27 13.695 E 48 24.974
Cave location: N 27 12.120 E 48 10.500.

Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Jeddah Minus Open Abaya

It has taken me four years but finally I made it to Jeddah!  Jeddah, the Saudi city with a reputation of being much more 'free' and 'liberal' than the rest of the country.  (Well, than Riyadh anyways.)  Jeddah, where women roam with open abaya's, where lovers stroll the corniche (married lovers, of course), where life is just so much better, apparently.

I actually don't know how true all that is.
I only went for a weekend.
As part of a tour group.
For sightseeing.

I will tell you that Bandar from Nomad Tours is an excellent tour guide.  And the corniche really is a nice place to spend some time, put your feet in the waves, smell the sea air and have your hair tousled by the sea breeze.

We were at the ocean side within an hour of landing.  It's a great place to meet and chat with Saudi families.  Well, I met and chatted with one Saudi family anyway, though to be honest they didn't look too sure about the crazy lady making a video of herself while jumping about by the seaside.  They were rather entertained when said lady ran down to the ocean shore and started throwing water about, laughing like a six year old on her first visit to the sea.  And then bugger me if that same crazy lady doesn't stop to chat with the whanau in broken, very bad Arabic while the family are trying to enjoy some of their own together time looking at the waves and eating a sandwich.


Yep, that was me, finally in Jeddah!
And I quite liked it.
Mostly, I admit, because of the sea!

On our drive to, and along, the corniche we got to look at some of the contemporary art sculptures that adorn Jeddah's roadsides.  Some of it is pretty random!  We stopped at the Open Museum of sculpted pieces which actually has some rather interesting work in it, all of it designed by foreign artists (I was a bit surprised about that).

Continuing our seaside theme we visited the Fakieh Aquarium and I almost had to be dragged out.  Though it is only small it is quite a well put together place and it wasn't till this visit that I realized how much I missed the sea.  Back home in NZ we take it for granted because it's not that far away.

After a fish lunch at a dining spot that can only be classed as a dodgy looking dinner destination, but where the three different varieties of fried whole fish dished up were rather yummy, we went for a tour of the old city.  In electric cars no less.

The cars are a perfect way to tour the Old City.  On the way we learned about, and gained appreciation for, traditional Hijaz architecture and many a photo was taken of the wooden latticework adorning the facades of every building.  There were some newly restored buildings in the area, but most looked worn and tired, while others looked on the verge of collapse, their wooden beams bowing under the weight of years of neglect.  Although it recently became listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, there is still a lot of work to do and people to convince that the area is worth all the time, money and effort required to do it up.

Bandar is quite passionate about the old city and it's restoration.  In fact, his office is in the old city.    He realizes raising interest in the district is a bit of an uphill battle - mainly I gather due to cost.  He also thinks that bringing life into the area is an important part of the restoration.  To that end he offers tours and engages locals to assist.  As part of our tour he had organised a group of youth to entertain us with demonstration of old style school learning (including discipline methods) and also games the boys used to play.


At the end of our Jeddah Old City visit the older blokes put on a traditional dance display.  One of our guys got to participate and looked completely lost, but it was fun to see the young (and not so young) men enjoying themselves and was a perfect way to end our busy day.

The next day bright and early we headed off for a traditional breakfast, a tour of a mosque (something most of the group thought they would never do here in Saudi Arabia) courtesy of the Jeddah Cultural Exchange Company, a visit to a couple of art galleries (one came complete with famous female Saudi artist in attendance having just arrived back in the country - we were very lucky), and a visit to what can only be classed as a living model museum - meaning the place is a model of the old city architecture but is actually used by school kids and various other peeps.  This was followed by a very relaxing afternoon tea at the home of a Saudi woman who is into media and theater studies - very nice lady.

The trip to Jeddah was quite a hectic one.  I'm glad I went but I have to say, I didn't see one open abaya the whole time I was there!











Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Saudi Students In Ireland

For the past two weeks I have been in Ireland as "English Speaking Adult Support" for a group of young Saudi students of mixed gender, aged between 12 and 22, who were attending English Language Summer School in Dublin.  For some of them this was their first time traveling outside of Saudi Arabia.  One young man proudly showed off his very first passport to me!

