Al Ahsa to Dubai

The trip from Al Ahsa to Dubai takes 7½ hours, allowing about an hour at the border and with a couple of stops along the way.  You get on Qatar road, and pass the downtown slammer to remind you to be good (please click on the thumbnails to se the picture)

As you leave Al Ahsa, you remember why it is there – it is an oasis, with many date palm farms.

As you leave town, you pass the sign for the Pilgrim Yard.  Quite a sight, all those Pilgrims, stacked like so much cordwood.  (“Victor, you don’t know what the Pilgrim Yard, is, do you?”  “I got not clue one.”)

You know you’re on your way when, a couple of hours later, you’re at the Salwa corner.  UAE/ Oman beckons.

And then through the Saudi border (where I was informed that I’d had the wrong visa all this time – it said I was to arrive by air, and I drove – remind me to apply for an “open” visa next time) and into “no man’s land” between the KSA and UAE 

Then the final Saudi gate and the welcome to UAE

Coming up to the UAE customs, you can see the wages of waste, with all the plastic bags caught on the nice green UAE fence, sticking out in the hot desert wind

The drive was good, uneventful.  I didn’t get lost trying to get through all the detours around Abu Dhabi.  The only notable thing was the heat; 42 in the desert in the Emirate of AD!

Not a bad temperature for April 9th!

I will also have to see what the trip really cost me later, given all of the speed cameras in the UAE!

Hofuf

I am in AL Hofuf, part of the Al Ahsa region, KSA.  Please see this Google Earth screen snip (click on pictures to see them)

It is down from Dammam, on the Gulf, towards Riyadh.

Here is the sign you see when you enter Hofuf from the Qatar Road side (from UAE)

The retail of the city mostly comprises small shops

Just above, an outdoor market, with goods hanging

Typical women’s dress

Most people live in villas with a wall around, a driver’s accomodation built into the wall and a maid who lives in the house.  Many are bigger and fancier, but this is typical.

There are many, many grilled food places.  The traditional ones don’t have a family section, so women aren’t allowed to enter, to buy food or to sit inside.  Some newer places have family sections so women can come if accompanied by a male relative (certainly no unrelated male).

Road Trip 2

Into Saudi, on the road to AL Hofuf (Al Ahsa).

Scenery along the way

Yikes!  Dunes!

This is the Arabian Gulf.  The Salway corner is the only turn in the road from the KSA border to Hofuf.  Biig event … a corner!  You can go to Qatar that way… we go the other way, to Hofuf.

Typical “facilities” along the way 

It was a windy, sandy day along the road to Hofuf – pretty typical – wears the paint off the front of your vehicle

In Hofuf – and the local police want to you to watch out for the faults of others – wise, as no one wants to admit that they themselves may have faults!

Big Progress in the Kingdom!

A month ago, women in Saudi Arabia could not practice law.  Many earned law degrees but were not allowed to use them.  Now, not only can they practice, they can set up their own law firms!  When it goes, it goes fast.  Tim-brrrrr!

A Great Logo

Saudi Arabia may be a tough place for non-Islamic expats to live, but it does have a great logo.

KSA Symbol

Istimara!

Well, I am zeroing in on the fabled Istimara for our vehicle.  Many references say that it is terribly difficult to import a car to Saudi Arabia.  I didn’t find it terribly difficult (Inshallah; not done yet) but just difficult in the normal sense.  There was the customs part at the Salwa border and then at the port in Dammam; there was the registration part back in Al Ahsa.  Both required an inspection; both inspections were done thoroughly but fairly.  I guess I say that because our car passed!

The former inspection at the Saudi Standards Organization was a bit strange in that when you approach the building you are met by hordes of young men waving bits of paper which turn out to be cheques.  As you have to pay for the inspection with the SR350 cheque, these enterprising fellows take your cash and give you a cheque to present.  And, in my case, because of lack of Arabic (“mafi Arabia”) perform as translator and apologist for the ignorant “american”.

All part of the tapestry.

Living In Al Hufuf (Hofuf)

I have not blogged in a while.  Let’s put it down to the myriad things one has to do to adjust to living in the KSA.  We live in Al Hufuf or Hofuf now.  A good description here.

It is a character place.  Wacky driving, some ramshackle amongst the new villas, very friendly people.  Westerners are an oddity here.  I had no access to the hocky playoffs.

More on our area and King Faisal U. later.

Moving to Saudi Arabia (2)

It occurs to me, looking at the title of this post, that we’ve moved to KSA, so perhaps the gerundial “moving” isn’t correct.  However, our furniture hasn’t yet arrived, and we are still in the palatial confines of the Intercontinental Al Ahsa, so we are still clearly in the process of moving.

It strikes me as what a very privileged position we are in.  As residents of the Kingdom, we are free to travel around this great country, with its two major sea coasts (Red Sea and Gulf), mountains, antiquities and wonderful people, whereas other foreigners are not so allowed.

And it seems in 10 days, Inshallah, we will have a great place to live and our own furniture inside it.

Keep you posted.

Moving to Saudi Arabia (1)

This is my first post about our move to Saudi Arabia, specifically Al Hofuf /Al Ahsa.  Yesterday we set out from Abu Dhabi.  We made it through the Saudi border in jig time.  Our visas were obviously in order thanks to the stellar work of the KSA cultural attache in Dubai and Dr. Al-Shoaibi in Al Hofuf.  Got to Al Hofuf at about 3 PM; circled around lost for 45 minutes or so; asked a startled Saudi driver for directions; he led us on a low-speed chase (due to my wariness of the drivers!) through Al Ahsa and to the Intercontinental Hotel.  This shall be home until we find one of our own in Hofuf.