Author Archives: aubdog2121

Successful trip to the Dubai mall. Hit all the non shopping highlights including the human waterfall, the dinosaur skeleton, the aquarium, the fountain and the Garett’s popcorn. Saw many group tours going through the mall. Another side note, in Dubai Uber is a premium taxi service and nearly all Ubers are black Lexus ES cars.

At McDonald’s at airport on the way to Dubai. Not allowed to open bag until 6:07pm to eat. Some guy already yelled at for opening bag. 13 minutes to go. 6:07pm is Iftar. Time when the sun sets and you can break the fast for Ramadan. Whole restaurant filled with people at tables starting atContinue reading “Ramadan at Airport”

I arrived today in Rome for start of 2 month assignment for work. Only took 15 minutes for me to exit plane, make it through passport control and get baggage. Amazing. Had a scare at rental car office. I didn’t bring my US drivers license and rental company did not like my Saudi Arabia driversContinue reading “Work in Rome”

I have a Saudi bank account that I only use to transfer US dollars when needed. I don’t use it very often. I get a message from the bank that account will be closed for inactivity. I transfer some money into the account thinking this will make the account active. Of course it doesn’t workContinue reading “Bank Account”

I listen to a radio station out of Bahrain whose broadcast reaches Saudi Arabia. The radio station announced the top 5 Christmas movies. I think the list is missing some key movies, but here is a Middle East take on the top 5 5. A Christmas Carol 4. The Christmas Chronicles 3. The Holuday 2.Continue reading “Top 5 Christmas Movies”

Fox are very common on the golf course and can be very curious. I have played over 100 rounds of golf this year, but have never seen this. A fox was checking us out as we were talking on the 9th green. I threw a golf ball towards the fox. The fox picked up theContinue reading “Golf Course Fox”

Summer is hot in Saudi Arabia. 110 F on normal day and even though it’s a desert it can be very humid in the Eastern Region. This means indoor activities hence not many exciting updates to give. Even Lilly prefers the comfort of the AC. On really hot days for walks, she will go toContinue reading “Long Time Between Updates”

I am taking a class on Saudi Arabia culture. There is a continuing education program in the community with classes on all kinds of subjects. The classes started up again this Summer after being shutdown for over a year for COVID-19. 4 people are in the class and the teacher is a woman who retiredContinue reading “Saudi Arabia Culture and History”

I never in my life thought I would be drinking a non-alcoholic beer in the Persian Gulf. Jubail is an industrial city on the coast an hour drive North of my house. You will never hear this body of water referred to as the Persian Gulf because Persia is a reference to Iran. It isContinue reading “Jubail Boat Trip”

Ramadan starts tonight pending the crescent moon being visibly spotted anywhere in Saudi Arabia. Ramadan is the 9th month of the Hijri calendar. The Hijri calendar is lunar based and is 10 days shorter per year than the Gregorian calendar. The Muslim religious holidays and government documents are based on the Hijri calendar. This meansContinue reading “Ramadan and Burger-athylon”