Category Archives: Uncategorized

24 hour curfew started last night. We are on complete lockdown. You can leave your house between 6am and 3pm for essential trips only (food and medical). Cars can only have two people in them – A passenger and a commander. I think commander was a weird translation for driver from English. Here are someContinue reading “Edward Scissorhands”

Took a break from watching Tiger King to take a pretend trip to Arizona. The dog is Lily, a foster dog. Charlotte decided to try fostering dogs while in Saudi which has given us another activity to pass the time during quarantine.

Cell phones in Saudi Arabia have replaced the 4G/LTE at top with stay at home message. Every day government sends out text messages to stay at home. “نتحد جميعًا في البقاء بمنازلنا..#كلنا_مسؤولمع تحيات وزارة الصحةWe shall show solidarity by staying home. We_are_all_responsible”. Saudi Aramco sends out a message everyday to wash hands and stay home.Continue reading “Saudi Arabia is taking Virus seriously”

Curfew starts tonight in Saudi Arabia. 7pm to 6am you must be in your house or risk fines ($2500 for first offense) and imprisonment for second offense. House gatherings of any size are now prohibited. All flights domestic and international are cancelled. Malls, Restaurants and parks have been closed for two weeks. All group activitiesContinue reading “Quarantine”

Drove two hours to the oasis town of Al Hasa. This area has been inhabited since prehistoric times due to abundance of spring water. This area is know for growing date palms. There are millions of date palm trees, but I failed to get a picture of any of them. The purpose of the tripContinue reading “First Road Trip (Al Hasa)”

Today was our first trip out to the desert. A group of people set out to dig for sand roses. These are crystal formations that form below the sand. You dig about 1 meter down to find the roses which are made of gypsum. This was similar to the book Holes with all the digging.Continue reading “Sand Roses”

The time is 9 hours ahead of the Central time zone and Houston. Saudi Arabia does not practice daylight savings. When clocks spring forward we will be 8 hours ahead. Money here is riyals. Or you will hear SARs (Saudi Arabian Riyals). The smallest coin is equivalent to a quarter. The currency is in EnglishContinue reading “Time and Money in Saudi Arabia”

 Charlotte joined the Dhahran Women’s Group. During the welcome meeting she learned of the Walk of Nations event put on by the elementary school. This event is put on every year and draws big crowds. Special buses are set up to bring people to the event. A booth is set up for the nationality ofContinue reading “Walk of Nations”

Community puts on this event every year. Got to try Arabic coffee and dates which I have had many times. Charlotte tried the Arabic coffee, but refused to drink it because it tasted like burnt toast.Saw my first camel and Arabian horse since arriving in Saudi Arabia. Got to hold a falcon which are highlyContinue reading “Bedouin Night”

Spent the weekend in the country of Bahrain. It is an hour drive across the King Fahd Causeway. The causeway is over 15 miles long and is made up of five bridges. The main activity for the weekend trip was to attend the brunch at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Brunch is from noon to 4pm.Continue reading “Bahrain Brunch”