Bahrain – the oasis

About a 4-hour drive from Riyadh, Bahrain should be known as the jewel of the desert.  It is the closest location where some semblance of normalcy can be found.  Expats flock there to catch up on cinema and get a few drinks, which are both illegal here in Saudi. 

We just returned from our second trip to bahrain and happy to report that there is plenty to do.

The first time we went, we had the opportunity to visit some friends in the navy who were in Bahrain for a 6-month tour.  They are part of a group of pilots who are home-based in Norfolk, Virginia.  They showed us around the base and we got to check out some of the equipment.  I would post the picture of me piloting the Blackhawk, but it’s classified.  

This past time, we stayed at a nice beach hotel and stayed out late each night to get a taste for the night life.  Ritz Carlton has one of the more happening bars in town (Trader Vic’s), and they had a live latin jazz band.  Bushido is currently supposed to be the other top spot in town right now. 

Also watched this new movie, Inception, which I have to recommend to everybody.

Next time I’d like to visit the tree of life and maybe even check out Bahrain’s indoor water park (city center mall)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_of_Life,_Bahrain

Camping in Riyadh (?)

One of the more interesting activities for those who enjoythe outdoors (or can tolerate it) involves camping out in the desert.  A while back I went with a group to a large farm owned by a prince, located only an hour’s drive from center of Riyadh.  The land is mostly desert but there is a date farm, a restaurant, and an old-fashioned Saudi palace.  For 300 riyals each, it was an experience I can recommend anybody to try.

We stayed in tents overnight, in a permanent campsite set up by the owners.  That includes bathrooms and air conditioned tents for those wondering.  Turned out to be one of the better nights of sleep I’ve had in a while.   

The excursion included a meal at the ‘restaurant’ located on the farm (buffet catered in by a local Pakistani joint).  However, the highlight was definitely the ATVs that were available for us all to use.  They went fast and made for good racing, but were worse for the wear and much too small to safely carry an adult.  Needless to say there was at least one injury. 

Next desert safari I hope to take some sand-buggies out on the dunes or race some camels.  Anything’s possible!

Old Diriyah

Went to “old Diriyah” a few weeks back – quite an interesting sight.  It is located on the west side of Riyadh in the “Wadi Hanifah”.  The Wadi is the only area of natural greenery in the city, and as such is the location for many date farms and other agricultural activity.  There is even an old dam – Al Elb dam – that assumedly blocked a river some decades ago, although there is no sign of water right now (picture below).

Diriyah itself was a fort that served as the home of the first Saudi dynasty from a few hundred years ago, built sometime in the 1400’s.  From an architectural perspective it is rather fascinating as the buildings appear to be made of mud.  This is a visual effect – the structure itself is composed of rocks with the outer wall covered by a mud mixture.  The resulting wall looks a lot like a worn down stucco structure.  Unfortunately the fort itself is closed to visitors for the next undefined amount of time as the city is renovating the buildings.

However, we did get some good pictures (see below).

Joyce in full disguise

Al Elb dam

yikes… noticed these right next to where i’m standing in the other photo

One of the traditional outer walls

some kids playing cricket on a dust field

sunset over minarets in Riyadh

Ramadan Kareem!

Ramadan is the annual fast required of Muslims which happens once every Hijri year (about 355 calendar days per Hijri year).  This year Ramadan began on August 22 and will run through September 16^th.  During this time, the national law disallows any substance from passing the lips during daylight hours (currently the day runs from approx 3:30am to 6:30pm here in Saudi).  This includes:

-          Food of any kind.

-          Liquid of any kind (no water, no coffee).

-          Smoking.

As a byproduct, I have noticed that opening hours for establishments are even more staggered than usual.  The official opening hours for my employer are 10am to 3:30pm.  Every Saudi employee is gone at 3:31.  However, work must go on – if somebody has business to do or work to finish, they will come back to the office after 9pm and work for another 4-5 hours.  I’ve heard of formal meetings being held at 10:30pm without anybody batting an eyelid.  I’ve been invited to a formal dinner with a law firm scheduled for 11pm!

No food-serving retailers open during the daylight hours, but they will typically be open after evening prayer at 6:30 through the early morning hours – expect anywhere from midnight to 2am.  Clothing and other retail is open normally from about 1pm to 4pm and then about 9pm to 2am.  Ironically, grocery stores seem to be open all the time.  I’ve been told this is to accommodate the cooking process – food can be prepared and tasted (no swallowing!) prior to dusk but can only be imbibed after the fast opens.

