Making A Ladylike Entrance

I don't know how many times Mr Noor has heard me say 'One day I will learn how to make a ladylike entrance into your taxi!'  Usually this comment is made after flopping, in a very unladylike fashion, onto the back seat having thrown my handbag before me, if I swing it right, or dragging it in behind me if I happen to be carrying my laptop as well.  (Where I currently undertake a spot of voluntary work it is often easier to take my own laptop).

Adding to my taxi entrance issues is the fact that I can not stand sitting beside the door of a taxi because I suffer from motion sickness.  Vehicles these days have head rests on the front seats and, though they may protect the driver and a front seat passenger from whiplash should there be an incident, all they do for me sitting in back is limit my vision and make me car sick.  So it is necessary for me to scooch over to the middle of the back seat where I can get an unencumbered view of the road ahead.  Scooching with black abaya, large handbag and laptop could probably be done with grace for graceful people.   Me and Grace don't really got on that well!

Scooching usually results in the blessed black garment being pulled taut under my rather ample rear end.  The tautness is not only uncomfortable but has often pulled me off balance so I'm sitting lopsidedly.  Rearranging myself requires standing, as much as one can in the back of the taxi, and either sweeping the abaya out from beneath me (if I'm hot and bothered) so most of the garment is laying out on the seat beside me or re-organizing it properly for comfort and decorum.  The first method tends to expose my legs because, to date, I still wear shorts beneath my abaya.  My current predisposition to hot flushes, (and I can't decide if the cause of said flashes are menopausal or thyroidal or both), makes the wearing of more acceptable lengthy, modest yet heat creating attire an extremely a bad idea!

My final act of settling into my seat is ensuring the flow of cool air is heading my way from the air conditioner.  Mr Noor's taxi has an aircon vent at the back of the middle console so that beautiful cool air is directed onto my legs right where I'm sitting, and it's bliss!   (Newer taxis only have air-con in the front, and if the driver is switched on to 'Woman Looking Hot and Bothered' he will turn the air-con up and re-arrange the vents to be sending air toward the back seat.  I don't find this an ideal situation at all!  Given this place is hot most of the time, taxi companies ought to be more considerate of their clientele and have air-con in back, not be cheapskates with their choice of taxi car!)

Credit:Wiki How

Anyway, there are times when I have to remember I'm supposed to be sitting like a lady, so will recline in the seat with legs covered by re-organised abaya and feet appropriately placed on the floor for ladylike-ness.  (According to Wiki How and their post Sit Like A Lady I'm not supposed to recline into seat.  Ladies hold their backs straight and don't lean back into the chair.  Who knew!)  Most days though I'm more interested in cooling my overheated body down, so lady like posture goes to hell as legs are uncovered and I practically sit on the air-con! (Definitely unladylike)

If I'm in a strange taxi (ie, not with Mr Noor) I will pay more attention to covering of my leg flesh with my abaya for the length of the journey.  For some reason Strange Taxi Drivers find exposed leg flesh has a certain allure and they spend a lot of their time attempting to get a look at it once they realize how badly I wear my abaya and how little is worn beneath it!  Given my legs are akin to tree stumps, sometimes complete with unshaven growth, I can only presume Strange Taxi Men are terribly desperate, uncouth types.  Mr Noor has been driving me around for a rather long time and is used to my carry on in the back seat so ignores it, plus he is too much of a gentleman to act so despicably.

If my efforts getting into the taxi make the well bred cringe, my struggles getting out would make them pack up and go home.  Scooching back towards the door requires fighting with abaya.  Fights with the abaya are not pretty. There was a time when, being young, nimble and lithe, exiting vehicles was quick and effortless.  Those days are long gone.  Now one has to heave oneself out of the back seat, usually after having exposed leg flesh to put ones feet on the ground, while attempting to keep said door open and while trying to get large handbags and any other packages one might have accumulated over the day, to co-operate with my desire to leave the taxi.  Exit strategies are often accompanied by the comment, 'One day I"ll learn how to get out of your taxi in a ladylike fashion, Mr Noor.'  He smiles the kind of smile that says, 'That day is a long ways off!'





Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Grateful Winter

It's winter in Riyadh and I'm truly grateful for it.  As this post takes shape my gratefulness is growing. In fact, if someone were to say it sounds as though I'm talking myself into an attitude of gratitude, they'd be right.