There were twelve students in total, divided into two study groups - The Big Boys and The Youngsters.  For one, the eldest, this was his third trip to Ireland for English language so he was also made 'Adult Support' for some of the activities.  He, along with the other six boys, were billeted out into home stay accommodation.  A group of siblings (a brother and two sisters) stayed with relatives who have moved to Ireland while two girls were housed at the UDC campus with the Group Leaders comprised of the Tour Leader (who oversaw everything), her 2IC (who was responsible for ensuring the Homestay experience was going smoothly) and myself.  Rounding out the group was a mother of two of the students and a lady who simply came for a holiday.

It's a hard job being group leader!

The Language Program basically involved classes for half a day and outings to places of interest for the other half, and fun evening activities.  Each weekend there was a bus tour to some other area of Ireland plus a free day where each group could organize its own activity.  Every outing had to have a Language School Leader and a Group Leader.  Because this was my first trip to Ireland, I got to be Group Leader for the week day outings - it meant I did a spot of sight seeing while keeping an eye on the kids and it also meant if they wanted anything they had to speak English because, to date, my command of the Arabic language, sadly, sucks.

All of the group have taken to 'The West' like ducks to water...well, in the first week they did.  Come the second week the thrill was dying off and the drudgery of day to day expectations was settling in, and the stress of dealing with language, food and various other cultural differences was beginning to show.   (All the boys admitted missing their Mums, even the one whose mother was on the trip!)  Week three will no doubt bring a new learning curve for those who have decided to stay for the long haul!

It has been interesting watching these youngsters adapt to, or try to adapt to, their current situation.  The boys seem to have managed better than the girls, probably because they are Home Staying so have to get themselves together.  The girls still think they are at home with mothers, maids and drivers to run round after them and are less than impressed when they're encouraged to organize themselves.

Foreign students enjoying the view at Powercourts gardens.

Having the freedom to interact with each other in gender mixed classes, playing mixed sports and attending mixed activities has, in most cases, been welcomed.  However, the girls in particular have struggled with the affectionate nature of the other nationalities who are also attending English Summer School.  The Russians, Spanish, French and Italians are a loud, fun loving and affectionate bunch of teens.  The Saudi kids were initially perplexed and stand offish from all the mixed gender good morning hugs, cheek kissing and general bantering going around.  Once they made friends with their fellow students the Saudi boys were perfectly happy with how things were panning out.  The Saudi girls, however, became particularly nasty in their verbal attacks about the questionable nature of unrelated females and males who sit next to each other on buses and have a penchant for affectionately greeting gender mixed friends every day!  The tour leader spent a great deal of time that week explaining not only cultural differences but also acceptable responses to cultural differences - and calling European girls bitches because they hug people hello and they choose to sit next to male classmates on a bus is not an acceptable response!

Group trip to Kilmainham Goal.  This is the execution yard!

The other obvious area where Saudi girls did not manage so well, was anything to do with sports or walking in general. Their "Saudi Walk"  a.k.a. 'Creeping Along The Footpath at Saudi Lady Snail Pace Because Time Has No Meaning To Them' was driving the Language School Leaders slightly crazy and many a bus was almost missed while the girls dilly dallied behind everybody else.  Eventually the older boys, who managed to read the annoyance of the Language School Leaders (not to mention the other students also attending the outings) much better than the girls did, deployed themselves to G-up the girls

The school also ran a number of mixed sporting activities on the campus over the course of the program and while the Saudi boys were keen, and happy, to participate, the Saudi girls simply did not want a bar of it.  That was sad because the other students, male and female, were using this time to mix, relax, engage and simply have some fun - and our girls wouldn't even try.   What didn't help the situation was the fact the ladies in charge of this group couldn't be bothered with the sport either.  I mentioned how good it would be if the girls were encouraged to just try the sport - that good old Kiwi 'have a go' attitude.

