Field Trip to Qatif (ka-TEEF)

A group here, the Saudi Aramco Employees Associate, puts on tours and events, and last month I signed up for a tour of the nearby town of Qatif – an ancient fishing village on the east coast of KSA, right on the Persian Gulf.

The big attraction for the trip was a souk (sook) – what we’d call a flea market combined with a farmer’s market – and down the street another produce market and fish market.  It was a lovely clear day with low humidity and temperature of 85 when we left at 0700 (by mid-afternoon it topped out at 98). I had my great big hat on and my new camera and two busloads of us headed off from camp.

The souk covers about 3 acres, some of it on concrete, some of it on dirt. The dirt here is mostly sand, and it kicks up very quickly if walking through it, so there were always clouds of dust. Luckily there was a pretty good breeze blowing so it stayed mostly clear.

The fruit for sale was lovely, and if I’d had any way to keep it and use it I’d have come back with bags of it – mango, oranges, eggplant, peppers, pomegranate, melons, and more. Oddly, there were lots of water-bearing foods. Strange for the desert!!

If you like birds, this is a good place because there were dozens of bird sellers – everything from tiny ducklings to huge turkeys. Apparently the Saudis like exotic birds and there were some unique species on display, either in stacked up cages or in large wire cages on the ground. There were also cats, dogs, and at least one goat tethered and being haggled over.

Of course, if you wanted personal items you could take your pick from a massive assortment of, hmmm, odds and ends. One vendor had a large try of wallets, and a rack of sunglasses. (“45 Riyals,” he said as I tried on a pair. Then he winked and said with a grin, “they aren’t really Ray-Bans”)

Others had a collection of stuff that would’ve made a flea marketer at home proud – electronics gadgets next to hand tools next to power tools next to welding rods next to a very strange looking electrical gadget that I couldn’t guess what it was next to an assortment of flashlights. 

There were spice merchants whose display consisted of 10-gallon fabric bags filled with spices – any of which would have made a fortune for a caravan 100 years ago! 

The smells were exotic and rich and varied, and then you walked ten paces away and smelled garbage on the other side of the fence. And then a vendor with a table full of fragrance – they are big on perfume here. It’s an interesting place.

And I have a new camera! After months of borrowing and making due, I've shopped the classifieds carefully and come up with the same body and lens I use at home - this trip was a good test and I'm very pleased. More images on my facebook page at www.facebook.com/mark.gieringer.  More on this trip day after tomorrow – ciao!

Autumn in the Air

Ah, it's wonderful, fall is. The leaves turning colors, the air cool and crisp, sweaters and jackets, and the sound of a football stadium cheering! No, of course none of that is here in KSA, but I do believe the weather has turned.

I got here in April, and there were occasional 100+ days. By mid may every day had a high over 100. In July every day had a high over 110!

early May mid-afternoon

Of course it was hot, but it was always doable. 115 was a fairly normal midday high. The air was amazingly dry, though, and there was always a reasonable wind to whisk away perspiration and heat. The wind came in from the west and the north, that is off the desert. It brought sand and grit and dust that gets everywhere, and covers every surface. As the sun sank into the afternoon haze it started to cool off and 95-100 felt very nice!

mid-June at noon

In August the wind turned Easterly, which meant it came in off the Persian Gulf - laden with moisture and oppressively humid. Here's a hint: if you've ever been to Shreveport, New Orleans, or Houston in the summertime you have a pretty fair idea.  Of course, the high was still 110+ every day. Some folks here take very inventive routes to minimize their steps outside. Of course, I'm crazy so I continued to take a walk every day after lunch. Sorry, but I decided before I got here I was not going to let the weather control what I do. Doesn't mean I'm careless or hazardous - I've got too much AF safety officer still in me to take silly risks.

In the past three weeks weeks the temperatures have begun a lovely and noticable trend toward cooler highs.  First, we had a 10-day forecast with every day's high below 110. Yesterday's forecast showed today's high to be 100, and in fact the high was 99 - the first daily high below 100 since early June.

today at 10 a.m.

All in all it's been easily tolerable. Long-term folks here have said this was a very mild summer, and I have no reason to doubt them. Some of these guys have been here from 5 years to 25 and more! I'm glad to have had this one first, and expect next summer to be a real barn burner if I'm here. For now I'm looking forward to continued cooler temps and see what fall here is like!

On the Run

I posted a few months ago about taking pictures of a running group here, and that I ran a tiny bit to get some in-motion shots of the athletes.  I was ungainly, to say the least, but I got some very good shots - spread out below are some I haven't posted before.