I'm walking as I write this post. Outdoors. In the DQ.  It's 1.30pm.  My appointment at the salon is over and my taxi driver (Mr Noors brother today as Mr Noor is busy elsewhere) has called to say he's been denied entry to the DQ.  The guards at the gate have told him to rack off.  His taxi is empty, therefore he's not allowed in.  If he had a passenger then they would let him through, no problem, just as they let me through when I arrived. 

I do wonder how they presume women, or men for that matter, who arrive at the DQ by taxi are expected to leave.  

Presumably I am to catch one of the now empty taxi's searching the Diplomatic Quarter streets for other passengers left standing without their arranged return ride.  But I refuse to do that. Nope.  Though I may be happy to hail a taxi from the street for a short ride about town, safety dictates that jumping in the back of a strangers car for a more lengthy trip is simply a dumb idea. 

Apart from that fact, I don't like the look of any of the taxi drivers who've eyeballed me desperately as they drive by, (they all look a shade too shifty), the whole rigmarole of determining how good their English is, assessing if their meter actually works, finding out if they actually know where I want to go is an unexpected and unwelcome hassle I could do without today given there was already a perfect plan in place for my return home  - Mr Noor's brother would come back at a set time and pick me up. Simple. Perfect. 

Simply perfect plans being sent awry, especially when those skewed plans center around drivers and me left waiting with time on my hands, make me yearn for being able to drive myself!  Plus it has the potential to put me into one of those negative phases one is wont to go through when life in Saudi throws a completely unnecessary curve ball. 

So, I'm walking to the main gate on this beautiful weekend winter afternoon, where Noors brother will pick me up.  I have made a mental note to not make appointments at the DQ salon on the weekend again as a friend, who I called to complain to, explained security is more stringent there on weekends (no kidding!).  And as I walk I'm telling myself how grateful I am that the temps are cool, my hair looks great and that I will get my ride home.  But, bugger me, if anyone hassles me about my undone abaya and bare legs showing below my shorts or uncovered, though beautifully colored, hair, gratefulness will take a back seat and the shitty-ness I'm attempting to keep at bay just might spill over into a terrible emotional mess!

Metered Taxis in Saudi

According to Arab News, metered taxis are to make an appearance in Riyadh.  I have to say, this news was slightly confusing as I presumed metered taxi's were already here!  Most taxi's I've ever been in have a meter.  Whether or not the driver actually uses it is a different story.

It's well known that you can haggle a fare with a taxi driver in Riyadh. In fact, it's common for most people to sort out the fare details before hopping into the taxi.  And if you don't like the price, find another taxi.  In the early days I used to haggle with street hailed taxi driver's when Mr Noor was on the other side of town and his ETA for pick up was longer than I fancied.

When catching a taxi outside Kingdom, for example, I would go from taxi to taxi looking for a reasonable price because after being driven by Mr Noor, who always uses his meter (for us anyway), I know what the meter fare is from Kingdom to our place.  The drivers waiting at cab ranks always, without fail, cranked up the price.  They were also always, without fail, Arab drivers.  (I gather they hike prices to cover the fact they sit at cabs ranks all day instead of actually going out and finding fares!)

These days I do two things when catching taxi's outside Kingdom.  I completely bypass the cab rank, walk up the road a bit and hail a taxi driven by a non-Arab.  They, I have found, are less likely to rip you off.  They also, usually, have their meter turned on and if they do I don't bother haggling, I simply pay the meter rate.  The drivers are ecstatic when I do that because very few Riyadh passengers pay meter rates. Which makes me wonder if this grand announcement that meters are coming to Riyadh actually means anything.

When I hop in the taxi, the first thing I do is look to see if the meter is turned on.  If it's not visible (which isn't often) I ask 'Where is your meter?' and can guarantee broken English response that goes something like 'New car, no meter'.  Of course I think they are full of crap.

It turns out they aren't actually talking BS at all. I mentioned this situation to Mr Noor and he explained that, when the owner brings over a replacement car he can't make it legal till he gets rid of the old car because two cars cannot share the same company license number or meter.

Only once the old car is history can the meter be fitted to the new vehicle and the car number painted on the back, making it legal.  Until then, though he's not supposed to, the owner allows both cars to work. After all, he usually has a driver who is keen and he's not going to argue with the extra money coming in, is he?  With that explanation I now have no real reason to diss 'no meter' drivers for talking nonsense.  I will however diss them for charging above meter rates!