Not only is it immoral to eat during the day, it is actually illegal here in Saudi.  Remember that the governing law is the religious law, Shariah.  This implies that you could be arrested and thrown in jail for drinking water in public (whether this holds in practice for non-Muslims, I can’t tell).  This makes for a strange balance in the workplace for all Westerners and other non-fasters that want to survive the day.  Often an office will incorporate a kitchen or some other closed area where employees are expected to lock themselves up prior to eating.  Most importantly, as an expat here using any common sense you would not want to offend locals by breaking these specific rules in front of their face (even in the workplace).

There are exceptions.  Youngsters do not fast – if a boy or girl is too young to wear the traditional dress (typically around puberty) then they are not required to fast either.  If you have a condition that would require you to eat during the day – diabetes being a good example – it would actually be your duty NOT to fast.  The same goes if you have contracted some illness that would be worsened by fasting.  I have been told that if you do not do the full month of fasting, it is possible to make up the missed days throughout the year before the next fast.

Roads are multiplied in treacherousness immediately before the evening prayer.  I’ve seen packs of 10-15 cars at a time running red lights and performing all sorts of dangerous maneuvers to try to get home in time for food.  However, the upside is that after the mad rush, driving is a complete luxury!  If I go home between 7-8pm, I can go miles and see no more than a handful of cars with me on the road.

Expat views on Saudi Arabia (Riyadh)

June 2^nd.  Flew from JFK to Dubai and Dubai to Riyadh on Emirates Airlines.  A pleasant experience overall: good service, good entertainment choices, relatively spacious cabin.  Upon landing in Dubai, I had a 10-hour layover so I did the first thing you would think to do in the situation.  Eat the McArabia.

Mcfeast

Dubai international airport

Getting onto the flight to Saudi Arabia (KSA) was an eye-opening experience.  Not only was I one of the only white males, I was also one of the only ones not wearing a thobe (male) or abaya (female).

Thobe (or Thawb)

Abaya

Glimmer of Dubai skyline as I take off for Riyadh.  Burj Dubai in the center.

After a relatively fast trip through immigration on the other side and finding my bag to be completely destroyed, I was finally in KSA on the way to the Marriott which is to be my home for a month or more.  By western standards, this would probably be a 3-4 star hotel and was very similar to a similar hotel in the US.

View of Riyadh from the hotel room.  Two major towers are Al-Faisaliyah on left and Kingdom Center on right.  Good example of security can be seen directly across the road – double walls, concrete barriers, and security checkpoints.

My first few days I locked myself in my room and crammed for the CFA exam which was scheduled for the first Saturday after my arrival (June 6).  Note to self for the future, get the street directions first, and make sure your directions include landmarks!  Even knowing the exact name of the intersection of the test center, somehow my driver got lost and almost caused me to miss the exam on Saturday morning.  It does not help that the majority of road signs have no mention of English at all.

After the exam I had some time to focus on the reason I’m here.

I wanted to write something that summarizes my experience but I found it’s a lot more difficult to fit all my observations into anything readable.  What I’ve decided to do to make this easier is grouping my observations by categories (sorted generally by the most drastic differences from what I’m used to).

1.  Heat

There is no better way to describe the weather here than ‘baking’.  The thermometer on the car today said outside temperature was 48 Celsius (about 118 Fahrenheit).  Don’t get me wrong, it’s possible to go outside for extended periods and not pass out, but that would be limited to nights or early morning.  On the plus side, it makes taking a swim much more refreshing!

Coming hand in hand with the heat is the cost of water.  The best way to describe it is to compare fuel pricing.  Gas (petrol) here costs around $0.50 – $0.65 per gallon depending on the grade – price fixed by the government.  That makes fuel cheaper than water, which runs at least $1 per gallon if it is healthy to drink.  Plumbing is cheaper, however, as desalinated water flows through all the pipes under Riyadh.  Ironically, I have seen plenty of wasted water – almost every day I will come across a worker watering plants in the morning or afternoon at the peak of heat (everyone knows it’s better to water at night, right?)