 Nonetheless I've always loved to run. As a kid I ran and took joy in it. But as I aged it became hard and I just didn't have the wind for it and could never get to a place of comfort running any distance at all. The Air Force had an annual fitness test of running 1.5 miles in, seems like, 30 minutes (someone please correct this - I really don't remember) and I always had trouble with it, even when I was young and strong and in great shape! My final hurdle to graduating from pilot training was completing the 1.5 mile run, and I did in on the last day that I could, and only made it because my classmates pushed, pulled, yelled, encouraged, threatened, and supported me - thanks Schatzi!!

Over the years I've banged myself up a bit - a twisted knee here, a hyper-extended foot there, crutches off and on - and I pretty much gave up trying to run because every time I did, it hurt! But I never stopped thinking about it, and I still dream about it, and I'm always flying along and it is joyful and feels wonderful and effortless.

So last night I did something crazy and went for a run just after sunset. Now, please don't picture me heading out for a 5K or anything, it was more like an intermittent jog. And I gave myself every benefit I could - I walked to a certain place, allowing me to warm up, and then the "run" segment was slightly downhill. I ran on a broad sidewalk along a major road, and jogged between streetlights, then walked between the next pair, etc. Something like 75 meters at a stretch.  Jog, walk, jog, walk, and did that about 5 times and figured I'd had enough.

And I found out my knees and ankles were just fine. But after aggressive walking for the past 5 months (yes, it's been that long!) I still have no wind for running. And it was hard. I mean I have a lot of mass to move, and of course it all just be forced upward and pound down with each step, but every time I go out and do it there will be less of me than before, and my wind will improve a little at a time. I'm going to keep going for this because I'm very interested in taking better care of my body so it will be able to take care of me longer, and to see if I can get to a point of doing this because I enjoy it.

When I got back to my room I checked, and the temp was 100, with heat index of 108, which is so normal now that I didn't even think to look before I went out!

In the Louvre

Last weekend I had to go to Bahrain to get a new stamp in my passport – for reasons no one can fathom or explain, many of us must go out of Saudi Arabia every 30 days. Then we can return, get a new stamp, and we’re good for another 30 days. So once a month or so a few of us get a taxi, drive across a 20 mile causeway into Bahrain, and have a nice breakfast and do some shopping or watch a movie for our trouble.

Of course, it wouldn’t be that simple, would it? No, because you must go through immigration and customs to get across the causeway. Hmmm, I’ve been to Canada and there was nothing to it – you pull up and stop, advance to the agent when they signal, show your passport and tell them where you’re going, and you’re on your way again in a few minutes. Same for coming back into the U.S.

Understand that Bahrain is a small island, just a few miles off the Arabian Gulf coast, and the only ways onto this small sandy island is by airplane, boat, or across this causeway. But you must stop and pay a fee at one booth, stop and show your passport at another, stop and clear customs at a third, and stop and show your fee receipt at a fourth. That gets you OUT of Saudi Arabia and up to the Bahraini series – one booth to show your passport and get a stamp and welcome to the Kingdom.

The process is repeated in reverse to go back to Saudi, except that you only have to pay the fee on your way out. I’ve seen this process take between 10 minutes and 3 hours, and have heard first-hand from other folks where it took double that. There is very little rhyme or reason to this, and it is a constant source of irritation and frustration when you travel across. Typical time to get through all this is 45-60 minutes. Oh well, it’s the price to pay for being here and having so much fun!

On this trip our group went for breakfast at Ric’s Kountry Kitchen and had a great meal. Then we went to the City Centre Mall for a little shopping and a movie. We saw Red 2 and enjoyed it, and I loved seeing scenes in London and Paris in spots were Dana and I had walked a few weeks ago – very cool!

However, I must say that I love to read, and one of my favorite books of all time is the Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. I’ve read this wonderful story a dozen times, and every time is fresh and exciting to me. After returning from our trip I thought it would be a great time to revisit this old friend.

If it was cool to see some movie scenes that we’d been, I have been thrilled to read this book and see passages about streets, buildings, and going to the Louvre – referring to the king’s game room, his antechamber, the guard room – and know that I walked through those same rooms just a few days ago. Don’t know why, but it just makes the book come even more alive for me. For my money, the best movie to come from this book was made in the 70s and featured Michael York, Oliver Reed, Raquel Welch, Richard Chamberlain, and many others - beautiful production done in two parts, and as faithful to the original story as could be done. I highly recommend it and will try to find it myself once I finish re-reading the book!

Enough literary reflections for one night! Here are two pictures from our trip of the Louvre, and one of Notre Dame cathedral – more soon!