If the meter is turned off, I ask the taxi driver to turn it on.  Most do so, quite happily, and as I said before, I quite happily pay meter rates.  (I presume it's turned off because so few passengers actually pay it any attention).  Some drivers, however, say something akin to  'Meter, No working' while tapping the meter with their fingers and waving their hand around after doing so, as if for emphasis.  That just gets my back up and I'm determined they ain't getting one halala extra (now that halala are actually going to be in circulation in Saudi) because I don't believe them!

So then I ask 'How much' for the fare and almost without fail 'missing' or 'broken meter' taxi drivers try to rack up the price.  If I can be bothered arguing, I do.  If I can't I simply say 'No, too much', and pay what I know to be the meter rate once I've got out of the car at rides end.

Never pay while still in the car, that would be risking locked doors and entering into pointless, circular discussion.  So I get out, then pay and if they grumble they do so to my back as I walk away usually after saying, 'Fix your meter'  in my best Arabic.  (I realised one day that I was saying 'Air condition your meter', because I got the two words confused, but hei aha, I'm sure they got the point).

If meter use becomes a must in Riyadh taxi's I can see the honest drivers being ripped off because here's something the Powers That Be don't seem to understand - Most passengers don't want to pay meter rates! 

It was quite common when I first arrived in Saudi (and I haven't asked Mr Noor about it for some time) for passengers to hand over their money rolled up and once unraveled, for it to be short most of the fare!  And where, pray tell, do honest taxi drivers go to complain about such unscrupulous passengers?  The same place they've always had.  Nowhere.

Commentators have said the metered taxi hooha will have a short life in Saudi.  Apparently it was tried once before a few years back  and the people simply didn't pay full fare, so bargaining with the meter turned off came back into vogue.

What was worrying about the report was this paragraph...

"Trip fares are currently determined through bargaining between the customer and the taxi driver, but with the introduction of metered fare, taxi drivers will be required to pay higher amounts to their employers daily when this decision is applied."

Why the heck are the employers going to get more money?
They aren't doing anything new!
And if they spit out some pissy reason like 'to cover the cost of putting meters in the taxi's' - they own a taxi company!  The loan from the bank to start the company already includes the cost of meters for goodness sakes, and if it doesn't it shows what bad management the company has.  Why the hell do the company owners need to fleece any more off hard working drivers, which is what most taxi drivers are!  Of course, there are the few that stuff it up for the rest giving taxi's a bad name.  Or maybe I've just been really fortunate with the taxi's I catch in Saudi.


Ka Kite,
Kiwi

New Taxis In Riyadh

There's a bunch of new taxi's cruising in Riyadh these days. I've caught a few. The smell of plasticky newness hangs in the cars internal air. And plastic still covers their seats.

Most of the cars are Hyundai's. They are a pleasure to ride in because the drivers, happy to have a brand spanking new car, drive them carefully wanting to preserve their newness.

Mr Noor tells me that it is law that taxi companies must renew their cars every five years, and apparently that time has come. Mr Noor is waiting eagerly for his new taxi. So am I. His current vehicle, the one he was handed on his return from Pakistan, is looking a bit jaded on Riyadh streets.


Sent from Kiwi while she's out and about.

Riyadh Airport Taxi Shinanigans

Have you heard the latest taxi shinanigans at the Riyadh airport?
An Irish friend who recently flew in told us this one.

Basically, a Saudi Taxi driver will, upon capturing an unsuspecting traveler in the car, ask for a ridiculous amount of fare to be paid in advance.  The passenger will likely hand over the cash (unless he's averse to being ripped off, in which case he will go find another taxi).

The Saudi will then drive about two miles down the road and pull over where another taxi, driven by a non-Saudi is waiting.  The passenger will then be transferred, whether he wants to or not, to the waiting taxi.
The Saudi driver will hand a few SAR to the new driver, pocket the rest of the cash, then turn around and return to the airport.

Why, you may ask, does the non-Saudi driver wait down the road?  Why not just pick up a passenger at the airport?  Because non-Saudi drivers are not allowed to pick up passengers at the airport, that is only the realm of Saudi drivers which means that any trips non-Saudi taxi's make out to the airport are dry runs back to the city.

I guess someone figured this latest idea was a win-win for all concerned.
- Saudi taxi driver does least work and gets reasonable pay.
- Non-Saudi does most work, gets paid.
- Passenger gets delivered.