I clapped my hands when, one night, two of the girls turned up to spectate on a game of rounders.  (The fact they had no choice because their brother was playing and they weren't to go home without him is beside the point).  And I was over the moon when, the following day, one of the girls said she would like to do the swimming - and turned up with her burkini and towel at the pool even though some of our group had spent the morning warning her against the activity.  The fact that I said I would be swimming too made everybody much happier about the whole idea, and we had a lovely hour paddling about.

Dalkey Castle was the best museum visit of the trip.  Very interactive with actors playing various roles.

What was also obvious was the lack of confidence that Saudi students have compared to other nationalities when it comes to putting themselves in front of a crowd, performing simply for enjoyments sake and accepting that mistakes can be laughed off!  Though the group put their name down to perform at the first weeks Talent Show, they pulled out at the crucial moment their name was called, their excuse being lack of practice, though in reality their was some group raruraru (maori word for trouble) where the majority wanted to pull out because their nerve was failing them.  I guess when you come from a society where standing out from the crowd is frowned on, (why else are we all dressed in a black or white uniform and discouraged from expressing excessive emotion in public - even happiness), yet where perfection is the only acceptable standard (even if you have to pay someone else to reach that standard for you), it takes a great deal of courage to throw everything you have been taught to the wind and swim against the tide.

Come the second week four of the boys took to the Karaoke with no problems at all, one of them even doing two solo performances.  He, it is safe to say, is thriving in this environment.  The girls, who I'm guessing have had the concepts of honor and decorum hammered into them from a very young age, simply watched, laughed, criticized and told me how embarrassed they were about the boys performance.  They were the only group, out of all the nationalities present, where the girls did not take to the stage for the group performance.

While the kids were in class I was free to do my own thing which, as you can imagine, involved beer and pubs, along with a museum or two, the art gallery, some chamber music concerts, cycling and watching Riverdance.  On weekends I did a bit of touring with whoever was not on duty or the Tour Leader and I would go and spend a bit of quality time with The Big Boys who were living and studying on the outskirts of Dublin, down the coast.

Though there were a few issues with the students (nothing major - things like sleeping in, missing the occasional bus, not wanting to go to class, not wanting to visit another museum, wanting to go to the movies almost every day, a rather late night for two of the blokes and not enjoying the rules of their home stay parents), there were a number of good things the group brought with them.  They had a great deal of respect for the two female tour leaders and the one English Speaking Adult Support.   They discussed everything they saw and heard with each other and the women leading the tour - no question or comment was too small or inconsequential, no act went unreported, and discussions were loud and lively.  When out as a group they looked out for each other and you could see the fabric of Saudi society in the way the older boys would watch out for the girls and younger students, and the girls would boss the older boys - well, they'd boss them to a point before the boys put them in their place.

And they ate, everywhere.  It was almost impossible to pass a cafe, ice-cream shop or restaurant without one, or all of them, disappearing inside to buy food!  Yes, I had an interesting two weeks with a group of Saudi students in Ireland, and I'm fairly certain that, as they become more comfortable here and as the boys especially begin to push the boundaries, things are going to get even more interesting!



Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Welcome to Saudi

A long while back (April 2012, to be precise), I posted a blog called 'Welcome to Riyadh Airport'.  One thing I mentioned was the lack of welcoming signs at Riyadh airport.

Well, things have changed, just a little.  There are now big screens above the baggage scanners in arrivals, declaring in a number of languages, a welcome to Riyadh.  And this morning on my way out I saw this...

Saudi is changing.  Who knows, maybe next month women will be driving!

Yours in moblogging joy

Kiwi

Trending Destinations in Saudi

I went looking on Google Trends to see what folks in Saudi Arabia are currently searching.  Here's the top 10 destinations most peeps are thinking of travelling:

1. Jeddah (that was a surprise)
2. Dubai (that is no surprise at all)
3. Madrid
4. Barcelona
5. Thailand
6. London
7. Milan
8. Paris
9. Istanbul
10. Singapore 

Yes, this how I am spending my Friday morning - surfing the net looking up random stuff.  
I should call today Random Day.