2.  Burka

Since Saudi is a country governed strictly by the rules of Islam, it is generally forbidden for women to show any part of their body.  Downstairs from where I work there is a mall which is full of teenagers on summer holiday at this time of year.  While every woman does wear a robe to cover the body, there are various interpretations about whether she needs to cover the head/hair (hijab) and the face (niqab).  However, there is a group called the hai’a or Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice whose officers (muttawa) patrol public areas and generally have the authority to correct the behavior of those who are not conforming to the rules.  If any woman is not wearing the head covering, they will point it out and the woman will quickly obey so as to avoid further trouble.

It is also very strictly prohibited for unrelated women and men to engage in any sort of conversation.  However, it is obvious that the younger generation is not fully behind this specific rule.

In fact, there are only two places where I have noticed women are not forced to wear burkas:

-          Hospitals (nurses wear traditional scrubs)

-          Residential compounds (in fact most compounds prohibit wearing “traditional dress”)

3.  Housing

The housing is generally sorted into two major categories: on-compound or off-compound.  Many expats believe they need to be on a compound due to security concerns (in 2003 there were some attacks on compounds, the most significant being a carbombing).  However, the Saudi government has made great strides in improving security (sample shown in pic above) and has cracked down on extremist activities.  So much so that I don’t feel a bachelor living here needs to be on a compound.  Rather, he can easily make friends on compounds and use their pool/courts when needed.  However, couples generally do find it much easier to live on a compound due to the increased freedom and social activities available on compound.  In fact, the security measures can become rather tedious.

For my living situation, I had visited almost every large compound in Riyadh.  After a number of weeks on waiting lists for 4-5 of the more affordable compounds, I finally got called in and just moved in yesterday.  The standard practice here is to pay the full year of rent upfront.  Fortunately, most companies employing expats have ways of assisting, usually by providing an advance against one’s annual housing allowance.

Before a new tenant moves in, landlords will repaint, repair damages, replace carpets, and usually cooperate with minor requests from the tenant.  Additionally most compounds are furnished.  Of course, “Furnished” means different things in different places.  Seder Village provides all furniture and all appliances except a dishwasher and microwave.  Unfortunately if you don’t want the furniture, it is no cheaper to rent the unit unfurnished.  Some complexes provide all utilities including TV and internet, and some provide none.  Seder provides phone and basic TV service and the tenants pay water/power/other charges.

4. Driving

About 3 weeks ago I got my driver’s license.  Without help from somebody who knows the system, I’m confident it would take all day to get through the process.  There are no instructions and no guidance posted, especially for non-Arabic speakers.  Fortunately I went with one of the company drivers who took me up to Dallah driving school north of the city, where driving licenses are issued.  Outside the school is a “translator” office, where any non-Arab must have his documents inspected and put into a green folder.  Without the green folder, he can’t proceed although it adds no real value.  Funny enough, the whole process took about an hour including an eye test and a driving test, and this was longer than normal.

New visitors to the Kingdom (as Saudi is affectionately called) are always astounded at the driving standards here.  With no exaggeration I’ve seen the following first hand:

-                      Person in right hand lane of a 5-lane highway turn left at an intersection.

-                      Small sedan practicing their drifting between traffic.

-                      Remains of demolished cars sitting on the side of the road.

-                      Fistfight in the middle of a highway over some minor issue (maybe tailgating).

And many other capers as well as others people have told me about.  I’ve heard these are some of the most dangerous roads in the world.  Just look up “arab drifting” on Youtube for a sample.

I will post a separate blog describing the process for buying a car.

Helpful links

Joyce and I have come across some great links while researching for our stay here.  Funny enough, most of the really helpful websites are blogs by former or current expats who chose to tell about their stay.  Most companies and agencies here are completely devoid of a web presence so the below end up being very helpful for the random facts you need to get through life.

Workinginsaudiarabia.blogspot.com

americanbedu.com

Of course, searching google for “Saudi blog” returns some other good results.

I’m happy to write about specific topics should anybody ask.

Misc pictures below

Where I work

North-facing view of Riyadh from my office.  Four Seasons’ tennis courts.

Typical retail strip on King Fahd street.

Typical retail strip view

Street view at Fal Compound – the biggest by number of units and best social scene.

One of the shoddier compounds I viewed – looks like pre-fab building.

I wonder why rent here is so low.

Newly renovated villa off a compound – more bang for the buck, but no security.

One of the nicer pools – arab investment compound.

Watch out for these cars on the road.