Do you think this entrepreneurial?
Or is this yet another good reason to regulate taxi companies in Saudi Arabia?


Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Too Much Taxi Tension

Our current taxi driver (not Mr Noor who is still enjoying a break back in Pakistan) was telling us a few stories about customers and situations that cause taxi drivers in Riyadh a lot of tension.  Initially I thought he was going to tell us some entertaining tales, but he was quite serious about how much trouble his passengers, and KSA official types, are prepared to drop him into.

The Drug Carrying Passengers.
Apparently, taxis are sometimes used for deliveries by Saudi drug dealers (and yes, drugs is a problem in the land of Islam).  Our driver said these passengers are quite open about the product they are carrying because they know who is more likely to take the fall should trouble in the form of a drug bust or random car search take place.  Mr Drug Dealer will dump the drugs in the taxi and plead ignorance of any wrong-doing.  (Not sure whether the drug dealing passenger actually does get off scot-free given he is also in the taxi, but like drug dealers everywhere I guess they try).   Our driver said, 'These people cause him a lot of tension'.

I can see how that would be the case.

The Black Market Booze Guy.
Our driver told us about a bloke from Kenya, or thereabouts, who used to call him every three or four weeks.  When picked up he always had a bag that he would put in the boot of the taxi.  Taxi drivers tend to be wary of bags put in the boot by people who are not going to, or from, the airport because at checkpoints taxi boots are always checked.  And guess who gets the blame for any shady contents in the bags?

One night our driver asked the passenger, What's in the bag?
The passenger said, That's none of your business.
The taxi driver took it upon himself to look in the bag when the chance to do so presented itself.  (I'm in two minds if this was ballsy or really dumb!)
What did he find?
A whole stack of cash.
He asked the passenger, Why do you have all this cash?
The passenger told him (in a nutshell), I sell black market booze.
The driver dropped the passenger at his destination and told him, Don't ring me again.  I don't want your bag of money in my taxi!
As our driver said, 'This problem would cause me too much tension.  If the police found the money they would say I knew what it was.  And they would check my phone and see that this man has rung me too many times, so I must be helping him.  I would be in too much trouble'.

Yep, I could see how that could happen.

'Check the Iqama'
One night our driver had a passenger in the car when he was stopped at a checkpoint.  The officer on duty asked for Iqama's.  The driver handed over his.  The passenger did not.  Guess who got into trouble for the passenger not having their Iqama?
Why am I to blame for him not having an Iqama? he said.
You should check that your passengers have their Iqama!
But that is not my job.  I am just a taxi driver.
You shouldn't drive people who don't have an Iqama!
For two hours our driver, and the passenger, were held before being released with a repeated caution - Only take passengers who have Iqama's. (I didn't ask if the un-iqama'd passenger was put back in his car taxi, too).
'This night caused me too much tension', says our driver.

I can imagine it did.

The Royal License Plate.
Certain number combinations are considered 'special' in KSA.  It's Saudi's own version of numerology.  Our driver told us about a friend who, on a return from holiday, was given a new vehicle by the taxi company.  He went forth to find passengers and make a living.

A few weeks later his friend was pleading with the taxi company to please change his license plate.  The police kept pulling him over and holding him, sometimes for hours, because his licence plate number was 'special'.  He shouldn't have that kind of number.  A number with all those zero's should only be for royalty (his number had 000 in it).  His argument that he had no control over the number plate that came with his taxi fell on deaf ears - ears that were certain he was lying.

'Sometimes our license plates or phone numbers cause so much tension', our taxi driver said.
Ridiculous as that sounds, I believe it.

These were just a few of the things our driver was regaling to Hubster in the front seat while I, initially enthralled by the prospect of Taxi Tales, decided the negativity of these stories was upsetting my mojo, so shrank into the back seat and plugged in my iPod in an effort to block out his words.

Before being picked up by the taxi my day had been relatively happy.  By the time we reached our destination my mood had subdued somewhat.  As I told Hubster, the taxi driver managed to hand over too much of his tension!


Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Plastic Wrap Left On Taxi Seats.

Not in any other country have I ever traveled in a taxi with the plastic wrap left on the seats. I'm not talking about car seat covers.  I mean the manufacturers plastic that wraps the seats of new cars to keep them looking brand spanking new as they head for the car dealers shop floor.