Ka Kite,
Kiwi

A Weekend In Al Jouf

Recently, I flew to Al Jouf in northern Saudi to spend a weekend sight seeing with a van full of outspoken Saudi women, one quiet Aussie lady (not the norm for Ozzies, I know) and a bloke from the Netherlands courtesy of Haya Tour.  It was a long, tiring trip and sifting through the numerous photo's I took, it was easy to see why.  We packed quite a lot into our 48 hours.

Our flight to Al Jouf on Saudi Air was at 5am on Friday morning.  Saudi Air, I have to say, is a nice airline to fly.  They have in the past had a few issues to deal with (things like being on time and bumping people off flights for no rational explanation) but seem to have sorted themselves out, just a little.  And the seats on their aircraft are very comfortable.  If they had a points system with Emirates, I'd fly them more often.  (Other expats decry the lack of booze on Saudi air but, really, I'm more interested in comfort and safety).

Anyway, on arrival at Al Jouf airport we were met by our guide and introduced to his daughter, who kept us company the entire time, and the young bloke who was to be our van driver.  After assuring our guide that luggage for nine women was not going to fit in the van with us, he eventually piled it all into his SUV, and we got straight into the tour.

Our first stop was Marid Castle and Omar mosque, both recently reconstructed, and the village that surrounds them (soon to be reconstructed).   Having visited a number of old towns outside Riyadh I'm used to the old mud structures.  This town, however, was stone, and there was a lot of it with pieces piled precariously on top of one another, without cement between.  Stepping carefully among them was highly recommended.  I wouldn't have liked to be the one responsible for bringing a pile down.

The fortified Marid castle built on a rocky hill and standing over the town would have been impressive in its day.  Apparently it used to be a governors residence with a resident garrison of soldiers for protection.  This day though, despite the new face lift, the collapsed brick wall atop it is like a gaping tooth against the blue sky and it is purely a tourist stop.  Those of us wanting a bit of early morning exercise climbed to the top of the fortress and were rewarded with a pleasant view over Sakaka, while the rest of our crew fossicked about the castles lower regions.

We spent quite a bit of time here.  It was quiet in the early morning and Omar mosque was cool and reverent, while the minaret stool tall and dignified above.  Both of these structures are said to replicate the original design of the first mosques in Islam.

With the sun beginning to warm up the day, we drove to our next destination - a lake in the surrounding hills of Domat al Jandal.    Originally a natural formation for water collection, it has been expanded and upgraded for modern irrigation purposes.  It's a lovely day time picnic spot, and we certainly had a very relaxing time there, though I imagine the mozzies would come out in force at night.

Next on our agenda was a visit to an olive farm.  Al Jouf is known as an agricultural center in the north and as well as dates and oranges they have discovered the climate is perfect for olives.  I understand the plan is to expand olive production to the extent Al Jouf Olive Oil achieves a large market share in Saudi.

In fact, this weekend was the last of a month long Olive Festival in Al Jouf.  Apparently there are two festivals - one for picking of the olives and another, a few months later, for selling the olive oil produced as well as other olive related products.  Our trip was to the former and, as we had come at the end of the month most of the olives had been picked though we did manage to find a few stray olives to examine.  Our olive farm visit was simply a nice stroll through an Orange, Olive and Date Grove.  What was interesting though, was this is the first place in Saudi where I have seen inter-cropping of other plants with date palms and, apparently, it's all going very well.

Our group had been up and about for a number of hours by this time, and decided it was time to visit our hotel, scoff a late lunch and have a power nap before heading out that evening to the Festival Hall where we could meet a few locals and suss out some local produce.  We met ladies spinning wool and dying wool and hand looming decorative wall pieces for traditional tent settings among other things.  Although we had come to an Olive Festival, most of the ladies in our group walked away from the market with well priced carpet and tent decor!

This is a ladder!  Uh huh!

The next morning bright and early we were off to Zabil Fort where some of us attempted to climb on to the lookout platform up what our guide called ladders but in reality were little more than wooden pegs stuck into mud walls.  (We failed miserably owing largely to our largeness!).  After stopping off to view a now empty well,  it was off to an oil pressing factory.