For some reason, taxi drivers and car rental companies in Riyadh like to leave the plastic on the seats for weeks, nay months, after obtaining the car.  Sometimes they even leave the plastic that covers the steering wheel as well.  And, to complete the package, the delivery sticker is still on the windscreen even though it's turning a baked on brown, the writing is fading and the paper is curling up on it's edges.

When I first came across such a vehicle my immediate question, mixed as it was with skepticism given the car looked a bit used, was "oh you have a new car?". 

No ma'am this is last years model.
Oh, right.  So, why haven't you taken  the plastic off your seats?
To keep the car new ma'am.
Oh.

For just a second I figured the practice does have a modicum of reasonableness - the plastic protects the seats from the bodily grease and grime of the numerous clients who utilize the transportation and it's nice to know the drivers care about the condition of their vehicles. 

However, moments later, major doubts arose about the value of plastic covered seats in taxis because the current client (moi) was slipping all over the back seat.  While attempting to balance myself I wondered whether the slip sliding activity was occurring solely due to the double layered plastic or whether the combination of plastic and synthetic abaya was the issue.  It also occurred to me that any grease left behind by former taxi clients, having worked its way between the folds of plastic, probably wasn't helping matters and added an 'Ewwww' factor to the whole situation.

Maintaining an upright position with a driver who doesn't know how to drive - start, stop, race up behind the car in front that has only moved forward a few meters, swerve to miss the guy racing up beside him, stop, start  (that kind of driver) - is definitely made more difficult with plastic wrap draped over the seat.

It's not unusual, in Riyadh, to come across taxis with plastic on the seats and big dings in their bumpers - not that I'm suggesting there is any correlation between the two, I'm just saying.




Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Taxi in Riyadh

How do you get hold of a taxi in Riyadh?
Riyadh is full of  taxi's and generally you hail a taxi from the street or, alternatively, you garner the number of a reliable taxi driver from other expats, or through trial and error, and ring said taxi as required.

This system is in place because, to date, there has been no taxi HQ in Riyadh with a computerised, or live, taxi phone ordering system to dispatch a taxi to your door.  It seems those times are changing according to this article in Arab News about Saudi Arabia issuing a law banning the hailing of taxis.

Passengers in Saudi Arabia will have to start booking their taxis from October 22. Drivers caught doing random pick-ups will incur a fine.

Among the new guidelines that Saudi Arabia’s ministry of transportation will place into effect for taxis on Oct. 22 is a ‘no-hailing law.’

Taxi drivers will be banned from random passenger pickups at various locations, from airports and hospitals to shopping malls and offices, as well as transport stations, the Saudi-based Arab News reported on Thursday.

That means passengers who require a cab will need to call the taxi office in advance and make a booking...

According to the report each taxi will be fitted with an automated Vehicle Locator system to track drivers whereabouts and send them off to pickup locations.  Riyadh has been getting itself organised recently and this latest move may, or may not, be part of that process.

On reading the paragraph that said the new rule pertains to airports, hospitals, and malls I had visions of new arrivals at the airport being less than thrilled they should have pre-booked a taxi prior to arrival.   And given that shopping is the most popular recreation undertaken by Saudi women, not all of whom have access to a paid driver or family member to transport them, I had images  of a taxi circus outside Mall entrances at the busiest shopping hours as women attempted to find the taxi they ordered.

Although organizing Riyadh's taxi's is probably a good idea, the hierarchy my have to make a few changes to their initial plan as reported above - hailable taxi ranks at the more popular locations may be actually be better than a car circus.

Getting residents to give out their addresses will be a new concept for locals utilizing the new service as they are currently used to giving their locations via landmarks, not street addresses.  Interestingly, many of the Saudi women I know are still not aware that new house numbers now adorn the walls outside their homes.

The new system could also make life a little more problematic for those who do business in and around the city.  Not all blue collar workers have company drivers at their disposal.  As it is not always possible to determine the length of a meeting (this is Saudi after all) having to order and wait for a taxi after a visit to a client, as opposed to walking out the door and hailing one of the many driving by, may not be an efficient use of company time or money.  On the flip side, if the office is a ways from a main drag, being able to call up a taxi could be a good thing.  It would be even better if the waiting time for said taxi is minimal.

If you are someone who catches taxi's a lot in Riyadh, it doesn't take long to figure out that a large percentage of the taxi driving fraternity are terrible drivers for a number of reasons, not simply their driving skills (or lack of).  They lack knowledge of the roads, their language is limited, for some their personal hygiene needs serious attention and their cars are often dirty or smelly (or both) or covered in scratches or dents (or both) from numerous accidents.  These are the cars that most women, and even many expat men, avoid when hailing a taxi.  These drivers are the reason most taxi catching expats have the phone numbers of a select few taxi drivers who they know and trust.  If taxi's in Riyadh become regulated, here's hoping this includes in upgrade in car and driver quality.

But those scenario's are purely the result of having lived here long enough to know Saudi grand plans can appear as if they were not thought through properly and have more to do with increasing somebody's income (in this case someone who's just bought himself a boat load of AVL equipment) than servicing the populous.

The main concern that crossed my mind though had to do with women's ability to control their transport options.

Photo credit:members.virtualtourist.com

The current system of hailing taxi's is actually a good one for women because any taxi's hailed from the street can be dispensed with immediately if:
- the car looks dodgy; or
- the driver looks dodgy; or
- the driver is Saudi.

It is a well known fact in Riyadh that women prefer not to catch a taxi driven by a Saudi.  Granted Saudi taxi drivers at this point in time are, despite government efforts to increase their numbers, much fewer than other ethnicity's.  However, they still exist.

The problem with a Saudi taxi driver, particularly the younger male, is they are almost always attempting to pick up, or eye boggle, women.  When a female is in the back seat, a Saudi taxi driver is rarely focusing on his driving and is more intent on making some connection with his passengers which generally involves spending more time looking behind him than out the front windscreen.

Not engaging with the driver when he is sitting sideways in his seat attempting conversation with those in the back can result in him being affronted and then being rude, obnoxious and downright dangerous.   Not to mention he attempts to get more cash out of you at rides end.

From a female taxi catching perspective the new law, if it goes ahead, may only serve to make a woman's transport options more risky if she cannot pick and choose her driver and, speaking for myself, certainly doesn't make me feel more comfortable about using the proposed service.  If one were to take a pessimistic view of the intended law, making women uncomfortable may be the point - conservative clerics would love for women to stay at home.  Perhaps the upcoming regulation could include training Saudi's driver's to understand this is a transportation service, not a pick facility.

An automated and regulated booking system of some description would bring the taxi service into the 21st century true, but of more importance is the ability of passengers to have some degree of control in selecting a taxi because in this country being discerning about your transport options is important, especially for women who need a taxi in Riyadh.


Ka Kite,
Kiwi

Inams Day Out in Riyadh

Mr Inam, our favourite taxi driver Number 2, took us out and about in Riyadh one day, Pakistani style.  We called this tiki tour our an 'Inam Day Out'.  He set the itinerary, we enjoyed the ride.

First stop, which I have written about previously, was cricket with taxi drivers on their day off.  Then it was off to the back blocks of Riyadh to enjoy the views on our way to a picnic sitting on a hill overlooking the desert.

Though the desert has taken some time for us green pasture types  to get used to, there is no doubt it has its own beauty. Capturing that beauty on a pocket camera is proving a little challenging.    Regardless, I continue to try.  I'm always in two minds whether human presence adds to or detracts from the deserts harmony.

Here's some pics of our day.

Real Estate Office

Can you imagine buying in this barreness? 

Country Fence

Love this fence.  Reminds me of Taranaki Gates or marae fences back home.

View from the hill.

There's a certain peace that comes with being up high and looking at nothingness while drinking green tea.

Walkin the empty road

Long and winding desert road with occasional speeding car full of young men who yahoo and wave on the way by.

Dinner.

Inam's recommendation for dinner - absolutely delish.  It's a little place off Al Maa'dha street.  No idea of the name though I took pictures of the menu and the words out front hoping the Arabic script identifies a name.  It doesn't.

When news of Mr Noors return was confirmed Mr Inam did apologize for that fact that he may have talked too much while he was my driver.   I had to smile and thought perhaps I should return the apology for talking equally as much and occasionally, with MP3 earphones plugged into my ears filling my head with the symphonic strains of my favourite musical pieces, bursting into less than melodious song in the back of his taxi.  I thought I sounded fantastic while he probably wished he had earplugs.

We enjoyed our day out with Inam in Riyadh and when Mr Noor returns to Pakistan, which he will do more often now he is a married man, I hope Mr Inam will be around as my driver again.


Ka Kite,
Kiwi