The olive oil factory is part of a co-op which means a collective of farms sends in the olives and the factory presses them and ships the resultant product off in rather large cans for sale.  We spent a bit of time here watching the process from washing the olives, to mushing them into and paste and then extracting the oil.  As was expected, we got to sample some of the produce.  According to our resident olive oil expert, Al Jouf Olive Oil is good quality stuff - fresh, slightly fruity, bitter and burns the back of the throat when you swallow, good for salads and dunking your bread in.  (Of course I went straight to Google to see what if he knew what he was talking about and fruity, bitter and pungent are the extent of the list for "Characteristics of Good Quality Olive Oil").  I have to say, the peppery aspect of olive oil was news to me and is only present if the oil is fresh.  Sounds like I've been using older olive oils all this time!

Our van left the olive oil factory loaded with cans of freshly pressed oil.  (Flying with oil is not permitted, however, so the guide organised for all our oil to be delivered to Riyadh by road over the next couple of days).  Next stop was to the offices of the Al Kayid Brother Company.

Doors to the office.  If the doors look good, you can bet the office looks fab!

The President of this company had met Salwa the previous evening and, on hearing we were touring the town, invited us to visit their local offices.  Apart from being a contracting company Al Kayid Brothers is also involved in community activities, specifically the Al Kayid Cultural Center for Community and the OUN Social Project that assists local families into small enterprise.    The President, Mr Muflih bin Abdullah Al Kayid, was at the Olive Festival as many of the women presenting products were part of this social project. The company has also built the local amusement park for women and, two years ago, completed the towns first Mall. With such a big player in the town offering his hospitality, it would have been impolite of us to decline this offer, so we added a visit into our busy schedule.  It was nice to take a bit of time to sit down after our early start.

But all too soon we were back on the mini-bus and driving into the desert.  Our next stop, the standing stones of Rajajil.  No-one is quite sure who put the stones here or why.  Theories abound of sun worship, cursed tribes turned to stone or some astrological connection.  The stones, though currently in various degrees of tilt, are mysterious enough to swing conversation of their origins from historical to fanciful.  The area is being developed for future tourism so is fenced off but, as always in Saudi, a hole in the fence means come in!

After qahwah, dates and biscuits, and relieving oneself behind the dunes, we were off to visit a hobby farm.  The owner of this farm grows olives and also has a number of horses.  He welcomed us to his land and then talked about his hobby as we followed him around.  It was a nice way to spend the late afternoon.  Everyone got a thrill when the horses came over and started running about.

Soon, with the sun setting in a wash of orange and fiery yellow, we were whisked down the road toward a local museum  (no visit to Saudi townships is complete without a visit to a local museum).  The pieces in this place had been collected by the owners father, now deceased, and the gentleman showing us around was happy displaying Dad's hard work.

Our weekend in al Jouf was drawing to a close and though tired from our sight seeing at no point did the chatter in the van slow down.  In fact, when it came time to tell our driver what food would sufficiently meet all our tastes, discussion got louder and more excited.  If you have ever traveled with Saudi women you will know that chatter, discussion, laughter, opinions, debate and friendly chiding are all par for the course - usually not quietly! At one point I admit I had to close my eyes and try to shut out the noise of it all.  But then I thought, I'm spending the weekend travelling in a van loaded with Saudi women, seeing new sights and learning new things about the country and its people - something not many expats get to do, and I should enjoy every last minute of it.  So, with a deep, centering breath, I did.

Finding a local eatery that would keep everyone happy was a test for our driver, but he came through and we ate our food in the van as we traveled to the newly built mall.  We were met by the manager of the mall who had been informed of our arrival and had organised a meal for us (if only we had known!).  This time we had to say thank you, but no as after a quick scout through the shops, we still had one other item on our schedule before heading off to the airport.  We were going to look through the local date market and oh what a lot of dates there were.  Having become quite partial to Saudi grown dates, a few were purchased to keep our house stocks up.

 And that, ladies and gentlemen, was my weekend in Al Jouf.  I'm quite certain I got more out of it than the weekend to Dubai that Hubster had originally planned and I decided to forego (you resident expats will think I'm crazy for turning that down, I know!)  Next year maybe I'll go back to Al Jouf for the Olive Products Festival and drag Hubster along with me.

  

Ka Kite,
Kiwi